John 15:9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
1John 2:3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
1John4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us
1 John4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
Our first and great calling is to “abide in the love of Jesus.” What a great place to live and to live from. Everything in the Christian life that has authenticity, bears authentic, and bears lasting fruit comes from abiding in the love of God. 1 Jn. 2, 4, and 5 uses the phrase “perfected in love.” The longer we abide in love the more perfected in love we become. Marination in the love of God results in the saturation of the presence of God, (1Jn.4:16). Notice what being perfected in love, and therefore being saturated with “presence” looks like. First, 4:17-19 says that being perfected in love results in a fearless life; free from condemnation. Being confident in His unconditional, and relentless love liberates us from the emotional exhaustion shame, constant guilt, and fear bring. You can’t live by faith, and in fear at the same time. Only perfect love; His love, that unceasingly delights in loving you (Micah 7:18) casts out fear.
Secondly, being perfected in love looks like joyful obedience for loves sake. Look at these two verses in John 15:10-11, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” The obedience that flows from a lovesick heart is the fullness of joy being realized and released. A heart in radical love, radically loves to please their true love. Obedience is a sheer delight, not a burdensome duty, to the LOVESICK. Thirdly, being perfected in the love of Christ looks like a “laid down” life for others. Fruit isn’t a show; it is an overflow. The overflow of the life, and love of Jesus. When you are perfected in love, like John was as he stood at the foot of the Cross, Jesus gives you His most precious treasure, which is people to care for, just as He gave His Mother into John’s care.
All of this is ours not as the result of trying, but abiding in love. Marination results in saturation, which brings manifestation.