Love!\u00a0\u00a0In worldly terms, it is an enigma that has driven mankind to search for its meaning far too long. Love has existed since the Garden of Eden, through the cross at Calvary, until now. Love \u2013 it is not that the world perceives as blind or nonsensical, but perfect love \u2013 it is the only love that is in truth and spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n Pure and perfect as God intended it to be, in perfect love, there is no fear present. There is no malicious intent in words and actions; a state of brotherhood and sisterhood\u00a0existing in perfect harmony and purity. Perfect love shines through, when the church comes together in front of God with one heart, mind, and spirit. What proof do we have of God living in us if we do not love one another?<\/span><\/p>\n In the passage, Apostle John reminds the early church of the message and mission to love one another, which is extremely relevant in modern-day churches as well. We encounter the perfect personification of love in the Word \u2013 God!<\/span><\/p>\n Love should not be lacking in the community, especially in the Christian community. It is not as if this perfect love should only be expressed and celebrated with fellowship during Christmas, Easter, or other special occasions. God\u2019s love towards us should be our model for our love for others. And it\u2019s the way we experience God\u2019s presence in us, among us, and through us.<\/span><\/p>\n This Lenten season, let\u2019s examine the love that emanates from us. How is our relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters? Are we experiencing Christ\u2019s love to its full extent in our daily lives?<\/span><\/p>\n CLOSING PRAYER<\/b><\/p>\n 1 John 4: 11-21 Love!\u00a0\u00a0In worldly terms, it is an enigma that has driven mankind to search for its meaning far too long. Love has existed since the Garden of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lent-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-14-163754.png?fit=1115%2C662&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5709,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5707\/revisions\/5709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/detroitmarthoma.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us perfect love through your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we are affected by worldly temptations and trials, clouded by shadows of fear, doubt, angst, and stress. Yet, Lord, we ask that you help us to love one another without hate as we embody the love you taught us. Father, help us to overcome our fears, hatred, and worries, if any, as we rely on your love for us. In Jesus\u2019s precious name, we pray\u2026 AMEN!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"