Poem: THE SPIRIT TRIED AND LOVE MADE PERFECT 1 John 4

Beloved, hear the caution given,
That drifts between the earth and heaven;
For not each voice that claims the sky
Speaks truth, nor lifts the spirit high.
The winds are full of hidden sound,
And many wandering words abound;
So test the breath that stirs the air,
And weigh each claim with earnest care.

For some have gone with subtle art,
To bend the mind, deceive the heart;
They speak as though from courts above,
Yet know not truth, nor walk in love.
But this the mark, both sure and plain:
That Christ in flesh has borne our pain;
The Son of God, in form made known—
In this the Spirit’s light is shown.

If any voice would dare deny
That He came down from realms on high,
It bears not God’s own sacred flame,
But stands opposed to Jesus’ name.
This is that spirit, dark and cold,
Foretold by faithful lips of old;
Already moving through the land,
With unseen force and subtle hand.

Yet you, dear children, need not fear,
For One more strong is dwelling near;
Not far removed, nor faint, nor dim,
But living power resides in Him.
Greater is He within your breast
Than all that stirs with proud unrest;
And though the world may speak aloud,
Its voice is but a passing cloud.

They speak as those of earth confined,
And earthly ears receive their mind;
For like to like will always turn,
And hearts of dust for dust will burn.
But we are taught from God above,
To hear His truth, to walk in love;
And those who know Him hear His voice,
And in His living word rejoice.

O let us love, with fervent flame,
Not empty word nor passing name;
For love is born from God alone,
And marks the heart that He has known.
He who loves has seen His face,
Though not by sight, but inward grace;
While he who will not love remains
A stranger still to heavenly strains.

For God is love, not faint nor small,
But vast, unsearchable to all;
A boundless sea without a shore,
A treasure none can measure o’er.
And this was shown, made clear, made bright,
When Christ was sent, the world’s true Light;
That we through Him might live anew,
And taste what endless life can do.

Not that we first reached out above,
And kindled there the flame of love;
But He, while we were yet afar,
Sent forth His Son, our Morning Star.
A sacrifice for all our sin,
To cleanse the heart and dwell within;
O wondrous grace, so deep, so free,
That stooped to lift such souls as we.

If God has loved us thus, so wide,
Shall we not love on every side?
Shall grudges live, or hatred stay,
Where such a Light has found its way?
No man has seen the face divine,
Nor walked where heavenly glories shine;
Yet when we love, His life appears,
Made known through days, through years.

By this we know His Spirit’s breath,
That leads us on through life and death;
A quiet strength, a sacred guide,
Assuring God in us abides.
And we have seen, and we proclaim,
The Savior sent in Jesus’ name;
The Father’s gift, the world’s release,
The Prince of everlasting peace.

Whoever speaks that Name with truth,
Finds God within, in age or youth;
And dwelling there, that life shall grow,
A living stream that all may know.
So we believe, and so we stand,
Held fast within His mighty hand;
For God is love, and they who stay
In love abide in Him alway.

And love made full casts fear aside,
No trembling doubt need there abide;
For fear looks on with troubled sight,
But love stands firm in holy light.
It does not shrink from judgment’s day,
Nor turn in dread, nor flee away;
For as He is, so are we found,
With grace and truth together bound.

There is no fear where love is whole,
It drives out torment from the soul;
No chain remains, no shadow clings,
Where perfect love unfolds its wings.
And we, who love, but answer still
The first great move of sovereign will;
For every spark within the heart
Began when God first played His part.

Yet if a man should boldly say
He loves the God he cannot see,
And still withholds from brother near
The grace that ought to conquer fear,
His words are vain, his claim untrue,
For love must prove itself in view;
The unseen God is shown at last
In love that holds, and love held fast.

This is the charge, both clear and strong,
To guide the right, condemn the wrong:
That he who loves the Lord above
Must walk below in brother-love.
No higher path, no deeper call,
No greater proof required of all;
For love completes what faith began,
The mark of God within the man.

So let it rise, this holy flame,
Unquenched by loss, unchanged by shame;
Let it endure through trial and night,
A steady, ever-burning light.
For in that love, both pure and sure,
The soul shall stand, the heart endure;
And God Himself shall then be known,
In love perfected, fully shown.

BDD