Becoming Fervent

     I Peter 1:22 (NASB) 22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,
     Kefa I 1:22 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) 22 Having purified your nefashot (souls) by mishma’at (obedience 1:2) to HaEmes, resulting in ahavah shel achvah (brotherly love) without tzevi’ut (hypocrisy), have fervent ahavah (agape) for one another, from a lev tahor.
     I believe the secret of living in His Love (agape) so others see Him in you, is loving God.  Loving Him more than your own feelings, more than your own desires, than your own will and control, and more than your own comfort.  This is what Jesus expressed in His life among us.  He manifested the Father.  God is Love!  We marvel at His creative power so evident in all we see.  The knowledge and wisdom in the intricate and predictable nature we see in everything He created.  But we have never seen the Father for He is beyond our capability of beholding.  Only Jesus knew the Father, but the ignorance of mortality hid the revelation from those who thought they knew Jesus.  The Rulers of Israel, men of education and diligent study, were ignorant of the reality of the spirit plane on which Jesus lived.  Even the disciples who were taught by Him and who watched His manner of life, did not perceive the Father.  Unless the Spirit reveals Him, no one can perceive Him.
     In the 14th chapter of John, Jesus addressed this.  He revealed the path we must take to come into full maturity of love and revealed Truth.  John 14:15-20 (NIV) 15 “If you love me, keep my commands.  16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  We have levels of love for God.  At any time, we feel we love completely, but love for God produces obedience to His Word.  As your loves grows, your obedience will also grow.  Love and obedience allows the Spirit to guide you and fulfill His ministry to you.  The Spirit is connected to the Father by always beholding His Face.  He reveals to our heart the commands of Jesus. 
Love and obedience leads us to yet another step forward.  21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  The word keeps is as being pregnant.  The mother that loves her child will do anything to keep that baby safe in the womb until time for delivery, even if it means staying in bed for weeks at a time!  The one who loves the Lord and is obeying the Spirit's voice, will keep His Word until it comes to fulfillment and Jesus can reveal Himself, manifesting His Presence.
     This level of love leads to the connection to the Father. 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”   23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.  Notice the change from commands to My word that we are to keep.   Our growth into maturity, as God intends for us, depends on our living response to Him and to His Word.  As Jesus emptied Himself to come to us, we must empty ourselves of our "self-life and image" to come to Him.