Knowing love

"Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8 ESV

Have you heard or read the phrase " God is love?" Simple and memorable, I can't remember a time I didn't know it. Those words, "God is love" rang true inside of me, so true that examining them seemed unnecessary. I ignored them, assuming I understood what they meant. They were a rare jewel I stuffed in an old coffee can and stored in the attic. My certainty became smugness and I doubted those words even appeared in the bible. Recently, while studying love, I found them in 1 John 4:8. Suddenly, "God is love" mattered hugely, and I needed to explore this in bright and clear detail. I needed to search every plane, every facet, of this hidden jewel, and display it for everyone to see and admire.
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I was wrong. God knows what we need to know, and offers us the knowledge in an understandable form. We simply have to accept that the lack of complexity means clarity instead. So, when you read " God is love," recognize this phrase encapsulates an enormous truth; God's love never lacks anything.