True Love

Love is a pathway etched in the heart

Carved by the hands scarred to impart,

The message of mercy in acts and in words;

The good news of grace that no one deserves.

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Love is the choice of one heart to draw near

To another without living in dread of any fear,

For the cost of the closeness is willingly paid

With the joy of Heaven's coming being the trade.

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Love is obedience to take up one's cross

To walk in the steps of sacrifice and loss,

For the sake of pointing one broken soul

To the Savior who alone can heal and make whole.

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Love is the whispered prayers through the day

That yield no seen fruit but are whispered anyway

Like seeds that are planted in darkness and death

So each prayer that is spoken is love's abiding breath.

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Love is the road that leads to the joy

Of knowing the One who came as a boy

The boy in the manger that the angels did sing

Was none other than Heaven's true, perfect King

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Love is the Almighty God over all

Choosing to humble himself and become small;

Coming to despised shepherds in the fields

With tidings of gladness that the Angel revealed.

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Love is God's Son in the manger of straw

Shining the glory of God to us all.

Love is the Father sending His Son 

Into the world to make His children One.

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Love is the Son willingly walking

In the dirt of our towns as He came to us talking

Of the Kingdom of God drawing near

Offered to those who walk in faith and not fear.

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Love is the pathway back to God's heart 

That the Godhead planned from before the start,

That Jesus carved with the scars of his hands

In order to fulfill all His Father had planned.

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Love is Christ's choice to draw near to sinful men

In order to be their suffering friend

The cost of this closeness was willingly paid

By Jesus as he hung on the cross that dark day. 

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Love is the obedience of the Son to die

In the place of sinners; redemption to buy

with the blood of his wounds poured out for their cure

So that all who draw near will be washed and made pure.

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Love is the prayer of sorrow poured out from the soul

From God's one and only Son as He pressed on to the goal.

For he was born into life in order to walk

Up Calvary's Hill where at the foot of the cross,

His mother watched as he bore the shame and sin

Of all of His people. He made the way for them to enter in:

Into the rest of His Father above;

This Rest is the great mystery of God's perfect love.

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Love is seen from Mary's womb

All the way to the empty tomb.

For Jesus' life and death is love's definition

And He did not stay dead, no He is arisen!

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Love's wondrous good news is spreading far and wide

In Him we have a refuge from our sin to hide.

The price has been paid and our punishment swallowed,

Now all we must do is get up and follow.

And walk in love's steps right up to God's heart

Daily knowing the joy that His friendship alone can impart.

With eyes fixed on Heaven and the reward that is ours

We walk through this life shining like stars

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For love is the pathway that Jesus paved

So that all who follow Him may be saved

And be filled with the joy of knowing God's heart

This is the meaning of true love that can never depart.