We have seen that the basis for all true love is God's love. This makes our love a response to his love. This response is called reciprocal love.
Reciprocal love expresses the mutual love relationship between God and the Church Age believer under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit whereby the believer responds to the perfect love of God with Bible Doctrine.
Last time we concluded with the idea that occupation with Christ provides us with the pattern for reciprocal love because in his unglorified humanity he was the prototype for reciprocal love Heb 12:2; 1Pet 2:21;
Reciprocal love for God is our response to God's love for us from eternity past. Reciprocity is personal love for God from the Church Age believer, that is accomplished through the execution of the unique spiritual life of human history.
Reciprocal love for God is the highest motivation that we can have.
Reciprocal love was given to every believer as a potential at salvation but it does not become functional until the believer reaches the cognitive self confidence that comes from having a personal sense of destiny.
Along with it comes the greatest happiness and tranquility that is available in the world. John 14:27; Phil 4:7; Col 3:15;
The basis for stability in life is tranquility. Tranquility means you have a system of virtue and values that you would not change for anything.
Tranquility begins with reciprocal love for God that provides capacity from one's personal love for God that enables us to stop reacting to people and circumstances.
This tranquility under pressure equals wisdom. Prov 10:19; Prov 17:27-28;
Worship is also a matter of reciprocity. 1 John 4:16, "We have come to know and have believed the virtue-love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in that love remains in association with God, and God remains in association with him."
This reciprocal love for God is fellowship with God under the principle of harmonious rapport with God. The believer remains in harmonious rapport with God through their obedience to the mandates of the word of God that is reciprocal love for God. John 14:15; 1John 5:3;
Reciprocal love for God is the execution of the post salvation spiritual life through the enabling power and mentorship of God the Holy Spirit. John 14:26;
Reciprocity brings a new kind of love to worship and subsequent execution of the unique spiritual life, and these occur simultaneously.
Reciprocity is worship as well as spiritual advance. They occur simultaneously. When you have one, you will automatically have the other.
Reciprocity brings in occupation with Christ and with it worship, resulting in honor and maximum devotion directed to all three members of the Trinity.
The combination of the fulfillment of the unique spiritual life of the Church Age and reciprocal love for God then becomes the basis for the highest quality of life on this planet.
The first reciprocal love toward God is to believe in Jesus Christ as savior. We cannot find ourselves until we find God in reciprocal love.
Once we see the invisible God through the PMA of Bible doctrine our reciprocal love for God motivates spiritual self-esteem.
Only spiritual self-esteem has the capacity from Bible Doctrine and ability from one's personal sense of destiny to respond to the love of God.
Spiritual self-esteem has the ability to love and be loved. Spiritual self-esteem along with impersonal love destroys inordinate ambition and inordinate competition.