Love is the Key

In answer to the query
Why do you think that Heavenly Father prizes the freedom to choose (agency) so much that He would allow Lucifer and his followers to rebel and start a war in heaven? Sarah wrote, "Because He loves us so He wants us to choose Him and prove ourselves." I love that answer. I think it is profound. This morning I had some thoughts on love.
--Love changes people
--God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whoso believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
--:if you love me, keep my commandments" is not a commandment but an answer of sorts to help us understand what we can do to express or show our love for God.
--"for them that love me"

1 Jn. 4: 7-12, 16-21

7 Beloved, let us ^alove one another: for ^blove is of God; and every one that loveth is ^cborn of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not ^aknoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might ^alive through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he ^aloved us, and ^bsent his Son to be the ^cpropitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

12 ^aNo man hath ^bseen God at any time. If we love one another, ^cGod ^ddwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

• • •

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that ^adwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he ^ais, so are we in this world.

18 There is no ^afear in ^blove; but perfect ^clove casteth out fear: because fear hath ^dtorment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

19 We ^alove him, because he first loved us.

John 15: 9-10, 12-13, 17, 19

9 As the Father hath ^aloved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10 If ye ^akeep my commandments, ye shall abide in my ^blove; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

• • •

12 This is my commandment, That ye ^alove one another, as I have ^bloved you.

13 Greater ^alove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his ^blife for his ^cfriends.

• • •

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

John 14: 15, 21, 23, 28, 31

15 ¶ If ye ^alove me, ^bkeep my ^ccommandments.

• • •

21 He that hath my commandments, and ^akeepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be ^bloved of my Father, and I will love him, and will ^cmanifest myself to him.

• • •

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will ^alove him, and we will come unto him, and make our ^babode with him.

Mark 12: 30-31, 33, 38

30 And thou shalt ^alove the Lord thy God with all thy ^bheart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy ^cstrength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

• • •

33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt ^aofferings and sacrifices.

D&C 124: 15, 17, 20, 78, 87

15 And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the ^aintegrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord.

• • •

17 And for his love he shall be great, for he shall be mine if he do this, saith the Lord. I have seen the work which he hath done, which I accept if he continue, and will crown him with blessings and great glory.

• • •

20 And again, verily I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without ^aguile; he may be trusted because of the ^bintegrity of his heart; and for the love which he has to my testimony I, the Lord, love him.

Eph. 5: 2, 25, 28, 33

2 And ^awalk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an ^boffering and a ^csacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling ^dsavour.

Prov. 8: 17, 21, 36

17 I ^alove them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

1. Rom. 8: 28, 35, 37, 39
   28 And we know that all things work together for ^agood to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
   • • •
   35 Who shall separate us from the ^alove of Christ? shall ^btribulation, or distress, or ^cpersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
   • • •
   37 Nay, in all these things we are ^amore than ^bconquerors through him that loved us.
   • • •
   39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to ^aseparate us from the ^blove of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. 1 Jn. 5: 2-3
   2 By this we know that we ^alove the ^bchildren of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
   3 For this is the ^alove of God, that we ^bkeep his commandments: and his commandments are not ^cgrievous.
3. Deut. 4: 31 37 And because he ^aloved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of ^bEgypt;
4. Deut 10 And shewing ^amercy unto thousands of them that ^blove me and keep my commandments.

--This is a test--will we try it His way--love
--how do I love thee? Everything we see, do and have is evidence of God's love for us.
--We loved Him because He first loved us
--God is love
--What is the greatest power in the universe? Love
These are the thoughts that I want to explore in this.
I found some great scriptures in Duet. from looking in the TOPICAL GUIDE under, GOD< love of