Walk in love

Ephesians 5:2 NKJV

THE GREEKS used four words to distinguish different types of love: .1) Storge, which means natural affection; 2) Eros, which means sexual attraction; 3) Philia, which means emotional affection or friendship; 4) Agape, which means unconditional giving, sacrificial love. When the Bible tells of God’s love for us and the type of love we are to have for Him and others, the word is always ‘agape’, indicating a commitment to act. Do you know it’s possible to love someone you don’t even like? Indeed, if God is going to educate us to love, He will bring certain hard-to-love people into our lives. The truth is, our lives are full of people we don’t like. We do not like the way some people speak. We do not like the way some behave. We do not like what others wear. But most of all, we tend to dislike people who don’t like us. If you think about it for a minute, you can probably produce a list of people you don’t like. They would probably be people with whom you have difficulty getting along. Everyone is hard to love sometimes – even you – but some are hard to love at any time. But Jesus never demanded that we have a tender fondness for everyone. He did not feel warmth for the Pharisees. We don’t have to like everyone – isn’t that a relief? – but we must love them. What does the Bible mean when it says, ‘Walk in love’? Like physical walking, this unconditional love a) requires effort, b) moves in a certain direction, and c) is something you do every day.

Love one another as I have loved you

John 15:12 NKJV

PICTURE IN your mind the person you find hardest to love. How can you learn to love this kind of person? First, before you can love them, you must feel and understand how deeply God loves you. Paul writes: ‘I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves’ (Ephesians 3:17-19 TLB). Notice the words ‘feel. .. understand … experience’. God wants you to feel His love, and He wants you to understand His love. Why7 First John 4:19 says that we love God because He first loved us. Why is it important to feel loved by God? Because unloved people are often unloving people. When you do not feel genuinely loved, you do not feel like giving love. So, first, you have to experience God’s love for yourself. Jesus said, ‘Love one another as I have loved you.’ During your worst acts, and in your lowest moments, Jesus loves you. Knowing you are loved by Christ gives you value and security; it also enables you to risk loving others. All God asks is that you be willing to love, and He will supply the power to do it. ‘The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Romans 5:5 NKJV).

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