Walking in the Love of God
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (NKJV)
Love is central to the Christian life because it is central to the character of God. The Scriptures reveal that God demonstrated His love towards us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and everyone who has received His life is called to walk in love. Jesus taught His disciples that their love for one another would be an identifying mark of their discipleship. This means that our relationship with Christ ought to have a visible influence on the way we relate to other people.
However, walking in love requires much more than having affectionate feelings towards people. There will be situations where loving someone requires patience, forgiveness, kindness, sacrifice, and self-control. It is easy to speak about love when everyone treats you well, but the strength of your love becomes evident when you are confronted with disagreements, disappointments, and offences. The believer must learn to respond to these situations with the understanding that the love of God has been poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit.
Think about the way you treat your family members, colleagues, neighbours, church members, and people who cannot offer you anything in return. Are you patient with others? Are you willing to help people when it is within your ability? Do you speak with kindness, or do you continually use words that wound others? The Christian life must be visible in these ordinary interactions. Do not allow spiritual activities to become an excuse for neglecting the responsibility to walk in love. As you grow in Christ, allow His love to influence your speech, decisions, relationships, and responses to people.
Prayer
Father, establish me in Your love. Help me to love people sincerely, forgive offences, and treat others with patience, kindness, and compassion, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Confession
The love of God has been poured into my heart by the Holy Spirit. I walk in love, I forgive freely, and I treat others with kindness and honour.
Further reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1–8, Romans 5:5–8, 1 John 4:7–12.