Walking in Love

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF JOHN

WALKING IN LOVE

2 John 4-6

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

NIV

Although we passed right by the introduction of this letter that included the standard blessing of grace and peace, we know it is meaningful as well. To be blessed by the grace and peace and, mercy on this occasion, from God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ carries much meaning in our lives. To have the divine influence on our hearts, and the be at peace with Him because Jesus has given us His peace, not as the world gives, but as he gives, thus we are at peace with God and have nothing to fear from Him. In addition, we have been shown an incredible amount of mercy or compassion from God, and that Greek word is active, which means His mercy in ongoing, it was not a onetime act of compassion. So we accept that greeting, that blessing as not just to this dear lady, but to all who read this letter, for the Word of God is active, not of the past, or of the future, but for the present to all who partake in it. Now, let us look at this joy that John receives, well the great joy that he receives, to find some of her children walking in the truth. Again, we could, as some have suggested, take this metaphorically and think about the church walking in the truth. But, at the same time, it is also a great joy to see our children walking in the truth. It is painful to watch any child leave the truth to live for their own passions. This lady may have that pain as well because John says that his joy is in that some, not all, of her children, are walking in the truth. It may well be that no matter how much we do in the rearing of our children, at some point in time they have to make their own choice in life to walk in the truth or to walk in some lie. Nevertheless, there is great joy when they do walk in the truth. John continues to tell this dear lady that he is not writing anything that he has not written before, that all believers had heard it from the beginning, and that is to love one another. This is that agapaoo type of love, which is in a social or moral sense. If we walk in love, as we have been commanded to, then that would mean we hold absolutely no ill-feeling toward anyone, nor that we exclude anyone from our love. That is we show no favoritism, but love everyone equally. This also means that we always trust them, always protect them, always preserver, and always hope. Love never fails. It also means we are to forgive, we never keep a record of any wrongs. If we want the whole truth about this love we have to read over and over that definition Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians. If we desire to walk in love, those qualities of love need to be deeply rooted within us so that we reflect that love in our daily lives toward all our brothers and sisters in Christ. This love we need to have within us needs to be an active love, as we are not to sit in love, but we are to walk in love.