"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour."
--Ephesians 5:2(KJV)
--Ephesians 5:2(KJV)
"Walk in love", this command may seem like a pretty daunting task. Right? How does one "walk in love" particularly when there are unresolved areas of hurt, pain, rejection, shame, offenses, fear, or anger? How does the offended one walk in love? How does the broken one walk in love? How does one who is consumed by fear walk in love? Does it almost seem unfair on insensitive of God to give this command? What does "walking in love" even look like?
To get a better understanding, we have to unpack Ephesisns 5:2 and grapple with the reality that God would never ask us to do something that we were not equipped or able to do (I Corinthians 10:13). We must remember, that in all things, he is a loving Father who desires that we live life abundantly (John 10:10). We must also remember that Jesus experienced suffering and rejection. He was despised and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:5).
So, what does "walking in love" mean? Strongs Exhaustive Concordance indicates that to walk (G4043 peripateo) is to make one's way, to progress, to make use of opportunities, to conduct one's self. "In" (G1772 en) is a positional state of being that is fixed within the limits of a place. Love (G26 agape) meaning affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly love, a love feast. Therefore, if I am walking in love--I am walking in a fixed, perpetual state of warmth, acceptance, security, freedom, liberty, care, compassion, fearlessness, wholeness, and wellness.
You may be thinking, yeah right! You may be thinking, easier said than done. To that, I say, yup. It is easier said than done when we apply biblical truths to our natural logic and reasoning. Humanly speaking, it is impossible to walk in a perpetual state of love. That is why we are called to follow God's example and love others as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:1); activating his perspective and style of relating in our lives is the key to walking in love. We have the "mind" (G3563 nous) of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), which is the ability and power to consider and judge soberly, calmly, and impartially as Christ did. We have been given the capacity for spiritual truth, recognizing good and hating evil. We have the faculty of perceiving divine things.
Heeding the command to walk in love and relating to others with the mind of Christ are spiritual disciplines. They must be practiced, as they do not come naturally. But, there are dividends and unforetold blessings when we anchor our lives in the word of God.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you are LOVE. We receive your love now. We thank you that you have given us the mind of Christ. We receive that truth now. We thank you that you are aware of the cares of our hearts. We give them to you now. We give you our hurt, pain, sorrow, grief, shame, guilt, anger, fear, anxiety. We give you our brokenness. We give you our feelings of rejection and abandonment. We cast every care upon you because you care for us (I Peter 5:7). We trust you as the Healer of our hearts
(Psalm 147:3). We thank you for giving us the capacity to walk in a perpetual state of love even when it doesn't line up with our present realities. We decree that you are greater. We pray for grace to apply the spiritual disciplines of walking in love and taking on the mind of Christ. Amen and so be it according to your word.
To get a better understanding, we have to unpack Ephesisns 5:2 and grapple with the reality that God would never ask us to do something that we were not equipped or able to do (I Corinthians 10:13). We must remember, that in all things, he is a loving Father who desires that we live life abundantly (John 10:10). We must also remember that Jesus experienced suffering and rejection. He was despised and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:5).
So, what does "walking in love" mean? Strongs Exhaustive Concordance indicates that to walk (G4043 peripateo) is to make one's way, to progress, to make use of opportunities, to conduct one's self. "In" (G1772 en) is a positional state of being that is fixed within the limits of a place. Love (G26 agape) meaning affection, good will, benevolence, brotherly love, a love feast. Therefore, if I am walking in love--I am walking in a fixed, perpetual state of warmth, acceptance, security, freedom, liberty, care, compassion, fearlessness, wholeness, and wellness.
You may be thinking, yeah right! You may be thinking, easier said than done. To that, I say, yup. It is easier said than done when we apply biblical truths to our natural logic and reasoning. Humanly speaking, it is impossible to walk in a perpetual state of love. That is why we are called to follow God's example and love others as Christ loved us (Ephesians 5:1); activating his perspective and style of relating in our lives is the key to walking in love. We have the "mind" (G3563 nous) of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), which is the ability and power to consider and judge soberly, calmly, and impartially as Christ did. We have been given the capacity for spiritual truth, recognizing good and hating evil. We have the faculty of perceiving divine things.
Heeding the command to walk in love and relating to others with the mind of Christ are spiritual disciplines. They must be practiced, as they do not come naturally. But, there are dividends and unforetold blessings when we anchor our lives in the word of God.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your word. We thank you that you are LOVE. We receive your love now. We thank you that you have given us the mind of Christ. We receive that truth now. We thank you that you are aware of the cares of our hearts. We give them to you now. We give you our hurt, pain, sorrow, grief, shame, guilt, anger, fear, anxiety. We give you our brokenness. We give you our feelings of rejection and abandonment. We cast every care upon you because you care for us (I Peter 5:7). We trust you as the Healer of our hearts
(Psalm 147:3). We thank you for giving us the capacity to walk in a perpetual state of love even when it doesn't line up with our present realities. We decree that you are greater. We pray for grace to apply the spiritual disciplines of walking in love and taking on the mind of Christ. Amen and so be it according to your word.
