Learning to Walk in Love

Life is hard. Relationships are messy. How do we love one another and extend grace when we just don’t feel like it, or when it seems impossible given the current situation we are facing? How do we walk in love?

In reading through Ephesians 4:1-5:21, we find some answers as we look at two repeated words in this passage.

If we read through this passage and mark the repeated word love, we learn the following:

If we read through this passage and mark the repeated word walk, we learn the following:

Each of these verses brought an action word to my mind: Remember, Renew, Respond.

If we are to make the most of each opportunity throughout our day to walk in love, begin to practice the following:

Each moment when the flesh begins to rear its ugly head and we respond in ways that are not loving, we can take a moment to pause and remember we are deeply loved by God! We can begin each day by renewing our minds with the truth of God’s Word. We can remind ourselves of truth throughout our day. We are renewed in our spirit as we rely on His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, at work within us. As we begin to do this, we will find ourselves responding more and more like Jesus.

Life is hard but we were not meant to walk it alone. We were created to be in constant fellowship with the Father, to rely upon and lean into Jesus’ presence, and to walk in step with the Spirit.

We were also created to live in community with other believers. We need one another!

1 Thessalonians 5:11 calls us to encourage one another. This word for encourage in the original language of Scripture is the word parakaleo meaning to call to one’s side, to come alongside another and help, comfort, aid, admonish, instruct, teach, console and strengthen.

In John 14:26 we read that the Holy Spirit, parakletes in the original language, comes alongside as our Helper to convict of sin, comfort, instruct, teach and guide us.

In Romans 15:4-5 we read that we have been given the God’s Word, our paraklesis, to instruct us, to encourage us and to give us endurance and hope.

Throughout the New Testament, we find several mutuality commands or one anothers that show us how to translate love from vague sentiment into concrete actions —enabling us to make love our aim (1 Cor. 14:1) and walk in love.

I invite you to join us on the Women of Warren blog over the next several weeks. Each week we’ll examine an aspect of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 and a corresponding mutuality command, a one another. Let’s walk side by side encouraging one another along the way and reflecting Jesus to a hurting world in desperate need of God’s redeeming love and grace!

Related Posts: Walk in Love, You are Loved

Originally published at warren.church.