Walking in the Love of God
(week 16/04)
Olubi Johnson
Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Here we are commanded to walk in love like God does.
What then, functionally speaking, is the love of God and why and how should we walk in it?
The love of God is undeserved good will: good will towards those who do not deserve it particularly to those who have hurt, or hate and abuse you.
Romans 13:10 KJV: Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Matthew 5:44-48 NKJV: 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
We should walk in love because doing so positions us to receive answers from God to all our prayers.
1 John 3:22-23 NKJV: And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
Also, walking in love causes the love of God in us to be perfected or developed which flushes out from our minds, wills and emotions the force of fear.
1 John 4:17-19 NAS: By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
We need to be fearless to be able to overcome the great persecution that will come against us as the Perfect Church begins to manifest the glory of God that will cause the gospel of the Kingdom (i.e. dominion of the King or perfection) to be preached and demonstrated to all nations: every tribe, tongue and kindred on the earth (Rev. 7.9):
Matthew 24:9-14 NKJV: Then (i.e. when the perfect church begins to manifest the glory of God (Mk. 4.17, Act. 4.1-3, 5.17-20, 12. 1-2) they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
It takes the wisdom, patience and the power of God to walk in the love God:
Philippians 1:9-10 NKJV: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
Colossians 1:9-11 NKJV: For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
Observe that from the prayers Paul prayed above, for the saints to increase in love and fruit (remember the fruit of the spirit is love (Ga. 5.22), he asked God for wisdom, patience and power.
To get the wisdom of God, you need to walk in the fear of God.
Prov 9:10 NKJV: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
So you cannot really walk in the love of God if you do not walk in the fear of God:
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NKJV: And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?
Observe here that fearing God comes before walking in His ways, loving God and keeping His commandments.
So to daily walk in the love of God you need to:
1. Walk in the fear of God.
2. Walk in the life of God: using the name of Jesus to receive life (1 Jn. 3.22, Jn. 20.31).
3. Read the Word daily as habit: the Word of God contains the wisdom of God of how to do good in all situations (Prov. 2.6).
4. Pray in the spirit: pray in tongues (1 Cor. 14.2) to release the mercy and grace of God (Heb. 4.14-16, 7.25, Rom. 8. 26,27) that will give you the patience and power of God to walk in love.
