OLD TESTAMENT: Jeremiah 18 & 19
POETRY: Psalm 119
NEW TESTAMENT: 2 John
Word association games. Have you ever tried them? If I say, “Fruit,” for example, what is the first thing that comes to your brain?
Have you ever tried those with people? I don’t think most people can be broken down into one word. We are far too complicated. But when you think of an individual – for example, “Mom”- what is the first word that comes to mind? I just tried this exercise on each member of my family, using other family member’s names. I’m happy to say that at least one of my children as well as my husband said, “loving” when presented with my name or “Mom.” I’ll take that win and ignore the fact that the others thought of food.
When doing a word association with “Christian,” what do you think people come up with? What about when nonChristians think of you?
Verses 5 and 6 are another reminder from John to love others. And again, as he did in 1 John, he describes what love is. “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.”
Walk in love. The Greek here is agape, which is the highest form of love. This is a selfless and sacrificial love. And the command is that we walk in it.
This is not an occasional action, loving one another. It’s not even a frequent action. It’s even more than that. Walking in love means that every intention and motivation must be love. Love should be our defining characteristic. When people see you and think of you and hear you, they should associate you with God’s love. And walking in love means behaving like Jesus.
It’s difficult knowing how Jesus would behave in every situation. There’s so much misinformation out there, and so many lies. I started and deleted so many examples of common lies that Christians believe here. I will instead say this: read the scriptures. If you’re unsure as to how Jesus would behave in a given situation, read the scriptures. Read God’s commands.
This short letter was important enough to write and send, so the short message in it must be vital. Walk in love and in truth. In other words, live as Jesus did.
Reflection:
What do you imagine people think of when they consider you? Is your most defining trait love or something related to love? If you don’t think it is, how can you go about changing your actions and words so that others see God’s love being reflected from you?
Think of other strong believers that you know and admire. Do a word association for them. What characteristics do you think of? Are any of those characteristics ones that you’d like to work on in yourself?
Have you allowed any lies to sneak their way into your faith? How much time do you spend in scripture that would allow you to recognize the lies if they showed up? Do you find yourself thinking of how Jesus would behave in a given situation when you encounter it?
My brothers and sisters, my prayer for you today is that you have open eyes and hearts so that you can see how God is working in you. I pray that your influence on others be one that is full of truth and love.
– Jenn Haynes
Seek Grow Love 