The Love Walk: What Does That Mean?

"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." 2 John 1:6

God Himself is love and the greatest commandment that encompasses all the others is to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. At first glance to love looks rather easy, but in practice, living a lifestyle of loving others is so difficult that no one can accomplish it unless empowered by God!

We certainly know how we feel when we are hurt and those feelings lead to certain actions like defending ourselves, but when we love something or someone these positive feelings bring specific actions. Love does not stop to feelings, you know, feelings fluctuate. Today they might be high and tomorrow low, but love accompanied by its actions, always grows.

There are different types of love and with their Greek names they are: agape, philia, storge, and eros.

• Agape love represents the unconditional love God has for people. It is that love that is capable to give without expecting anything in return.

• Philia stands for the love that develops between true friends. When you have a good trustworthy friend, there is a special bond that keeps you close, that is philia love.
• Storge is the love nurtured between the members of a family. The love born for our brothers or sisters is unique and it can only occur when one has such precious relatives.

• Eros is the carnal love, the love based on physical attraction and the urge to satisfy some temporary feelings and desires.

God tells us to love one another. Now we've seen these four kinds of love but which is the one God wants us to love people with?

Obviously, since God loves with "agape" our Heavenly Father wants to bring us to maturity by teaching us how to love the same way. Agape love has certain characteristics that will bring light upon how to walk in love in our day-to-day life. Paraphrasing 1 Corinthians 13 here is how true love acts:

1. "Love is patient" so if you are walking in love you are patient. Patience is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is born under trial, so, patience is not cheap, it is gained through tough times of pressure and waiting but when we have it, the Bible says we are blessed people because we lack nothing once patience has accomplished its works in our life!

2. "Love is kind" therefore if you walk in love you are kind. Kindness to everybody is different from letting everybody take advantage of you. We need to use discernment and especially those times when you feel like being mean ("because that one deserves it"), still, choose kindness.

6. "Love is not rude" so if you walk in love, you are not rude.

7. "Love is not self seeking" so if you walk in love, you help others.

8. "Love is not easily angered" consequently when you walk in love, you are calm and don't let anger take the best of you.

9. "Love keeps no records of wrong" and when you walk in love, you willingly forget the wrongs suffered.

12. "Love always trusts" therefore trusting (but chiefly trusting the Lord) that things will work out and "It will be OK" shows that you are walking in love.

This does not mean that you should not use your brains and just trust anything and anyone! Of course not! However, if you take love and all its characteristics you can't go wrong because love rejoices in good, truth so these two alone set the scene where love steps in.

14. "Love always perseveres" thus when you persevere in a good thing you are walking in love! The Bible says that a noble person makes noble plans and perseveres in those noble plans!

15. "Love never fails" is the last characteristic to remind us that by walking in love we will not fail because God is love and He is victorious!