Walk in Love

1 Thessalonians 4:9–10 (NKJV)

But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more;

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching The Contagion of Love

The early Latin writer, Tertullian of Carthage, declared that the one thing that converted him to Christianity was not the arguments they gave him, because he could find a counterpoint for every argument they would present. “But they demonstrated something I didn’t have. The thing that converted me to Christianity was the way they loved each other.

John 13:35 NKJV

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

You may not be that talented or good looking, but if you have love, you have everything.

The greatest witness and testimony of all is Christian love.

Sadly, in many churches there is a gross lack of such love.

We may say we love one another, but our actions speak otherwise.

Paul encouraged the Thessalonian church to continue in what they were known for, and that was their love for one another.

He encouraged them to abound in love more and more.

How do we abound in such love?

How can we be known for our love even when find ourselves knee deep in our personal messes and squabbles?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 gives a clear description of what it looks like to walk in love.

I. Walking in Love is to Live with Patience

One of the biggest mistakes we often make is when we jump to conclusions or make assumptions or make rash decisions or expect too much from others.

It needs to be understood that God made us all with different personalities.

We all have different backgrounds and experiences and different ways of looking at things.

We are also all on different levels spiritually.

Therefore, to walk in love amongst ourselves we must be patient with one another.

If I get impatient, I will make poor decisions and find myself acting toward others in an unloving way.

To walk in love is to live with patience.

It’s when we get impatient with each other that we make mistakes that can be detrimental to the church.

If we truly love one another, we love each other enough to relax and be patient with each other.

II. Walking in Love is to Present oneself with Kindness

Someone who has the love of God in them will demonstrate that love in their kindness toward others.

Matthew Henry said concerning love, “She is ready to show favors and to do good. She seeks to be useful; and not only seizes on opportunities of doing good, but searches for them. This is her general character.”

Do you purposefully look for ways to show kindness to others?

As believers, we should be aware of those around us and actively pursue people to show kindness to.

It is not just acts of kindness, but we should also display an attitude of kindness.

There is nothing more precious than someone who has a kind demeanor about them.

A kind person is contagious.

A kind person brightens the day of all who cross their path.

III. Walking in Love is to Live without Envy

Envy takes on many different shapes. It includes: malice, holding a grudge, jealousy, an evil eye, among others.

Envy is a poison that destroys relationships.

People can be envious of many things.

One area that envy will often get a foot hold in the church is being envious of positions or power.

There is a fable that Satan’s agents were failing in their various attempts to draw into sin a holy man who lived as a hermit in the desert of northern Africa. Every attempt had met with failure; so Satan, angered with the incompetence of his subordinates, became personally involved in the case. He said, “The reason you have failed is that your methods are too crude for one such as this. Watch this. ”He then approached the holy man with great care and whispered softly in his ear, “Your brother has just been made Bishop of Alexandria.” Instantly the holy man’s face showed that Satan had been successful: a great scowl formed over his mouth and his eyes tightened up. “Envy,” said Satan, “is often our best weapon against those who seek holiness.”

The desire for control will destroy a church and is detrimental to its testimony in the world.

IV. Walking in Love is not Self-Promoting

To be self-promoting is to be prideful or puffed up. It is to vaunt or boast oneself.

A self-promoting person is one who is constantly bragging about themselves and what they have accomplished.

One who is walking in love will not behave in such a away.

Wiersbe says, “There is a graciousness about the person who acts from Christian love, a charm that the world cannot give. True love seeks only the good of others; it is unselfish.”

V. Walking in Love does not behave ungodly or in a filthy manner

The KJV says that love does not behave itself unseemly.

The NKJV says that love does not behave rudely.

The HCSB says that love does not act improperly.

The NASB says that love does not act unbecomingly.

Those who walk in love are those who live in purity. They have an inner beauty.

Compare that to someone who is rude and mean and crude.

There is no beauty in them at all.

No one wants to be around someone who behaves in a filthy and ungodly manner.

VI. Walking in Love is not Self-Seeking

To be self-seeking is simply to be selfish.

Philippians 2:4 says, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “There can be no joy in the life of the Christian who puts himself above others.”

The key to unity and love in the church is selflessness and self-sacrifice.

All problems and conflict we encounter in life and in the church stems from selfishness.

However, those who walk in love are not selfish.

Those who walk in love will humbly put others ahead of themselves.

VII. Walking in love is slow to anger

The scripture says that love is not easily provoked or angered.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 provided a contrast between how the Corinthian believers were living and how they should live.

In chapter 6, Paul mentions how believers should not take each other before a court of law. They should handle their differences amongst themselves.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “People who are not easily angered usually do not start lawsuits.”

You may get angry with someone you love especially when they behave in a disappointing way. However, if you really love them, you will not lash out in anger.

Your love for them should drive you to help them, not to hurt them.

Therefore, the more we are together, the more we engage with one another, and the more we grow in our love; the more patient and gracious and less angry we will be toward one another.

VIII. Walking in love does not assume or promote evil

The Christian Standard Version says love “does not keep a record of wrongs.”

Have you ever met someone that wears things on their sleeve? They can never let things go.

If your walking in love, you will not be that way.

You will not keep a record of someone’s wrongs and continually hold it against them.

You will also not make assumptions.

If your walking in love, you will be so focused on what is pure and right that the last thing you do is to think evil of someone.

Walking in love is to assume good and not evil.

IX. Walking in love does not rejoice in sin

Have you ever secretly rejoiced or was glad when someone you don’t like is caught in some sin or failure?

The Pulpit Commentary says, “The rejoicing at sin, the taking pleasure in them that commit sin, the exultation over the fall of others into sin, are among the worst forms of malignity (Rom. 1:32; 2 Thess. 2:12).”

Romans 1:32 says, “Although they know full well God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die —they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.”

Taking pleasure in the sins of others is in itself most sinful.

Ephesians 5:11-12 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.”

Taken literally: ‘we should not even talk about the sinful practices of others’.

Putting it another way: we should not be entertained by evil’.

Too often we entertain ourselves with the evil practices of others via movies and various forms of media.

This ought not be in the life of a believer and it is certainly not becoming of someone who is walking in love.

X. Walking in love rejoices in the truth

The opposite of rejoicing in sin is to rejoice in truth.

This is to be overwhelmingly glad when our brother or sister in Christ is growing in their faith and accomplishing great things for the glory of God.

Those who walk in love will focus on the positive.

XI. Walking in love puts up with each other

The scripture says that love ‘bears all things.’ This means that those who walk in love will bear with or put up with one another. It is to ‘pass by’ or put up with injury.

Matthew Henry wrote, “What a fortitude and firmness fervent love will give the mind! What cannot a lover endure for the beloved and for his sake! How many slights and injuries will he put up with! How many hazards will he run and how many difficulties encounter!”

XII. Walking in love believes all things

The Jamieson and Brown Commentary says that believing all things means one who “unsuspiciously believes all that is not palpably false, all that it can with a good conscience believe to the credit of another.”

Don’t just automatically assume that someone has ulterior motives.

If you really love someone, you will give them the benefit of trust.

XIII. Walking in love is full of hope

To have hope is to have confidence.

When it comes to loving others, hope is to have confidence in others. It is to expect the best.

Loving someone requires maintaining a measure of optimism on that person’s behalf.

“Hope is an attitude that good will eventually come to those who may now be failing. Failure invades every Christian’s life, and it often causes others to give up on the one who fails. Yet, Christians who love continue to hope for the best. This optimism encourages others to keep moving forward. This hope is based not on the Christian, but on Christ. The hope of each Christian is that Christ will preserve him to glory.”

Our hope should be in Christ and our hope should be for each other.

When you love someone you will always expect the best for that person.

You will live with optimism, always believing that the best is yet to come.

XIV. Walking in love endures all things

Love will stand the test of time.

This how the world is able to see the difference in us.

It is when we remain faithful to the Lord and to each other.

To endure all things is to not give up.

When we give up on each other, we have failed to love.

Real Christian love will endure; it will stand the test of time.

XV. Walking in love never fails

Richard Pratt Jr. says, “Loving someone is easy when the other person does not challenge one’s affections by offending or failing. Love’s quality becomes evident when it must endure trials. The New Testament encourages Christians to persevere in their Christian walks (1 John 5:2–5). Here Paul had in mind particularly the need to persevere in love for others. Christians should look to the length and perseverance of Christ’s love as the standard for their own.”

The standard of enduring love is set for us by Christ.

If Jesus loves us unconditionally and forever, should we not love each other in the household of God unconditionally and forever?

Conclusion

As Tertullian came to faith as a result of the testimony of Christian love, so the world must see our love for one another.

The most powerful weapon in the evangelistic arsenal of the believer is our love for one another.

Never underestimate the power of love.