Ordering Our Steps in Love

UV 1466/10,000 Ordering Our Steps in Love
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Ephesians 5 v 2
The metaphor of walking is used as our growing in all the attributes of love is a slow, gradual, step by step process. Walking in love implies that we need to take every step in life with love. This implies that at every step and moment of our lives we should learn to endure hardship and suffering for the sake of Christ who suffered for us. At every step, every action, gesture and word, we need to exhibit kindness to people around us. At every step, we should avoid envy, pride, egoism, boastfulness and vanity. We should behave pleasantly, not be easily provoked to anger, not be self seeking but seek the good of others. We should avoid evil in every step, thought, word and deed. We should think and be like Jesus who gave Himself as an offering and a sacrifice unto God for each of our salvation. We should do everything with all our power, motivation and make full use of our opportunities, talents and abilities for the service of Christ, His people and indeed all people. The more people we serve, the more people we influence for Christ the greater is our impact as well as reward in eternity.

Walking in love implies that at every step we should exult in the truth and never indulge in lies. We should bear all things, hope in all situations and circumstances that the Lord will help us in His love for us. We should believe the Lord and His promises in all things. This will fill us with hope and joy. The Lord is not a joy-killer but a joy-filler. Walking in love means that we should not harbour any trace of suppressed anger or bitterness that will poison our spirits. Love requires us to forgive people easily and not remember wrongs done to us , real or imagined.

When we are living a life of love, our prayers and praise goes up to heaven and reach the nostrils of the Lord like the aroma of Christ. The opposite is also true that when we are not walking in love, our prayers become distasteful and offensive to Him. Love is what makes our worship acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. Through all our life’s experiences, the Lord teaches us how to make our living sacrifice, acceptable, good and perfect. In St Paul’s description of love, he tells us what love is and what it is not, what it does and what it does not. What it is and does constitutes the steps taken by the movement of the right leg. What it is not and does not do constitutes the movement of the left leg. Just as the right leg and left leg alternate in walking, we should be and do what love is and we should avoid and not do what love is not and will not do. When we taste the savour of the Saviour, it is good. Similarly, when people taste the savour of our lives’ words and deeds, it should likewise be good.

Prateep V Philip