2 John - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“And this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love.” 2 John v.6

Funny, my devotional will be longer than the whole book of 2nd John!

As a young believer, I really wanted to honor the L_rd in all that I did. But when it came to dating relationships, I was unwilling to submit to the L_rd. My attitude problem brought me great trouble! I used to get so uncomfortable, sitting through sermons on love & dating. I knew what the Bible said concerning the subject, but I continued to disobey G_d’s Word. I simply didn’t want to submit. I had an idea of what love was, and I wasn’t willing to accept G_d’s definition.

Steely Dan once sang, “The things that pass for knowledge, I can’t understand.” I would say the same of love. Much of what passes for “love” in our society…even among professing followers of Yeshua…is just plain fleshly lust & desire. To be blunt, pre-marital sex is not love. For believers, it is the opposite. It communicates this idea: “I know it offends G_d and I know it makes you a partner in that offense, but I don’t care.”

I remember a close friend sitting down and trying to discuss my sin issues, helping to lead me in the way of righteousness, so to speak. I knew he was right, but something deep inside kept telling me, “You’re in love! Listen to your heart, because nobody understands you like me!” Let’s just say it wasn’t G_d’s voice.

G_d created sex, and we are sexual creatures. But that doesn’t mean our carnal drives should override G_d’s Word. True love is not an overwhelming feeling or emotion that lifts us and carries us away from honoring the L_rd. True love is just the opposite. It is walking according to His commandments, surrendering our desires and making our flesh submit to His purposes.

“Here is what love is: not that we have loved G_d, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

Just as Yeshua loved us, we are commanded to love others. True love says “I will honor the L_rd by upholding the honor & reputation of my L_rd, my congregation/synagogue, my partner and myself.”

“Walking in love”, means walking according to G_d’s commands. What’s more, confronting a sin issue and convincing a brother (or sister) to turn back to the L_rd, is not being judgmental. It is love in action. And it may just save a fellow believer from a load of trouble and shame.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Wednesday, December 11, 2013