November 18, 2026 | Be Connected
The Command to Walk in Love
Scripture: 2 John 1:4-6(NIV)
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 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.
Devotional
In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye asks his wife Golde, “Do you love me?” She responds: “Do I love you? For twenty-five years I've washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cow….” Finally, she answers his question, “Yes, I do.” All of her actions demonstrate her love for him. Likewise, when we love our families, friends, and neighbors, we want to express our love, too. And how do we express our love? By showing patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—all the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
In today’s passage, the Apostle reminds believers of the most important command from the Lord: “walk in love” (v. 5). When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love your neighbor. Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). John also tells us, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).
Later, Jesus defined love by saying, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). I believe there is a connection between our love for God and our obedience to His commandments. Jesus tells us, “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” (v. 6). Jesus said if we truly love Him, we will obey His commandments. He also emphasized that true Christian love is inseparable from our obedience to His Word and is expressed by obeying His commands. Jesus taught that our love is not merely a “talk” but a “walk” (a life) in accordance with the Bible.
Just as Golde shared her love for Tevye by her actions of love, we, too, are commanded to love one another, and we can express this love by our obeying Jesus’ commandment to love Him, obey His Word, and love others.
Personal reflection: How are you and I showing our love for Christ and our obedience to Him through our “walk of love” with our family, friends, and neighbors?
