ROMANS 13:8-10 THE DEBT OF LOVE I know there is one debt I will never be able to pay off. That is the debt of love I owe to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever indebted to Him who is "the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." By choosing to love others and honestly doing so, I am fulfilling what the law says. It is only right that I do not live beyond my means and that I do not owe personal debts. These I must pay whether they are known by others or are private matters. That is commonsense, responsible practical Christian living. Law-keeping is not the fullness of the law but loving others is.
To "love my neighbor as myself" brings me to ask, "Self, how do you love yourself?" I concluded that self- love includes seeking food to eat, clothing to wear, shelter from the elements and a desire to avoid being hurt in any way. It also includes a stable, enjoyable, blessed marriage that I can share continuously with my wife. Self-love really wants the love of my children and grandchildren who give evidence of their love for me and whom I love dearly. I also love the work I am called to do, the country where I live and the peace I enjoy. So, I am caused to stop and think if these are what I truly desire for my neighbors? Do I take steps to bring the evidence of this love to others around me? Do they know that I love the Lord and do love them too?
The laws of the land have their demands and they seek to bring about and maintain order to people and society as a whole. To do things right and to conduct life in an orderly, self-centered, righteous way does not fulfill the purpose of the law. That is only law-keeping. The principle of loving God and loving my neighbor is the basic principle of a living, vital Christian faith. This is done apart from merely keeping the laws under which society is conducted. Love, and grace that reveals love, fulfills any law that demands my obedience.
But far more important is that love for God and others, is the rule of life that believers in Christ live by. When that is done, all other obligations in life will be fully met.
To have love for other people is one of the proofs of life - Especially when it is evident that they appreciate what I like. By life, I mean eternal life that only God gives, And is experienced when we conduct life as the Lord lived His. He fed the hungry, healed the sick and gave sight to the blind. He searched out and befriended those who society left behind. Those who were outcast and were morally weak - He made a point of letting them know for them He did seek.
The on-going conduct and principle of Christian love, Is to show, and really from my heart pass on what I have. I owe a debt of love to the Lord who loved me - And in Christ's name I am to love others that they may see The reality of God in the life of God's children who live near them; And the love they demonstrate is like the love of Him Who for their sake on the cross, His life for them gave, That through His love and grace, their souls too might be saved. It is a practical thing to make visible my love for the Lord. It goes beyond my own personal study to applying the Word Of God to myself that through me other people might know The reality of faith by the evidence of love that shows.
Is he hungry? Then I must feed him. Does he need comfort? Then I must share Some of what I have learned from my Lord who in love does care For the outcasts and sinners as well as those who do fine - I can show what He is like when from my heart., love they find.
I owe it to the Lord to reach out in love to others. Not all respond if they are not spiritual brothers. But how they react to love is not up to me. My responsibility is that evidence of love they see. I know God's grace is sufficient to meet every need. I also know that when my love is evident, people are inclined to heed The words that I say because they reinforced by what I do; And by paying my debt of love, they will trust my Savior too.
"O God of love, my Father: what joy it gives to me to see a broken-hearted person responding to acts of Christian love. Remember in a special way today, that older woman who lost her husband a year ago today in a car accident. She probably is hurting a lot just now. Thanks for those who show her Christian love. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."