Reading: Romans 11-13
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law(Rom. 13:8-10).
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:34-35). Godly love is more than just a Christian virtue or a spiritual gift; it is the mark that identifies us as members of the body of Christ and is the foundation of the new heart we received at our rebirth. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17).
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another. Godly love must be freely given; it cannot be earned, nor can anyone be deemed ‘too unworthy’ to receive it. Our debt is not to our fellow man but to God. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (I John 4:10). His love for us, offered without cause, is priceless and beyond our ability to ever repay. The terms of our indebtedness are simple. We must accept His love and allow it to work through us, emanating outward and saturating our every word and deed. God does not want to be ‘paid back.’ He has instructed us to pay it forward.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. To those united in the body of Christ, the law is an illustration of Godly love. We obey it not because it has power over us or we are bound to it but because we are led by love to do so. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people (Heb. 8:10). The love of God, the living Word, resides inside of us, guiding and directing us at every turn. Embrace it—live it—let it take control. Indebted to God, we are forever free.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect(Matt. 5:43-48).
Thought For Today:Godly love must be accepted, not earned; only by understanding this can we begin to understand what He expects of us.
Word Studies:11:14 emulation = jealousy; 12:9 dissimulation = hypocrisy; 13:13 rioting and drunkeness . . . chambering and wantonness = unbridled lust, immorality and indecency.
Cross References:11:14 emulation = jealousy; 12:9 dissimulation = hypocrisy; 13:13 rioting and drunkeness . . . chambering and wantonness = unbridled lust, immorality and indecency.
Pray For Staff:Judy McCrary • Government Officials: Rep Andrew Clyde (GA) • Country: Iran (80,840,713) Mid East • Major Languages: Persian, Azeri Turkic, Turkic Dialects, Kurdish • Hostile to all Christian activity • 99.4% Muslim (90-95% Shi'a; 5-10% Sunni); 0.3% Other (Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian) 0.3% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: Ask the Lord to help you teach His Word to your children; it will give guidance and instruction as they go through life (Prov. 6:20-23).