Romans 13
8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.
11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
In my desire to be a more loving person, I continue to get reminded by my LORD just what exactly love is and what love means. As many times as I have read through Romans 13 in the past, I usually am more struck by the passage just prior to this one...you know, the one about obeying authorities and paying taxes. This morning, however, I am overwhelmed with this notion that loving my neighbors fulfills the Law of God, and that time is running out! Yes, I need to do a better job of loving my neighbors, and living out that love in tangible ways. I’ve been praying about this for some time and the nugget of some plans is coming to the surface. The time is drawing near to discuss this with my Bride and to take action as we are lead by God to do so.
