(The following is the July 1 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Romans 13 and pay close attention to verses 8-10.)
The Old Testament consistently commands God’s people to love God (Deut. 6:5) and others (for example, aliens in the land, Lev. 19:34). In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed loving God and our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). The theme continues through the writings of Paul, John, and others. God expects us to love.
In today’s passage, Paul repeats the theme: “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (vv. 8-10).
The problem is not that we are unaware of the command to love but that we inconsistently obey it. Why? One reason may be selfishness – focusing more on ourselves than others. Also, if we fail to seek opportunities to show compassion, we may go through our days blind to moments around us when we could demonstrate Christ’s love. We may even allow hate or animosity toward individuals or groups to influence us to act the opposite of how we should.
We know when we act out of love and kindness and when we do not. God gives everyone a conscience, and whether we profess Christ or not, our conscience speaks to us. How much more does God’s Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit guide those who know Christ?
Be loving. Be kind. It’s usually not that hard if we try.
Next Step:
Seek out opportunities this week to show love and kindness to others. Don’t call attention to it. Just do it because you can and because it’s the right thing to do.
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