THE NEVER-ENDING DEBT
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in loveG25. For he who lovesG25 his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “LoveG25 your neighbor as yourself.” LoveG26 does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore loveG26 is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:8-10
Susan and I recently paid off all our credit card debt. Considering it was over $15,000 when we first became roommates six years ago, that is a major Praise the Lord! Debt is like a weight holding one down and keeping one from so many things. This verse teaches that we should pay in a timely manner when we incur a debt. However, there is one debt that is never “paid in full.” That is our obligation to love others. This love is not limited to our brothers and sisters in Christ but is extended to our “neighbor.” As we have seen before, our neighbor is anyone who enters our sphere of influence ranging from our literal neighbor next door to the sack boy at the grocery store to the homeless person we pass by every day on our way to work. Love here is agapáō or agapē meaning a willful choice of compassion because of our moral obligation to the Lord. We will never completely pay this debt because, as this passage points out, loving our neighbor fulfills all the commandments concerning our relationships with others because love does no harm. John 15:13 tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus loved us so much that He willingly suffered and died on the cross in His incarnate, fully human yet fully God state. He felt and endured every blow of the scourge, each nail pounded into His flesh, and the slow suffocation of being nailed to the cross because He loved us. We must realize that we could never completely repay that debt! Praise the Lord that in His grace He does not expect us to repay it fully. However, He does command us to continually pay on that debt by sharing His love with others. When we allow His Holy Spirit to flow through us to show love to others, we draw closer to Him and hear His direction for us more clearly.
If the debt of love came with a booklet of payment slips, it would be endless. Challenge yourself to consciously make daily payments on the debt of love even knowing it can never fully be repaid. However, the reward for making these payments is great, and someday you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . Enter into the joy of your master!” (Matthew 25:21)
Father, we know we will never get to the end of the love payment book. Please empower us to pay on the debt of love each day in our homes with our families, with neighbors, and by loving those You place in our paths as divine appointments to demonstrate Your love in order to lead the lost to You. Thank You for the grace that frees us from sin and allows us to dwell in Your everlasting love.