From Guest Blogger Dan Thews:
Two men are walking down a dark alley. Suddenly, robbers jump out from a corner and demand money. Nowhere to go, the two men take out their wallets; one of them says to the other, “Wally, remember that debt I owe you of 200 dollars? Now I give it back to you before these here witnesses. My debt is paid!”
Debt!
Who likes debt??! In the beginning of Romans 13, the apostle Paul speaks
of the obligation we have to pay our taxes — like it or not. Now, in verse 8,
Paul turns his attention to our private
financial concerns and says, “Let no debt remain outstanding.” That probably
doesn’t surprise us. We know that as Christians we should meet our commitments
as a matter of spiritual and moral obligation. But then, St. Paul does surprise
us by adding an instruction concerning the obligation to love, calling it “the
continuing debt to love one another.”Love is a continuing debt for the Christian? Love is a debt that needs to be paid? How does that make any sense? In the world, love is the theme of countless movies, songs and poems. Love is a warm and fuzzy feeling that everyone hopes will somehow come their way — but there is no guarantee. Love seems to reside in people’s minds as something between a noble ideal and a pleasant optional extra. The apostle insists, however, that love is an obligation as real as taxation and personal debt repayment!
In 1 John 4:19 we hear, “We love,
because He first loved us.” Think about how much God loves us! Enough to send
Jesus to die for our sins. How could we ever repay that debt? We can’t. But we
acknowledge that continuing debt by loving one another. If someone wrongs you
or hurts you, “forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances
you may have against one another” (Colossians
3:12-13). In doing
so, you reflect the love of God and say “thank you” to our amazing God!Biblical love is a continuing debt we can never repay. But unlike worldly debt, it is a joy to try!
Prayer: Lord, help us acknowledge the debt of love we owe and use us to love like You love, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
#Uncommon
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