Romans 13:8-14 (NRSV)
Read Romans 13:8-14 on biblegateway.com
Verse 8Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Verse 9The 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, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Verse 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Verse 11Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; Verse 12the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; Verse 13let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Verse 14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Devotion
During the early years of my ministry, I preached many sermons about love. My father, who received recordings of my messages, thought I was overdoing it. In his words, "All you ever seem to preach about is love! Love, love, love! Isn’t there something more you should be saying?"
I understand where he was coming from. To repeat the word "love" is not helpful. What is helpful is to understand what love is and what it has to do with God and us. The answer, of course, is that love has everything to do with God and the life God calls us to live. God is love. The stone tablets engraved with the law God gave Moses are summed up in one word – LOVE.
I no longer repeat the word as often as I did, but love is still at the heart of every message I preach. After all, God’s message of love is the only message I have to proclaim, and it is enough.
Prayer
Gracious God, never let us grow tired of proclaiming the good news of your love for all the world. And never let us forget that your love means everything, even our eternal life. Amen.