Romans 13:8-10 (NCV) Do not owe
people anything, except always owe love to each other, because the person who
loves others has obeyed all the law. The law says, "You must not be guilty
of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not want
to take your neighbor's things." All these commands and all others are
really only one rule: "Love your
neighbor as you love yourself." Love never hurts a neighbor, so loving is obeying all the law. (emphasis mine)
When I read over Romans 13:8 this morning, my mind went
back to the very first Sunday I walked through the doors at the church I
currently attend. That morning, I was just trying to hide the fact that I had
seen the bottom of the Jack Daniels bottle the night before but the people in
the lobby of the church didn’t see that at all. They saw someone who was
hurting and desperately in need of finding hope and healing. As my Dad
introduced me to people he knew, they welcomed me like I was one of their own.
Instead of a judging glance, they were full of warm smiles and hugs. I could
feel the love just oozing out of them…and I must say it felt different. Never
had I been to a church where I felt as loved as I did that morning and I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that these people didn’t even know me.
So why would a group of people open their arms in such a
manner to a stranger? What is “love” anyway? Is it a feeling? No, it’s an
action. It is something that we must do. We must love because God first loved
us. John also wrote in 1 John (9-12 – MSG) that we are to love because God
first loved us. He (God) showed us the measure of His love by sending his one
and only son to die for our sin so that we might live through him. Jesus also
commands us to love one another. John 13 verse 34 says “A new command I give
you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
The men and women in the lobby that morning were so full
of love for Jesus that it not only came out in the words they said, it poured
out of them through their actions and in truth (1 John 3:18 MSG). I was blown
away and I knew right then I wanted to get to that same place in my own life. A
life of love instead of the guilt and shame that buried me in the pit I had
been hiding in for years.
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