Love Satisfies All

Reading:  Romans 13; Psalm 81

8 Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that!  If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. (Romans 13:8-10 NLT)

Sometimes it seems as if life gets really complicated. There are rules to follow, responsibilities to fulfill, obligations to satisfy, people to please, relationships to develop, tasks to accomplish, lessons to learn, bills to pay, plans to make, the lawn to mow, and on top of that, the coffee-maker messed up and there’s coffee all over the counter top and the kitchen floor!

It would be nice to have something simple to deal with, don’t you think? Jesus said that to love God supremely and to love your neighbor as yourself encompasses all the law of God. Paul said that all of God’s people-related commandments are summed up in this – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Today I resolve to approach each person and situation with the thought, “How would I act toward this person if love were my only motivation?” We’ll see what happens!

Prayer:

Father, This morning I thank you for your unconditional love for me. I purpose to love others as I love myself today. Amen.