Love Satisfies All

Scripture: Romans 13 (Click Link) 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! And in the midst of all this, I’ve got to try to keep my attitude right and my relationships healthy with people who are saying the most awful things about other people they disagree with over all the hot-button political and ideological stuff going on! Why can’t people just be nice?!? 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.” Earlier this year, my pastor, Steve Mickel, spoke on the two Great Commandments: “Love God Supremely, and Love Others As You Love Yourself.” Pastor Steve emphasized this very thing: that if we obeyed the two Great Commandments, we really wouldn’t need long complicated lists of do’s and don’ts for our attitudes, words, and behaviors. He left us with a question to ask as we face each situation, each choice, and each course of action: “What Does Love Require?” That question has really stayed with me and has been a powerful clarifying thing for me the past few months. 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?” In other words: What Does Love Require?” 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. What does love require of me today? Amen.