Focus
Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.
Read
Romans 13: 8-14
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The 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.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides 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; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Reflect
If I was preparing a sermon on this text instead of an evotion, I would title it “Simply Love”. Paul writes “love is the fulfilling of the law.” When asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus answers love God and love your neighbor. All of the commandments come down to love. Think about it. If you love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, God will be first in your life and you will not have any other gods before the Lord. You would not elevate anything to idol status. You would not use the Lord’s name in vain. You would honor the Sabbath as a way of loving God. If you love others as yourself, you would honor your parents. You would not think of murdering someone else. You would not commit adultery. You would not think of stealing from someone. You would not lie to them. You would not covet what they have because you love them. Did the Ten Commandments just become oversimplified? Maybe, but it sounds like Jesus and Paul are saying focus on loving God and others and you are on the right track. Simply love. Love God, and love one another, and you are following all ten.
As you read this, I hope and pray that September has brought improvement to the situations we found ourselves living in throughout the spring and summer of this year. At the time of writing this evotion, we are still finding ourselves bombarded by news of the Covid-19, racial injustice, and social justice. I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard and listened to so many voices both personally and through media outlets that I find myself confused, at a loss, and I really don’t know who or what to believe or listen to anymore when it comes to these topics. I really wish I could oversimplify these issues we are facing in our lives by saying, Simply Love.
Pray
Loving God, we look for so many solutions to problems in our world, forgetting that to get on the right track, we need to start with ourselves, and renew our devotion and love to you, as well as to our neighbors. Help us to start here, and start now, loving as you love us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Go with God!
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.