Love is the Fulfillment of the Law

"...whatever the commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Rom 13:9-10

These are very interesting times. Everything seems to be coming at us faster and it seems bad news awaits us every time we read the paper or watch television. Gas prices are up and home sales are down. Mortgages are being foreclosed and thousands lose their jobs every month. What used to represent stability in our lives no longer can be trusted. How can things get any worse?

Its hard to love your neighbor when times are difficult. I can't help them financially when I don't know how I am going to pay the light bill. I know Bill and Jenny are having marriage problems but I don't have very much time to see how they are doing, since I started working this second job.

The Enemy works in so many ways to keep us from doing what God wants us to do. He works through others to create the perfect storms in our lives keeping the focus on ourselves and not on fulfilling what God wants us to do. Its not easy to love our neighbors when we have to make the car payment.

Paul writes "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom 13:21 We can certainly be "overcome" by our situation. We can let it consume us until we are paralyzed and unable to do what God would have us do. We must be aware of this trap and take the time to love both God and our neighbors and therefore drive out the evil of busyness and worry.

God knew exactly what was coming in this season and he gave us many verses of scripture to help us endure. We must therefore be obedient to his word and continue to put our situations aside and serve the Lord and our fellow man even when it is difficult. Stop and say hello to a friend you haven't seen in awhile. Volunteer to visit folks in the hospital. Ask a co-worker to come to church with you next Sunday. It doesn't take much time to show love to someone.

My prayer: Father in these difficult and uncertain times help us to focus on our neighbor and not ourselves. Give us direction and make a way for us to see beyond our own situation and prepare a path in order to serve others. Forgive us Lord when we stumble and help us never to be lacking in zeal but to be overflowing with spiritual fervor. I ask these things so that your truth may be spread to a confused and scared world. I pray in joyful hope of the return of our Savior, and in His mighty Name. Amen!