Week of December 8

Déjà vu moments occur at times in our lives, but we do not usually have them when reading a daily devotional! We may feel like we have already been in a “love passage,” which we encountered in 12:9-13, but this one widens the focus beyond the church to include government and society at large (13:1-7). We have been together in these devotionals long enough for me to earn your trust, so I hope that you will receive what I am about to write as being offered in humility. Christians need to attach more 13:8-10 to their 13:1-7 studies! We will do so today.

Have you ever considered how Romans 13:1-7 links to verses 8-10? “Love is the sum of the Christian’s duty” (HCBC; cf. NAC). We may state this truth another way: Living at peace with society and with other folks are two practical applications of the overarching principle of the “living sacrifice” we learned about in 12:1-2 (HNTC). Sacrificing for Christ often requires submitting to some mighty “unlovely others” in the name of Christ. I will hit return on my keyboard and begin typing the next paragraph while you re-read that last sentence.

Sacrificial love. Let’s feel uneasy together after we ponder the weight of the principle to sacrifice for folks who may be quite nasty. Prior to the 2016 national election, our nation typically reserved dirt for politicians to throw at one another, but the last few years have been spent burying people beneath the grime! Paul touches upon two key aspects of living sacrificially at the end of the age by casting the spotlight on the king and on fellow citizens. Let’s just say that using Jesus as the supreme example trumps any reason we may give to live otherwise. There is no biding our time with these words until the next election, is there?

Debt of love. Paul calls us to consider the debt of love. He, in fact, lists it as the one “sanctioned” unpaid debt (13:8). He spells it out clearly in verse 9 when he says it is not Christian-ly to love our fellow church members and hate our pagan neighbors. Friends, Paul reminds us that we are here to spread the kingdom, not to morally rehabilitate the political system or society. Believers were to love the emperor and their neighbors as well. “If you do this you will live at peace and have greater opportunity to focus on the mission of the church in light of the coming end of the age” (HNTC).

Loving as God loves. Paul draws upon the love and, in my mind, lays down a new law that could never be fulfilled. God loves all humankind, so we show others that we are of the Father when we exhibit His character (cf. Matthew 5:44-45). When we put into practice the exhortation in 12:10b, considering God’s example, then we will not be able to limit its application only to those in our churches or circles. “Agape” love is self-sacrificing love, which we are already inclined to show ourselves, so we are to show the same loving regard for others that we instinctively show to ourselves (cf. 12:9b, “love your neighbor as yourself”). This is not only to be our debt but our joy (Hebrews 12:2, “joy set before him”).

I recall a mean joke I played on some of my childhood friends when we were at the playground. I would invite them to play on the seesaw with me, and I would wait until they were up in the air before I would hop off and watch as they fell rapidly to the ground with a thud. I thought that was funny until someone did the same thing to me. The playground taught me a very painful lesson about mutual respect, grounded in love for my neighbor! 

The moral point should be obvious to us. Christians must not play seesaw games with our government or fellow citizens. The underlying respect for human life and dignity principle is grounded in love.

1. Love stems from the Father’s character (1 John 4:7) and comes by way of the Spirit’s gift (Galatians 5:22). It flows from a bottomless (eternal) reservoir. This type of love is sustainable. If we hate our enemies, then trace where the love breaks down. To truly know the Father means we will be known by the love we have for others. Love for one’s neighbor requires sacrifice, not only of principles, but of self-interest. How will we build bridges to our neighbors rather than destroy them?

2. For Families: This devotional hits us all, right between the eyes! Families can choose to be a haven for Christ’s love, even when other folks are unlovely.

Have a chat with your family around the table about this subject. Share the devotional message above, and then ask your kids and spouse to be open about the hardest people it is for you all to love. They do not need to name names, but generally, what type of people, or characteristics, are harder to love than others? Promise to keep this within your family circle, give the matter to God, and work on it together.

Then, go to the Lord in prayer, and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help. Invite your family to plan three or four ways intentionally to minister, or show Christ’s love, to some people represented on your family’s list. You can encourage one another, help each other, and do these acts of sacrificial service for God’s glory. When you have worked on these for a few days, come back together and report on how you have been changed on the inside by doing so.

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock