A Debt Of Love

A Debt of Love

Bible Reading: Romans 13:8-10

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

While under the influence of an addiction, we end up hurting ourselves, others we don’t know, and those we love the most. We may be horrified at how we could have done such things to the people we love. Does that mean we don’t love them? Or how could the people we love have done such things to us? Does that mean that they don’t love us? What conclusions are we to draw from the sin that stabs at our lives?

“Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 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.’ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law” (Romans 13:8-10).

At first glance we may conclude from this passage that anyone who practices the evils warned against in the Ten Commandments couldn’t have love for others. But it may actually show us that when we hurt the ones we love, maybe we are loving them the way we love ourselves—very poorly. May God help us to love ourselves, so that we may learn to love others also.

It is our calling in life to love others and ourselves as God has loved us.