Are you Debt Free?

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.   –Romans 13:8, 9 (KJV) 

Throughout my adult life I have heard financial experts speak of the need to get out of debt.  Many of us would love to do that I am sure.  I certainly advocate employing sound financial practices and one of those would be avoiding debt as much as possible.  In these tough economic times, countless people have discovered too late that they had overextended themselves and could not get caught up with their debt, and the results were extreme financial difficulty.  We understand that some debt is nearly unavoidable.  For example, even as I write this I am contemplating purchasing a more reliable car.  I would love to be able to pay cash for it, but will most likely have to finance a newer vehicle through the bank.   

The Word of God says that there is a debt that is to never be paid off, and that is the ongoing debt of love for one another.  We are always in a state of debt when it comes to owing love to each other and to those around us.  Jesus taught and demonstrated for us that we are to love one another, and that the law and the prophets are summarized in the practice of loving God with all of our hearts and then loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40).  As Paul the Apostle so succinctly stated, we briefly comprehend the law of God by loving our neighbor as ourselves.  Since we owe that to one another, let us never reach a place where we believe the debt to be paid and we no longer have to practice this Christ-like love.  Rather, we continue to love one another, and those around us, on a continual basis.   

My, but that’s a lot of practical theology this morning, but with God’s help it can indeed be comprehended and put into practice – each and every day.  People will be unkind, hard to deal with, ungrateful, unfriendly, and at times rude.  The Word of God says we are to love them anyway.   

Reach out today to those around you.  Love your neighbor and those that have need.  Demonstrate to a lost world that the love of Jesus is functioning in you. Let His light shine.