Pay What You Owe

"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

 Romans 13:8

This verse came to mind this morning during prayer.  Typically we think of being "in debt" relating only to money, but as receivers of God's love every Christian owes God's love to everyone.  In a sense, we have the power to choose to whom we will be in debt.  If I desire a loan of money, there are many banks and lending institutions to choose from.  After securing a loan, I also am faced with the priority and timeliness of payment.  Should money be tight, I could choose to put off payment of the loan because of other expenses I deem more pressing.  Two people can be equally in debt, but the priority of paying off the loan can vary significantly.  Some will make personal sacrifices to pay what is owed quickly, and others put off payment as long as possible until there are serious consequences.  Others secure a high-interest loan to pay off the first and dig themselves a deeper hole still.  Being in debt can become more an exercise of keeping those owed at bay with token payments rather than paying off the amount in full.

As children of the Living God through faith in Christ, it is not a question of resources or ability to render to others what we owe when it concerns love.  God's love is infinite, and the Holy Spirit empowers us to love one another as Jesus has loved us.  We cannot rightly say, "I do not have the capacity or ability to love."  Paul affirmed in 1 Thessalonians 4:9, "But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another..."  Because God teaches us how to love one another, it is not a question of ability but of willingness and priority.  God's Word proclaims we owe love to brothers and sisters in Christ, we owe a debt of love to that stranger on the street.  We owe love even to our enemies!  In case you think I am making this up, here it is from the mouth of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-45:  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

What priority does paying your debt of love to all others have in your life?  If you learned today you owed the government a sum of money for taxes owed, how quickly would you seek to put it right?  We ought to place the greatest priority on the commands of our Saviour, the LORD and Judge of all.  He said in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."  Again in John 15:12, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."  May God's Word arrest our attention like a subpoena placed in our hands by a officer of the law.  Even as we place great priority on appearing before a court of law when summoned to avoid prosecution and imprisonment, may we respond swiftly and intentionally to the command of Jesus Christ - not out of selfish fear of punishment, but out of a desire to please the God we love.  Let us recognise and affirm today the debt of love we owe to all men.  Galatians 5:13 reminds us, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  Every day may we make it our priority to pay our debt of love to God and others in full!