Bible Verse of the Day Friday December 9th, 2022

Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.

The behavior and demeanor of every follower and believer in Christ Jesus affect every aspect of our lives. True Godly love should be displayed in the lives of all Christians, not only between other brothers and sisters in Christ but more importantly when we are interacting with someone that has not yet accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. This statement has been made many times over the years, but it is so important that it needs reinforcing. That is that the actions of followers and believers in Christ Jesus may be the only sermon message a lost person hears.

Paul is encouraging all Christians to do no evil to our neighbors. When one displays love towards all people, it is clear that he or she is walking in the spirit and the light of Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:16; 1 John 5:1-7). Not doing harm to our neighbors on the face of it might seem like a simple task to carry out; however, it is an enormous responsibility and commission that is impossible to carry out without the leading guiding and direction of the Holy Spirit of God. Not harming our neighbors encompasses not only our deeds and behaviors but our attitudes as well as every secret motivation and intention in the depths of our hearts and souls.

God commanded the Children of Israel to love all others by following the Mosaic Law, followers and believers in Christ Jesus are not under the Law but Grace. The love and grace shown by our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus extends out to all people, so by following the example of Him, we will carry out His command to love people as He loves us (John 13:34). True Christian love will always look out for others to sacrifice our wellbeing and eradicate any impediment or stumbling block that would cause us to do less than our best towards all people.

The Apostle Paul reminds us here in this verse that loving our neighbors as Jesus loves us is the fulfillment of the Law. In his letter to the Church in Galatia, Paul puts it another way, but the meaning is still the same. We should always carry another’s burden that fulfills the Law (Galatian 6:2). With total surrender to Christ Jesus and following the leading of the Holy Spirit of God, we will not harm anyone in any actions or words that come from within our hearts and souls.

The Love that Jesus shows to all people did not come without a sacrifice on His part; He loved us so much that He stretched out His hands and allowed the Roman soldiers to drive large spikes into his hands and nail his feet to the Cross. He did this to pay the penalty for sin for us that we could never pay (Romans 6:23). Following that example, we will have to make sacrifices on our part that will help us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Any sacrifices that we make will never come close to the supreme sacrifice made for us on the Cross of Calvary. Let us always be thankful for the opportunity to share the great love of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus with the world.