Only Love

Paul wrote in Romans, chapter 13, verse 8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another, fulfills the law.”

That’s a pretty good law, isn’t it, to love one another? There are those who are easy to love, and there are those who are hard to love, but the Bible doesn’t make any distinction between the two.

It simply says, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” C. S. Lewis, in his book, “Mere Christianity”, wrote, “Don’t waste your time worrying about whether you love your neighbor or not, just act as if you did. As soon as we can do this, we will discover one of the great secrets of life. When you act as if you love your neighbor, you soon will. But if you are mean to someone you dislike, you will soon find yourself disliking him more. Yet, if you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.” That sounds all right, doesn’t it?

You see, love covers a multitude of sins. Some time ago, a missionary had won a young Chinese college student to the Lord, as his Savior. The young student worked hard to learn to speak and write in the English language.

But sometimes when he wrote his American friend a letter, he would misspell or use a wrong word to express his thoughts.

However, with every closing of his letter, underneath his name, he would post the Scripture reference, “1 Peter 4:8”. The verse says, “Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

The young Chinese student would then write, “Please, cover the multitude of sins in my writing with a coat of love.” That sounds like a good idea, too, doesn’t it?

“Owe no man anything, except to love one another.” Paul followed this verse by listing four verses of the Ten Commandments given by God to the children of Israel as they wandered through the wilderness.

They are found in Exodus, the 20th chapter. “Do not commit adultery”. In other words, be faithful to your spouse, sleep only with your spouse in your own bed. “Do not murder”. This covers the sanctity of life. “Do not steal”. Be satisfied with what the Lord has given you. Don’t take from your neighbor what does not belong to you.

In Ephesians 4:28, Paul wrote, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.”

What a contrast that is! And then Paul wrote, “Do not covet.”

My wife used to say, with tongue in cheek, whenever she saw someone with a nice travel camper, “Lord, give that person a new and better camper so that we can have his camper.” These commands are all covered by love, aren’t they?

And then Paul summed up his words in Romans by saying, “and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up by this: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Folks? Who among us wants to do harm or wrong to ourselves in order that we can then do harm or wrong to someone else?

Anybody? No! None of us!

If we love ourselves, we are going to take care of ourselves, so why not take care of our neighbor? “For love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.”

Love is active, isn’t it? One ingenious teenager, tired of reading bedtime stories to his little sister, decided to record several of her favorite stories on tape.

He told her, “now you can hear your stories anytime you want. Isn’t that great?” She looked at the recorder for a moment and then replied, “No.” He asked, “Why not? What’s wrong with it?” And she answered, “It hasn’t got a lap.”

Well, what do you know about that? Love has a lap!

“Owe no man anything but to love one another.”

How active is your love for one another?

Does it have a lap?