Diving into the back half of Romans chapter 13 today, we see a couple of well-spoken ideas clearly laid out by Paul. In the first couple of verses this morning, Paul gives us a great summary of essentially why the law from the Old Testament isn’t needed anymore...all of that can be summed up in two parts - love your God with all of your heart and your mind and your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Now, Paul is only keying-in on the second part, loving your neighbor as yourself, here, but it is just really well said. I am going to read it:
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul is just making the point that the OT Law isn’t gone, or abolished, it is merely a part of a bigger ideal now...love. This was an important idea to the Jewish Christians who all grew up with this Law as the dominating concept to their faith.
And then Paul gives us a reminder that time is fleeting, that we must get a move on in our practicing our faith, in verses 11-14 he says this:
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
In other words, we must fight back against ourselves...against our tendencies to get lazy with our lives, against our tendency towards what’s easy and comfortable, and we must push forward towards growth, towards development; we must resist much of the things of this world that can distract us from God’s will...that we love others as ourselves. When we desire comfort over growth, what’s easy over what’s right, or what’s right in front of us instead of what’s to come, we end up missing what God has for us. Paul is giving us a nudge, a little bit of a pep talk. We have to stay in the fight and battling the sin that is within us.
Today I am reminded that the most important step in my faith journey is the one right here, right now...this next decision. It is the next decision to pray, or to think on God’s Word, or to love someone when I sense I should but don’t really FEEL like it...the next step is always the most important. And, I shouldn’t focus on steps missed, but only what’s in front of me. One little step here, one little step there...and in a short time, I will end up a long way from where I started, and a lot closer to God. Incrementalism is the word of the day for me.
