Ruminations and Ramifications

On the continuing debt to love

Romans 13:8 tells us to owe no one anything but love, to let no debt remain outstanding but the debt to love one another. I have been considering how we pay our debts. For instance, I owe the government a lot of money for my schooling. There are two things about paying that debt back that are true: it must be repaid in a currency they recognize, and it must be added to until paid in full. As much as I'd like to pay them back with my Indian beads and dried corn wampum, they won't accept that as a valid form of currency, and I will still be in debt after shipping them large volumes of the stuff. That is a good picture of our debt to love one another. Are we paying that debt with a currency the other person recognizes? Will they just watch the Indian bead wampum stack up in the corner while they wait for our valid form of payment to come in? It was just at thought that I had.

Another thought I've been mulling over is Ephesians 4:29. We are to speak only what is helpful for building OTHERS up according to THEIR NEEDS that it may BENEFIT THOSE who listen. My words are not my own, but being that I am first about pleasing myself, I naturally speak words that benefit and please ME first. But the Bible is clear that those words are to be used ONLY for the benefit of OTHERS, to build them up. Our words are to be a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord. Our ACTIONS are also only to be used for the benefit of others.

It really is imperative that we look at our words that way.

posted by Marcian @ 11:01 AM