Submitting to God should be made easy by love. This daily devotion looks at how, by loving others, we fulfill God’s laws and commandments.
Nuggets
- God calls us to submit our finances to Him and depend on Him.
- Love is a debt we will always owe.
- Love fulfills all the other commandments.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Transformed to Perfection series
Devotions in the Submitting to Transformation series
In our transformation to perfection, we need to submit to God. To achieve perfection, we need to love.
Paul talks about this in Romans 13. Let’s take a look.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Submitting Our Finances to God
“Do not owe anyone anything …” (Rom. 13: 8 CSB)
God calls us to submit our finances to Him and depend on Him.
The beginning of this verse has had differing interpretations. Chalmers said some interpret that as pay your debts while others interpret it as don’t get in debt at all.
I can see don’t get into debt. If we are spending more than we are making, then we could be submitting to this world instead of God. Charters said it also shows our selfishness.
For many people — me included — there are times that we have to go into debt. There is no way around it.
God wants us to be good managers of our resources. So, I can also see the pay your bills on time.
I think it all comes down to living as God wants us to live. We have to submit to Him.
In my opinion, submitting means committing to live a sin-free life. That includes our finances.
We want to focus on God, not on the world. We don’t want to submit to the worldview.
One way we submit to the worldview is when we try to keep up with our neighbors. They get a new car – we get a new car. They remodel their house — we remodel our house. It feeds our pride.
Why is this so important? Lyth wrote, “[Being in debt] robs the debtor of his independence, and not unfrequently (sic) of his moral principle.”
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That could be read as our morals go out the door the more we get into debt. I can see where that could be an issue for some.
As we get deeper and deeper in debt, we could feel that we are just buried in it. The desperation can lead us to make questionable choices.
Charters gave us three words to help us when we do get into debt.
- Diligence.
- Frugality.
- Exactness.
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What Charters meant when he said exactness was do a budget. He also suggested punctuality was another way to be exact.
Submitting to Loving One Another
“Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13: 8 CSB)
Love is a debt we will always owe.
But if we hook the second phrase onto the first, it changes the meaning all together. “Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another …” (Rom. 13: 8 CSB).
Lyth contended that we have to be honest with others. But love, he said, was even more than that.
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Jesus said loving others was the second greatest commandment. Then He said, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Mt. 22: 40 NIV).
Hambleton reminded us that we “… owe duties to every one, and these you are to fulfil. In every relationship of life you have dues to render, and all your various duties to man result from your supreme duty to God.” Loving others is the second greatest commandment because love should be universal and impartial.
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Jesus has paid our debts to God. Therefore, we are to be spreading God’s love to others.
We are never going to complete the commandment to love others. Regardless of our age and occupation, we will always be called on to go ye into whatever world God directs and tell of Him.
Krotel took a scenic route. The way I read it is he didn’t limit this to disciples. He said everyone should love one another — even in the relationships we did not choose to enter into.
As God is our Creator, all have a relationship with Him. We just need that relationship restored.
Krotel explained, “In the preceding verses Paul speaks of the relation of the subject to the ruler; the citizen to the state. Our birth introduces us to the rights of citizenship, but we are born to duties just as much as to rights; and as long as we remain under the protection of the State, we are bound to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, just as we are bound to render unto God the things that are God’s; and that, as Paul informs us, ‘for conscience’ sake.’ The debts we owe the State are just as binding as any debts we voluntarily contract. And these dues (ver. 7) lead Paul to speak of that greatest debt, loving one another.”
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All are to love all.
Submitting to the Commandments
“The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13: 9-10 CSB)
Love fulfills all the other commandments.
That doesn’t mean that I show my love for people by working in a homeless shelter or serving on a soup line — so I don’t have to “… Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16: 15 KJV).
It means that, if love is the foundation of our actions, we will choose God’s way to fulfill the laws.
It is more than just doing the acts of love. It is to have God’s character of love. It is about imitating God by being like Him.
Lyth stated that we have to fulfill the law by both the letter and the spirit of it. Emmons said that both the spirit and the letter of the law is fulfilled because it comes out of a pure heart.
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Jesus was asked to define who our neighbor was. Through the Parable of the Good Samaritan, He said anyone and everyone.
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Butler extended what is meant by loving our neighbor. He said it wasn’t just benevolence — compassion or goodwill. It was also “… seeking the good of others …”
Way back at the beginning of the year we said that the two greatest commandments added together to form perfection. Butler said that the “… noblest form [of loving our neighbor] is the perfection of God.
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Emmons wrote “If the moral perfection of man consists in conformity to the moral perfection of God, and the moral perfection of God consists in love, then love must be the fulfilling of the law.”
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Emmons wrote “If the moral perfection of man consists in conformity to the moral perfection of God, and the moral perfection of God consists in love, then love must be the fulfilling of the law.”
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Butter also explained what the as ourselves meant. He wrote, “That it is to bear a certain proportion to our love for ourselves. What this proportion is to be is not easily decided, for affection is not easily measured; but as to actions, the expression of affection, the more others occupy our thoughts the better, provided we neglect not ourselves.”
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God is really wanting us to have an active love, not a passive one. Lyth said we do this by seeking the good of others in deed, word, and thought.
I can see why love has to be active. Mellor said that it is the means of expression or the center of the law. The center has to be shown.
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Lyth was right in saying that we need to take every opportunity to love others, which talks to consistency. It must be a sincere love, done to the best of our abilities.
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We must make a conscious effort to love others.
Making the Connections
Okay, so the way I read what Krotel was saying was that love one another was a commandment all of God’s creations must follow — whether we are children of God or just made in His image.
Glossary
God expects us to live in an orderly, peaceful manner. He does want us to benefit from knowing Him.
How Do We Apply This?
- Don’t spend money we don’t have.
- Don’t buy what we don’t need.
- Don’t borrow money that we have no conceivable way to pay back.
- Obey God.
- Love all without qualification.
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We are to submit to God through love. In doing so, we fulfill the laws and commandments.
Father God. We love You. We want to show that love to others by sharing Your gospel message with them. Help us to be strong and secure in You. Amen.
What do you think?
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