Romans 13:9: For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Now don’t tell me that you love someone and are committing adultery with that one. It is sin in God’s sight. God hasn’t changed His mind about it.
“Thou shalt not kill.” You can kill a person in more ways than pulling a trigger of a gun. You can destroy them by ruining their reputation.
“Thou shalt not steal.” If you love, you won’t get something dishonestly.
“Thou shalt not covet.” When your neighbor drives up in a new automobile, how do you feel about it? Sometimes we say, “I wish we had the car and they had one just like it.” What we really mean is that we would rather have that car than see them have it.
You can talk about love all you want to, but if you commit these acts against your neighbor, you have no love for him. 1
Application
- Think of how many ways you love yourself each day. (Think of your time in front of the mirror.)
- Think of ways of loving your neighbor more than yourself today.
Prayer
Lord, help me to be less in love with me and more in love with You and with others.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (Romans 9-16) (electronic ed., Vol. 43). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
