Heavenward

Romans 13-16

03/23/22 – 03/30/22

Genuine Love

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  03/24/22

Read Romans 13:1-10.

Without question, the moment you receive Christ, He transfers your citizenship to the Kingdom of heaven—and this is your ultimate identity, your ultimate allegiance. But even though we Christians no longer have our identity in this world, we are called to love God and our neighbor by humbly submitting to the authorities He has set in place for us.

In Romans 13, Paul emphasizes that it is out of love for God that today’s Christian will willingly obey the law of the land, pay taxes, and vote. By diligently serving in these ways, we love our neighbor, our community, our nation—we fulfill our “continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (v. 8). In fact, the Bible-believing Christian lives in perpetual spiritual indebtedness. Indebtedness to whom? To God!

Only God can give you the resources by which you can pay your debt to Him. Christ has paid our ransom and transferred to us His righteousness. He has poured into us His own Spirit, His own power to love and obey. He loves through us so that we can love others. And the wonder is that the more you love God, the more God pours into you, and the more He pours into you, the more you pay your debt of love to the glory of God. And for the citizen of heaven who longs to glorify His God and Savior, that debt becomes pure delight.

Prayer: God, I know I could never pay my debt to love You and love others. That is why You came to give me life—to give me a heart of flesh. Thank You for empowering me by Your Spirit to love You and others and find joy and peace therein. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).