Put on the Lord Jesus Christ

Acts of Worship
Stewardship for Life

Clothed and Ready

Romans 13:8-14 The Message

^8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

^11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!

For Reflection 

Debt plagues us. Debt turns us.  Debt infiltrates our souls.  We loose ourselves in the daily grind of life.

If we are indebted to God we enjoy that same engrossment.  But' unlike debt of everyday lives, the debt we owe to God is one of love and spiritual fulfillment.  It is a lifelong debt,  freely accepted and freely satisfied in love and service to God and to each other.  Participating in the resolution of our debt to  God frees us from worldly matters and results in a more fulfilling life.

Pray

that you will not let worldly indebtedness hamper your active involvement in spiritual debt to God.  Pray for a fulfilling life in service to God.