Debt To Love
Jesus paid all the debts we owe and freed us from the penalty of our sin so that we could live out a life of loving others as He loves us.
“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth)...this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, “Please, my Lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
Numbers 12:1, 3, 7-8, 10-11, 13, 15
The Bible is full of imperfect people making choices that each of us encounter on a daily basis. Moses was Aaron's brother and clearly Aaron and his wife did not like Moses' choice for a spouse. What did they do? They gossiped. They talked smack. They talked against her. Why? Why did they and why do we gossip? What purpose does it accomplish and where does it come from? Is it not pride? In speaking poorly of others we are elevating or justifying ourselves in our own eyes? If you were to record all of the things you said over the last week, did you gossip?
Look at how God handles their gossip. He calls it out and defends Moses. He asks them why they do not fear speaking against God's servant. Why do we not fear speaking against others? Does God not hear us and know our hearts? God reveals a truth in this passage about how to walk in freedom and love those who speak poorly against you. Do you see how Moses did not respond to their gossip? Rather, he trusted God to work in the lives of those who were mean to him. How would allowing God to fight your battles help free you from the offense that comes when others speak against you? Moses even loves like Jesus when he prays for blessing on the one who cursed him. Would you do the same?
“Plowmen have plowed my back and made their furrows long. But the Lord is righteous; he has cut me free from the cords of the wicked.”
Psalms 129:3-6
David was a king which means he had more people talk bad about him than anyone. You cannot be a person who stands for something and not experience the pain of other people insulting you. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, " you show me a man never persecuted and I will show you one who never stood for anything." Are you a person who is standing up for what is right? David was and he had to deal with people stabbing him in the back.
David gives us insight into how he followed God intimately. He does not testify about why he is right, he simply says God has my back. God is righteous and has helped keep my heart free. The truth is we can experience freedom from offense when we learn to trust God with other people and outcomes.
“Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart."
Proverbs 27:2, 4, 17, 19-20
Wisdom says pride and jealousy will poison your life. How are each of these impacting your life? Pride says you should praise yourself and make sure people see how great you are. God says praise and glorify Me. Jesus says He can to glorify God and do His will. Should we not be careful to guard our hearts and our words like Jesus did?
Wisdom tells us what we should do. Solomon says iron sharpens iron. Our words have power and we are called to be people who use our gifts to build up not destroy others. Sharpening certainly can involve correction, but it should be done in love not to prove you are right. Solomon says your life reflects your heart. Jesus says the same thing. You can tell a lot about a tree by the fruit it bears. What fruit are you bearing? Is it feeding others or fueling offense?
“Wherever you live...your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols smashed and ruined, your incense altars broken down, and what you have made wiped out. Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices."
Ezekiel 6:6, 9-10
The world is full of idols and temptations. The most common idols we see in Western culture are materialism, self-pride, relationships, technology, social media, and one's own success. How do each of these common desires impact your heart? Each of these things in their own right can be a blessing when held lightly, stewarded in a God honoring way, and gratitude given to God for what they are. Why then can they turn into idols that draw us away from God? Are any of these not bringing glory to God with how they are influencing your heart?
“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Romans 13:1-2, 7-10, 14
How do you choose to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ? What does that mean to you? How do we apply Paul's advice to our lives? He says that life should have freedom, humility, discipline, peace, gratitude and love. How do we see Jeus in each of these?
Much like putting on the armor of God, we can put on the clothes of Christ. The shoes of freedom from the feeling of owing anything to others other than the debt of love that we owe because of what Jesus did for us. The breastplate of humility as Jesus humbled himself to the point of death on the cross that we could be at one with God. The belt of discipline as Jesus did the will of God, day in and day out regardless of what other people thought. The shield of gratitude that reminds us that our salvation is a gift freely given and not done in our own strength. Jesus paid our debts, not us. Gratitude should radiate on the shining glow of our shields. The helmet of peace guarding our minds with the peace that surpasses understanding. In a world with excess information, full of lies and twisting of truth, the helmet of peace can help us hold onto the mind of Christ. Lastly, the sword of love. Jesus said to love our enemies. We use the sword like Jesus. Not to harm others, but to cut them free from the bondage of offense and sin that so easily entangles our lives.
What happens when we put on the clothes of Christ? We love like Jesus, doing God's will, in a way that fulfills the law of loving our neighbors in hopes that they too might come to know the love of Christ through all that we say and do. Ours is a debt of love to Jesus who paid and pays it all each day for us that we too might love extravagantly.