Don’t Pay it Back, Pay it Forward // Romans 13:8

I realized something the other day. Ethan feels a need to get in the last word. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t a smart aleck…he ensures he is the last one to tell us, “I love you.” He always starts it, then we reply, he says it again. It dawned on me so I asked if it was intentional. He humbly said, “yes.” He is reaching the age where he recognizes all we’ve done for him in his life and we do still. He is beginning to pick up some of his own expenses and realizes how costly everyday things like food, gasoline, utilities, and toiletries are. He sees this, recognizes how we manifest love in even basic ways, and wants us to know he appreciates us. Wow, does that do this daddy’s heart a lot of good!

Todays verse from Romans 13:8 teaches that we are not to owe any debt except to love God and people. The word the Apostle Paul used for love when writing this is, agapaó, which is similar to agape, meaning an unconditional love. Digging into the original Greek, agapaó means, “preferring to live through Christ by obeying God’s will.” It also comes down to choosing to live within God’s power. Since love is God’s very nature, it’s almost as though we see we are to have no debt except to love God. After all, God is the source of all things. We would never be able to pay God back for all the grace we’ve received. If you think about it, that’s because we are only consciously aware of the tiniest sliver of love poured out on us.

God does not want us to pay Him back for the love we experience; rather, God wants us to pay it forward! Allow the awareness of God’s grace inspire you to “live through Christ” and “obey God’s will.” It has always been to love. It always will be. So, let’s tackle today looking for ways to experience God’s overwhelming love so we can express it back TO God and back out into the world FOR God!