The Loving Path

Read Romans 13:8-12 

“No, the burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart.” –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

We humans often know the path we should take—get plenty of sleep, exercise more, don’t eat raw cookie dough, blah, blah, blah—but we generally don’t follow that path until confronted with a crisis.  That crisis could be a health scare or a spiritual crossroad; and without it we resist change. Why must I break all ten commandments before I realize I’m on the wrong path, when Jesus has laid the righteous path at my feet: love.  

Love is like the “Lane Departure Prevention” feature in many modern vehicles. If you are acting in love, it is harder to leave the path of righteousness. If you are loving the Lord with all your heart, you will not break the first four commandments. If you are loving your neighbor as yourself, you are prevented from breaking the other six. This is not always easy, and we certainly fall short. Often, though, being enlightened by how our actions negatively impact others can be a different kind of catalyst for change. True, Godly love provides a space where we can do no harm to our neighbor. Our personal agenda is replaced by concerns outside ourselves, and that is when God can really use us. 

My prayer is we humans will choose the loving path rather than continually running headlong into a brick wall. That the young would listen to the old, who having learned from their mistakes and would dearly love to see the next generation avoid them. Time is short and the day is near. As we choose love more often, we can live more fully in the light, and clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

FOR REFLECTION:

• What is one lesson on loving others you’ve “learned” the hard way? How can you use that experience to help others avoid going through it?  

by Brian Dreger