LOVING ACTIONS

Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. —Romans 13:10

And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. —Romans 13:14

Prisons are filled with people who have unlovingly wronged others. They not only thought about ways to indulge their evil desires toward others but they carried those evil desires out. Murderers, thieves, and those who have committed sexual crimes fill our jails and prisons.

But before we get self-righteous about not being in prison for those crimes, let us just remember that Jesus equates hatred with murder (Matthew 5:21-22; I John 3:15) and lusting after a woman (or man) in the mind with adultery (Matthew 5:28). Other unloving evil indulgences “the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community” (Proverbs 6:16-19). Are there ways that we are being unloving and putting ourselves in a “spiritual prison?”

Love looks out for the best interest of another person (Philippians 2:1-11). Love hates what is evil— “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” How will I show my love for God and people today? How will I look out for the other’s interest today and not just my own?

Dear Father, please help me to truly love people and not to indulge in evil desires or even to think about them. May this be so in the authority of Jesus and in the Holy Spirit’s power.