January 11
Love
“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour.” —Romans 13:10
Read Romans 13:8-14
The various commandments Paul mentions in this Scripture passage can only be fulfilled when a person is filled with love, for love is the fulfilling of the law. Love guarantees that no evil will befall our neighbour. After the fall, this guarantee was no longer self-evident. Evil is now not only a bitter reality in the world at large, but is also revealed in a smaller way in our relationships with our neighbours. Concerning those who do evil and their relationship to their neighbour, verse 4 states, “But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid.” The Lord has given us ways to resist evil and yet ultimately, all power and authority are His. The more evil we commit, the more we need to fear.
We need to confess time and again: “I come short; my case is hopeless if it depended upon me. When I desire to do good, evil is with me. Thankfully, I do not need to earn salvation by doing good to my neighbour, for then it would be impossible.” Paul reveals to us the way out of our dilemma in verse 14: “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This exhortation reveals the way to be one with the Lord – united to Him by faith.
These words of Scripture were the means used for Augustine’s conversion. When his eyes focused precisely upon this text, he found peace and joy. His own words in response to the Lord’s grace were, “Then my heart was flooded by the light of certainty and all the darkness and doubts were driven away.”
What were the consequences of Augustine’s conversion?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: