Stop Procrastinating

Romans 13:8-14

What is love? One group of psychologists say that men give romance to get love and women give love to get romance. This presupposes love to be sex, as is commonly believed in our society, which speaks of sex as love making. In many cases there is no love involved, just momentary pleasure. We also speak of loving a food, and activity, etc. Because we use the word so any ways, people find the concept of love very confusing.

The Greeks used three words which are translated as love. Eros referred strictly to sexual love and lust. It is intended solely for the relationship between husband and wife. Phileo refers to the family bond between brothers and sisters, that develops out of common experiences. It is strongest when the experiences have been most closely shared. Agape is the moral love most commonly referred to in the bible. It refers to an moral affection, a kindly attitude toward something. I Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the characteristics of Godly agape love. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

John 13:34-35 tells us that our love for other Christians, especially from our own church is the main evidence for our Christianity. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” In these next verses, Paul is not just talking about our love for other Christians, but for every human being.

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

When Jesus was asked which law was most important, he stated that everything could be summed up in two in Matthew 22:35-40.
“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Mark 12:28-33 repeats the concept. Each part of the law relating to other people was designed to prevent hurting them, and love tries not to hurt others. While it may not always follow the exact rules, it accomplishes what was intended, thus fulfilling the law.

Romans 7:6 focuses on that point, that we are to attend to the new attitude, rather than the old mechanics of the law. “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” When we, by faith, allow the Holy Spirit to produce that love in us, Romans 3:31 declares that we show that the law pointed out God’s intention all along. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” God’s standard has not changed, but only through faith can we meet the standard.

We cannot afford to delay in expressing that love. Moral debts need to be paid immediately. We are specifically told that we are not to know when the Lord will return, but to be prepared at all times. Luke 12:35-38 describes the attitude we are to have. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.” This is exactly Paul’s point.

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” (Romans 13:11-13)

All too often we are like little children, knowing that we are going to go to some event, but we get busy playing rather than getting dressed. We need to put aside our toys, and get ready instead. The Holy Spirit is already ours, but we need to let him take control.

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:14)

As Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” We stay in the flesh because we like the lusts.