Lose No Time To Love One Another

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:8-14 ESV

Why did Paul here put the exhortations in the day of the Lord right after talking about loving one another? It’s because we lose no time in loving one another. There may be a lot of things for us to do now as it has always been. But Paul is saying that we shall not neglect or delay any loving opportunity which God opens in the midst of ordinary and routine lives. What is loving opportunity? It may be to say a kind word to someone who is in trouble. It may be to yield to someone who is rude while driving. It may be to make a visit someone who is in need of touching care. It may be bearing patiently the weaknesses of someone who could be our families. It may be to listen to someone who has to say something.

It's obvious that the opposite of love is hate. There are two forms of hate—inward and outward. We may not outwardly hate someone by beating or punching but in the manner of indifference and ignorance which are more serious than the former. How easy it is not to love one another! How easy it is to find out thousand and one reasons not to love one another! How easy it is to be trapped into indifference and ignorance!

However, loving one another will accomplish the exhortations of casting off the works of darkness, putting on the armor of light, and walking properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. Here putting on the armor of light means to be clothed with Jesus Christ who is the full armor of light. Jesus Chris the Lord is the manifestation of such love that He died for us when we were still sinners and enemies of God. Now, we have an undeniable reason to love one another that He loved us first.