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Paying Down Your Debt


Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.(Romans 13:8) 

            For most people, the idea of being in debt is just a part of life, another of the many stresses they face. But, love as a debt owed to someone? We like to think that our love is a gift to be given, or something someone else produces in us that flows from us naturally, or even something someone must earn. Maybe....maybe we owe our parents love. Look at all they do for us and if they didn't do all those things, maybe we don't owe them. Maybe we owe our spouses love. Most of the time that's one of the promises we make when we get married. Maybe our kids. If we don't owe them love, at least we hope we're making a good investment in them by loving them. At a stretch, there may be some other family members to whom we owe love as a repayment for the love they have given us.  But wait, if we love as a repayment of their love for us, did they give it, or just lend it to us? Do we pay back with interest?
        No, the idea of owing someone close love sounds strange to us. It gets worse the further away the relationship is. To owe love to someone just because they attend the same church, or because they attend a church, that takes us across the area called "strange" and into the area of "difficult." It's a little easier if we turn it around. Do they owe you love? Do they owe me love? Maybe, maybe not, but the idea of people, even people we don't like, loving us. I suspect we could get used to it.
        Those who advise people to get out of debt often suggest paying more than the minimum payment in order to pay off the debt more quickly. I have to wonder what would happen if we - I, you, the next Christian one of us encounters, were to challenge ourselves to love as though we're really trying to retire that debt, paying twice or three times the minimum payment of politeness. It sounds scary but what could God do with that investment?

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