Don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

Rom. 13:8-14 NLT

   Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. 

   11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

At our list look we were talking about  the power of Christ's love filling the lives of all who believe in Him. We were to take actions that freed us from debt except for owning love. We must recognize that we can never REpay all the love that has been shown to us by God through Christ our Lord. Instead we should 'pay it forward' by continuing to show love to others-- even unconditional love to those who have harmed us or whom we find unpleasant. How can we know we are loving them? We can know because see wish no harm to them, nor seek to cause them pain or difficulty in any way. We seek to bring them blessing instead.

Paul told the first century Roman Christians that the time of the 'day of salvation' would soon be there. He advised them to remove dark deeds of the past like they would dirty clothes and dress in 'shining armor.' That shining armor was right living, according to 13:12. We have a choice, according to 13:13, to "live decent lives for all to see." We have choices to NOT participate in darkness,and all of the excesses mentioned in verse 13 and that are so indicative of today's culture. We have the option dress, instead, in the "presence of the Lord Jesus Christ."  We have the choice to NOT think about evil desires-- we can dismiss them by the power of Christ in whom we choose to clothe ourselves.

Right living-- the thing that humanity always says it seeks but most rarely find-- is there before us to receive by faith through God's grace alone. Have you availed yourself of it yet? Are you continuing in it still?

Your servant in Christ's Love

Dan

drdanelliott@gmail.com