Put On The Armor Of Light
Let every person be subject to the
governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those
authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists
authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct,
but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good,
and you will receive its approval; for it is God’s servant for your good. But
if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear
the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of
conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are
God’s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them – taxes
to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect
is due, honor to whom honor is due.
Owe no one anything, except to love one
another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 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, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to
a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is,
how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to
us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.
Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let
us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in
debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its
desires.
Romans 13:1-14
Among the most important words we can
speak is to acknowledge a gift – to say, “Thank You!” And while it is important
to be grateful, there is another side of thank you. If we give a gift to
someone else, we should do so out of a motive that does not expect anything,
even a thank you, in return. True love gives with no expectations.
True love
has no strings
attached.
Our
Daily Bread –