4-26-26: Love and War
In Romans 13:8-14, we encounter a powerful paradox that defines Christian living: we are called to love in the middle of a war. Drawing from the historical example of Dunkirk, where civilians risked their lives to rescue strangers from the beaches, we see that genuine love doesn't wait for safe conditions. It moves toward need, regardless of whether we know the person, like them, or agree with them. Paul teaches us that love is not merely a feeling but a debt we owe to everyone around us, the only debt we can never fully repay. This love fulfills all the commandments because when we truly love our neighbor as ourselves, we naturally avoid harming them through adultery, murder, theft, or coveting. The challenge before us is profound: we don't get to choose who needs our love. Like those civilians pulling soldiers from the water, we must leverage everything we have to bless whoever God places in our path. This means making a daily decision to be conduits of Christ's love, recognizing that biblical love is intentional, not accidental. We must die to self, deny our flesh that demands to be served, and instead carry our cross as both an instrument of death and a declaration of love. The world will know we belong to Christ not by our theological precision alone, but by how we love one another across every barrier that typically divides humanity.