Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Romans 11-13
Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
It was an early fall day; it was Sunday afternoon. Someone knocked at my door. It was my neighbor, he and his wife lived behind us on another street, but their back yard bordered our back yard. Having played golf with this older man I acknowledged him by name and invited him in. Yet, he didn’t budge, but with an angry tone he spoke firmly to me and said, “You have ruined my wife’s life!” “What? How did I ruin your wife’s life?” I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s life, especially my neighbors. “What did I do?” I asked, and he told me. “You threw all that trashy wood in the back of your yard, and now when she sits on our porch in the morning drinking her coffee all she sees is that mouse infested and probably snake infested pile of trash you dumped back there.”
“Do you mean the firewood I stacked between those two trees?” “Yes, if that is what you call it.” “I’ll move it tomorrow.” I said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to harm your wife’s view, it will be taken care of.” The next day I moved it on the driveway side of our house, being careful to ask the neighbor who lived next to me if it would ruin his or his wife’s life if I neatly stacked firewood over there.
I didn’t feel like it was love. But that is what it was, love. Love caused me to care more about an older lady and the peace she had in her home than my right as a property owner. After all, that was my yard. I owned it. It was mine. That firewood was neatly stacked just a day earlier and was not a home to mice, snakes or any other varmint. I was totally in the right as far as the law was concerned. But love made an appearance. Love motivated me to not ruin that dear woman’s life. I didn’t feel love, but it was there, under the surface, putting her before myself. Yes, she was unreasonable, yes, she was wrong, yes he was mistaken in being so ugly about it, and yes, I didn’t have to move the firewood.
But to her it was real. I didn’t understand then, but now almost forty-five years later I understand. I loved my neighbor. I never sat on her patio and drank coffee with her, to my knowledge I never spoke a word to her, nor did we become overly friendly. We would wave at each other now and then. But love, in that one instance, defused a squabble, and hopefully improved another person’s life on this globe.
The civil law of these United States, or the state law, may say that I had no obligation to use my private property in any way according to her desire. But there was another law, a higher one, a perfect one, a more just one. That law was/is God’s Law of loving my neighbor as myself. If one of my neighbors did something on their property that I thought ruined my life I would want them to not do that. So, I acquiesced and complied with her desire.
Many speak of love yet treat their neighbor horribly. Before judging my actions too harshly, or rashly, think about this. How much has God yielded to you because of His love toward you. In times of being sometimes unreasonable to Him, He is still there, loving us, providing for us, watching over us, and caring for our needs. For if there has ever been a perfect example of loving your enemy it is God’s actions toward fallen humans.
In the midst of Paul’s dissertation of law versus grace, he inserts an anomaly. He reminds the reader that the love of God is the fulfillment of the law of God.
Dr. William T. Howe
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