{"id":14410,"date":"2026-07-30T08:21:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=14410"},"modified":"2026-07-30T08:21:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:21:56","slug":"the-love-we-always-owe","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/the-love-we-always-owe","title":{"rendered":"THE LOVE WE ALWAYS OWE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cOwe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law\u201d (Romans 13:8 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul wrote to believers in Rome about their responsibilities toward governing authorities, neighbors, and one another. In the previous verse, he had instructed them to pay what they owed, including taxes, revenue, respect, and honor. Then he described one obligation that could never be fully discharged: the debt of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taxes could be paid. A borrowed item could be returned. A financial obligation could eventually be satisfied. But no believer could ever say, \u201cI have loved that person enough.\u201d Love was a debt to be paid, yet always remained due. It was an unlimited, continuing obligation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul also explained that love fulfilled the law. In the verses that followed, he showed that genuine love would not commit adultery, murder, steal, covet, or harm a neighbor. God\u2019s commands gave love its shape. Love fulfilled their purpose by seeking another person\u2019s good and refusing to wrong them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are to pay what we owe, keep our promises, return what we borrow, and treat others with proper respect. Yet even when every account is settled, one debt remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We owe love to our families, our church, our coworkers, our neighbors, and even those who are difficult to love. We never graduate from this calling. We cannot store up enough loving deeds today to excuse indifference tomorrow. Because Christ loved us when we were undeserving, His love now enables us to keep loving others. Love is the debt we never finish paying. It is the love we always owe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, thank You for so loving us that You gave us Jesus. Help us fulfill every obligation with integrity and to love one another as You have loved us. Fill us afresh with the love of Christ today. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cOwe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law\u201d (Romans 13:8 ESV). Paul wrote to believers in Rome about their responsibilities toward governing authorities, neighbors, and one another. In the previous verse, he had instructed them to pay what they owed, including taxes, revenue, respect, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"audio":"https:\/\/garycombsorg.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Jul-30-2026-at-8_17_21AM-esv2-50p-bg-10p-music-10p.mp3"},"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1312],"scripture-chapter":[1346],"oyb_day":[1738],"class_list":["post-14410","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-romans","scripture-chapter-1346","oyb_day-july-30"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14410"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14410"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14410"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}