Romans
13:8-14 (NRSV)
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one
another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 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." 10 Love
does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 11
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; 12 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; 13 let us live honorably as in
the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness,
not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Paul was a man with a mission to spread the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to the Gentiles. He started new
churches and provided leadership to see them grow and flourish. Today, in his letter to the Church at Rome,
he touches the cornerstone of discipleship and instructs his listeners to
embrace love. As this church is growing
into its identity, Paul instructs them to wake from their sleep and clothe
themselves for the day ahead: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” For the past year, I’ve taken up the hobby of
cycling. And I’ve found that if I want
to get my rides in for the morning, it makes it a whole lot easier to do so
when I lay out my biking clothes the night before I go to bed. When I wake up, I see the clothes, and I’m
reminded of my commitment to better my health.
Seeing the clothes when my eyes open increases the likelihood that I
will put on those clothes for the task at hand.
What if we as Christians set out our spiritual clothes for the next day
before we go to sleep each night? What
if when you go to bed tonight you set the environment for success for the
morning when you wake up? Each morning,
we should put on Christ for the task that is in front of us: to better our spiritual
health and to work for the kingdom of God to come on earth! There have been several mornings when I didn’t
feel like getting on the bike and riding while the rest of the world slept. There have been mornings that I’ve seen my
clothes and skipped getting geared up, but there have been far more mornings
that I’ve remembered my goals and put on my biking clothes to pound the
pavement. May God help us put on the
garments of Christ's love each morning so that we can be prepared for the journey life
will bring us day after day after day.
