Fulfillment of the Law

"For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Romans 13:9) KJV

Staggering into my room around midnight is nothing new to me, but collapsing onto my bed after traveling around the world was. My trek from Italy back to Florida took a total of 24 hours. Looking back over the nine days the marching band spent together will be a memory I will cherish forever, as well as the lessons we learned about each other.

We were like four brothers rooming together. We loved each other one minute and would love to give each other a swirly the next. It's one thing to say you know someone, but it's a whole other story once you live with them for a few days.

Oh, we had lots of fun; I remember holding down Chad when he got this bright idea that he would steal my bed as Matt introduced a wet towel to his rear end. I also remember seeing that same person dazed and confused when the girl he liked didn't like him in return. Then we had Derrick, who was God's gift to women, then Matt, who just stayed in his own little world most of the time. Last was myself who joked around and sat back and watched the events unfold.

I believe Paul knew how much it meant to love one another; he was beaten, whipped, and imprisoned for trying to save people's lives. When he wrote the book of Romans he spoke of experience. What experiences do you recall? Have you had times when you felt unloved and alone? Remember the times when you first met Jesus? Remember the warmth and comfort and security you felt when you accepted Him into your heart? Now you know what Paul continued with the next verse. "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." May peace be with you.

(www.tddm.org)