Love does no harm to its neighbor

Romans 13:7-10 (TNIV) -

7 Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others 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 whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

My thoughts -

I used to have a very legalistic view of how I should live and what I "could" do. Maybe young people need firm boundaries. I had them, at least. And I stayed within them, for the most part. I was a "good" kid. I was a "good" youth. I did what I was "supposed" to do. But there was no love.

Maybe part of the problem was a lack of education. While I went to church, Sunday School, and Youth Group every week I never really read the Bible. Why should I? I knew what it said. I was a Christian. Don't all Christians know everything about the Bible just based on that they're Christians?

Maybe it's age. Maybe it's education. Maybe it's maturity. Whatever it is by the time I hit 30 I realized a few things. The first: I (gasp) don't know everything. In fact, I don't know nearly enough. The second: I don't love. I realize we're called to love but I just didn't understand what that meant. I could never step outside my own wants, outside my own perspective, see the needs of others, and care for them like I would if they were my own needs.

But the more I read and the more I grow and the more I pray and the more I try to be that which I believe God is calling me to be the more I see that what we do and don't do is only important insomuch as we are loving others. If what we do is in love then, whatever it is (and you have to be honest with yourself and with God here, there's no "loving" way to be a selfish jerk, this isn't a "just do whatever you want whenever and however you want" clause) it is okay; it is of God. If what we do is not in love then whatever it is, however noble, however "moral", however "right" (by a legalistic view of right and wrong) it is, it is not okay, it is not of God.

For more insight on this see Romans 14. There Paul discusses primarily what is and isn't okay to eat but the point he makes (at least what I take away from it) is that, while all things may be okay for you and of God you shouldn't be a stumbling block for others just because you are "allowed" to be. Be loving and work for mutual edification. Whatever is "right" and "wrong", we should be building each other up in love.