METHODIST DAILY REFLECTION FOR TODAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2026 - THE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW
DATE: WEDNESDAY, 2ND SEPTEMBER 2026
THEME: THE FULFILMENT OF THE LAW
PASSAGE: ROMANS 13:8-14
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.9 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.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
MESSAGE:
Romans 13: 8-14 describes the Christian obligation to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. To do this is to fulfill the Law of Moses, because love itself never hurts anyone. The time has come for believers to cast off works of darkness, including drunkenness, immorality, and jealousy.
Unfeigned or agape love is very important. It is a debt we must continue to pay because the debt has no end. It is only when one dies that he/she stops paying the debt. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the Law.
Paul argues that love avoids harming others. He also urges believers to put on the armour of light, which is synonymous with putting on Christ. Paul uses eschatological-imagery - darkness vs. light, night vs. day - to convey the urgency of believers' current actions. He emphasizes that the day of the Lord's return is near, making love and light even more crucial.
Romans 13: 14 therefore urges Christians to put on Christ. We are not to make any provision for the flesh to fulfil the lust thereof. When Christ is formed in us and He is our hope of glory, we cannot conceal our love for Him. Instead we put Him on in our conduct as the glory of our hope.
It is sad that Christians take fellow Christians to court these days on issues that can easily be solved by elders in the church. This makes a mockery of our faith in Christ who even prayed on the Cross for His enemies, saying 'Father, forgive them because they know not what they are doing.
When you love someone, you will not deprive him of his wife, you will not take the life of anyone nor hate anyone. When you love anyone, you will not be self-centered nor damage anyone's reputation, business or goodwill because God is Love!
MEMORY VERSE:
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" Romans 13:14
HYMN: MHB 435 (8.8.8.4) Love is the key of life and death
1. LOVE is the key of life and death,
Of hidden heavenly mystery :
Of all Christ is, of all He saith,
Love is the key.
2. As three times to His saint He saith,
He saith to me, He saith to thee,
Breathing His grace-conferring breath :
Lovest thou Me?
3. Ah, Lord, I have such feeble faith,
Such feeble hope to comfort me :
But love It Is, Is strong as death;
And I love Thee.
PRAYER
God of Love, help us to love one another and give no room for the flesh in our lives in. Amen.
READ:
DAY: Lam. 3:1-36
NIGHT: Lam. 3:36-66