Love's Obligation

Romans 1:14 - "I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish."

Obligation does not necessarily imply emotion. It is a stated fact regarding a contractual agreement between two parties. However, Paul was obligated by love. He understood the importance of his message to all classes of people. Along with this obligation came extreme patience to explain himself to anyone who would listen to the gospel. Remember, patience equals love expressed. It manifests itself by a heart that has the best interest possible for the object of its affection.

Do we possess a sense of obligation to those around us regarding Jesus Christ's message of hope and love? Or, do we look at some and impatiently think, "They will never come to Jesus, why should I bother!"? Like Paul, we should never judge mankind from our perspective. Righteous judgment is better left to the Holy Spirit (John 7:24). It is our duty to live as ambassadors of His love to all men and allow the Father to draw those whom He has called through the patient love He has granted to those who are His sons and daughters.