Business Bible Study:
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
The book of Romans is a great book to grasp how the spiritual side of life fits into our real life. We start off chapter 13 with a talk about authorities. When we see political debates, it is hard to imagine that God is still in control, but He is.
As a sovereign God, He is in charge of everything that happens, even in politics. We can vote for our favorite candidate, but we must accept who God puts in charge. We do our best to respect them and keep our mind set on eternal things.
In verse 6 we talk about taxes. We should pay what we owe in taxes, revenue, respect and honor. I love how Paul takes money and reminds us that paying for something comes out of our respect for the system, the people and God.
As business owners, we should respect our employees and show them honor. We do so with our words, actions and the way we pay them. As far as taxes, God wants us to pay what we owe, but that does not mean we have to overpay. Be wise in the way you treat money as well as the way you treat people.
The only debt that should remain ‘outstanding’ is that of love. This is not about being in debt, it is about remaining in debt. Pay what you should pay and continue to show love to all those people who surround you each and every day.
“Love your neighbor” is a phrase that ends this section. We must realize that our noisy next door neighbor deserves love as much as the neighbors we like. The people we work with are neighbors. Our employees are neighbors. Our vendors are our neighbors. They deserve respect, honor and love.
As we finish out this chapter, Paul talks about the way we live. As business owners we know that people look to us as an example, especially when they know we are Christians.
Paul reminds us what it is like to work in darkness, then tells us to put on the armor of light. We should clothe ourselves with Christ and not focus on how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
The masses are drawn to the flesh and flashy riches. They love to see the Lamborghinis, Yachts, and rolls of Benjamins, yet what do those really represent?
It discounts people to serve money rather money serving people. It doesn’t show how much we care for others. It does not show how important people are to God. In our business, let’s step up and highlight people. We can show them the love that God created for them.
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
