Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything
Three elements to consider:
(1) Value: Good or Bad
(2) Responsibility: Owed or Not Owed
(3) Application: Given or Not Given
These three factors produce eight unique circumstances:
Good owed and given, which is DUTY.
Good owed and not given, which is NEGLECT.
Good not owed and given, which is GRACE.
Good not owed and not given, which is PRIORITY.
Bad owed and given, which is JUSTICE.
Bad owed and not given, which is MERCY.
Bad not owed and given, which is INJUSTICE.
Bad not owed and not given, which is PREROGATIVE.
We must fulfill our duties. There is good that we owe others which we must dedicate ourselves to give.
We must repent of our neglect. If there is good that we owe, it is our responsibility to obtain the power and position to give it.
We should look for opportunities to give grace. There are always more good things we could look to be doing just because.
We should not feel guilty about not taking advantage of every opportunity for good. We must prioritize who is owed what and give what we have until we run out. This will mean having some opportunities which we cannot get to.
We must be interested in justice. Sin must be repented of if any are to be forgiven and saved instead of forsaken and damned. The one committing evil must be confronted in order to come to a change of mind where he agrees with the charges against him.
We must look for opportunities to show mercy as we have received mercy. We must not be so exacting as to leave no misdeed unpunished inasmuch as God has not left us without mercy. Our inability to pay everything owed has not kept Him from providing everything we need. We show mercy when we absorb some of the comeuppance we were entitled to dish out.
We must not be agents of injustice by inflicting bad on those who do not deserve it or giving bad in disproportion to what is owed.
We should exercise our prerogative and patience not looking for opportunities to give bad or to create or imagine debts where there are not any.
No matter what, God will be glorified. Either in His justice or in His mercy, He will be glorified and He will share that glory with no other. May the glory of God be our good. May it serve Him best that we serve Him most. May it manifest the most glory for Him to manifest Himself in mercy to us. God save us and sanctify us, set us aside by Your divine design, consecrate us for Your kingdom. May Your glory be our good. Amen.
Good not owed and given, which is GRACE.
Good not owed and not given, which is PRIORITY.
Bad owed and given, which is JUSTICE.
Bad owed and not given, which is MERCY.
Bad not owed and given, which is INJUSTICE.
Bad not owed and not given, which is PREROGATIVE.
We must fulfill our duties. There is good that we owe others which we must dedicate ourselves to give.
We must repent of our neglect. If there is good that we owe, it is our responsibility to obtain the power and position to give it.
We should look for opportunities to give grace. There are always more good things we could look to be doing just because.
We should not feel guilty about not taking advantage of every opportunity for good. We must prioritize who is owed what and give what we have until we run out. This will mean having some opportunities which we cannot get to.
We must be interested in justice. Sin must be repented of if any are to be forgiven and saved instead of forsaken and damned. The one committing evil must be confronted in order to come to a change of mind where he agrees with the charges against him.
We must look for opportunities to show mercy as we have received mercy. We must not be so exacting as to leave no misdeed unpunished inasmuch as God has not left us without mercy. Our inability to pay everything owed has not kept Him from providing everything we need. We show mercy when we absorb some of the comeuppance we were entitled to dish out.
We must not be agents of injustice by inflicting bad on those who do not deserve it or giving bad in disproportion to what is owed.
We should exercise our prerogative and patience not looking for opportunities to give bad or to create or imagine debts where there are not any.
No matter what, God will be glorified. Either in His justice or in His mercy, He will be glorified and He will share that glory with no other. May the glory of God be our good. May it serve Him best that we serve Him most. May it manifest the most glory for Him to manifest Himself in mercy to us. God save us and sanctify us, set us aside by Your divine design, consecrate us for Your kingdom. May Your glory be our good. Amen.
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