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LOVE DOES NO HARM

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10

The five books of Moses contained the law of God, and the overwhelming majority of these laws were intended to promote the well-being of the Israelites' fellow men and to bring about justice and restitution for those who had been wronged. They boiled down to this simple precept: Do no harm to your neighbor.

Since this was the whole point of the law, St. Paul the apostle, explained that if you loved your neighbor you'd automatically fulfill the law, because you'd avoid harming him. Thus, you are to allow your life to be ruled by God's love. How do you do this? Simple. Yield to His Spirit, because "God is love" and "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (1 John 4:8; Romans 5:5).

As a man, you may feel that you must be rough and tough; you can't let anyone push you around; you must be assertive in business dealings and never show weakness. Loving others and being gentle may seem soft and weak by comparison.

Not so. You can be gentle to the weak, yet still be tough when you need to be. You can be assertive in business dealings, and adding love to the mix simply makes you honest and fair. You can act justly toward others without letting anyone push you around. Loving others takes courage and strength, and it proves you're a true man of God.