Sunday, January 25, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Romans 13
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 11
Key Verse
Romans 13:8 — “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
Devotional Thought
On this Lord’s Day in late January, when the year still feels new and the days are slowly lengthening, Paul’s words in Romans 13 call us to examine how we live under authority and toward our neighbors. The chapter opens with a startling claim: “the powers that be are ordained of God.” Paul wrote these words under Nero’s reign, not because Rome deserved devotion, but because God sovereignly orders human government for good. Rulers, Paul says, are “God’s ministers” — not always knowing it, yet still serving His purposes by restraining evil and rewarding good. This asks something concrete of us today: paying taxes honestly, showing respect to those in office even when we disagree, refusing the easy cynicism that mocks every authority. It does not mean blind obedience to evil commands, for our ultimate allegiance is to Christ. But it does mean we resist the pride that imagines we are above the structures God has allowed to stand.
Then Paul turns from the state to the street, from tribute to love. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” The commandments against adultery, murder, theft, false witness, and covetousness are all gathered up in one sentence: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Love is not sentiment here; it is the fulfilling of the law, the concrete refusal to work ill toward another. And Paul presses urgency upon us: “now it is high time to awake out of sleep.” The night is far spent. The day is at hand. So we cast off the works of darkness — the rioting, the drunkenness, the strife, the envying — and put on the armour of light, clothing ourselves with Christ Himself.
Psalm 11 speaks into the same moment. David’s counselors urge him, “Flee as a bird to your mountain,” for the wicked bend their bow and shoot at the upright in heart. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” It is the cry of every believer watching institutions crumble. David’s answer is not panic but worship: “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven.” God sees. God tries the righteous. God will rain snares upon the wicked. His countenance beholds the upright.
So on this winter Sunday, with the year’s foundations still uncertain, we are not called to flee or to fret. We are called to awake, to love, to submit where God has placed authority, and to trust the One whose throne is fixed in heaven. The day is at hand.
Reflection
- Where in your life are you tempted to resist or resent God-ordained authority rather than honor it — and where might faithfulness require respectful obedience this week?
- If “love is the fulfilling of the law,” what specific debt of love do you still owe a neighbor, and what would it look like to pay it before this day ends?
Prayer
Father, we thank You that Your throne is in heaven and Your eyes behold the children of men. Awaken us from sleep, for the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Teach us to honor those You have placed in authority, to render to all their dues, and to owe no one anything but love. Strip from us the works of darkness — strife, envy, and every provision for the flesh — and clothe us with the Lord Jesus Christ. When the foundations shake, fix our trust on You alone, for You try the righteous and Your countenance beholds the upright. In Christ’s name, amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 11:1 — “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?”