"7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
8 Owe no one anything, except to "LOVE EACH OTHER", for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Very seldom do I find it necessary to espouse grand words about a fellow human being. We are all created with flaws, and if we look long enough, all have some glaring deficiencies! As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15 "...CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost". But every now and again a person needs to be recognized as someone who sets themselves apart from others, a real good guy!
The earthly body of Judge Joe Griffin will be buried today. Judge Griffin wasn't perfect, nor was he blameless. Being a Circuit Judge for the better part of his adult life, I am sure he had his share of enemies. You seldom sentence people for a crime while making it onto their Christmas present list! But I never saw him carrying the weight of a grudge or "payback"! He exhibited "LOVE EACH OTHER" with his life like few others I have had the privilege of knowing.
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself" is not always the easiest thing to do. When someone has wronged you, or your family, the first thing most want to do is get even, or pay them back! Scripture declares "for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law". Most people don't desire to run afoul of the law. When we "LOVE EACH OTHER" we don't have to worry about keeping the law, we generally do the right thing. The current legal system is tremendously burdened because we don't "LOVE EACH OTHER"!
The name Judge Joe Griffin will always bring honesty, integrity, and fairness to my mind. But the thing I think about most is that Judge Joe Griffin displayed "LOVE EACH OTHER" with his life while passing through his time on earth. He is my friend and I will miss his gracious smile. Until I see you again Judge, I will endeavor to "LOVE EACH OTHER"!
No comments:
Post a Comment