The night is almost gone, and the day is near.
Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness
and put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:12
Like many people around the world, my husband and I spent much of February watching the Sochi Olympics. We marveled as ski jumpers flew through the air at terrifying speeds, as snow boarders slid down pipes and up inclines, twisting in the air and somehow managing to land upright. We commented on the speed skaters’ massive thigh muscles and on the courage (or foolhardiness) of the luge teams. We watched amazed as figure skaters launched into jumps from impossible positions and completed soaring turns before gracefully landing on a thin, metal skate blade and glided away. Both of our jaws dropped when Julia Lipnitskaia, the young Russian skater, executed a dizzyingly fast spin on one leg while holding her other leg straight up about 4 inches from her face. “How can she keep skating after twisting her body like that?” we asked.
The answer is discipline. Months and years and decades of discipline, combined with the natural talent, was what landed Julia and the other Olympic athletes at the games. Not only discipline to practice their sports every day, but also discipline to eat right, get enough sleep, to fall down and get back up, to encourage and to be encouraged by other athletes.
What motivated them to commit themselves to such rigorous and not always pleasant discipline? The answer is simple. They knew the winter Olympics were scheduled for February 7–23, 2014, and they wanted to be there when the big day arrived.
In Romans, Paul urges believers to apply similar discipline to accomplish the seemingly impossible feat of loving others as we love ourselves. Love others, Paul says, because the night is almost gone, and the day is near. The day of Christ’s returning when this earth will be replaced by new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13)
But why did Paul choose Christ’s coming as motivation for believers to love others? Because the two are closely linked. Because the watching world wants to see if the love we proclaim plays out in our lives. Because when we practice what we preach, Christ uses our love to bring lost hearts to faith in him.
Earlier this year, our small, local church brainstormed ways to reach out and love our community. We voted for our favorites. Now we’re praying about the results to decide how to love our town. Performing the amazing acts of love we select will require discipline. We’ll need to practice. We’ll need to feed on Scripture to seek God’s will. We’ll need to encourage one another to get back up when we fall down.
Our motivation will be the same means Paul used spur on the Romans. It’s the same motivation that spurred believers throughout the centuries to perform amazing feats of love on behalf of the watching world. The night is gone and the day is near. Our motivation is a desire born of love for Christ and the people in our town. We want them to be ready to joyously and expectantly welcome Christ, when the big day arrives.
