“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8 NKJV).

This verse tells  us to see love from a different perspective, to see love as a debt we have to pay daily to those around us and those we interact with. It is a mandate from God, an obligation we must fulfill, if we want to make it into heaven.

Most of the time we show love to others when we feel that they have done well or rather, that they deserve it.
I have heard people say that others must earn their love and respect before they could show them love.
What does that even mean?

How do we earn each other’s love, when the Bible said in Romans 5:8, that while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NKJV).
This does not mean that we should be complacent,  not at all.  We must be humble and obedient to the word of God, and avoid sin at all cost, by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our love should stem from God our father, who loved us first while we were still sinful and unrepentant.  According to 1John 4:19, which says,  “We love him because he first loved us.”
God showed us love first, he did not wait for us to repent and turn away from sin before he showed us love. 

He even sacrificed his only begotten Son,  Jesus Christ. As stated in John 3:16,  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

And Jesus Christ on his own path, did not consider our rebellious nature, and unrepentance, he chose to obey the father and came down to earth to die for us.
Such demonstrations of love from God our father and our Savior, Jesus Christ cannot be comprehended by our human nature. 

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can gain a sneak peek into the true meaning of God’s love for the human race. Because we cannot truly understand the true depth of God’s love here on earth, while we are in this corruptible nature, only when we get to heaven.

While hanging on the cross, Jesus Christ prayed for those who crucified him.
When Stephen was being stoned to death, he followed the Master’s example and prayed for those who were stoning him.
None of those people earned the love and respect of Jesus or Stephen.
Jesus obeyed the father and showed us love and forgiveness, while Stephen followed the example of Jesus, and prayed for the people who were stoning him. 
In the same way, we have been called and commanded to love one another, even our enemies.

When we do not love as we should,  it is considered a debt that we are owing. Nobody wants to be a debtor forever.
So, learn to clear your debt daily, by forgiving easily and promptly. 
Do not bear grudges,  do not allow any root of bitterness to grow. 
Remember we are told not to allow the sun to go down on our anger.
“In your anger do not sin,  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.“(Ephesians 4:26 NIV).

If there is someone who you have not been in good terms with,  this is the time to reach out to them if you still have their contact information or start praying sincerely for them, for their welfare.
God bless you as you do that,  in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.