Turning on the light of love in every room

Turning on the light of love in every. Turning on the light of love in every room.

Key points

• Case Chair of Evangelism and Discipleship at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
• Security breach at IHL affecting Office of Financial Aid occurred Monday, not Thursday when IHL created it known.
• General Atomics confirmed second expansion this year, bringing 125 more jobs to Shannon.
• Mississippi coach Pete Golding intends to eradicate erratic play in Week 2 against Charlotte.
• For one of my discipleship groups this week, we discovered ourselves in the last half of Romans 13.

Turning on the light of love in every. Turning on the light of love in every room. By: Matt Friedeman – September 14, 2026.

Helping each other grab hold of the abundance God has for us is not a bad description of the Christian life.

When life gets confusing – as if often does – and you are not quite sure what to do next, love is not a bad next option.

For one of my discipleship groups this week, we discovered ourselves in the last half of Romans 13. That latter part starts off with a verse that has been hanging in my house for 42 years. When my wife and I were married, a family friend asked her what verse we would like to have rendered in calligraphy and framed for our home. We chose Romans 13: 8 – "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." It's been hanging on our bedroom wall ever since.

This morning as we pondered that precept, one group member remarked, We ought to write a book that argues against debt-free living – taking on a Dave Ramsey precept. Oh, debt-free is great for your finances, perhaps, but we ought to view ourselves as continually in debt when love is the challenge. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.

Notably, the word love crops up five times in the surrounding verses. Love one another, love your neighbor twice, love does no wrong, love is the fulfillment of the law. Apparently Paul, writing to the Roman Christians, wanted them to know that biblical love could see them through any situation they encountered.even when surrounded by extremely unloving and unbiblical ways of living. Love was to be the clarifying thought and action of their lives.

This love shouldn't be confused with our Western society's conception of the same. We are immersed in a culture that prefers to feel its way through every concept. One of our discipleship group participants. This person is working on a doctorate in philosophy right now, brought up the intellectual giant Thomas Aquinas. "Aquinas, " he explained, "defined love as 'to will the good of the other.'.intellectually, you understood what love required and then you did it." You willed it. Notice that feelings weren't particularly necessary to that equation.

One guy in our group runs a Christian coffee house. Noticing its success, individuals have approached him, wanting to investigate the business model. My friend notes, "Love." That's not the answer most residents are after, but my buddy insists it is true. "We really love the individuals who come in here, we want to listen, we want to love them. It works."

Another one of the guys chimed in. He works with a Christian advocacy group that tries to impact his particular state legislature with Judeo-Christian values. "We view our job as going to the State Capitol and turning the lights on. When we do that, the roaches flee." Read Romans 13 to the end and you discover that light means putting on Jesus Christ. And that light is love.

We always end our group by praying for one another over the discoveries we've created from Scripture during that hour together. This time, we prayed that we would be men who recognize love as a debt, men of loving willpower, men with listening and compassionate ears-men who would turn on the light of love in every room we enter this week.

George Eliot once asked, "What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?" But "less difficult" is not really a Christian goal in light of Jesus' exhortation to "deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him."

"More abundant" better expresses the objective. And helping each other grab hold of the abundance God has for us is not a bad description of the Christian life-or of the kind of men we were praying to become. Regarding the Author(s).

Dr. Matt Friedeman holds the John M. Case Chair of Evangelism and Discipleship at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, Mississippi. He is the husband of Mary, the dad of six kids and the author of a number of books. Faith Alistair Begg September 10, 2026. Welcome at His table.

You and I are called to be bridges that span the gap between the experience of isolation and a life of divine acceptance. More From This Author. Faith Matt Friedeman August 30, 2026. Parents – time to start raising "different" children. Faith Matt Friedeman August 24, 2026. God loves a good mechanic. Faith Matt Friedeman August 17, 2026. A study of abortion contrasts – Massachusetts vs. Mississippi. Faith Alistair Begg September 14, 2026. Faith Alistair Begg September 9, 2026.

Let your heart today sing with amazement at the grace you have received. Faith Alistair Begg September 8, 2026. The Lord be with you.

If Christ has truly come into your life as Lord and Savior, your faith should echo throughout every moment. News Magnolia Tribune September 14, 2026. Magnolia Mornings: September 14, 2026. News Jeremy Pittari September 11, 2026.

Security breach at IHL affecting Office of Financial Aid occurred Monday, not Thursday when IHL created it known. News Jeremy Pittari September 11, 2026.

Debris cleanup from Winter Storm Fern complete in one of the three affected districts. Business Frank Corder September 10, 2026.

General Atomics confirmed second expansion this year, bringing 125 more jobs to Shannon. Business Frank Corder September 10, 2026.

C Spire expanding fiber network with new high-capacity corridor between Jackson and Olive Branch. Business Frank Corder September 9, 2026. Mayo Clinic Laboratories investing $30 million, creating 234 jobs in Southaven. Culture Robert St. John September 14, 2026. Restaurants lie at 8 p.m. Culture Chris Burrows, Associated Press September 11, 2026.

Mississippi coach Pete Golding intends to eradicate erratic play in Week 2 against Charlotte. Culture Alistair Begg September 11, 2026. Opinion Merle Flowers September 10, 2026. Mississippi does not have pharmacies to spare. Opinion Grant Callen September 10, 2026. What I'm looking for in Mississippi's next governor. Opinion Delbert Hosemann September 9, 2026. Senator Cochran was right on timber.

For now, turning on the light of love in every room remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.