Peter is giving us guidance on living out our lives for Christ as we follow him. Following some other instruction, he comes to this point: “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
1 Peter 4:8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1pe.4.8.NLT
Reflection
One of the challenges with the scripture we have read before is that we can become dismissive of what we read as we read it again.
I run into this dynamic in my own life, as recently as this morning. As I looked at the scripture for today, I thought, “I have read this before, I’ve got this, is there something else I can read?”
Having experienced the faithfulness of God time and again in the scriptures I am familiar with, I didn’t move on to something else. Instead, I am leaning into what God has me to hear, know, and do today.
Will you lean in with me?
Encouragement
Look at what we are being asked to do:
- Continue to show deep love for each other: Will you and I be people who show the genuine, authentic love of Christ with the people we live and work with today?
- Love the people at home. Love the people at work. Love the people in the body of Christ. Love the people in the community.
- Love with forgiveness. Love with gentleness. Love with grace and mercy.
Look at the outcome of loving others well:
- Love covers a multitude of sins: The opposite of love is hate. Proverbs 10:12 gives us some additional insight into what Peter is getting at: “Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.” Proverbs 10:12 NLT.
- Love others even with known differences in life. Love others when you don’t see the situation in the same way. Love others when they do wrong.
- Stay away from choosing hate. Don’t take up every offense. Hate separates and divides.
- Forgive. Love. Something deeper than sin emerges. Community in Christ draws us together in love. What a beautiful way to live.
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
I am so grateful I stayed with scripture already familiar to me and spent time with you listening, learning, and growing deeper today. Thank you.
Holy Spirit, thank you for opening the word of God to me this morning. This is so precious and life-giving.
Help us in living this life of loving others well today. Help us not to focus on the offenses we could take, but rather to be generous with forgiveness and kindness.
Help us love people through the wrongs they do.
This is, in fact, what you do for us every day. Thank you.
This way of loving is your way—such a beautiful and powerful way to live.
We are following you as we learn to live out love.
In your name, Jesus, we pray,
Amen
-Ed McDowell