Episode 432 - Show Notes
- Some days, I feel God gives me one verse that I carry with me for the day. Throughout the day the verse continues to come back to my mind. Today the verse is found in 1 Peter 4:8 - “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
- This verse convicts me deeply. God is not saying that sin doesn’t matter or that it can be swept under the rug. No, sin must be confessed and repented of to a gracious and merciful Heavenly Father. But this verse does speak to my reaction towards those who sin. How should I respond?
- I could easily respond with condemnation and judgement towards those who sin differently than I do. I could act as if I am somehow better or superior than them. I could ignore them, reject them, and refuse to be around them.
- What jumps of the page to me is that Peter doesn’t identify which sins love covers. When the topic of sin comes up, it’s easy to think of the big things. But since Peter is writing to Jewish believers, I suspect he is talking about things we would categorize as small sins.
- I have spent my whole life in the company of Christians. I grew up in the church and serve today as the pastor of a local church. In my experience, it’s the little sins that separate believers. It’s the small things that bring offense and threaten the unity of God’s people.
- But small things, not dealt with, produce hurt feelings. Big hurt feelings. When wounded we naturally isolate. We avoid. Sadly, we can find ourselves trapped in the offense. The more we think of it, the bigger the offense becomes in our minds. Unforgiveness leads to a bitter spirit. Bitter people are unhappy people.
- Being people of grace, we understand that humans make mistakes. We are imperfect and so are those around us. Grace causes us to not take things so seriously.
- Did you know that you can forgive someone, even if they haven’t asked for your forgiveness? The forgiveness you offer is between you and God, and it sets your soul free. Imagine not carrying the pain of the offense in your heart. When you forgive you let it go.
1 Peter 4:8 - “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Colossians 3:13 - “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
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