"Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1Peter 4:8
This verse brings to mind a wide variety of observations and reflections. Loving deeply reminds me of the way Jesus loves me. He loves me as deeply as it takes, way down to the depths of the darkest places in my mind. Loving each other would be reciprocal wouldn't it? We should all love each other because Jesus commands it. He said we are to love one another like we love ourselves. Not always easy to do, especially deeply.
It is His love that covers everything really isn't it? I think Peter experienced this kind of love. The kind of unconditional love he needed when he denied Christ and then was totally forgiven by Him. Seems to me that it may be easier to love deeply than to be loved deeply. Maybe because though we each know ourselves deeply and exactly how unlovable we can be, we don't consider the fact that all of us have that in common. I am sure Peter is reminding us of this because he realizes just how hard it is to give and receive love, and love ourselves at the same time.
When I think of the word multitudes, it really is a big number. But, for Jesus a multitude is just a miraculous opportunity to make something miraculous happen. For example, like feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish. So loving one another deeply can also do something miraculous. Even though our sin is countless, deep and awful, His love is big enough. What if we loved more and deeper. Maybe our sins could be dealt with more. If we received and gave more and deeper love, I believe we would sin less. That could be why Peter knew it, said it and God put it before us today.
With His deep love and mine,
Pastor Fred
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And yet the love of God remains so mysterious for some, myself, at times, included. I responded to one of your devotionals recently about my own quest to know and truly feel His love. That was only a couple of days ago, and since that time His response has been flood like. I opened the gates and He has been pouring Himself in. It has been truly amazing, and the words from this devotional are, for me, yet another of His attempts to draw me in. I am so grateful that He cares so much.
ReplyDeleteTo emphasize just how intently He has been answering my pleas, I wanted to share another devotional on the topic that I "just happened" to read last night. Imagine asking God to show you His love in a way that you can really feel (as I've been asking Him lately) and then being answered in the following words, written by Max Lucado:
"Those who saw Jesus - really saw Him - knew there was something different. At his touch blind beggars saw. At his command crippled legs walked. At his embrace empty lives filled with vision. He fed thousands with one basket. He stilled a storm with one command. He raised the dead with one proclamation. He changed lives with one request. He rerouted the history of the world with one life, lived in one country, was born in one manger, and died on one hill…God did what we wouldn’t dare dream. He did what we couldn’t imagine. HE BECAME A MAN SO WE COULD TRUST HIM. HE BECAME A SACRIFICE SO WE WOULD KNOW HIM. AND HE DEFEATED DEATH SO WE COULD FOLLOW HIM. IT DEFIES LOGIC. IT IS DIVINE INSANITY. A HOLY INCREDIBILITY. ONLY A CREATOR BEYOND THE FENCE OF LOGIC COULD OFFER SUCH A GIFT OF LOVE.”
I have capitalized the words that stood out to me the most as being directly spoken to my heart from God’s. I asked God only days ago to show me how to truly feel His love in and around me. Is it as obvious to others as it is to me how intent He is upon showing me? This is only one example of many that have occurred over the last couple of days, with His first response coming in the form of your devotional, titled “The Father Loves His Son” on August 10. We serve such an amazing God, and I am so grateful to be His. I’m blown away by His determination to make sure I “get” it. May my own actions be a reflection of His beautiful love. Thank You, Pastor, for once again being such a huge part of God’s answers to my prayers.