Today's Scripture | 1 Peter 4:8
8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Whether we like it or not, we must live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We can’t go by feelings. If we go by feelings, we’ll never tithe. If we go by feelings, we’ll always get offended. If we go by feelings, we’ll never love people who hurt us. It’s a love test.
Someone may have offended you, but now you have a chance to pass the love test. You may have been hurt by a friend’s betrayal, but now you have a chance to submit your hurt to the love test. If you still get an attitude when people don’t do what you want them to do, then God still has a work to do inside of you. If you’ve been to church and learned the Word of God, yet the bitterness in your heart toward somebody on your job remains, God wants you to know that you need to put some work in, in order to pass the love test.
If a certain person walking into the room causes you to get an attitude, then you have not passed the love test. If just thinking about a particular person makes your blood boil, you could be tying the hands of God because you haven’t passed the love test. We think we know how to love, but if we can’t be loving toward even our own family members when they hurt us, how are we going to love our enemies?
Peter said, “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). Have you ever noticed how church folks sometimes can get on your nerves? In fact, some of them will get on your last nerve! But so will many of the people you encounter in the world. That’s just the way human nature is. This is why Peter says we must “keep fervent” in our love for each other. I think the Amplified Bible really captures the force of what Peter is saying here, “Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins—forgives and disregards the offenses of others”