New? February 15 Devotional
February 15, 2025
1 PETER 4:8 | 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Love covers a multitude of sins. Here is Christian realism—the redeemed are still broken and likely to err in thought, word, and deed. But here also is a firm belief in the extraordinary power of agape love. Since love originates in God and characterizes his nature, when we love one another we participate in this nature and display it to the world. Love conquers sin because the alternatives to loving each other are either indifference or hostility. Both of these things increase sin and do damage to relationships. In addition to avoiding indifference and hostility, and displaying the divine character, love changes the character of our mistakes. Some sins involve a bad intention, a deliberate desire to do evil. But others come from loving intention to help or support in which we don’t choose the right way to fulfill our intention. Thus, in those cases our motivation to love will be good, even if our action is lacking.
Which of the ways “love covers sin” strikes you the most?
Gracious God,
Give me a loving intention that reflects your heart, eliminates indifference and hostility, and purifies my motivation.
Amen.
