November 26, 2023
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT). The apostle Peter reminded believers of the importance of loving and serving “one another.” This instruction included being hospitable. In other words, be friendly and welcoming to one another,
November 26, 2022
THE LOVE THAT COVERS SIN The apostle Peter emphasized the importance of staying together as a Christian community in the face of increasing persecution. He wrote that the “most important” feature of such a unified community is love. For love doesn’t look for offense or imperfection. Indeed, it overlooks such things, keeping “no record of
November 26, 2021
A “ONE ANOTHER” FOR THANKSGIVING The apostle Peter reminded believers of the importance of loving and serving “one another.” This instruction included being “hospitable.” In other words, be friendly and welcoming to one another, giving of yourself and your substance as others have need. Open up both your homes and your hearts to one another.
November 26, 2020
A “ONE ANOTHER” FOR THANKSGIVING The apostle Peter reminded believers of the importance of loving and serving “one another.” This instruction included being “hospitable.” In other words, be friendly and welcoming to one another, giving of yourself and your substance as others have need. Open up both your homes and your hearts to one another.
November 26, 2018
LOVE COVERS ALL WITHOUT A COVER-UP
The apostle Peter emphasized the importance of staying together as a Christian community in the face of increasing persecution. The “most important” feature of such a unified community is love. For love doesn’t look for offense or imperfection. Indeed, it overlooks such things, keeping “no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5).
In Genesis 9, Noah’s son, Ham, saw his father’s drunken nakedness and told his brothers about it. However, Shem and Japheth backed into Noah’s tent, covering him with a robe, not wishing to see their father in such a state. Which of the sons acted in love? Wasn’t it the ones who covered their father’s sin?
Peter’s instruction is a reference to the Proverb, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins” (Prov. 10:12). This is not an encouragement to cover-up, compounding one’s sin by lying about it or failing to confront it privately. No, it is a covering of love that patiently seeks to maintain relationship through thick and thin. It looks for the best in others, rather than fault-finding. Love helps the sinner make things right.
It was God’s great love that moved Him to send Christ to be the covering for our sins. For Christ is our covering. His blood has covered our sins. And we are hidden in Him, having “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27), we are now all one in Him. And since our sins are covered, there is no need to cover-up. We can be ourselves in Christ, knowing that we are deeply loved.
November 26, 2015
A good word for the season. Be “hospitable” (Literally in the Greek, “lover of strangers”). And do it without “grumbling” (murmuring, complaining, the opposite of gratitude). Put them together and you have: THANKS + GIVING. Be ‘giving’ towards everyone, especially strangers and do it with a ‘thankful’ heart. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
November 26, 2011
Peter’s instruction to leaders still holds true. Live with the end in sight. Not in a morbid sense, but with a sense of urgency and anticipation. The end is always near. We will all face God. Live looking and praying for His return.