God’s Love Covers Your Sin
By Rick Warren
“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (NLT)
God says that learning how to love is the best way you can spend your life. Yesterday, we looked at two reasons why this is true. First, love validates your faith, proving you’re really in God’s family. Second, love integrates your life; it’s a strong core that can hold the many facets of your life together.
There are two more reasons why you need to make learning how to love your life purpose.
First, love compensates for your sin. The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (NLT).
The love of Jesus Christ covers your sins, and it also gives you the power to let other people off the hook. You’ve been forgiven, and you can forgive others.
King David from the Bible was not exactly a perfect guy. In fact, he blew it a lot. He lied. He cheated. He stole another guy’s wife. He committed adultery. He even had a guy murdered to cover up his sin!
But when David blew it, he admitted it quickly, and he repented. He didn’t always do what was right, but ultimately, he sought after the Lord and wanted to do what was right.
God called David a man after his own heart. How could God say that about a man like David? It’s because David loved God and, as a result, God covered over his sins.
It’s more important for you to love God with all your heart than for you to be perfect. In fact, God knows you can’t be perfect. Do you love God with all your heart? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? When you do, that love will cover a multitude of sins.
Second, love reverberates forever. Love echoes into eternity; in fact, it’s the only thing in your life that’s going to last.
Because of that, what really matters right now are relationships—with God and with other people. In fact, the Bible says life without love is worthless and wasted: “No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love” (1 Corinthians 13:3 MSG).
So why do relationships get the short end of the stick? If we know life is really about love, why don’t we have time for the people we love? Because we’re busy. We give first-class allegiance to second-class causes, and we start neglecting our relationships.
But nothing can take the place of love. Life is not about achievement or balanced schedules or recognition. It’s about love. Don’t let busyness cause you to forget that.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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