The mountains of sin piled up since Eden are beyond our comprehension. Except for the fervent love that Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross, our “multitudes of sin” would remain a personal mountain—laying uncovered and destined to be held against us.
You know by experience that the more you love someone the faster you get over any offense they commit against you. In fact, the closer the relationship, the more likely you are to give the loved one the benefit of any doubt when something does not feel right.
However, relationships aren’t always as close as they should be. If there is one common theme that I have heard from many, across a variety of churches, it is that recent fear and disagreement have exposed just how paper thin some long-term relationships actually are. It would be a mistake to conclude that that which caused the fear and disagreement is to be blamed. Instead, the blame, if any is to be attributed to you or me, rests on a lack of desire to “keep fervent in your love for one another.”
Our brotherhood needs to be famous for at least these two things: Firstly, that we are uncompromising on the truths of the scriptures, and secondly, that we keep no record of wrongs.
As an ambassador of Christ, you carry his words and character into every conversation. When his words and character are heard and seen in you, you are by your new nature an effective conduit for the Gospel. And best of all. your transformed life is continuously and powerfully offering the love of Jesus to all you meet.
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
John Staiger