Skip to main content

Tuesday... Yes, it makes such a difference.


1 Peter 4:8 (MSG), "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything."

Tuesday... Yes, it makes such a difference.

Peter the writer of this letter wrote it to Christ-followers who were being persecuted because they followed Christ. It was not a popular thing to do.

He starts this chapter 4 off by saying in verse 1 (MSG), "Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him." Yes, we too need to learn to think like him. Verse 2 says, "Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way." Now that gets to the point.

If we keep reading, down in verse 8 Peter gets practical and personal. He says, "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically everything." Remember, "learn to think like him."


Now the New International Reader's Version says verse 8 this way, "Most of all, love one another deeply. Love erases many sins by forgiving them." And the Amplified Bible says, "Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]." Yes, that is the way Jesus thought and lived.

Do you remember when Jesus was hanging on a cross where he was going to die as a sacrifice for our sins? And do you remember what he said? Well, Luke 2:34 (NLT) says, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.'" God loved us so much that he sent his Son to die for our sins. Not his sins, our sins. Now that is ultimate love in action.

Verses 1-2 in the New Living Translation says, "So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God." And by the way verse 8 in the NLT says, "Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins."

Yes, love makes such a difference. It really does! "Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything." So let's "Learn to think like him." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...
Post a Comment
Read more