Tag: Forgiveness

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Love Your Enemy, Even When It Is You!

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (NIV)

Word Study

Love – G27 ἀγάπη agapē, love, in the NT usually the active love of God for his Son and his people, and the active love his people are to have for God, each other, and even enemies 

Covers – G2821 καλύπτω kalyptō, cover, veil, hide, swept over

Thoughts…

Love is the animating spirit, without which all other duties are dead. Charity shall cover the multitude. The oldest manuscripts have “covereth.” as not harshly to condemn or expose faults; but forbearingly to bear the other’s burdens, forgiving and forgetting past offenses (Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown Commentary).

I am sorry guys, today is all about me. I am sitting here hating myself. I don’t want to show myself any love or grace. I can go out and love others. I can offer them forgiveness, but I am fighting to do it to myself. I have an eating problem that is quite literally killing me and I struggle to overcome it.

I know we all have our own personal demons. TODAY, I feel like I am losing the battle. I feel like a fake because I tell you that you can overcome, as I sit here behind this keyboard struggling.  Well, let me tell you something. I am not here to tell you how to do something or where to find peace, love, faith, hope, grace or forgiveness. I am here to walk with you, fight beside you and face these demons with you. Together we fight. Together we win. Together we show Satan, ”No! We are legion!”

Loving one another and covering one another with grace and forgiveness includes loving yourself and forgiving yourself.

Copyright © 2019 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.

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Christians Practice What You Preach

1 Peter 4

Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply because loves covers over a multitude of sins.

Christianity is not a restaurant and the bible is not a menu. You don’t get to pick and choose what you want and when you want it. You can’t choose one verse to judge or condemn someone and then another to set you free.

You have no right to hate anyone for any reason. You have a right to disagree. You have a right to not participate. you even have the right to an opinion. You DO NOT have a right to not love one another (1 Peter 4:8), not to offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9), or not offer grace to one another (1 Peter 4:10).

Jesus didn’t just hang with other Christians and shun everyone else. As a matter of fact, the only people he shunned and rebuked were the hypocritical, holier than thou, religious leaders. Read that again! THE. RELIGIOUS. LEADERS.

Wow! Hold the bus! You mean Jesus didn’t go around hating on the sinners? Nope! He hung out with them. He loved them. He showed them what being a Christian was supposed to look like, LOVE not hypocrisy!

There is a good reason the story of the woman brought to him by those so-called “religious leaders” is in the gospel of John (8:1-11). They came to ask him to condemn her. He chose to teach them a lesson on grace, love, and forgiveness.

We have been on both sides of the fence in this story. We have been the woman so ashamed we thought for sure even Jesus himself would turn his back on us. We have also been the religious leaders, poised with a stone high above our heads ready to pounce and judge someone else.

Jesus offered grace, love, and forgiveness to the woman. He also offered it to the religious leaders. He gave them a chance to walk away from their lives. He told them to go ahead, throw that stone, but you better be darn sure you have no issues in your life because you will be next. However, walk away now, recognize your own faults and grace, love, and forgiveness are yours also.

Where do you stand today? Are you going to throw that stone or are you going to accept your own need for grace, love, and forgiveness? The best way to receive it is to offer it yourself.

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