Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

I was meditating on this text, and the question came to mind. From whose perspective are the sins covered by love, the one who sinned or the one who was sinned against?

I believe that the answer is, both. When we love, we can cover and forgive the sins of those who sinned against us. Also, when we sin, our love can cover our sins, leading us to apologize, repent, and allow the one against whom we sinned, to forgive us.

The ultimate demonstration of this is that the love God showed us through Jesus Christ covers our sins, and the love we have for Him leads us to repent and receive that gift of God’s love.

Dear Lord, your love for us covers our sins and saves us. Help us remember to accept your love and share it with others and cover the multitude of sins with it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Many people spend a tremendous amount of time and money to maintain their health, but miss one of the keys God’s provides for health.

Proverbs 14:30 says, “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body jealousy is like cancer in the bones.”

Having a peaceful, low stress demeanor is physically good for us.

Though it is easy to say, being at peace is not always easy to turn on. I recently heard a practice that helps. Each morning take a few minutes to relax with several long deep breaths, then think intently about three things for which you are grateful. Try to physically feel the gratitude for these things. It is very difficult to be envious, bitter or angry when you are focusing intently on being grateful.

Dear Lord, you have provided the instruction manual for our lives, that you created, in the Bible. Help us find your wisdom there. Be with us and help us work on a peaceful heart, to help us have a healthy body, to your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Just before the Jews entered the land God promised to them, modern day Israel, after they were led out of Egypt by Moses, Moses gave them something we might call a charge, or duty which is applicable for us today.

He said in Deuteronomy 4:40, “I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

The commands Moses gave them, recorded in Deuteronomy 5, were what we call the Ten Commandments today; In my words, Put all your trust in God and don’t make other things more important than Him, show respect for God’s name, go to church, respect and honor your parents and authorities; Don’t murder, commit sexual sins, steal, lie, or desire something so much that you would do wrong to get it.

In Deuteronomy 5:33 he tells them, “Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives.”

Dear Lord, Your directions are clear; Help us follow them, because they are the instruction manual for our lives, to make it work well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In Hebrews chapter 11, Paul lists many examples of people in Bible history, such as Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Rahab, and others who acted “by faith” in God’s promises to accomplish difficult, embarrassing, frightening, life threatening, and even life ending assignments they knew God was calling them to pursue.

In Hebrews 12:1 Paul writes, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

One of the great things about sports teams and clubs with common interests is that the members become examples for each other to excel and overcome obstacles. I think what Paul is telling us with the description of “a crowd of witnesses” is that we have “a team” for us to use as examples to help us excel in our faith. We should read about and meditate on the stories of these people to see how they acted in faith, and God kept his promises to support them in their callings.

Dear Lord, thank you for these examples of faithful witnesses on who’s stories we can rely for confidence in you. Help us use this confidence to faithfully pursue those things to which you are calling us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you have seen the movie Karate Kid, you may remember the scenes in the movie, where Mr. Miyagi, the older Japanese man who promised to teach Karate to Daniel, the boy and main character of the movie, in order to defend himself from other boys who were bullying him. Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel, but makes Daniel agree he will do whatever Mr. Miyagi asks, without question. Daniel agrees, and the first thing Daniel is told to do is wash and wax Mr. Miyagi’s cars, with a specific motion, he is told “wax on, wax off.” After that, Daniel is told to sand Mr. Miyagi’s deck, again precisely as Mr. Miyagi describes. Finally, Daniel is told to paint Mr. Miyagi’s fence and house, also in precisely the way described. After several days of these chores, Daniel is frustrated and confused by what he has been doing, which appears to have nothing to do with Karate. He complains to Mr. Miyagi, who in a dramatic scene of attacking blows, ties all the chores into defensive Karate movements, and the reasons for all the hard work and frustration becomes clear to Daniel.

In John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. When Peter resists, thinking this was disrespectful and wrong, Jesus tells him in John 13:7, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

Many things in our lives are like this, we are following what we think is the right path, doing the right things, and difficult circumstances occur that we cannot understand. At those times, we should remember these words of Jesus, “…later you will understand.” We should stay on course, doing the right thing, with our faith firmly in Jesus’ protection and guidance.

Dear Lord, so often we cannot understand what you are teaching us through our experiences. We can know, however, that you are in control, and we will understand some day. Help us remember this and stay in faith doing your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.