Fervent Love

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."  I Peter 4:8

We've all experienced it, and we've all done it.  We've all been the recipient of nitpicking, and we've also dished it out.   Sometimes we even actively look for "material" - those irritating or annoying faults and failures of another person.  Left unchecked, these sinful attitudes/actions can destroy relationships in the family, church, or workplace.  That's why the Apostle Peter stressed the importance of loving one another earnestly by stating we should make love a priority above all other stewardship of grace.  The note in my study Bible says that the word for earnestly means "to be stretched or strained." Rather than just tolerating others, our love for each other should be fervent, putting the spiritual good of others ahead of ourselves.  It is our calling as Christians to "cover" the sins of others, always ready to forgive insults and mistreatment, and not seek to expose our brothers' and sisters' petty weaknesses. 

The theme of "covering" is found throughout scripture.  In Genesis, God found Adam and Eve cowering in their guilt for disobedience, but, as an act of divine love, he made clothing to cover their shame.  On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood of the bulls and goats on the altar as a sign of covering of Israel's sins.  And in the New Testament, those redeemed by the sacrificial blood of Christ are clothed with his righteousness.  Because of his love for us, Christ "covered" our sins.  We must continually look to him as our example.