but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise of heart will heed commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.
Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
but the one who rebukes boldly makes peace.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.”
“Love covers all offenses.”
In more than one way. Thankfully. The Lord Jesus’ love for us, His provision for our sins, covers our offenses. And I’m so grateful. Psalm 19 talks about two kinds of sins, presumptuous sins (those we choose) and hidden sins (those we fall into within knowing):
“Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression” (v. 12-13 NKJ).
Often, in our exuberance for life we run headlong into situations where great hurt befalls others. It’s not that we intended to hurt anyone ever, but the pressures of the circumstance seemed to push us in a single direction without much opportunity for choice. And suddenly we find ourselves in the midst of others who are angry and hurt at choices that we thought we had to make.
“Love covers all offenses.”
I often think that people are like hundreds of balls let loose all at once in a pinball machine, bouncing against the walls of life and then crashing into each other. In an effort to find the easiest path of survival we often thwart the hopes and dreams of those around us. We never intended to hurt them; we were only looking for the easiest way out of some mess.
“Love covers all offenses.”
The Lord Jesus talked a lot about love. “For God so loved the world . . . “ (John 3:16 NKJ). Not just loved, but “so loved.” I think we often forget about that love, love that covers all offenses, not through tolerance but through the ultimate sacrifice of giving the life of His only Son. I’m learning that the love that covers all offenses is a love that doesn’t tolerate but instead accepts hurt for itself. Someone is going to suffer. The one who loves embraces that suffering so that the one who is loved doesn’t have to. Rather than worrying about my own hurt, my own offense, as a believer I should be embracing the suffering so that those around me will suffer less. This is one way that love covers all offenses. Sin is often that “secret fault,” not in the sense of hidden in the shadows, but rather hidden from us, something we do when we had no idea it was a sin. And yet, we stepped outside of the arena of loving those around us. Only love will cover that offense. The love of Father God who forgives us; the love of others who will choose to suffer so that we don’t have to.
“Love covers all offenses.”
Who will you love today?
© 2008 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. International copyright reserved. This study may be copied for nonprofit and/or church purposes only without permission when copied in its entirety (including this notice).
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