Love Covers Over a Multitude of Sins

Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.
Prov. 10:12

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.
Prov. 17:9

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
1 Pet. 4:8

in swahili: Zaidi ya yote, pen daneni kwa moyo wote, maana upendo hufunika dhambi nyingi sana. 1 Petro 4:8

so i bought the new sara groves cd. she's done it again. intertwined lyrics with music to make my eyes water and my heart sense the love of an amazing Father. this song, When It Was Over, gets me. not sure what it is about it, but the simplicity of the words and music enriched with forgiveness moves my heart to listen more closely to Jesus.

'How great is the love the Father has lavished on us.' (1 John 3:1) i rejoice that a love deeper than my understanding of love exists. i tend to think of love being amazing, but i add that it fails... i'm a doubter. somewhere in my past, someone who said they'd love me forever let me down. so my view on 'loving forever' is tainted. and i can't even point my finger on who this person is. guess satan stamped me with this trait from birth. but i am beginning to understand that a love deeper than anything i can perceive exists. and i'm being lavished by that love.

here's my confession, i'm so selfish that i think i am the only one who will keep my promise to love until death. again, i rejoice that a love deeper than my understanding of love exist.

somehow God put it in my heart to not hold grudges too long. i don't mean that as bragging rights, but it is true. most of the time, i forget what someone has done against me. so perhaps it's because i'm not very bright. but this 'forgetfulness' benefits me when it comes to covering over a multitude of sins with love.

i know i am the way i am today, because of the way i was raised. mostly i'm fearless - i was told that i can take on the world. i'm especially guarded - i went thru some rough childhood years of my brother being an alcoholic and drug user, and my parents giving him all their attention. i was the good kid - good at school and sports, so my parents didn't need to worry about me. my grandparents took me in and cared for me during those rough times. but thru those rough times, i never spoke of how i felt. i always hid my hurt with a smile. my friends at school had no clue as to what went on in my house, nor did my grandparents. i was the queen of hiding my feelings. i ran from the hurt and pain. and in my adult life, i still tend to lean that way.

when i was in middle school, a family took me on as their project. i don't think they intended on taking me on, but it simply happened that way. i entered their family as a babysitter and a kid from their youth group. they revealed to me that love covers over a multitude of sins. they didn't force me to talk of my family issues, but they knew about them. they loved me as i was. they invited me into their family, to share and love and trust. they taught me that to love, one needs to forgive; without forgiveness one cannot love. that was a tough lesson, because i had a great deal of hurt and pain to confess. this family, all 5 of them, taught me of Christ, humanity, and my responsibility to live what i believe. and to them i am forever grateful.

Sweet Jesus,
You've brought me out from the pit of despair. You've given me a love deeper than i can fathom. and Your grace that covers me is wider than i could ever know. i am a changed person because You first loved me. thanks for calling me to be holy, righteous, steadfast, beloved, blessed - and so many more. You've given me love to cover over all my sins - that is a multitude! and so i pray for You to use me as a vessel of this love which covers over sins. let Your forgiveness be known thru me. let me be sanctified thru You that You may be worshipped. let Your kingdom come, Father. Spirit, thanks for Your conviction which draws me to the throne of grace. You draw me close to the One whom i love. my heart rejoices that You've revealed to me this lavishing love. what made You love me when You knew what i was all about?
in Jesus' Name ~ Amen.

*Shottie *Derrick *Misty

Finding What Pleases God

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Col 1:9-12

And find out what pleases the Lord.
Eph. 5:10

a while ago i caught ephesians 5:10. it's just thrown in there. 'find out what pleases the Lord.' that is a loaded command. it's not going to the store and finding milk. it's not looking for the coin which was lost in the house. but that lady held a huge party over finding a 10th of her wealth. ...or maybe it is like that. honestly i'm not sure.

paul mentions that he asks God to give the colossians knowledge of God's will. surely God wants to give the colossians knowledge of His will. so in this case, paul and God have the same desires. i think that link between God's desires and what we desire needs to connect. 'pursing after that which moves the heart of God'

*bear fruit
*grow in the knowledge of God
*be strengthened with all power
seems like 3 basic rules to live by. but those all come from God. i'm not sure i've ever prayed for God to move in my life in those ways. i've prayed to know His will and to do it faithfully, but... first comes the hard work: getting on my knees and finding out who God is and why i should desires the things which please Him.

and i should be praying for others. because of those who have prayed for me, i am being filled with the knowledge of His will, being strenghtened and bearing fruit. i know the prayers of my grandma, a prayer partner i had when i was a kid, family and friends have truly been answered. this is why i am a seeker of Christ.

God,
i'm searching after what pleases You. reveal Yourself to me, because of Your mercy. You give to those who ask, so i'm asking to be filled with the knowledge of Your will thru all spiritual wisdom and understanding. i want to find out what pleases You and faithfully complete it. i know You've mentioned that You know the plans for me... but could You fill me in on those plans?

i lift up the SLR staff to You. seems like there are some obstacles popping around their plans. Father, you know the spiritual battle which rages, and You have the power to detain the enemy who wages war. protect these young people from the flaming arrows that fly by night. send Your spiritual wisdom upon these faithful servants. if they are not walking faithfully, convict them of their sin - send Your grace to draw them back. let this group be holy unto You. may You speak unto their hearts, having them listen to Your call. let their decisions be based on what would draw others nearer to You. if being in the chapel, so be it. if being outdoors, so be it. if being without music, so be it. whatever would please You most, let that be known to each of these servants. most importantly, above each of our agendas and thoughts on how we can best make You know, is Your desire. soften our hearts that we may listen to Your voice and hear what You are saying. close any plans which have arose from our desires alone. what do You want to say at SLR this year? what will it take to tear down the walls of sin and shame, and to let Your light shine to these students? how do You want to reveal Yourself to them? as Samuel had to learn to say, 'speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' let this listening Spirit rest upon all who are helping with SLR this year.
in Jesus Name ~ Amen.
*SLR *Jenna *RJ

Listen to His Voice

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Deut. 30:19-20

i got on a deuteronomy kick the last few days. been quite the interesting journey. there are some pretty graphic things in the book. (see Deut. 23:10) but then you stumble across some verses like the ones above. these three 'commands' are rocking my world...
*Love the Lord your God
*Listen to His voice
*Hold fast to Him

if all thru one day i could be reminded of these big 3... i would be changed, or more like - i'm being changed. to love God intimately... to hear God's voice... to hold God steadfastly.... incredible. this reminds me how intimate my relationship with my Dad is. he chooses to satisfy my desires with good things. (psalm 103:5) it doesn't get much more intimate than that.

so some friends and i are on this kick of memorizing a chapter of scripture. anyone wanna join? i'm attempting to memorizing psalm 103. so far i've made it to verse 6. needed to stop for a day and deeply consider how God works righteousness and justice to all the oppressed. too often i'm caught up in the moment of need and desperation, and forget to see beyond the physical. my heart goes out for some oppressed - those sold into sex slavery... and zimbabweans. not sure how zimbabweans are oppressed, but my heart goes out to them. i guess since HIV/AIDS is claiming 30% of the citizens... that seems like oppression of the spiritual natural.

there's another verse in deuteronomy which caught my attention. it's deut. 23:14 'For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that He will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.' God protects me and delivers my enemies to me. (when i think of enemies - i often think of demons.) and then my camp - my home, my heart, my thought life, my fleshly desires, anything which i hold dear - must be holy. where am i outta step with Jesus? where have i messed up? where have i disobeyed, not fought the good fight? and the reason why i am to be holy is so that God can be near. He is too holy to be near evil. that is a big thought for me. i know that nothing can separate me from the love of Christ, but...

as i get older and hopefully more mature, i'm learning that obedience is more important than rules. that righteousness comes before rules. this is a tough understanding to me, cuz i'm pretty analytical, play-it-by-the-rules type of person. just as Jesus was healing on sabbath. Jesus must have thrown a huge wrench into the pharisees thinking. 'how could someone claiming to be 'God' disobey what we know is the way to righteousness?' i wonder that sometimes too.

hey Jesus,
thanks for opening my heart to know You more. thanks for allowing my questions to be answered. in james you promise to give wisdom to anyone who asks. well, i'm on my knees, humbled by Your greatness - begging for wisdom. i wanna know You and who You are. i desire to hear Your voice. i want to love You more. i want to be the one who holds fast to You. i desire those things. i want to be faithful, Jesus. thanks for hearing my pleas for help. thanks for giving me the strength to be obedient, even when it feels like everything within me is desiring to sin. Your grace is sufficient for me...keep that thought before me. Holy Spirit, i know You are in me - calling me out of darkness into Jesus's glorious light. You've rescued me from the chains of sin and death, and clothed me with righteousness, peace and love. thanks for giving of Yourself so that i can have life. You are my life. i'm only beginning to understand the depth of this statement. thanks for Your love lavished upon me.

*Sean *Stephen in Kenya *Philip @ YWAM