I am not a very organized person. It is one of my faults that I know I struggle with. On the rare occasion that I actually organize the tool shed, it will usually only be a month or two later that it will look like the huge mess that it was previously. I just don’t put things away where they are supposed to go.
As the snow has receded this spring, I have found more and more things that I had forgotten to put away over the winter, tools especially. I will have been using a certain tool to fix something, and then go back into the house to warm up, planning to pick up and put the tool away in the morning. But overnight we might get some fresh snow which covers up everything and I cannot find it when I go to look for it, and forget about them all until spring.
The snow that covers up everything is similar to what charity will do with sin. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”
Let me start by defining these two words: fervent and charity. If something is done fervently it means having or showing emotional warmth, fervor, or passion. And charity is an attitude of love and kindness towards others, and the representing of God’s love towards man.
Peter wanted us to be filled with charity towards each other, and to use that charity to cover up others sins. When you cover something, you can’t see it anymore. And when you don’t see something for a long time, you tend to not remember it anymore either. Like when you store things that you don’t use up in the attic and one day you decide to go up there and you see something and are like, oh yeah, I forgot completely that these were even up here.
Just as Jesus forgives all those who repent and come for forgiveness, we need to do the same. After all, being a Christian means being a follower of the life and teachings of Christ. When Jesus gives us forgiveness, He forgets all about our sins, and lets us begin anew.
Hebrews 10:15-17 “Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”
And not just forgiveness for one or two sins, but Jesus offers His forgiveness for the entire world’s sin. His love truly does cover a multitude of sin. When Peter asked how many times he should be forgiving, what was Jesus’ response?
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
There will be times when someone sins against us, and it will hurt. It will not feel good, but when this happens we need to be ready to forgive. When someone is filled with sorrow for their sin towards us we need to be ready to show love, not hate. We need to be ready to cover those sins, and put them behind us. Just like Christ.
Forgive. And forget.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 