TLIC FAMILY. PROVERBS. MAY 4: COVERS.

THINK TOGETHER.

Have you ever held a grudge against someone? Are you holding any grudges now?

READ TOGETHER

Proverbs 10:12. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.

It’s easy to get upset at others and hold a grudge when they do something to hurt us. Soon we may even feel like we hate that person. We might talk bad about them in order to get others to hate them too. Worse yet, we might even want to get in a fight with them. This is what Solomon calls strife, or conflict. And without love, strife grows larger and larger.

But love covers over offenses. Love forgives. It doesn’t hold a grudge or keep track of what was said or done to us that might have been mean. Love also is not a tattle-tale. Part of growing up is learning how to deal with problems on your own and with the person who offended you, without spreading it all around through gossip or tattle-taling.

By the cross of Jesus God has chosen to cover up all our offenses against him. He offers us forgiveness that removes all our guilt. When we have Jesus, our sins will never be mentioned by God again. There is no strife between us and God if we have Jesus living in our hearts. Now we can seek to live without strife with others, loving others as Jesus loves us, covering up offenses as God has covered over ours with the blood of Jesus.  

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

Because of Jesus all our sins are covered by his blood.

With Jesus we can forgive and cover over the sins of others.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Talk about any grudges you might be holding against someone. Write out this sentence on a piece of paper: I choose to forgive ____ for ____. Fill in the blanks with the person’s name and offense. Then tear up the paper and throw it away. Pray and ask God to help you truly forgive.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, you have forgiven me of all my sins. Help me to forgive others, reject strife, and seek to love others by covering over the wrong things they do. Amen.

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