Love as Brethren – Believeth all things

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.  

Primary Text

“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren …” 1 Peter 3v8 (KJV)

Another characteristic of love is that it “believeth all things” (KJV); “always trusts” (NIV); “never loses faith” (NLT); “is every ready to believe the best of every person” (AMP); “Trusts God always” (MSG); “It always trusts” (NCV) [1 Corinthians 13v7]. It seems that the default mode many of us go into is distrust of people, being careful of what they say, their motives, so much so if we have been hurt by them before. But believing the best of others takes you beyond the zone of suspicion that someone wants to hurt you and do you harm; it gives you courage to reach beyond what you see, and try to view others as God sees them; trying to treat your brethren in the Lord as someone who is important, who is your brother and sister, who Christ died for, who is a recipient of God’s mercy and love just as you are, and is also being conformed to the image of God, and wanting to see the best come out of them. I was reading somewhere, and it says “Jesus is our example. Notice that it is He who is speaking in Matthew 5:44. The Bible tells us that right on the cross, Jesus prayed fro the very people who crucified Him. He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23v34). Someone will want to argue, “Yeah, but that was Jesus – He could do that.” But the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts. Did you ever notice what Stephen, the first martyr, said as he was dying? Acts 7v59-60 “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now that’s love, isn’t it? People were beating him to death, and he was praying for them.” (Kenneth E. Hagin, How to walk in love, p. 7-8).

Supplementary Text

“Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]. Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive]. And above all these [put on] love and enfold yourselves with the bond of perfectness [which binds everything together completely in ideal harmony].” Colossians 3v12-14 (AMP)

Father, I thank You for Your love for me. Father, help me to believe the best of others. And Lord, please heal every hurt in our hearts, and by Your grace we forgive anyone who we are holding a grudge against, in Jesus name, amen.