This week at ILE is Spiritual Emphasis Week, what this means is every day we will have two chapel services and the teachers are not allowed to give us any homework. The morning chapel is trilingual (Spanish, English, and Korean). The afternoon service is in English and we break into small groups. I love the speakers and the worship team we have this week from the U.S.A., they are all so good and super nice.
This afternoon in the women's group we focused on 1 Peter 4:7-11.
"The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." (NIV)
There is urgency in this passage along with a lot of responsibility. How much would your mindset and attitude change when you are serving or speaking if every time you did these things you did them as if God was right there besides you? If when you spoke, you spoke as one speaking the words of God and served as with the strength of God. That is pretty amazing to think about, what a difference there would be not only in us but also in the lives around us.
What a difference there would be if we all loved each other deeply. I love that the word deeply is included there because to me that shows intimacy. Are you willing to put your heart out there and love others just as God has loved you? Because as Scripture says, "Love covers a multitude of sins". Just think of God's love for you and how He gave His one and only Son, Jesus to die for you and for your sins.
When you choose to love someone deeply, you also choose to forgive them and their sins. You don't hang onto their sin and use it against them, you forgive and move forward, because you love them deeply.
We do all of these things "so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 4:11.
