A Servant’s Heart

The Path to Christ-Like Service

A Devotional Study of
1 Peter 4: 7 – 11

By Kara H. Duckworth

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

{Day 1} Deeply Moved
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8a; John 11: 1 - 44
“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other...” (HCS)

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in
spirit and troubled.” (NIV)

In John’s gospel, he gives us a beautiful episode involving a family from Bethany whom John says Jesus loved. That’s not
something we read much in scripture. Jesus loved Lazarus and Mary and Martha.

Jesus’ friend Lazarus became sick, so sick that Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus to come. Mary and Martha
knew that once Jesus heard of the situation, He would not only come, but would take care of everything. Jesus got the message
and acknowledged it; but He inexplicably waited two days until Lazarus died.

This is love? Not acting when your loved one clearly needs help you can give? Where is this story going?

Now, Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem and Jesus was a wanted man there. The Jews had tried to stone Him for
blasphemy and had tried to seize Him. Jesus knew that to walk into Bethany was to walk into a trap. But such was His love for
His disciples – verse 15 says he was glad Lazarus’ death had happened for their sakes – and for Lazarus and his sisters that He
turned toward Bethany purposefully. Knowing the very public uproar He was about to cause, He went without hesitation.

When Jesus finally arrived at the house of mourning, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha’s trust in Him was so complete,
she declared her belief that Jesus would heal Lazarus, “even now.” When her sister Mary came to Jesus and collapsed, weeping
at His feet, Jesus looked at her and at the mourners with her and it moved Him. It moved Him to tears. He cried right along with
them, because He empathized with their pain and loss.

The mourners saw this and took it as proof of Jesus’ deep love for Lazarus. Others remarked that Jesus, who was known as a
miracle-worker, could have saved Lazarus’ life. Then they led Jesus to the tomb.

Being told Lazarus was dead was one thing; but seeing a sealed tomb was another thing altogether. Again, John says, Jesus was
deeply moved. Even knowing what was about to happen, even knowing the joy the next moments would bring, Jesus still
mourned the power death had to separate, to steal, to be the enemy.

Jesus bravely looked into the face of the enemy and called His friend out from its grip. Unwrap the trappings of death and set
this man free! And so, Jesus restored the friend He loved back to his place among the living. Lazarus’ funeral transformed into a
celebration of triumph and joy.

I love this story of Jesus’ humanity, of His deep love for these friends. It models for us that with ministry comes intensity of
connection and intensity of emotion that cause us to look like our hero, our Savior.

Ponder: Think of a time when you’ve been so emotionally connected in a ministry moment
that you wept along with someone. Do you understand what Jesus felt like when He was
deeply moved? Who are your Mary, Martha, and Lazarus?

Pray: Ask God that you and those you serve will feel such moments of liberation that
you’re deeply moved. Ask Him to allow you to weep with those that weep and rejoice
with those that rejoice. Pray that His Spirit will move freely and that we won’t limit
His work to “planned moments.”

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 2} Love Covers

Read: 1 Peter 4: 8b
“… since love covers a multitude of sins.” (HCS)

“You are a MURDERER of love!!” shouts Cara Burns at her father, Dan, a single father trying to raise three
daughters in the 2007 film, Dan in Real Life. Weary from trying to thwart Marty Barasco’s advances toward his
underage daughter, Dan forcefully removes Marty from the family vacation home and sends him back to Boston,
to the accompaniment of Cara’s brokenhearted shrieks.

Dan, like all Dads of daughters, tends to zero in on the flaws of any suitor that comes along. But Cara is every
young girl in love.

Dad: He’s too old for you.

Girl: But, Daddy, I love him!
Dad: He doesn’t have a job.
Girl: But, Daddy, I love him!
Dad: He chews tobacco.
Girl: But, Daddy …

Love really is blind. And deaf and dumb. And pretty much clouds all common sense. If not, no one would start a
relationship, get married, procreate. Love’s blindness must be part of God’s plan for humanity, right?

The Weymouth New Testament renders 1 Peter 4:8b in a literal translation from the Greek: “…for love throws a
veil over a multitude of faults.” Isn’t that what we do when we love someone? We sweep their faults under the
rug. We cover them up because we choose to see the good. We choose to think the best.

God doesn’t mean for us to be unrealistic and make irrational excuses for our loved ones. But if we find ourselves
focusing more on the annoying, or if we find ourselves habitually thinking the worst of, we need to pay attention.
We may have committed murder. Of love. The capacity to cover another’s sins is a barometer of love.

Ponder: Can you think of something your loved one did that you were unable to
downplay and dismiss?
Do you have any relationships where you tend to focus on faults? How can you
change your thinking?

Pray: Ask God to help you maintain a level of love that covers others’ sins.

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

{Day 3} The Cover-Up
Read: 1 Peter 4: 8b; Proverbs 17:9; James 5:20
“… since love covers a multitude of sins.” (HCS)

“Whoever covers an offense seeks love…” (ESV)

Five years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. Fourteen additional years for attempted escapes.

In Victor Hugo’s classic work, Les Misérables, Jean Valjean had just been released on parole after serving a sentence of 19 years.
Filthy, destitute, and barely human, he traveled on foot across the French countryside. When he arrived at a secluded
monastery, he was graciously welcomed by the bishop and was provided with food and shelter. After supper, Valjean waited
until everyone was sleeping, then grabbed a sack, stuffed it with precious articles of silver, and made his escape. Constables
returned Valjean to the bishop the next morning, sarcastically informing him of Valjean’s claim that the silver had been a gift.

Humiliated and panicked, Valjean struggled to look the man he’d wronged in the eye. But what the bishop said to the
constables sent a jolt of disbelief through Valjean. “That is right.”

In the stage version based on Hugo’s novel, the bishop sings:

But my friend, you left so early
Surely something slipped your mind
You forgot I gave these also
Would you leave the best behind?
{The bishop hands Valjean two large, ornate silver candlesticks.}
But remember this, my brother
See in this some higher plan
You must use this precious silver
To become an honest man
By the richness of the martyrs
By the passion and the blood
God has raised you out of darkness
I have saved your soul for God
{English version lyrics from “The Bishop of Digne” by Herbert Kretzmer, 1985. Stage adaptation of Les Misérables.}

This scene was the pivotal moment in Valjean’s life. The bishop’s deliberate covering of Valjean’s sin against him was an
extension of God’s grace. Because of the risk the bishop dared take on his behalf, Valjean came to realize he had a soul worth
saving. Supplied with the bishop’s priceless silver, Valjean left the holy retreat of the monastery to start a new life as a new
man.

Everyone else looked at Jean Valjean as a non-repentant repeat offender that looked and lived like trash. The bishop saw
Valjean as God saw him: a dearly loved son whose every offense would be covered and who would show others the same love
he’d been shown.

Ponder: Sometimes covering someone’s offense against you merely means holding your tongue rather
than broadcasting the offense. Look at the entire verse in Proverbs 17:9: “Whoever covers an
offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” {ESV} Has your
inability to be discreet caused a breech between people, or between you and a friend?

Dream a Little: What is the “silver” with which you can equip others to start afresh? See Acts 3:6 and
Proverbs 25:11.
Pray: Ask God to help you bring people together, rather than to separate them. Ask for His
forgiveness for times you haven’t held your tongue over offenses against you. Ask God for apples
of gold in settings of silver to share.

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 4} You’re Covered

Read: 1 Peter 4: 8b; James 5:20; Psalm 32: 1 – 5

“… since love covers a multitude of sins.” (HCS)

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” (ESV)

On the phone with the insurance agent:

“So…I backed the car into my neighbor’s mailbox.”

“You’re covered.”
“And I hit the delivery truck.”
“You’re covered.”
“And all the chickens in the delivery truck got away.”
{Pause} “You’re covered.”
“Seriously? That last part didn’t really happen. I was just testing you.”

I imagine God’s celestial phone ringing and I say:

“Lord, my husband’s doing that thing again where he’s making plans without asking me…”
“Love covers it.”
“Well, Lord, my sister just sat at the table and talked with everyone while I cleaned up the entire kitchen. By. Myself.”
“Love covers it.”
“And I found out my best friend, Julie, was talking to Brittany about what I was wearing.”
“Love covers it.”

We speak of Jesus’ sacrificial act on the cross as covering our sins. His blood covers the multitude of our sins. How blessed we
are that our sin is covered! Peter uses the same idea here in 4:8 where he says that when we choose to love intensely, we
extend Jesus’ divine act of coverage on His behalf.

Think of that! Jesus allows us the distinct privilege of acting as assurance agents to those who “wander from the truth.” We
assure them that Jesus’ love covers it.

Ponder: Can you think of a situation in which you’ve seen grace and forgiveness extended
to a brother or sister in Christ that stumbled? Did you see that person restored? Has
it happened to you?

Dream a Little: People you encounter may be hurt because of rejection by family or church
members when they have stumbled. Be prepared to offer them assurance of Jesus’ love
covering their sin. Minister to them in love so they may feel restored.

Pray: Thank God for allowing you to extend grace and forgiveness on His behalf. Ask Him
to show you where grace and forgiveness need to cover someone.

Week 6: Serving Others With Love

 {Day 5} Cover Yourself

Read: 1 Peter 4: 8; Colossians 3: 12 - 14

“Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (HCS)

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves …” (NIV)

Each day as we dress for work or school or leisure, we don the appropriate uniform. Firefighters, police officers,
soccer players, yoga instructors, private school students, nurses, and many more have very specific pieces of
clothing they wear and equipment they carry. But all of us outfit ourselves for the work or play we’ll be pursuing.

The scripture speaks of putting on various garments for different situations. For example, we’re told in many
instances that people took off their everyday clothes and put on sackcloth when they mourned (Genesis 37:34) or
when they were petitioning God (Daniel 9:3). Isaiah prophesies that Messiah (61:3) would replace a spirit of
despair with a garment of praise. In Revelation (19:8), we learn that our filthy rags will be put away once and for all
and that we will appear dressed for a wedding in lovely white linen. Paul writes to the Ephesian church (6:11)
about preparing for spiritual warfare in God’s protective armor.

At Flourish 414, we’ll wear a uniform of sorts to identify us as team members: a lovely t-shirt. But that’s just the
icing on the cake. There’s actually a very specific uniform we’ll be wearing. Paul describes it to the Colossian church
in terms that suggest it’s a uniform we deliberately choose to put on.

“Clothe yourselves with,” as if this were something we have control over, or “put on” these qualities that are
essential for ministry. Essential for intense love. Essential for covering sins.

First of all, put on your compassion. It goes over your heart like a beauty pageant sash. Next, remember your
kindness. Like a gorgeous, bold lipstick, it goes on your mouth, where the words come out. Wear your humility.
That goes on your feet as you move about and serve. Slip on your gentleness like a pair of kid gloves on your
hands. Clip on your patience like earrings, as you listen intently. You must wear your tolerance like a hat to remind
you to keep an open mind. Don’t forget your forgiveness. It goes on your arms like a soft sweater, so you’ll be
ready to give a conciliatory hug.

There’s one more piece of clothing to top off this magnificent sartorial statement. You must tie on the cloak of
love. It covers all and pulls it all together.

There! Now, look in the mirror. You’re covered and you’re ready to rock!

Ponder: Think through each of these bits of the ministry uniform. Recall a time
when God has allowed you to use each one.

Pray: Ask God to cleanse your heart and prepare you to wear the uniform of
ministry.