“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:7-8)
It hits me when I stand next to a daughter who’s almost taller than me or glance across the table and see a hint of a man’s expression on the boy-child’s face.
Time’s short. Love well.
That simple reminder is at the heart of Peter’s message in 1 Peter 4:7-8:
“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:7-8)
Do you hear the ticking of the clock? Time’s short. Jesus is coming. Following Christ means living with expectation as we anticipate the day Christ pulls back the veil of eternity and returns for his own. In these last fleeting moments of human history, Peter charges us to love well.
In his commentary on 1 Peter 1, Howard Marshall writes that the Greek expression for loving each other deeply means “to love at full stretch”. This is not a passive kind of love. Love requires work, growth, and vulnerability. It demands that we work through conflicts, live with differences, and find ways to love people who aren’t like us.
Peter wrote this letter to a persecuted and alienated church that needed a safe harbor in a hostile world. As they anticipated Christ’s return, they needed to dedicate themselves to loving well, building relationships that would sustain the inevitable frictions of life together. Love binds the church together so we don’t fracture apart.
Like the churches to which Peter first wrote, we live in a world that is not always friendly to our faith. Loving well helps us take advantage of every moment—showing grace to one another and inviting the lost to come home. Christ is coming, and too many are still unprepared. Our time is too precious to waste.
Time’s short. Love well.
Leigh Powers is a pastor’s wife, author, and mother of three passionate about helping women find their place in God’s story of salvation. She is the author of Renewed: A 40-Day Devotional for Healing from Church Hurt and for Loving Well in Ministry. You can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or at her blog, www.leighpowers.com.