Online Bible Verses - Proverbs 17:19 Love covers all
“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9NIV
Proverbs, really good place to study and meditate. God’s application manual of sorts. Once essential components of the Gospel are understood, we might refer to Proverbs for guidelines in applying it: relationship with our spouse, raising children, handling business and financial matters…. etc.
Today’s verse seems to discuss habitual failure and how to rise above it. Failure here described by the term “offense”, which in turn includes impact of our actions on another or others. When we make poor choices, sometimes we affect others. In specific cases, our actions can offend. The result, we provide a poor witness. Put another way, Christians do not always act like Christ. We fail, sometimes badly.
One area where I crash from time to time, someone starts a confrontation with me. I’m seldom looking for issue, but if you come looking for one you might get it. God’s timing is perfect, it seems, with these verses that come to my inbox. Reason being, I blew it this weekend, got caught a bit off guard. Was walking into Barnes and Noble to read, bit of a confrontation occurred at the door. No need for detail, suffice it to say some clown decided he wanted to mouth off. What I should have done, shower the guy with kindness. Ignore whatever comment set me off and return with something to offset it. In other words, cover his offense with kindness coming from my side. A golden WWJD opportunity.
But I didn’t. Felt bad later, mainly because I know God would not have me handle things in that way. And what does today’s verse tell me? Move forward, and foster love in my actions going forward. In effect, move past my failure and do not allow it to be habitual any longer. By doing more good than bad? Not really. Rather, by knowing I am bad and God is good, and He being truly good can increasingly impart goodness to me.
Greensboro, NC is a pretty small place. At some point, I will see that guy somewhere in his Harley Davidson jacket and cap and will square things away with him. God’s way. I’ll bet I find that he is a nice guy.
