At full gallop ∙∙
Love each other deeply – 1 Peter 4:8
1 Peter 4:7-9
7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins.
9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint
The Inspiring Story of Wilma
Wilma was born on June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, as the 20th of 22 children. Her early life was filled with incredible challenges. Born prematurely, she faced serious health issues as a child, including polio, scarlet fever, and double pneumonia. For many years, she was paralyzed and had to wear a leg brace.
Despite the bleak prognosis from her doctors, Wilma’s mother gave her hope. Wilma later remembered, “My doctors told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.”
By the age of 12, Wilma had regained her ability to walk and began pursuing athletics. Just eight years later, she achieved what seemed impossible: at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Wilma Rudolph became the first Black woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics. She won the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay events, breaking three world records in the process.
She strained to win. Her journey was one of perseverance, determination, and striving toward victory, a powerful metaphor for the Christian life.
Straining to Love: A Call to Action
Wilma’s story of straining to win mirrors the exhortation of the apostle Peter to children of the King. Peter urged children of the King in 1 Peter 4:8 to “Love each other deeply.” That is, “to maintain their brotherly love at full strength, even in the face of hardship.”
The Greek word ektenes, translated as “deeply” or “fervently,” literally means “extended” or “stretched out.” Cranfield observes that the term denotes “the taut muscle of strenuous and sustained effort, as of an athlete.” It evokes “the image of a runner straining every muscle to reach the finish line or a horse at full gallop.”
The kind of love Peter advocates for is not passive or sentimental. It is energetic, demanding, and sacrificial. As Barclay explains, Christian love requires everything we possess, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. It means:
- Loving the unlovely and unlovable.
- Loving despite insult and injury.
- Loving even when love is not returned.
Love in Times of Trial
Peter wrote his letter during a time of great suffering and persecution for Christians. He believed that the end of all things was near and that this was a time for believers to love each other more fervently than ever.
In light of eternity, Peter urged Christians to preserve their:
- Sanity: Maintaining a clear mind amid chaos.
- Self-control: Living with discipline and focus.
- Prayers: Staying connected to God in all circumstances.
- Love: Straining to love deeply, even when it hurts.
This kind of love is not natural; it is supernatural. It is only possible because God has poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul writes, Romans 5:5, “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
REFLECT & PRAY
Loving as Jesus Christ loved is not merely difficult, but it is impossible without God’s enabling power. However, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to love with the same fervent and sacrificial love that He exemplified.
Father, thank You for pouring Your love into my heart through the Holy Spirit. Help me to strain to love others, even when it is difficult or painful. Teach me to love with the same energy and sacrifice as Jesus, so that my life may reflect Your grace and glory.
INSIGHT
Straining to Love
When a brother or sister fails, how do you react? Do you cover their shortcomings with love, or do you expose them? The apostle Peter asserts that, in 1 Peter 4:8,“Love covers a multitude of sins.”
Love Covers a Multitude of Sins – An Explanation
This verse is often misunderstood as implying that love ignores sin or turns a blind eye to it. Love conceals, covers up, or pretends sin isn’t there. However, that is not the case. Instead, “covering sin” refers to “recognizing, acknowledging, properly addressing, and forgiving it.”
The idea that love can cover a multitude of sins is contrasted with the notion that hatred intensifies conflict. This perspective is expressed in Proverbs 10:12, which states, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”
Love promotes forgiveness and unity, in contrast to the destructive effects of hatred, which exacerbate conflicts and divisions. Helm offers a vivid metaphor: “Love takes the oxygen out of sin the way a blanket chokes the air from one caught on fire. Similarly, as long as oxygen is present, forest fires rage. But if we could take the air away, the blaze would settle down.”
The Hebrew verb ur, translated as “stirs up,” means “to arouse, awaken, or incite.” In this context, it refers to “discord, conflict, disharmony, quarrels, and fighting between people.”
A Story of Love in Action
The story is told of two nurses working the late shift on a cold, snowy night in Columbus, Ohio. As their shift was ending, a young couple arrived in a disheveled and needy condition. The woman’s clothes were worn and torn.
One nurse hesitated, distracted by the circumstances and unsure of what to do. The other nurse, however, quietly retrieved a blanket and covered the young woman.
Who, in this moment, loved at full gallop, straining for the tape at the finish line? Who demonstrated love for the unlovely and the unlovable, covering a multitude of sins with a simple act of kindness?
Love: The Badge of a Child of the King
As Wiersbe reminds us, “Love is the badge of a believer in this world” (John 13:34-35). Especially in times of testing and persecution, Christians are called to love one another and remain united in heart.
This kind of love does not come easily. Just as athletes do not become world-class Olympians without determination, effort, practice, and discipline, the children of the King cannot love as the Lord Jesus Christ loved without similar diligence. Yet, that is precisely what we are commanded to do.
The Impossible Command
We are called to love with great passion, aiming to love as Christ loved. However, this is not merely difficult; it is impossible without divine assistance. Thankfully, the Father has poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5).
May we gallop, straining with all our spiritual muscles taut, to cover the sins of others with grace and kindness, and to love the unlovable with determination and discipline.
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© Dr. H 2025
Dr H Reflections 