Becoming Too Hot to Handle
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
One of the most amazing things I have learned in my walk with Jesus is that love is not just a soft, sentimental feeling. Love is actually spiritual warfare. We often think of spiritual battles as terrifying encounters in the dark, yet the Bible shows us that one of our most potent weapons against the darkness is simply loving one another with intensity.
In today's verse, the Apostle Peter urges us to have "intense" or "deep" love for one another. The Greek word used here, ektenēs, conveys the idea of being stretched out or straining, like an athlete giving every ounce of energy in a race. It suggests a love that is earnest, constant, and unfailing. The King James Version translates this as "fervent," which suggests heat. Our love walk needs to be hot, on fire, and boiling over, rather than cold and barely noticeable.
Why is this heat so important? Because we have an adversary. Peter warns us elsewhere that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Satan loves to create division, bitterness, and resentment between believers. However, when we maintain a fervent love for one another, we become "too hot to handle" for the enemy.
The scripture says that this kind of love "covers a multitude of sins." This is not about hiding wrongdoing or pretending sin doesn't exist. Rather, it means that where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, offences are readily overlooked and forgiven. When we refuse to hold grudges, we actually disarm the powers of darkness. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we must forgive one another, specifically so that "Satan might not outwit us". Indeed, withholding forgiveness aligns with the enemy's plans, whereas extending mercy is a tactical victory on the spiritual battlefield.
This is where we must look to Jesus. He is the ultimate warrior who defeated the powers of evil, not with swords of the world, but through the sacrificial love of the cross. Jesus laid down His life for His friends. His love was not a feeling but a rugged commitment to our good, even when we were His enemies. When we love as He loved, we are taking up "weapons of righteousness".
So, let us make our love for one another earnest and deep. When we live in this kind of intense, forgiving love, we close the door to the devil. We create a community where grace flows so freely that the enemy cannot gain a foothold. Let us be so on fire with the love of Christ that we become a danger to the kingdom of darkness.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me when I was unlovely and for defeating the enemy through Your sacrifice on the cross. Forgive me for the times my love has grown cold. Set my heart on fire with a fervent love for my brothers and sisters. Help me to forgive quickly, to cover offences with grace, and to stand firm against the schemes of the evil one. Make me a vessel of Your victory today. In Your mighty name, Amen.