⁸Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

What does taking control of our minds look like practically? Some think of monasticism as the ultimate example—living in isolation and endless, uninterrupted contemplation of spiritual truths. There may be a place for withdrawing temporarily, as Jesus sometimes did with His disciples (Mark 6:31). But those times were not an end in themselves; rather, they served to prepare and energize Him for the work He came to do. “Above all” in our passage indicates priority. We were left here on earth until the end of time so that we could carry out the good works God created us to do (Eph. 2:10). The greatest “work” we can do is to love one another.

Love, therefore, is not a feeling but a result of “sound judgment and sober spirit.” It is a considered attitude and an action. But what then does this look like in action? First and foremost, love “covers” sin. Love hides or conceals it. Peter, though, is not saying that we are to ignore all sin in every circumstance. In the context of this letter, which deals to a great extent with conflict, we understand Peter to be saying that love should always be leaning toward forgiveness and reconciliation. In conflict, the flesh wants to point out other people’s faults. Jesus addressed this when He spoke of turning the other cheek, removing the log in our own eyes before examining the speck in others, forgiving seventy-times-seven times, and teaching His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This is a very practical outworking of love in interpersonal relationships. Even Proverbs (that most practical book of the Bible) tells us: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions” (Prov. 10:12).

Loving others does not mean we ignore their sin, for at times, the most loving thing to do is to confront them (Gal. 6:1). After all, Jesus said, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother” (Matt. 18:15). Discretion is the posture when dealing with another’s sin. But we must not be ambiguous; our motivation must be love above all else. The goal is never to crush our opponents or to parade about their transgression against us.

To be hospitable means more than having friends over for dinner. The term means to show brotherly love toward those outside of our normal circle of friends and, in context, toward those who have sinned against us. We are not to hold grudges (1 Cor. 13:5), but to be friendly to those who sin against us.

Lord, help me be friendly to that person who has just come to my mind!