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Romans 4:7-8 – Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. (NIV)
The wallpaper was dingy and stained and did not want to come off. I talked with the paint people at the store, and they told me to paint over it and how to do so. I decided to try it.
As I applied the paint over the paper, I was amazed at how well it covered. A once gloomy room had been transformed into something new, bright, and clean.
This painting over of the wallpaper reminded me of how we, too, are covered by the Lord's grace and forgiveness when we trust in the power of the blood of Jesus, His work done for us upon the cross.
Our dingy, stained, sin-filled lives, when given to Him, are transformed in an instant. Those sins that were impossible for us to cover over by our own good works are gone. They are covered, to be remembered no more, never to be counted against us. As the apostle Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (NIV)
Anyone who now enters my home would never know what is covered over by the paint. However, I know, just as I also know and remember the sins that Jesus has so graciously covered over in my life. I believe that this knowing is a good thing, even though I am assured that my sins are forgiven and will never be counted against me by the Lord. It is a good thing because it reminds me of how much God has done for me, and it causes both my heart to praise Him and my will to seek to serve Him with gratitude.
There is, however, another lesson here for us to learn. If God covers our sins through grace and never counts them against us, then we, too, must do likewise. We must avoid the penchant for holding the confessed sins of fellow Christians against them, even though there is that within us which likes to keep their sins before us, perhaps because it makes us feel better about ourselves, as we pat ourselves on the back, believing that we would never do such a thing. The writer of Proverbs, however, very wisely pens this about the proud:
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (NIV)
Let us therefore ask God for grace, humility, and love to forgive and forget the covered-over sins of others. Just as He loves us, we are to "love each another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8 NIV)
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your forgiveness, and help us today to love others as You love us, forgiving, forgetting, and not counting their covered-over sins against them. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Sunday, December 3, 2023 – IIn the Middle East — We have been walking with a brother, R, from a closed country, who has recently returned with his wife, H. and their older children. We had never met his wife before, but she had shown interest in faith as her husband often shares with her his new beliefs. Praise the Lord, my wife led H to Christ upon her arrival. Please pray for her growth and for them as a couple, that they will have the courage and wisdom to share with their children.
Prayer: "Update December 03, 2023: Please continue to pray for her to put her trust in the Lord and to live..." 
Good one, as always, Lynne!
Thank you, Lynne Phipps, for such a powerful message.
Loving God and loving your neighbor is an ongoing struggle.
Good morning, Lynne. Another great read. Thanks,
(Ontario)
Thank you for your devotional as you share your story and testimony.
Another great devotion, with life-giving truth. Thank you, my sister in Christ.
I’ve painted over many walls of wallpaper, but never made this connection. Thanks!
Thank you, Lynne, for this good word this morning. The Lord bless you as you share!
Thank you, Lynne! This has great meaning for me. God Bless you and your messages.
Amen and amen! Thanks for sharing this encouraging devotional with us today. Blessings.
Oh Lynne, that wallpaper story is such a wonderful illustration of the complete work of Christ on our behalf. Thank you so much.
Hello Lynne,
Thank you for another inspiring message. Trusting all is well.
God bless.
You always hit the nail on the head, Lynne. Thank you for writing.
Have you found a church home in your “new” town? It is an interesting time for us at our little church.
Good morning, Lynne,
Your devotional this morning touched my heart. Every word, truth!
Thank you for your blessed words.
Have a wonderful day.
Thank you, Lynne, for this simple but profound example that love covers a multitude of sins – both God’s love given to us by Jesus’ sacrifice and our love for others.
(Wales)
Thank you, Lynne, for such a beautiful and gracious analogy. It is heartwarming to know and be reminded of the love of God in how he covers over our sin, which is just like painting over old wallpaper.
God bless you and keep sharing such gracious devotionals.
Good morning, Lynne,
Thank you for today’s message.
Yes – we are to “love each another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8 NIV)
Blessings!
Many thanks Lynne for another of your very meaningful and encouraging devotionals. You do such a great way of correlating common life experiences with biblical scripture and that gives much reassurance of how the Lord sees our daily behaviour and encourages us to be more loving to others the same way He loves us. Blessings for these very special writings you prepare.
Good morning, Lynne,
We read your devotional at breakfast time this morning, very good words indeed. We used to read one of the published devotionals, but since not too long ago I am able to get the Presbycan devotionals in my tablet, so we started using it. I now feel like I “know” most of the authors and I know the words are well edited by several people. I always used to read them on my own in my office, but now we do it together, we like it.
Thank you for your always interesting stories and good words.
Blessings on you and yours.
Good morning, Lynne,
As you experience fall in your new home, wishing you a wonderful time. My new neighbour invited me to her house blessing yesterday which was special. The house had had some wallpaper on and she told me she doesn’t like wallpaper and removed it all. I have wallpaper in my home in places and I love wallpaper. We are all so different which makes the world a more diverse and interesting place. So I was surprised to see wallpaper in your title. I grew up in a home which only had what is called grey plaster and there is no finishing coat of plaster so it was wallpaper on the walls. Good memories of my home.
Your message is so true for me also about remembering my sins and the forgiveness of God helps me to try not to sin the same way again. Of course, it doesn’t always happen, but it is still a good stimulus for me. The second message of offering the same forgiveness to others whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus is even more important. It is hard, but if we want it for ourselves, we need to want it for others. It is part of loving others. It is my sin of judgment which gets me so often.
Thank you for the good reminders and may you continue to share your faith journey with others. Blessings.
We all need the reminder everyday that walk and breathe because of Jesus Christ! Amen thank you Lynne.