ESOCS Devotional 11 December 2025 – Love Covers All Wrongs
MEMORY VERSE: “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12 NIV
TEXT: PROVERBS 10:1-18
The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing,
But righteousness delivers from death.
3 The Lord will not allow the righteous soul to famish,
But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
7 The memory of the righteous is blessed,
But the name of the wicked will rot.
8 The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.
9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will fall.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a well of life,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But a rod is for the back of him who is devoid of understanding.
14 Wise people store up knowledge,
But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.
15 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
The destruction of the poor is their poverty.
16 The labor of the righteous leads to life,
The wages of the wicked to sin.
17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.
18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
Love is the answer. Not just any love, but God’s immeasurable, never-ending, unconditional and sacrificial love. That’s the kind of love that changes hearts, brings peace, and overcomes the evil of this world.
Love covers over all wrongs. It doesn’t just mask sin and evil so they aren’t evident; but it cleanses, forgives, and exchanges wicked for good. This was never more evident that when Jesus took our place on the cross!
For love to cover wrong, we must accept the love of God in Christ through salvation. We are then made clean and Christ has begun a new work in us. The good news is that we can live like Jesus and practice love covering wrongs. How do we do this? Simple: By forgiving others as we have been forgiven (Matt. 6:15).
Proverbs 10:12 told us that in contrast to love covering sin, hatred stirs up strife. Those led by the flesh are selfish and are motivated in sin to hatred or spite toward others. Hatred always causes trouble, but love looks for ways to forgive. We can forgive a person of a matter before it has time to get out of hand. Yes, it requires humility, self-sacrifice, and sometimes pain; but it is the way of our Lord. Jesus made today’s Scripture clearer and even more powerful for us with His message in Matthew 5:44-45. No matter how impossible this principle feels, loving those who hate us is the Lord’s powerful eraser-of-evil. This eraser has power to heal division, dissolve hatred, and release the heart of a disciple to live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thankfully, God demonstrated His “eraser-of-evil” principle to us when He sent Jesus to die for us and save us. God did this while we were “powerless,” “ungodly,” “sinners,” and “enemies” of God – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8 KJV). So, as impossible as this principle of love seems, let’s commit to trusting in the Spirit’s power, as the Spirit transforms us to be more and more like Jesus. By the Spirit’s power, we can return good for evil, blessing for cursing, and love for hate. We cannot control what people do to us or say about us or to us; but we can ask the Spirit to guide our responses and reflect the grace and transforming love of Jesus in all of our relationships!
CHALLENGES
- How do you practice Love in your little corner every day?
PRAYER POINT
- Holy Spirit, cause my heart to love even when it is not convenient.
FURTHER READING: Prov. 11:7-21; 1 John 1:1-10; 2:1-11
ESOCS Devotional 11 December 2025
