Love rejoices in the truth

 Love rejoices in the truth

1 Corinthians 13:6 “Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;”

 

 Do you practice honesty and truthfulness?  There is a saying, “Honesty is the best policy” One of the characteristics of love that we read about in 1 Corinthians 13: 6 is this, “Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;” Loving others is more than caring about them.  It is also about wanting the best for them and not being satisfied unless that is the case. It goes beyond the typical and leads us to explore love as more than a feeling, but a desire for, and delight when, people we care about, experience justice. 

 We should make it a lifestyle to tell the truth. Speak the truth at all times. Your life will be simpler if you are always honest and have nothing to hide. In case you made a mistake admit the truth and stand for it. Do not blame others. Tell the truth instead of inventing excuses to get you off the hook. God desires for us at all times to speak the truth.

Probably one of the favorite pastimes of many people is to talk about other people's lives. It would be nice if we were talking about the success and the good life of other people. But if the content of your conversation is the problem or misfortunes of your office mates or friends or loves ones, something needs to change. We need to stop spreading gossip and unwholesome talk. Spreading gossip is not a loving act. It is a form of betrayal. And it does not improve our relationship with other people. Spread love, not gossip. If what we think or hear does not line up with God’s Word, we are the ones who must change our minds. Speak positively always and make it a habit.

Avoid making promises if you know you can't do it.  

Yes.

I promise.

I swear.

I'll make it happen.

Most definitely.

For sure.

There are a million ways we make promises with our words, but it doesn't always mean we'll follow through. Jesus tells His followers to simply let their "yes" be a yes, and their "no" be a no. Don't swear at all, because "anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). It's better not to vow at all than to have only a haphazard intention of fulfilling your word. God takes His promises to us very seriously. From the beginning of Genesis, He promised a Savior to take care of us for all eternity. And even though it meant Jesus would come and have to die for us, God never broke His word. God's covenant with believers is unbreakable. He’s a promise maker and a promise keeper.

As God’s people, we can take comfort in knowing His words never fail. But we should be challenged by that statement as well. We are God’s representatives on earth, and to rep Him well, we have to be willing to say what we mean and do what we say.

It is better to let your limitations be known than the people expect something from you that will never happen. Trust is priceless.

We should speak the truth in love. Love rejoices when truth wins out, not evil. We must love the truth at all costs. We must love people, but not soft-peddle sin. Balancing truth and love is never easy. It often involves confrontation, and most of us don’t like that. But sometimes truly loving someone requires loving confrontation. Sometimes uncomfortable words have to be spoken, but they must be said in a loving way. Such situations must be handled with love and care, asking for the Lord’s guidance every step of the way. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

This is why it is so important for us to have a daily quiet time in the Word of God: Change requires learning the truth. As long as you build your life on a foundation of lies, misconceptions, deceptions, or half-truths, you will never change. But when you face the truth and respond to the truth, you will begin to see a change in your life.

When we love someone, we are not happy when they experience inequity or unfairness.  We can’t stand when bad things happen to them. We only have reason to be joyful when things are made right in their lives.  This goes beyond the typical love in terms of affection.  It frames love as not just who we care for, but what we care for them to have.  In this case, God calls us to want for the lives of the people we care about to be made right and whole.  

The one who loves with agape love will not rejoice in another person’s downfall but will rejoice when the other person does what is right. It refers to behavior that is true to Godly standards—upright behavior. We must hate the sin, not the sinner.

It's only the love of Jesus for us that can change our hearts, to turn us from the love of sin to the love of the truth. As we realize what he has done for us, our hearts are turned towards him. Father,  May we are loving, humble, respectful, and truthful, not hurtful or manipulative. Help us to honor others with honesty and to speak the truth in love. Please help us to have the courage to speak the truth but to do it in love in the way that Jesus would.  May His love for us and in us change us, for His glory. Amen.