The Bible says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”(1 Corinthians 13:6, NIV) This is, of course, referring to God’s standard of truth and evil. We live in a world that has it’s own definitions of truth and evil. So, our first task is to learn from the Bible what God defines as truth and evil. Once we have a clear understanding of what those terms mean, we can check to see if evil truly grieves us or not, and if truth truly delights us.
Before I was a Christian, I never considered myself to be a gossip, but if I’m saying negative things about one person to another just because I’m annoyed with them, that’s wrong. I have actually been guilty of saying negative things about my husband to our children! That can be very destructive to relationships. I ask God daily to reveal my sins to me and help me to change.
Back in the 1980s, I had the privilege of hearing about an amazing act of compassion and forgiveness. An older woman in our church was in a public restroom when a man attempted to rape her. Thankfully, the police got to her in time. In court, she gave the man a Bible and told him she forgave him! She could have rejoiced over the fact that he was being sent to jail, but she didn’t.
Do we ask God to reveal our sins to us (such as gossip or a lack of forgiveness)? How do we respond when He does? Do we confess and repent, or try to justify our actions? Are we thankful when He sheds the light of His truth on our sins? And how do we respond to the sins of others? Do we grieve, or do we look the other way or join in? When someone suffers the consequences of their sins, do we have compassion for them, or rejoice in their suffering?
What are we doing to bring the light of God’s truth to those around us?
These are questions for prayerful meditation. May the Lord reveal the truth about ourselves to us and help us to love like He does.
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