Love Rejoices With The Truth

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 ESV says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love does not seek to discuss all the things that are wrong in a relationship, but focuses on the things that are right. When God sees us through the righteousness of Christ, that is exactly what He does as well. He chooses to see what is good and through Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, has forgiven what is offensive to His nature.

So often, in order to prove that our life or relationship is not perfect (whether with Jesus, our spouse or others) and in order to prove that we are human (like we need to prove that), we feel that we must point out the areas where we fail or have failed. We feel that we must self deprecate (sometimes cloaked in humor) BEFORE the other person starts to point out our flaws or presume we’re arrogant. Other times we feel that we must expose and deal with all the flaws and failures of others that prevent us from loving them. I’m so very glad that God doesn’t play this game with us.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, choosing to focus on and cultivate the healthy, positive steps and qualities of a productive relationship does not equate refusing to acknowledge the negative…an epidemic in the church and in many of our marriages. Once again, Jesus does not do this with us. He openly talks about the willful offenses to His character that impedes His precious Bride from receiving the fullness of His love. But it is by walking in the fullness of the Light, as He is in the Light, that the darkness of our own doing is exposed. And when darkness is exposed against the Light of Jesus, it is easily repented of and forsaken by His Bride for the fruit-bearing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control that we find in the convicting, healing, comforting, sealing, gifting guiding and leading of His Spirit.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. [8] If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 1:5-10 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:16-23 ESV