May 13 - 1 Cor 13 - Does not rejoice at wrongdoing

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 never ends.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

 

LOVE ... DOES NOT REJOICE

AT WRONGDOING

 

When my eldest son was two, he had a battle of the wills with his mother. He wanted to touch something. She said, “No. It was wasn’t safe.”

 

It was important that my wife won that battle. Why? It’s more than that it isn’t safe. It’s because this rebellious curiosity will repeat at 14! Teens want to touch things, do things, go their own way. Moms often and wisely say, “No.Certain things are not safe ... nor wise.”

 

Have you experienced the “joy” (and pain and worry) of battling wills? It’s our sinful nature fighting against timeless wisdom, parental authority, and logical safety.

 

What  every one of us (especially two-year-olds and teenagers) need to know is that ... There is right. And there is wrong.

 

That’s not politically correct to say that nowadays. But it is theologically correct!

 

If there is a god, then truth is not relative, morals are not cultural, and behaviors are not a matter of personal feeling and choice. God is God. And unless he’s schizophrenic, he knows right from wrong. And he’s consistent. Times and cultures may change, God doesn’t. He’s eternal.

 

Now, think for a moment about the opposite. If there’s not a god, then it’s a free for all. It’s survival of the fittest. It is “do whatever feels good to you.” Which is why 99.999% of people actually and intuitively believe in God!

 

We all know -- deep down -- that there is right and wrong.

 

Now ... as imperfect humans you and I may disagree on a few details! Worse ... we all tend to want to ignore certain pieces of God’s rules -- usually for our personal pleasure or selfish benefit. Nevertheless, you don’t have to scratch 99.999% of people very deep until they they know to balk at something! We know -- deep in our nature -- that things like hurting children are intrinsically wrong.

 

Yes, 99.999% of people know that there’s a standard. And yet we constantly rebel against it! Deep down, we’re still two-year-olds and teenagers. We want what we want when we want it. As the Apostle Paul once said, “I do not understand my own actions. ... For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ... Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:15-24)

 

Part of learning to love -- and part of becoming fully human -- is learning to “not rejoice at wrongdoing.” The Apostle called our “sin nature” a “body of death.” Is this the “body” that you are giving to your spouse in a one-flesh-union?

 

The Apostle Paul was trying to fight against his “actions” that he did “not understand.” Are you?

 

Indeed, are you fighting against your sin nature ... or are you fighting against your Heavenly Father like a teenager fights against his earthly father? God says that certain things are not safe ... nor wise. But ... “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9)

 

There are two alternatives for us imperfect creatures.

 

One: We can “rejoice in wrongdoing.” But that’s neither loving or good for anyone -- ourselves, our spouse, our family, or the world.

Two: We can fight against this body of death! How? Paul answers his own question. It’s through Jesus living in our lives and ruling in our hearts. “Who [or what] will rescue me from this ... wretched[ness]? Thanks be to God [who rescues me] through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:24-25).

 

Question: What sins are you excusing that are causing your one-flesh union to subtly but surely decay into a body of death?

 

Memorization: You’ve been at this for a while. Before reading it again, just try reciting it. Then read it aloud and then try reciting it again. (Repeat until you’re satisfied.)

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who is a

lowly soldier in a bigger war,

thankful to battle beside

the true champion