6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:6,7)
Thoughts: Love does not delight in evil. Love does not rejoice in the fall of another. Love does not relish in displeasing God or neighbor. Love is from God- the One who defines good. Instead love rejoices with the truth. Today many do not rejoice with truth. They wonder with Pilate- in the presence of the One who claimed to be the truth- "what is truth?" Truth is reality. Truth is not what we make it, and reality is not what we make it. Today we wish to bend truth to our ideology, when the measure of whether an ideology is good or not is how it fits into what we know about truth and reality. Then Paul says a quartet of what love always does.
1) It always protects- It never cowers away. Love will sacrifice its own safety in order to protect another . Love defends the one loved. I can take criticism of myself a lot easier than I can take criticism of my loved ones. Love protects those it loves.
2) Love always trusts- Love can overcome distrust even when burned. Forgiveness- true forgiveness means to be able to trust again. To say, "I love you but I don't trust you" is to say something that makes no sense.
3) Love always hopes- Love hopes for the best. Love holds onto the last drop and doesn't give up. Love is by nature positive hope instead of negative despair. Even in the face of the cross, Jesus loved us with hope.
44) Love always perseveres- Love does not give up on the One it loves. Love doesn't give in. It hangs in- for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. In other words, love does not let anything get in the way of maintaining love.
Prayer: Lord, let your love fill me . Protect me and let me trust in you. May your love always inspire me to hope and persevere.
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