THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Proverbs 27:6

“Charity thinketh no evil.”

WHAT IS LOVE? (VII)

“Charity thinketh no evil.” This refers to a person who bears no ill-will or feeling to those who have done him wrong. He is not one who bears resentment or grievances, nor keeps records of injustices done against him.

Once again, the best example is Jesus. When we repent and come to Him for forgiveness, is He not faithful to forgive and cleanse us of all our unrighteousness? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Charity “rejoiceth not in iniquity.” “Love is saddened by all forms of unrighteousness. There is nothing to cheer about when a person sins. Sin should cause one to experience remorse, or regret, and an eager desire to repent (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11)” (Khoo).

The Apostle Paul, in his love for God’s people, did not rejoice when there was sin in the camp. The very fact that he wrote this epistle to the Corinthian Christians was testimony that he “rejoiceth not in iniquity.” Otherwise, he might have just turned a blind eye and allowed the Corinthian Christians to wallow in their carnality.

Beloved, let us not mistake the sweeping of sin under the carpet as love. The Bible tells us that such conduct is not love but hatred. A true lover is one who will seek to help turn his friend away from sin. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend (Hebrew: ‘the one who loves’); but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Prov 27:6).

THOUGHT: I must not sweep sin under the carpet.
PRAYER: Father, help me to love biblically, not as the world loves.