Verse 6

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth

A child of God who is walking in love is never happy when wrong is done, but is always glad when truth prevails. He does not rejoice when sin is committed. What brings happiness to his heart is when the Lord’s word and will are genuinely obeyed.

The reason why leaders in developing countries find it easy to steal their people’s money is that too many of their people rejoice in iniquity.

He is hailed as an ‘able Governor’, an ‘active Minister’ or a ‘great President’ by those who enjoys fat slices from his loot.

Financial crooks get invited to highly important political and social functions as VIPs. Even church leaders who are not ignorant of how these people make their money will go to a great length to invite the big people to their church money-raising functions.

Flattering adjectives are used to praise people who have successfully made away with their country’s money. Praise singers and boot lickers treat them as the very representatives of God on earth. Yet the adored are well known for their pen robbery games.

Embezzling will be highly discouraged if people stop rejoicing in iniquity.

If every public and political office holder whose means of income cannot justify his sudden increase in wealth is treated by his relatives and friends as an outcast, I doubt if the problem of pen robbery will persist.

The psalmist refused to rejoice at the iniquities of his people.  He says, ‘Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law’ Psalm 119:136.

A child of God whose heart is filled with love for God and man never feels joy and happiness when sin against God is committed. A child of God who loves a man does not rejoice when another man is wronged.

If a child of God who is walking in love commits a sin, he does not look for excuses to justify his action, but immediately seek God’s forgiveness, and where restitution is necessary, makes restitution.  

A loving heart will refuse to rejoice even when the sin committed or the wrong done benefits him in one way or the other.

When you love a person, even the heaven’s revenge against him for some bad he has done to you will not fill your heart with joy. Because David had a loving heart, he severely punished a man who claimed to have a hand in the death of David’s sworn enemy, Saul (2 Sam1:2-16).

David refused to gloat over the destruction of his Saul his bitter enemy. Rather than rejoice at Saul’s death, he sang Saul’s praises in glowing terms.

No wonder God called him (David) a man after His holy heart.

Though the Lord Jesus knew what the rulers and the people of Jerusalem had done to the prophets of old (Luke 13:33-34) and what they would do to Him too, their imminent calamity and punishment so filled Him with sadness that he wept openly (Luke19:41).

Verse 7

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

‘Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstances’ (NLT). ‘Love bears up under anything {and} everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].’ Amplified Bible.

Beareth all things.

A person who is filled with God’s kind of love doesn’t quickly give up on or reject another person who offends him.

A pastor or leader must exercise the kind of love that doesn’t readily forsake a member or a follower when he is provoked by an undesirable attitude of the member or follower. He must not be too ready to rebuke and reproach severely.

When we were sinners, what did God do? Threw us away into the farthest part of hell?

No. He came to the world as man to suffer and die for our sin. Rom 5;6, 8

Believeth all things.

‘Believeth all things’ does not include gullibility. It means, rather, that the believer is not to be unnecessarily suspicious, distrustful, skeptical.

A leader who is not loved by his followers will find it hard to make them believe and accept anything he says, even evidently true words of God. Lack of love is the mother of distrust, cynicism, suspicion and unbelief.   

Genuine love is ready and willing to believe good stories about some other Christians. It does not indulge in suspicion without proofs. It is not quick to believe bad things about some other Christians.

Hopeth all things.  

Yes, love is not quick to believe bad things about other Christians. But what happens when enough evidence compels one to believe the bad things? What can love do when it is clear that the fellow Christian is actually guilty of the bad thing with which he is charged?

Love hopes, and continue to hope, that all is not lost, that the guilty person will change for good, and that God will still make something good out of the mess into which the fellow has created.

Love does not readily conclude a case desperate, but wishes the restoration of the fallen fellow to former position before God, hoping for what is best.

Endured all things.

Love endures through every circumstance. Love will overlook and put up with insults and offensive attitudes, without giving in to anger or desiring revenge. Love will bear provocation patiently, without losing his temper. 

Gen. 29:18-20,

18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.

19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.

20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.   

Love One - SUPREMACY AND IMPORTANCE OF LOVE

Love Two - WHY WE MUST LOVE OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS
Love Three - WHAT THE PEOPLE OF GOD SHOULD DO CONCERNING LOVE
Love Four - MANIFESTATIONS OF LOVE

Love Five - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - One

Love Six - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - Two

Love Seven - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - Three

Love Eight - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - Four

Love Nine - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - Five

Love Ten - WHAT LOVE IS, DOES AND DOES NOT - Six