Love Actually IsSample

Love is… truthful  

Love pursues truth.

In 1 Corinthians 13:6, Paul says- 

… does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth…

Love rejoices in the truth. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing, it does not celebrate sin, but it celebrates righteousness and truth. This is quite a challenging aspect of love because in the process of loving people, we do not approve of their wrongdoing. We cannot condone the sin and iniquity in their lives. Nonetheless, we do not stop loving them. Though we do not rejoice in their sinful ways, we continue to love them, speaking the truth in love. We encourage them to pursue truth and righteousness, in love. And when the person turns from doing what is wrong to doing what is right, we rejoice with them and celebrate them.

Love celebrates truth and righteousness. Love calls sin as sin, and wrongdoing as wrongdoing because it pursues what is true. Yet, love does not focus on the sin, it continues to focus on the person, remembering that they are deserving of love because they are God’s creation. Love remembers that God desires truth and righteousness for them. As we encourage them through their journey from sin to righteousness, from brokenness to wholeness, we celebrate their pursuit of what is true by loving them. 

It takes the grace of God to truly love people in the midst of their sin and iniquity. When we see them through His eyes, and realise that they are a work in progress, just as we are, we are able to extend God’s grace to them. As 1 Peter 4:8 exhorts us, we will then have fervent love for one another, and love will cover a multitude of sins.

Though it can be challenging at times to love the people around us without condoning their sin, we can ask God for His grace to speak the truth in love, to love imperfect people like He does, and to love them fervently until we see them walking in truth.

Prayer

Father, we thank you for teaching us about love, that love does not rejoice in sin, love rejoices in the truth. Help us to love people even as we journey from our own brokenness and weaknesses into the place of righteousness and truth. Help us to have fervent love.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.