Love Rejoices with the Truth_Spiritual Love (12)
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April 07, 2019 |
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 Senior Pastor Rev. Jaerock Lee
"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;" 1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Unlike other apostles, the apostle John was not martyred. He received the revelation of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel and God's will widely.
Nothing pleased him more than hearing that the believers were trying to live by God's word, the truth. In 3 John 1:4 it says, "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." We can see the reason why he was called an apostle of love.
If we possess spiritual love, we will not only refrain from evil but put the truth into practice. Furthermore, we will rejoice with the truth. Love is an expression of rejoicing with the truth.
The truth refers to Jesus Christ and furthermore the gospel and the entire Bible. If you love God and are loved by Him, you'd definitely rejoice with Jesus Christ and the works of the gospel. You'd rejoice with the expansion of God's kingdom.
Now, let us delve into the meaning of rejoicing with the truth more specifically.
1. Rejoice with the gospel of Jesus Christ
The essence of the gospel is that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ can be saved and go to the kingdom of heaven.
Many people have sought the truth throughout the history. They have philosophy and many other ideas to get the answer to the fundamental questions like, "What is the purpose of life," and "What is life's true value?"
The truth is Jesus Christ, and without Him no one can go to heaven. John 14:6 says, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
We can gain eternal life and go to heaven only when our sins are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is only natural that we rejoice with the truth because we have come to live a valuable life knowing the purpose of it. Those who rejoice with the truth should spread the gospel. They should also fulfill their God-given duties. They rejoice when the number of those who are saved is added to (1 Tim. 2:4).
However, some get jealous when other people get the fruit of their evangelism. Some churches are jealous when other churches are having a revival and giving glory to God. Such mindsets obviously do not rejoice with the truth.
If we have spiritual love, we will rejoice when the kingdom of God is accomplished greatly. If others bear the fruit of evangelism, we will rejoice and give thanks. We will rejoice when other churches are growing. This is love that rejoices with the gospel.
2. Rejoice with everything that belongs to the truth
Love rejoices with seeing, hearing, and doing all the things that are of the truth, such as goodness and love.
Those who rejoice with the truth would rejoice in even a little act of goodness. They feel God's word is as sweet as honey. They take pleasure learning and reading the Bible. They take pleasure in practicing God's word. They obey God's word that tells us to love, serve, and forgive even those who give us a hard time.
David wanted to build the Temple because he loved God, but God didn't allow it, for David had shed a lot of blood with his hands as a soldier (1 Chron. 28:3). Even though those killings were inevitable ones in the battles, he was not the right person to build the Temple.
Although he couldn't build the Temple with his own hands, he prepared all the building materials so his son, Solomon, could build it. David was filled with overwhelming joy while preparing the materials with the people (1 Chron. 29:9).
Those who rejoice with the truth will rejoice with other people's prosperity. They can't even imagine envy, jealousy, or secretly wanting others to fail. They mourn when they see unrighteousness.
Those who rejoice with the truth are inclined towards hearts of goodness such as uprightness, integrity, honesty, etc. They rejoice with words and acts of goodness. God also rejoices over those people (Zeph. 3:17).
However, you don't have to be disheartened even if you do not rejoice with the truth yet. God will acknowledge your effort as rejoicing with the truth.
3. Try to believe God's word and practice it as it is
It's a rarity to find anyone who rejoices with the truth right from the beginning. When they have darkness and untruth in their heart, they harbor evil thoughts or rejoice with unrighteousness. However, as they are changed and cast away untruths, they can rejoice only with the truth, but they have to exert effort to do so.
Not everyone is always happy attending worship services. New believers might feel tired because they don't understand everything. However, the act of coming to the church itself is their effort to obey the word of God. It is to rejoice with the truth, receive salvation, and go to the kingdom of heaven.
Eventually they will hear God's word, believe in God, and believe that there is heaven and hell. They learn everyone receives different amounts of rewards, so they try to sanctify themselves and become faithful. Even though one cannot rejoice with the truth 100%, everybody tries to do their best within their measure of faith. This is also to rejoice with the truth.
4. Hunger and thirst for truth
We rejoice with the truth because only the truth can change us. When we hear the gospel and live by it, we get eternal life and we begin to change into a true child of God. When we're filled with hope of heaven and spiritual love, our faces shine with joy. We're also happy that we are loved by God and God's people.
Therefore, we have to hunger and thirst for truth in addition to rejoicing with the truth. Just as our body craves food and water when we're hungry and thirsty, we have to crave the truth so we can be transformed quickly. The more spiritual love we have, the more we will eat and drink the truth.
Eating and drinking the truth signifies we diligently take the bread of and practice God's word. The Bible is the treasure box that gives us solutions to all life's problems, secrets of blessings, the way of salvation and eternal life. We can be blessed when we stay near God's word.
When we're with a person we love very much, it'd be difficult to hide our joy. In the same way, we can't meet God now, but if we do love Him, it will show. We are happy just by hearing about the truth, and others will notice our happiness and joy.
Also, we'd burst into tears just thinking about God and the Lord, or by seeing a little act of goodness. The tears of thanksgiving or tears of mourning for souls will become precious gemstones in heaven that will be used as decorations in each one's houses in heaven.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will possess this beautiful spiritual love and rejoice with the truth so that you will be loved by God in all aspects of your life.
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