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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Love Does Not Rejoice in Iniquity (Day Seventeen)

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a


The paparazzi make a living by following celebrities around in order to get a juicy piece of salacious information that will pay big dividends.  The media feeds this to us daily.  Retailers place magazines at the check stand for their customer’s impulse buying.  They know our culture is enamored about the lives and sins of prominent figures. 
 
Let someone hear of another’s blunder and before you know it, gossip is running rampant around your office, or within your circle of friends, or even within your Bible study group.  Of course Christians many times keep the fire chain going for the purpose of “prayer” (wink wink).

The information doesn’t even have to be true, but people find this “news” somewhat satisfying.  In a sort of wacky way it elevates our feelings about ourselves.  In the name of entertainment actors and comedians with their mouths full of profanity and explicit talk will poke fun over other peoples’ sins.  Something we are supposed to hate (iniquity) is the very thing we laugh about.   

Ask yourself this question:  Why would a Christian rejoice over something that offends God?

As Christians, knowing, believing, and following His truth, we should be grieved by the sinful conduct of another.  Instead, we too often join in with the hilarious laughter and explosive conversations.  Why is this?  Perhaps we feel we are above it all.  More righteous.  Or could it be because deep down our flesh has a ravenous appetite for sin?

We live in a culture of tolerance and political acceptance.  However, God doesn’t take pleasure in His people being so accepting of sin…He counts it as rebellion against Himself.  “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God” (Romans 8:7-9 NLT),But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)”

God wept over Jerusalem’s iniquity (Luke 19:41).  If we are who we say we are shouldn’t we also grieve over sin because it separates us from God?  Try to view this from God’s perspective…He sent His only begotten Son to hang on a cross for ALL of our sins.  I know of no greater LOVE

Forever His,
Anita

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