God's Recipe For Superb Life◆◆◆Daily Devotional
Thursday 8th, December, 2016.
Pastor Neyo
Love Rejoices Not With Iniquity, But Rejoices With the Truth

Charity [agape love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-6

In First Corinthians 13:6, Paul told us  love “…rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” The phrase “rejoiceth not” comes from the Greek phrase "ou chairei". The word "ou" means no or not, and the word "chairei" is from the word chairo, which is the Greek word for joy. It carries the idea of being glad about something. It is the picture of a person who is euphoric over something that has happened. Other words to describe chairo would be overjoyed, elated, ecstatic, exhilarated, thrilled, jubilant, or even rapturous. The word “iniquity” is the Greek word adikos, which conveys the idea of an injustice or something that is wrong or bad.

The entire phrase ou chairei could be translated in the following way:
“Love does not feel overjoyed when it sees an injustice done to someone else.…”
Even if it happens to be an ememy. The Bible says " rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbleth" (Proverbs 24:17).

Paul goes on to tell us that when someone else gains some kind of advantage in life that we have been desiring, love isn’t threatened by that person’s success but rather rejoices with his victory! The word “rejoice” is again the Greek word chairo, the same word used above.

This means the second part of this verse could be translated:
“…Love is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed with the truth.”

When you see other people blessed — perhaps receiving a blessing or special attention that you have longed to receive yourself — are you able to truly rejoice with them? Does it thrill you to know that other people are moving upward in life? Or does it threaten you and make you sad when you see someone else receiving a blessing you wished was yours?

How you respond to other people’s troubles and blessings reveals a great deal about your true level of spiritual maturity. So ask yourself:

Do I rejoice when I hear bad news about someone who did me wrong in the past? Or does it break my heart to hear about the problems that person is facing?
When someone steps into the blessing I’ve been believing for in my own life, am I elated for that person, or does it make me turn green with envy?
It’s good to ask yourself these questions and to let the Holy Spirit deal with your heart about these issues. Why don’t you take a little time today to let God’s Spirit search your heart and show you if you can improve in these areas of love in your life?

|| Prayer For  Today||
Precious Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus, I ask You to help me overcome those fleshy moments when I am tempted to rejoice at someone else’s hardships. I must admit that when I hear something has happened to a person who wronged me, something inside me secretly rejoices. I know that this is wrong and that it is not the way You behave. Please forgive me for responding in a way that is contrary to love. Help me to be concerned and prayerful for every person who is undergoing any kind of hardship in life — even those who have acted like they are my enemies. I received grace today to see with the eyes of love. Thank you Lord!

||Daily Faith Proclamation||
I declare today in the Name of the Lord Jesus,  that I am blessed when I see someone else receiving a blessing or special attention. It thrills me when I see other people moving upward in life. Even when someone steps into the blessing I’ve been believing for in my own life, I am elated for them! I don't hate people, I care about them and rejoice with them even they did me  wrong.Thank you Lord!

||Thoughts For Today||
How you respond to other people’s troubles and blessings reveals a great deal about your true level of spiritual maturity.

■■■Further Study■■■
Luke 6:31,35, Romans 12:9; Proverbs 24:17 Msg.
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