Love does not delight in evil. Had to think about this verse for a bit. I feel it means that we should not take pleasure in someone slipping into evil practices. It is kind of like when someone has a juicy bit of gossip to share and we listen with great intent and want to know all the details of the indescretion. This is especially the case in one we may envy. The verse goes on to say that we "should rejoice in the truth. Or our pleasure should be in sharing the word of truth or the good things about people rather than delighting in the unfortunate transgressions of other people.
So what does love do when presented with the gossip? It is difficult but we should explain that we are very sorry to hear about this and tell the person that you really don't want to hear about this situation. It is also our duty to pray for the one who conveys the gossip and to pray for the one whom the gossip is about. If we share in the gossip by listening we must also accept the fact that the one bringing this message of evil probably shares information about us that would hurt us very much. Again the right thing to do is to turn our ear from the evil and not delight in hearing this information. This is a witness to the one bearing the evil and tells them where we stand in regard to this practice. It is likely they will not share any information with you in the future.
This is nearly the end of the study of the attributes of love in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. I sit at Hilton Head Island where the heat has been unbearable and now we are being blessed with a late evening thunder shower. It is fathers day and I am alone here on the Island and my family members are in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. I miss them all and thank God for them everyday. I am about to go on Amazon.com and find a new book to read and enjoy the beautiful summer rain. May God bless you and yours on this summer day.
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