REVIEW
 
Today, we begin part 13 of our series on being “Imitators of Love” where we are learning more about the nature & characteristics of God by looking at the nature & characteristics of love. What we have been camping on most recently is that great love chapter, First Corinthians chapter 13, and looking at Paul’s description of both love and God, who is love.
 
In light of this, First Corinthians 13:4-8 describes Him like so – “GOD suffers long, and GOD is kind. GOD does not envy; GOD does not parade HIMSELF, HE is not puffed up; HE does not behave rudely, HE does not seek HIS own, HE is not provoked, HE thinks no evil; HE does not rejoice in iniquity, but HE rejoices in the truth; HE bears all things, HE believes all things, HE hopes all things, HE endures all things. GOD never fails …”
 
Most recently, we looked at verse 6 that teaches us what love does and does not rejoice in.
 
Now we learned that to “rejoice” simply means to be glad, cheerful, or to get excited about something. So if the apostle Paul is talking about love’s characteristics, then there are obviously certain things that love will and will not become glad or excited about. Yes, it will rejoice with those who rejoice by getting happy when good things happen to them, and at the same time, it will certainly not rejoice when bad things happen to them. So what we learned from this is that love for others will essentially do the same thing as love for one’s self – it will get happy when good things happen to others like people get happy when good things happen to themselves. 
 
We saw, specifically, what Paul said that love does not rejoice in is “injustice or unrighteousness,” which means that love certainly does not get joy out of seeing others being done wrong. Which showed us a lot about the heart of God and how His pet peeve is when His people do not practice justice & righteousness.
 
But our greatest takeaway from this is how God practiced this towards us, and how we were the widows that He provided for by actually marrying us and how we were the orphans that He cared for by adopting us into His family! So God absolutely rejoices in justice!
 
But Paul also stated specifically that love DOES rejoice in truth. So we looked over at Third John and saw the heart of God through the apostle John when he said in Third John 1-4, “The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
 
In this opening greeting, we noted the constant echo of the terms “love, joy, and truth” in these opening four verses of Third John. So this is God’s heart! He loves to see His children walking in the truth, which includes when His kids are prospering on all fronts, when they are healthy, and when they are growing up spiritually. He gets no joy out of us walking in injustice & unrighteousness – meaning, He never takes pleasure when we are not experiencing Third John 2. No, in His love, God wishes His best on us, and He rejoices when His best is experienced. Amen.
 
ALL THINGS
 
Now in verse 7, we have what seems to be Paul just quickly giving us a few more characteristics of love on his way to wrapping up his point. In it, he says, “(Love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” So what’s the common denominator found in this verse? It’s the repeated phrase – “all things.”
 
Now in the original language, we don’t find the word “things.” It was added by the translators to help us understand better what was being communicated. However, I don’t believe adding this word exactly does that here. No, the phrase “all things” can leave the impression that we are to bear, believe, hope, and endure EVERYTHING, and that’s just not true.
 
For example, its obvious that God does not expect us to believe all things that we hear when he spent a good portion of the New Testament warning us that some of the things we hear are false and are to not be believed. Also, it’s also very clear that we are not to endure everything also because in doing so, we might be putting up with and tolerating things that the Lord certainly doesn’t want us enduring, namely the kingdom of darkness and its works.  
 
No, it’s important to understand that love is what is being described here. So the subject matter is how love behaves towards the objects of its love. Therefore, this verse is not just a blanket statement that we are to put up with everything or to believe everything we hear. This much is obvious. However, when it comes to how we are loving others, these are things that love will always do.

So let’s start this week breaking down the four terms we have in this verse – this week by covering “bears & endures”, and next week by covering “believes & hopes.”
 
BEARS OR COVERS?
 
When Paul starts off by saying, “(Love) bears all things”, what he was literally saying was that love “covers & conceals.” It describes protecting someone by covering, concealing, or hiding them. In fact, the root word for this one that Paul used in First Corinthians 13:7 was the word for the roof of a house. Therefore, the idea of both covering & protecting is what is being indicated.
 
So this is what love does? It covers. It hides. It shelters. Therefore, it keeps and protects. Like a roof of a building is designed to do this for us physically.
 
Now this requires some explanation because in some ways, hiding or covering something might not be love at all. For example, if I am concealing truth in certain situations, I might be doing the exact opposite of what love demands because truth is not to be hidden. So I have to determine whether love would dictate whether or not speaking the truth in a situation is appropriate.
 
Now I know there is a large contingent of people who believe that speaking the truth is always appropriate, but that’s not necessarily true either. There are times where love will zip its lips, be slow to speak, etc. and not broadcast something even though it is 100% sure that it’s true.   
 
The way you know when it is appropriate to speak the truth is found in Ephesians 4:15 when Paul taught us how we are to speak the truth in love. So how does this show us when we are to speak the truth? It’s when it can be done in love. In other words, ask yourself the question when you have the thought to speak something you know is true – Who am I loving by saying this, and how am I loving them? Asking this question can keep us from sharing things that aren’t what wisdom would have us share at the moment.
 
You see, one characteristic of love is that it will cover sin. In quoting from the Book of Proverbs, First Peter 4:8 says, “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’”
 
So love does cover. It will conceal. It will hide some things. That means that true, fervent love for one another is not going to expose sin; it’s going to cover it. And what are those things? The apostle Peter says, “a multitude of sins.” No, not just some sin, but a “multitude” of them. That means that it doesn’t matter how many times they have committed the same sin or how many times they have even sinned against us, love will cover their multitude of sins.
 
Regarding this latter point, this reminds of what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew chapter 18 when Peter asked the Lord how many times they must forgive their offending brother, “up to seven times?” Well, the Lord’s response of “up to seventy times seven” sounds a lot like love forgiving a “multitude” of sins because seventy times seven is certainly a multitude of offenses.    
 
One of the greatest Biblical examples I can think of that illustrates this is found the story of Noah: You know, after the flood, the Bible teaches us something about Noah and his sons.
 
Genesis 9:20-27 says, “And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: ‘Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants he shall be to his brethren.’ And he said: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; and may Canaan be his servant.’”
 
Now I want you to notice what this illustrates – Noah made a mistake and was “uncovered” as a result. So when his youngest son, Ham, discovered his nakedness, what did he do? He went and told his brothers. No, he didn’t attempt to cover the multitude of his father’s sin, but he exposed him even further. But the other two sons, Shem and Japheth, when they heard it, went into his tent backwards with a garment to cover him with. Yes, the Bible says that their faces were turned away and they did not see their father’s nakedness. This is symbolic of how nobility and honor will not focus on other’s shortcomings & mistakes but will choose to cover their sin. Amen!
 
And notice what the result of this situation was: When Noah woke up and learned what had happened, he both blessed Shem and Japheth and cursed the son of Ham, Canaan. Isn’t that interesting that Noah did not curse Ham, but the fruit of his body, Canaan? That teaches me that people who don’t abide by this principle of love that covers can see the fruit of their life cursed as a result. In other words, the fallout of not covering the multitude of other’s sins can be us experiencing an uphill battle when it comes to the fruit we want to produce for the Lord.
 
I say this to simply say that it is in our best interest to cover other’s sins & mistakes and not go around broadcasting them to other people. I mean, how could this be love anyway? No, we wouldn’t want others doing that to us, right? No, we would hope that others wouldn’t go around exposing our flaws to others. And why? Because we love ourselves. So this is a call to do to others what we would have them do to us. Amen?       
 
STAYING UNDER POWER
 
Now let’s move on to the other phrase in this verse that I wanted to “cover” (no pun intended) …
 
Then Paul says at the end of verse 7 that love “endures all things.” Now this one sounds a little more like what love “bears all things” seemed to mean, and this time, I believe the translators got it right.
 
You see, the word the apostle Paul used here was the Greek word hupomeno, and this word was a staple in the New Testament. In fact, in the early New Testament church, this virtue was treasured and highly valued by Christians.
 
You’ve read about it – it’s the virtue most often translated “patience” in the New Testament. However, while patience is an “okay” translation, endurance is a much better one because the word literally means to “remain under” which denotes perseverance and endurance. So because of this, some have called this virtue, “staying under power.”
 
So, like say you have a lot of pressure put on you, yet you don’t let that difficult thing move you, but you endure it by resolving to “stay under” it. Therefore, I see endurance as more of the picture being painted by this word rather than patience. And one of the reasons I think this is important to understand is because, when it comes to love, there’s a little difference between being patient with people and enduring them.
 
You see, how many times have we quit on a person in our lives because we simply didn’t feel we could take any more. So, like with the definition of hupomeno, we were unwilling to “stay under” the things that they did and just the way they were. Some of us have quit jobs because of a boss who was difficult to endure. Some of us have left churches because of parishioners who were difficult to get along with. Even some of us have left spouses because they were simply intolerable. Now some of those situations might certainly have been acceptable to move on from, but I think that in a lot of cases, we might not have abided by this attribute of love that “endures all things.” The fact of whether or not we are guilty of this from decisions made in the past is not the point. The point is, however, that from this day forward we ask the Lord to direct us into when it is time to endure in love or move on from the situation.
 
I’ve just learned in many situations how a lot of times when I was ready to throw my towel in on a person that by simply enduring through the tough seasons, we were able to make it through them and see a lot of fruit as a result. Therefore, those feelings & emotions that we experience when we are at odds with a person are not to be trusted. They will even try to trick us into thinking God is leading us to do this or that, which usually is in line with what our flesh would want in the situation. But the fact is, feelings are fickle, and emotions are not to be trusted. Just ask the Holy Spirit within you, “What would love do here?”    
 
Just know this – We live in a world full of different people. How many of you know that people are people, and very few of them are like you? This is because, at birth, we were wired by God a certain way and also because we’ve been molded by life’s circumstances. Therefore, since we are all different, it can be a little difficult handling other folk’s personalities. Well, that’s where this attribute of love comes in. Love “endures” all those people that our flesh has a hard time tolerating.
 
But don’t mistake this as us simply putting up with or tolerating other people. While that might be what we need to do at times, the key is found in coming to know & understand those who irritate us. In other words, enduring people is better than being intolerant, but the best way is to actually love them, which enables you to endure them.
 
For example, it’s kind of how most of us “endure” the irritating things our own flesh & blood might do more than we put up with a stranger who does the same thing. Why do we do that? It’s because we actually love our family members, and strangers, not so much.
 
But the truth is that the more you come to get to know the one you are having to “endure,” the more you can stir up the right kind of thinking to go from just tolerating them to actually loving them. Yes, I believe our understanding of others can equip us with the necessary compassion, sympathy, and empathy to, in love, endure all the things they do that offend us. Why? Because we are not just seeing the way they are now or what they are currently doing to us; we see why they are the way they are, and why they might be doing the things they are to us. This has helped me tremendously.
   
COVERS ALL & ENDURES FOREVER
 
But do you know what else helps us both endure others and cover their sins? It’s the truth that Love Himself has had to endure plenty of things with us too and also cover a multitude of our sins! I know none of us probably thinks that there is much to be endured with us – with others, certainly; but with us, maybe.
 
No, get ready for another truth bomb here: The Lord has endured as much with you as He has with that person you have a hard time enduring. So if I live in that reality instead of being puffed up to think that I am better than those who irritate me, I’ll live in the sober reality that I need as much mercy as they do and will have an easier time tolerating their shortcomings. Likewise, if I live in the awareness of how much the Lord has had to cover in my life, then I will be more apt to cover other’s sins, right? It’s tight but it’s right.
 
Yes, like we’ve been learning throughout this series, if these are things that love does, then they are something God does. Yes, GOD covers a multitude of our sins and GOD endures forever! Let’s first look at how God covers all …
 
Aren’t you thankful for this – that God doesn’t air out all of our dirty laundry before people and how He doesn’t remind us of our failures & shortcomings? He really doesn’t.
 
One of our best examples of this are the very Scriptures that He inspired … Have you ever noticed as you read the Bible how God does not magnify the mistakes of His elect. Sure, He states truth & facts of the shortcomings of them, but the spirit behind it is different. It’s not what stands out.
 
Like for example, we see in the story of Abraham the fact that he lied to save his own neck when asked if Sarah was his wife. How many of you know that if a preacher did that today, it would have been on the cover of charisma magazine!?! How about David with how he committed adultery with another man’s wife and then had him murdered!?! That certainly would not have gotten that man of God any more speaking engagements, right? Then how about Peter? Sure, we see the weaknesses in this man, but what is it that we walk away seeing Peter as? The ROCK!
 
I could go through a lot of examples of this, but God, in the Scriptures, lauds His people more than He uncovers them. And that’s what we are to do as well – magnify their strengths and good works more than we uncover and expose their weaknesses and the bad things they do. Why? Because that’s what love does!  
 
So for anyone who might have thought that God was bringing up your past and constantly reminding you of all the bad things you’ve done, that’s NOT Him. No, if love covers a multitude of sins, then that’s what God does too. Therefore, the condemnation & guilt that folks constantly carry around with them is not coming from God. No, He separates our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. He said our sins & lawless deeds He will remember no more. So if He has separated us from our sin and He is choosing to not remember them anymore, why on earth would He be the One reminding you of them? He ain’t!
 
No, the reason we “hear” about our sin on the inside of us is because of one of two things – either it’s the devil feeding us lies and doing what He does best, condemn, or it’s our own heart condemning us (See First John 3:20).
 
You see, some of the things we hear, feel, etc. are the product of what we believe in our heart. Like, for example, some of us have been trained by the world or religion that we ought to feel bad when we do something wrong, among other things. So when we miss it, our heart communicates things to us that are along the lines of our previous programming.   
 
Then other things are straight from the pit of hell, through outside demonic sources. I’m not sure a lot of people realize this, but the devil will oftentimes speak things into our minds that can be misconstrued as our own thoughts. And one of his most favorite weapons of His warfare is condemnation. So those thoughts that come into our minds that remind us of our mistakes, which lead to guilt, are possibly from the devil.
 
But my point is this – they are NOT from God. That’s not to say that God never deals with the issue of sin and won’t convict us, but there’s a big difference between conviction & condemnation, and we best learn the difference. And why? Because God covers a multitude of sins and certainly doesn’t uncover us!
 
But why does He do this? Yes, it’s because He loves us, but more specifically, it’s because He seeks to protect us!
 
You see, one thing that is clear throughout the Scriptures is God’s desire to protect us. There are tons of Scriptures that clearly illustrate this, and even entire Psalms devoted to it (i.e. Psalm 91). But I don’t know if we always consider why God’s heart is to protect us; it’s because He loves us and that’s just what love does!
 
And while I’m not a big fan of the King James’ choice of words in First Corinthians 13:7, as we’ve seen, the way we think of the word “bears” is a little different than what the word he used indicates, this word does reflect part of what this word means.
 
You see, like a mama “bear”, God’s heart is to protect His cubs. Yes, His great love for us leads him to defend & protect. Amen!
 
But yes, since God is love, He certainly covers & protects, but He also endures all things with you and I. He does not quit on us when we act a fool. He doesn’t terminate His relationship with us when we annoy Him. No, He endures our inadequacies. He puts up with our flaws. He tolerates our mistakes. All because He loves us so! Oh, how He loves us!
 
What is the single most used “praise phrase” in the Bible? What is the statement we see repeated time and time again throughout the Scriptures where His people are praising Him? It is this – “For the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever.”
 
How many times is this in the Bible? A whole bunch! But I want you to notice what is contained in the “phrase of praise” – His mercy (which is the covenant love of the Lord) and how that steadfast love endures forever! That sounds a little to me like “love endures all things,” doesn’t it to you?
 
So in this true statement of praise – the Lord inspired His people to magnify two major parts of His nature – His goodness and His endurance.
 
So even though love “enduring” all things might be close to the last characteristic of love that Paul mentions in First Corinthians 13, it is one of the first things that we see God praised for in the Scriptures! Amen! 

REVIEW
 
So after a couple of weeks off, I want us to pick back up this week on the series we have been doing for several months now on being “Imitators of Love.” In this series of teachings, we are learning more about our God, but not in the traditional manner of studying Scriptures that talk about His nature. No, we are looking at the verses that teach us how we ought to be loving one another with the understanding that these instructions/commandments must be the same way that God loves us. In other words, we are learning about the nature & characteristics of God by looking at the nature & characteristics of love.   
 
So, the specific passage of Scripture that we have been camping on is what I consider to be the best section of verses that teach us about the characteristics of love – the great love chapter, First Corinthians chapter 13.
 
First Corinthians 13:4-8 teaches us the nature of love – what it is and what it is not. But since we understand that God is love, we learned how we can substitute the term “God” for “love” here and learn what God’s nature is. So let’s do that now— “GOD suffers long and GOD is kind. GOD does not envy; GOD does not parade HIMSELF, HE is not puffed up; HE does not behave rudely, HE does not seek HIS own, HE is not provoked, HE thinks no evil; HE does not rejoice in iniquity, but HE rejoices in the truth; HE bears all things, HE believes all things, HE hopes all things, HE endures all things. GOD never fails …”
 
Most recently, we looked at the end of verse 5, where we are told that love thinks no evil. So as we’ve all heard of that old proverb principle in the world that says – “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil”, the Bible speaks of another element to this – “Think No Evil.”
 
We asked the question – how is this even possible? How is one able to “think NO evil”? Because for example, we read in the Bible more than once that Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for their “evil” ways, describing them with words like “liars, hypocrites,” and even “children of the devil." Well, that sounds like Jesus was certainly “thinking” some “evil” of these guys, right?
 
So how do we reconcile examples like this with the law of love that says we are not to even think evil of others much less call them out on their evil? Yes, how can we as Christians keep from thinking evil of others, especially when it is the Bible itself that talks about how evil exists in mankind? That seems contradictory. On top of that, I don’t think it is the Lord’s intention that we go around pretending that evil doesn't exist either.
 
No, we saw how this is where it is important that we understand how to look up the words the writer used in the original language, and also how to utilize other translations. In doing so, we can come to understand what was truly being conveyed here instead of letting whatever terminology our Bible uses determine our interpretation of it.
 
We saw how this phrase would better be translated “(love) does not keep a record or account of evil & wrongs”, and this is actually how most translations translate this phrase. So this is a very helpful piece of information for our love walk:
 
You see, if I ever say or think something to the effect of – “You do this all the time!”  or “This is the 3rd time you did that” – then I am not operating in love because why? Love isn’t counting. No, it’s not adding up and recounting all the times someone has done something.
 
But we learned that this is also how God is towards us! He doesn’t keep a record of our faults! He doesn’t recall our mistakes! In fact, He is not even considering how many times you and I have missed it. We have a lot of other Scriptures that substantiate this about God, and we went through some of them. Verses like:

1. “God separates my transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)
2.  “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)
3. In Hebrews (8:12 & 10:17), the Lord said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

 
So it is written in the mouth of multiple witnesses that I am one of the blessed whose sins are covered—of which the Lord will remember no more. He chooses not to remember my sins and blots out my transgressions for His name’s sake. Praise the Lord!
 
Church, this is how God thinks no evil and reveals to us what He thinks of you and I. Yes, His thoughts for us that outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore are good thoughts, not evil ones. This is how love thinks, counting the good, true, and lovely things of the ones it loves. God thinks no evil; only good. This is what Jeremiah 29:11 conveys to us.
 
And we also learned how these precious thoughts He thinks of us are not hidden from us. No, we can know them! In fact, He desires for us to know them. That’s why He said (after that oft quoted verse that His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways and they are past finding out) that He pours these “high” things from the heavens like rain & snow. Amen! That means He wants you and I to know those lofty thoughts, and He went on to say how they are known by His Word. Therefore, if you and I are going to come to know what God is thinking, then we need to study to show ourselves approved. Yes, we need to behold His written Word and let the thoughts of God become, in us, the mind of Christ.    
 
So the fact is, God does want us to know His thoughts and ways, and they are certainly aimed towards us. Yes, as the Lord told us to set our minds on things above, He sets His mind on us below. That’s right – We are His focus! Therefore, as Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand …” Let that truth penetrate your heart today.
 
And all of this is because the Lord loves us! Just as when we fall in love, one characteristic of that love is our minds become filled with that other person. We think about them all the time when we are at the height of that love. And why are we thinking so much of that person? It is because they are in our heart! Saints, God actually holds us in His heart! He does not just tolerate us or make Himself “have to” think good things about us. No, He thinks good thoughts about us because we hold a special place in His heart! In other words, we are important to Him because you do not rent space in your heart to people or things that are not important to you. No, what is in your heart is what is valuable to you! Therefore, we must be extremely valuable to the Lord if His heart and mind are so inclined towards us! Amen!
 
LOVE REJOICES
                
So now let’s move into First Corinthians 13:6 where Paul goes on to describe not only what love doesn’t do, but also what it does do. In this verse, he said, “(Love) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”
 
First of all, I want you to notice how Paul is essentially describing both what love will rejoice in and what it will not rejoice in. Therefore, rejoicing is the point of this verse.
 
Now to “rejoice” simply means to be glad, cheerful, or to get excited about something. So if the apostle Paul is talking about love’s characteristics, then there are obviously certain things that love will and will not become glad or excited about.
 
But did you even know that love rejoices? It sure does! It will get happy about some things while it certainly won’t get joy out of certain other things happening. Now the fact is, most people certainly get happy when good things happen to them. Yes, that’s what the majority rejoices in. But what does love do? It will rejoice when good things happen to others, and it certainly doesn’t rejoice when bad things happen to them.
 
Rejoice with those who rejoice, the Bible says (Romans 12:15). And what this is instructing us to do is to actually get as happy & glad as the other person is. Yes, these are not two different words that Paul used, so rejoicing with those who rejoice describes personally getting as excited as the other person does. And why? All because you love them!
 
So what we can learn from this is that love for others will essentially do the same thing as love for one’s self – it will get happy when good things happen to others like people get happy when good things happen to themselves. 
 
WHAT LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN
 
But I want you to notice how Paul describes what love does not rejoice in first. And he says that it’s in “iniquity.” This is actually a poor translation because the word Paul used was used more to describe “injustice or unrighteousness.” Therefore, specifically what Paul had in mind here was that love did not get excited when it sees injustice or unrighteousness occurring.
 
Now this has different shades of meanings, but one obvious truth we can find in it is that we are not to rejoice when justice isn’t being done. In other words, we shouldn’t get happy when we see a person not being done “right.”
 
How could that be love anyways? How could love actually get joy out of seeing someone else being done wrong? Well, perhaps one might root for someone who has been wronged to get revenge. More likely, one might desire to see someone they have offense in their heart towards fall flat on their face. I have seen it even get to the level where a person who has hate in their heart towards someone else gets joy out of some terrible thing that happens to that person because simply put, they are just bitter. So this can obviously occur on different levels, but the point is, love will not rejoice over someone else’s misfortunes.
 
Now the fact is, this word “justice” is part of the problem. I say this because what a lot of people are looking for is people to get what they feel is coming to them. Yes, they even get joy out of making sure this “justice” is done. But that is not what Paul was saying that love rejoices in. No, it’s not about our enemies getting what they deserve or about those who have harmed others getting their due. It’s more about how love WILL NOT rejoice in the injustice & unrighteousness, not how love WILL rejoice when justice is being done.   
 
The reason I bring this up is because far too many people who have bitterness & unforgiveness in their heart want their offenders to pay for their mistakes. Yes, they are glad when that person gets what is coming to them. That’s not actually what love will do. Love will not derive joy from someone else getting punished. And if we do get happy when someone else has bad things happen to them, then we might need to deal with some issues that haven’t been resolved yet.
 
Along these lines, I like something I read recently: This expositor recalled the experience Jacob had with the Angel of the Lord. You know, the one where Jacob wrestled with Him all night and obviously lost. Well, because Jacob was wounded in his thigh, Moses made a law that the children of Israel would not eat of the sinew in that area of the thigh. What does this teach us, you ask? Simply this – we are not to feast on the failures and shortcomings of others. I like that! Like one translation says, “Love doesn’t revel when others grovel,” This is the principle we are learning here.
 
No, a big truth that we need to get from this is that love roots for the underdog. It isn’t a crowd follower or one that gangs up on the one that everyone is picking on. No, love looks for what is right and justice. It will stand in the gap. It will go against the flow. It will look for that one lost sheep and move heaven & hell to find them. This is what love does.
 
LOVE DID JUSTICE
 
Now how does all of this apply to God? Well, God obviously does not rejoice in injustice either. If you don’t know this, you need to read your Bible.
 
Time and time again in the Scriptures we see one of the Lord’s pet peeves being injustice. Through His prophets, He is constantly correcting His chosen people in this area – of taking care of the widows and the orphans, how the poor were to be defended, and how injustices of any kind should not be tolerated. One of my favorite examples of this is Micah 6:8 where the prophet said, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
 
Injustice and unrighteousness were obviously sore spots of Love Himself. In fact, even in the New Testament, we are told in James 1:27 that pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, which is one of the main things we see throughout the prophets of old.
 
So as we have seen, if God commands us to do something then we can rest assure that He is already fulfilling those things Himself. So, in the case of caring for widows and orphans, who are the orphans and widows that He is already caring for? The answer is simple – We are! We were the widows that He provided for! We were the orphans that He has cared for!
 
You see, there are two kinds of human relationships that the Word of God likens our relationship with God to under the New Covenant: Those two are a husband and wife and a father and child. So the truth is – God went above and beyond the duty that He gave us. Not only did He provide for us when we were widows, He actually married us so that He could meet our every need forever. Not only did He care for us when we were fatherless in Satan’s orphanage, He actually adopted us and made us His very own children.
 
You see, in His great love and abundant mercy, God did more than just help us in our hopeless state. He cut a covenant with us through the blood of Jesus—making us His bride and His children. He not only rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, but He translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son! What an awesome and loving God we serve!
 
So as the Lord laid out in Micah 6:8, He requires His people to “do justice” and to certainly not rejoice in injustice – all because He, in His joy towards justice & righteousness, extended them towards us freely by His grace! Amen!
 
WHAT LOVE DOES REJOICE IN
 
But what did Paul go on to say that love DOES rejoice in – It rejoices in truth. And again, that doesn’t necessarily describe when the truth comes out about a person who has done something wrong. No, love finds joy when it sees the objects of its love walking in the truth, not when it uncovers the lie.
 
So while it’s very clear that God is not happy with injustice, what it is that brings Him joy is TRUTH! Yes, He rejoices in truth! Yes, what God gets excited about is when truth is practiced and experienced. Yes, He loves it when He sees others walking in the truth!
 
We see a beautiful example of this in the beginning of the Epistle called Third John. In Third John 1-4, the apostle John says, “The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
 
Now I want you to notice the constant echo of the terms “love, joy, and truth” in these opening four verses of Third John. This speaks the same thing as the verse we are covering in First Corinthians 13:6.
 
But what people oftentimes make the mistake of is reading God’s Word of Truth through carnal glasses. In other words, with this Book, we know that the apostle John was the one who physically penned this Book of the Bible. But what we need to also realize is that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and that these holy men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to author these Books of the Bible (Second Timothy 3:16 & Second Peter 1:21). Therefore, Third John is not just a Book authored by the apostle John; it is a Holy Spirit inspired Book ultimately inspired by the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit is its true author. Not only that, but another error people make is that when they read that it was addressed to a specific man named Gaius, they lose sight of the fact that everything in these pages (or in this case, page, because its such a short Book) are being written to us as well.
 
Some have commented on this verse, saying that the truth contained in it was simply the apostle John’s desire for Gaius, to whom this short letter was written. Therefore, they say that this verse does not express the will of the Lord for all believers for all time, but this is simply incorrect. For who are we to determine what parts of the Bible are intended only for the original recipients of the letters and what parts are applicable to us? If this were so, how would we know if what was written to the Romans were just promises applicable to the believers in Rome? Or how would we know if what was written to the Ephesians was just meant for the select church in Ephesus? How then would we know what parts of the Holy Scriptures were written to us?
 
The truth is that all of the Bible was written for our admonition and instruction! All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, being God-breathed so that we can know and understand God’s will for all of our lives. He is no respecter of persons! Therefore, what He moved the apostle John to say to Gaius is what God wills for all of His children along with Gaius to receive and embrace. So, Third John is God speaking to us!
 
So when we read in verses 3-4 how John evidently rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that was in this Gaius, that this was God’s heart as well. And oh, doesn’t this reflect the characteristic of love that we’ve been looking at today? Yes, this is the Holy Spirit’s heart of love in that He too rejoices when we walk in the truth. In fact, as we see in verse 4, the Lord has no greater joy than to hear that His children walk in truth.
 
Now walking in the truth certainly has a bunch of meanings: For one, it is walking in Jesus, because He is the Truth. Second, it is walking in the Word of God, because His Word is truth. And thirdly, it is walking in the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth. So yes, God rejoices when we, His children, walk in His Son, His Word, and in His Spirit, but this is not all that makes God happy. Third John 2 contains some truths that show us the truth about everything God wants us to walk in …
 
Again, Third John 2 says, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”  So like we’ve seen, this is not just a verse that expresses John’s desire for Gaius; it shows us God’s will for all people for all time! So what is God’s desire for you and I? What does He rejoice when we walk in it? Well, let’s look deeper into this verse …
 
First of all, notice that God refers to you as His “Beloved”… This means that He is addressing those who (pardon the poor English) “be-loved!” In other words, since this verse is God speaking directly to us, by calling us His “beloved”, He is letting us know that we are greatly loved by Him.
 
You see, this simple truth, if understood correctly, should help us to embrace the truths contained in the rest of this verse that our Heavenly Father wants us to prosper in every area of our lives and live in perfect health. Why? Because how many of you parents out there who truly love your children want anything less than the best for them? No, you want them to prosper in every area of their life and you certainly don’t want them sick and suffering! Any parent that wills for their children to be sick and to suffer should be locked up with the key thrown away! Why? Because if any natural parent did the things to their children that God has been accused of doing to His, that parent would be incriminated in just about every culture or nation on the earth today.
 
So how can we believe God is any different—especially when His love for us far outweighs any love that we have for our children? No, you “be-loved” and because God loves you so much, He wants you to succeed and prosper on all levels! Thank you, Father!
 
And the fact that He “wants” this is reflected in this verse: Notice what the Lord starts off by saying to His beloved … He says, “I pray that you may prosper in all things.”
 
Now the word “pray” here describes “wishing & desiring.” So this shows us what God actually wants & wills for us, His children. Again, we can certainly relate to this, right? Yes, we all wish & desire for our children to walk in prosperity & health, right? Absolutely! But are all our children walking in this? Not all of them – illustrating to us how just because God desires for this to be the case for all of us, doesn’t mean its automatically going to happen. No, like it is with our children, they must choose this lifestyle. They have to make the right decisions, which would have all started by listening to their parents at a young age and taking our advice, right?
 
So I make this point because it answers that question that might come up that if God desires this for us, then why is it not happening for everyone. Well, the answer to that is the same as to why all of our children might not be walking in all of the things we want for them – because freewill is involved.  
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF PROSPERITY
 
So notice what the first thing is that we are told that God desires – prosperity in all things.
 
What an awesome truth! God’s will is that we prosper in all things! Not just in some things; God wants us to prosper in everything! This leaves nothing uncovered! The word “prosper” literally means to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish. So, God wants us to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish in every area of our lives! Praise the Lord, our success, growth, and prosperity is God’s will, and He wants us to prosper in every aspect of our life.
 
Did you know God wants you to be successful in your career? He is not just concerned with what we consider to be the “spiritual things.” He wants you to be successful and to prosper in your business, and this happens as you seek first the kingdom of God in your secular job (i.e. as you practice godly principles and make your career’s aim to glorify God and be a blessing to others). He wants you to prosper in your vocation!
 
Did you know that God wants you to thrive in the arena of relationships? He wants you to have such a wonderful relationship with your spouse or significant other that you are in awe of the goodness and graciousness of God! He wants you to have such wonderful friends that add to you and that you can truly trust! He wants you to prosper in all of your relationships!
 
Did you know that God wants you to flourish in your finances? He does not want you struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck! He wants you to have more than enough so that you can fulfill the blessing of Abraham that is on your life, which is being blessed, so that you can be a blessing! He wants you to prosper monetarily!
 
You see, being able to be a blessing to others is one of the main reasons God wants you to prosper in every area of your life. Sure, He wants you to be blessed simply because He loves you and wants the best for you, but He also wants you to thrive in every area so that you will not constantly be trying to fulfill yourself and can correctly put your focus on the needs of others. If you have needs that are unmet, that takes time and attention away from meeting the needs of others. God wants our cup to overflow so that we can share with others! Thanks be unto God!
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF HEALTH
 
Then notice what else the Holy Spirit told us that God desires for us in this verse: Not only does God want us to prosper in every area of our lives, but He also wants us to “be in health.”
 
This verse alone should dispel the popular Christian doctrine that sometimes God sends sickness into our lives to teach us something. No, God’s will is that we are healthy, not sick. To live in sickness, disease, and infirmity is no more God’s will for our lives than for us to live in sin, transgression, and iniquity! And this is exactly what you see in Jesus’ ministry, which was a perfect reflection of God’s will (See John 14:7&9 and Hebrews 1:3)!
 
Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil! Why did He go about only doing good and healing everyone who responded to Him in faith? It was because this was (and always will be) God’s will!
 
But as great as healing is, I want you to notice that Third John 2 does not say that God wants us to prosper in all things and be “healed”; it says that God wills that we be in “health”! In other words, this verse tells us that God not only wills that we experience healing, but that we experience divine health. For example, God’s perfect will is for our bodies to be so charged with His resurrection power that when germs or viruses touch our bodies, they die immediately. His perfect plan for our lives is that everything from our eyesight, hearing, and overall health is strong and living well above the norm.
 
And this not only includes wholeness in our physical bodies but also health in our mind and emotions. The prophet Isaiah said that the chastisement needful to obtain our peace was laid upon Him. The Apostle Paul said that the Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we can have a “sound mind.” This describes a soul that is whole and not weak and sick. Jesus purchased not only wholeness in our bodies, but also wholeness in our mind, will, and emotions! He wants us sharp and strong in our soul too. Thank you, Jesus! 
 
WALKING IN THE TRUTH OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH
 
So, God evidently has a greater vision for our lives than we do for ourselves. He wants us to be successful, to thrive, and to flourish in every area of life—which includes prospering financially, relationally, and vocationally! Not only that, but He also wants us to be whole and strong in every area of our bodies as well—which includes being healthy physically, healthy mentally, and healthy emotionally!
 
Someone then might say, “Trey, if this is truly God’s will for everyone’s life, then why do we see so little of it fulfilled in our lives?” That is a good question; I’m glad you asked …
 
As we’ve already learned, our free-will is the big reason, but I want to offer you one more reason that we find in this very verse. Third John 2 ends by saying that God wants you to prosper in all things and be in health “just as your soul prospers.”  
 
Now the two words “just as” are extremely important because they show us how God’s will of prosperity and health is going to come to pass in our lives… These two words literally mean “according to”, or better yet “in proportion to.” So, what the Holy Spirit was saying was that our prosperity and our health is “in proportion” to our soul prospering. In other words, our prosperity outwardly is in proportion to our prosperity inwardly!
 
This is the truth God wants His children walking in, saints! And it’s the truth that He rejoices in—when His kids are prospering on all fronts, when they are healthy, and when they are growing up spiritually. He gets no joy out of us walking in injustice & unrighteousness – meaning, He never takes pleasure when we are not experiencing Third John 2. No, in His love, God wishes His best on us, and He rejoices when His best is experienced. Amen.

IMITATORS OF LOVE
PART 11 – THINK NO EVIL   
 
 
 
REVIEW
 
So this week, I want to pick back up on our current study entitled “Imitators of Love” where we are learning about God’s loving nature. We have based this on the apostle Paul’s instructions of imitating God as dear children from Ephesians 5:1, where we see the high calling of every believer—to be like God.
 
But what we are doing is looking at verses that teach us how we ought to be loving one another with the understanding that these instructions/commandments must be the same way that God loves us.  
 
So, several weeks ago, we started looking at what I consider to be the best section of Scriptures that teaches us about the characteristics of love – the great love chapter, First Corinthians chapter 13. And we started doing this with the understanding that since God is love, all of these things the apostle Paul teaches us that love does, describe to us God’s loving characteristics.
 
First Corinthians 13:4-8 teaches us how “love suffers long and is kind. (how) love does not envy; (how) love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; (how it) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; (how it) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; (yes, how love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
 
So we have been going through this list of the characteristics of love each week and what we have learned so far is …
 

• God suffers long – We saw how the apostle Paul starts off with the fruit of the Spirit, longsuffering, and how this is one of the chief characteristics of the love of God. So we saw how the Scriptures teach us of God’s divine longsuffering—from how He waited in the days of Noah when He judged the world by water to how He is waiting in this hour when He will judge the world by fire. The reason why it seems to be so long before the Lord brings His judgment is not because He drags His feet, but because He suffers long, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to everlasting life. God suffers long!
• God is kind – Then we saw how God is not just patient; He’s also kind while doing it. And we learned how kindness (like longsuffering) is also a fruit of the Spirit, meaning that it is also fruit of God’s nature. Yes, there are a myriad of Scriptures that show us how God is kind - how everything from the giving of Jesus to so many other things He gives us throughout our life. God is kind!
• God does not envy – Then we started the section here where Paul begins teaching what God (i.e. love) is not. And he begins by saying that love does not envy. So, we learned that God does not desire to deprive someone else of something they have like envy does. Rather, He desires to give—because there is no bigger giver than our God. God does not envy!
• God does not parade Himself – This is certainly true of our God, amen? He does everything but “parade Himself” before His creation. In fact, He is the exact opposite. He purposefully does not put Himself on display when by all accounts, if anyone was worthy of doing so, it would be Him. But no, God has not made it a practice of His to reveal His glory to the world. In fact, very few have ever gotten a glimpse of just how beautiful He is. But we saw how this phrase literally describes bragging or boasting of oneself. No, love for others doesn’t brag about itself. Sure, love for itself will brag about itself, but the truth we need to understand is that we will brag about whoever we love. So this is what God does! In His love for us, He seeks to celebrate us and not Himself. God does not parade Himself!
• God is not puffed up – We saw how this next description of what love is, is very similar to love not “parading itself.” We learned how this phrase literally describes being “inflated, blown up, or caused to swell up.” Of course, Paul is talking about being full of pride here. So God is not full of Himself. No, while He certainly is all that and a bag of chips, even He chooses to rely on others that He loves to do things. The perfect example of this is how He has chosen us, His church, to be His hands & feet here on the earth. And I’ve been one to always talk about how much faith God has to entrust His body to accomplish His kingdom purposes, but I think it is also a reflection of His love too. Yes, in His love, He trusts His church to do what is right. That is awesome! God is not puffed up!
• God does not behave rudely – We learned that this phrase describes acting unbecomingly or behaving inappropriately. But we made the point that things that I might consider to be inappropriate, you might not be bothered by and things that you might consider to be unbecoming, I might be okay with. So, who’s to say what is truly behaving “rudely” and what isn’t? Well, we saw that the answer is love! Just ask yourself the question—What would love do? So we saw how God does not behave rudely either – meaning, He doesn’t force Himself on us. He desires a people who will see His value and seek after Him. In fact, He does the opposite—in His honor, He gives preference to us! And we saw how the Holy Spirit is a great example from the Godhead of how God operates this way: The Holy Spirit is honorable and a gentleman. Therefore, He is not going to force Himself on us and make us do something we don’t want to do. No, He doesn’t force His will on us. He doesn’t cram what He wants for us and from us down our throats. No, He let’s us choose what we want and how much we want. God does not behave rudely!
• God does not seek His own – We looked at some other translations of this phrase and learned that it describes being selfish (NCV) or self-seeking (NIV). The ESV says, “(love) does not insist on its own way.” I said how I particularly like the Message Bible: It says that love “isn’t always ‘me first’.” So what we saw in all of these translations is that love is not self-centered. And this is one of those things that we need to understand about God too—that He is not seeking His own. Yes, everything God tells us to do is because He is seeking our own and not His own. Everything from the praise He demands of us to the giving He expects from us. It’s all done in love. We saw how it’s like parenting—most of what parents who truly love their children tell them to do is not to benefit themselves. No, a good parent will give instructions and commandments to their kids because it’s what’s best for them. We don’t make our kids go to bed at a certain time, brush their teeth, or behave in certain ways because we are seeking our own. Church, everything God does is done in love. This means that with everything we read in the Bible and with everything we experience in our lives, we can be settled in the truth that God is seeking what’s best for mankind. God does not seek His own!
• God is not provoked – Now the last thing that we covered is how love is not provoked. We started by looking at some other translations and learned that this means that love is not “easily angered, irritable, quick-tempered or easily annoyed.” And we learned that the reason this is true is because all of these things are self-centered. Yes, all of these feelings in me are associated with how the other person is making me feel. So how can it be love for others if I am focused on how what someone else is doing is making me feel? No, love does the exact opposite. It’s not worried as much about how it feels as it is about the other person. In other words, love will be more sensitive to the other person than it is to its own feelings. So we then looked at the Amplified Bible which brings out something interesting about this phrase— It says, “love is not provoked [nor overly sensitive or easily angered]” We saw how this being overly sensitive seems to be a little more of the issue—for it is the root of one being easily angered, annoyed, quick-tempered, and irritable. Yes, even though we all can struggle with this, some are definitely a little more sensitive than others and can tend to get a little more easily irritated than others. So we asked the question— Why am I so sensitive? Why do I fly off the rails so easily when people do or say certain things? What is it in me that causes me to get irritated with things that the average person might not be annoyed by? And we got into some things that I call “soul bruises” and how to let those bruises heal. But again, we need to realize that God is not easily provoked either, meaning He is not touchy or easily angered. Of course, this does not mean that God doesn’t have limits. The Scriptures do teach us how God’s people have “provoked” Him to anger. And while I certainly believe that the Cross has made a big difference in how God responds to His people’s shortcomings & failures, the fact is, love does have limits and just because it is extremely longsuffering & patient doesn’t mean that one can never reach that last straw. However, God’s heart has and always will be one that is not easily angered, irritated, or annoyed. Many believe otherwise, however. I’ve run into many Christians who always seem to think that they are irritating God. They will bring up their constant shortcomings and how they fall short of His glory and seem to believe that God is simply exasperated with them. Nothing could be farther than the truth! No, as we learned in James 1:5, even in our requests for wisdom from Him, He gives “liberally and without reproach”—meaning, He simply & openly will give it and not revile you for it. Why? Because God is not provoked.

 
LOVE THINKS NO EVIL
 
Now, let’s move on to the next thing we see the apostle Paul address about love. At the end of verse 5, He says that love “thinks no evil.”
 
Now a good question would be – how is this even possible? How is one able to “think NO evil”? For example, we read in the Bible more than once that Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for their “evil” ways, describing them with words like “liars, hypocrites,” and even “children of the devil." Well, that sounds like Jesus was certainly “thinking” some “evil” of these guys, right?
 
So how do we reconcile examples like this with the law of love that says we are not to even think evil of others much less call them out on their evil? Yes, how can we as Christians keep from thinking evil of others, especially when it is the Bible itself that talks about how evil exists in mankind? That seems contradictory. On top of that, I don’t think it is the Lord’s intention that we go around pretending that evil doesn't exist either.
 
No, this is where it is important that we understand how to look up the words the writer used in the original language, and also how to utilize other translations. In doing so, we can come to understand what was truly being conveyed here instead of letting whatever terminology our Bible uses determine our interpretation of it.
 
But before I get into what this phrase literally means, let’s consider a couple of things about the New King James Version’s translation of it:
 
You see, the fact that we are told that there is a certain way that love “thinks” is important—because, of course, dealing with our thought life and what is going on in our heart is something that is vital for our love walk.
 
So we’ve all heard of that old proverb principle in the world that says – “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.” Well, the Bible speaks of another element to this – “Think No Evil.” The reason being is because, as you are about to see, if love thinks no evil, then it’s going to be extremely difficult if not impossible for it to see, hear, or speak evil. 
 
The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man thinks in his heart so is he. So, if I’m thinking evil in my heart, then the Bible says that is what I will be. Plus, as the Lord Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount, God views the things we allow in our hearts as being as bad as the actual transgression itself. Therefore, what is important is not just our outward behavior; it’s also what we are “thinking” in our heart. So “thinking” “evil” of others is certainly not something that love will do, because true love is genuine and not just interested in behaving in a loving way while having a heart full of evil thoughts. Amen?
 
Now if you know me, you know that one thing that I wholeheartedly ascribe to is dealing with our thought life. Statements like – “Where the mind goes the man will follow” and “The Battle is in the Mind” have been phrases I’ve uttered many times, and the reason is because I believe that this is what the Bible clearly teaches. Yes, I believe if we can control our thought life and only think on things that God says we are to think on, there is no devil in hell that can defeat us. Amen?
 
So when it comes to this statement that love thinks no evil, it makes sense because, if I can, first of all, control what I’m thinking in my mind, then I can control what gets into my heart. And if I can control what I’m thinking in my heart, then I can control my behavior.
 
Did you know that you cannot be tempted by what you don’t first think on? In Hebrews 11:15 we are taught this when we are told— “And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.” What this verse is saying is that if one does call to mind something, then that’s when they have opportunity to go there. So what if they never thought about it? Well, by this verse, we understand that they won’t have the opportunity to do so. Thus, we have the truth that we cannot be tempted by what we don’t call to mind or think on. Amen.
 
So, if my mind is how I am tempted to do evil, then my mind must also be how I choose to love.
 
Let’s look at a verse where we see this played out. It’s found in Mark 12:30 where Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment of them all was, and of course we know His response. He said, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”
 
So Jesus said that what God wants from us is our love, but He was more specific than that. He wanted us to love Him with all of four things:
 
1.Heart:
2.Soul:
3.Mind:
4.Strength:
 
But I think it’s interesting how Jesus equated “the mind” with everything else He mentioned. The mind is very important to God because He knows that it’s the battleground.
 
So my point is that if God wants us to love Him with all of our mind, then I’d say that one of the ways we do that is by loving others with all my mind. In other words, when I love others through thinking loving thoughts of them, then that’s a way I can fulfill this, the Greatest Commandment, for whatever I do to the least of these, I’ve done it unto Him. Amen?
 
KNOWING GOD’S THOUGHTS
 
So I obviously believe that dealing with our thought life is imperative, but do you know what I think we don’t talk enough about? It’s God’s thought life. What does He think on? What is His mind full of? I believe these are also important questions to answer. And why? It’s because if we come to understand how God thinks and what His mind is full of then we will know how we too ought to be thinking. 
 
Now there is a large contingent of Christians out there who think this is impossible. Yes, they think we cannot know what God is thinking because, after all, His thoughts are above our thoughts, right? Well, let’s look at the verse where this line of thinking comes from because I believe we can learn a little something about what the Lord was saying there …
 
Sure, the Lord did say in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” But what we need to understand is that the Lord was not saying that to His people because He didn’t want them to know His ways and thoughts. He had just said to let the wicked man forsake His ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts (See verse 7), so when He goes on to say in the next couple of verses what He did, it’s clear that the ones whose God’s thoughts are higher than are those who were choosing wickedness & unrighteousness. Therefore, it’s not necessarily true to say that God’s thoughts and ways are too high for everyone. No, for us who choose His ways and thoughts above our own, there is access to them.
 
We know this because of what Isaiah went on to say immediately following this— He then said, “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
 
Notice how the Lord immediately describes how the natural things of rain & snow (that come from higher up in the heavens) come down to water the earth and give us the things we need. This, to me, illustrates how His higher thoughts & higher ways are not meant to be kept in the heavens above us. No, they are intended to be poured out on us for our benefit; not kept from us because we are beneath them. Amen?
 
And I just love how verse 11 goes on to describe how the Lord has chosen to pour out His ways & thoughts on mankind – It’s through His Word. This encompasses everything from His written Word to His prophetic Word.
 
But the main point we need to see here is that God’s thoughts & ways are not things we cannot know. No! God desires to pour out His mind on us, and He has done this through His Word. God’s thoughts are contained & can be known through His Word! Amen! 
 
So we CAN know what God is thinking. Yes, we can come to understand His mind. In fact, the apostle Paul, when quoting from Isaiah, said, “Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But then he went on to say, “But we have the mind of Christ.” (See First Corinthians 2:16). He had just said earlier in this chapter that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (See First Corinthians 2:9). But then in verse 10, he says, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.”
 
So church, under this new and better covenant, we can certainly know the mind of the Lord through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit living within us is the key to comprehending God’s thoughts—for He is the mind of Christ that we have.  
 
WHAT GOD THINKS ON
 
So how does the Holy Spirit show us God’s thoughts? What does His Word reveal to us about what God is thinking on?
 
Well, when I consider this truth that God thinks on us, I’m immediately drawn to one of our most loved verses, Jeremiah 29:11. In this beloved verse of so many, we have God’s heart concerning the plans He has for us. It says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
 
First of all, I want you to notice that God is actually thinking about you and I … Did you know this – that the Lord actually thinks about us? Glory to God! We tend to spend more time talking about our own thought life and how we are to keep our minds set on Him, but did you know that God practices what He preaches? For example, He told us to set our minds on things above, right? (See Colossians 3:2) Well, He also does this, but He sets His mind on things below! Praise the Lord!
 
Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand …” Wow! Now that is a lot of thoughts! And when David wrote this, he was referring to just the thoughts that God thinks of him personally! Glory to Jesus! And did you know that since God is no respecter of persons, His thoughts are just that precious and innumerable about you too?
 
Now most Christians do not have a problem believing that God is constantly considering them; what they do have a hard time believing, however, is that those thoughts are good and positive thoughts. But again, what does Jeremiah 29:11 say that He thinks about us? “For I know the thoughts I think toward you… thoughts of good and not of evil, of peace, to give you a future and a hope.” My brothers and sisters, God is not thinking evil about you! He is focusing on the good in you! And why? Because He loves you a whole lot more than you can possibly imagine! You see, this fact that we are constantly on His mind reemphasizes to us a very important truth, and that is that He loves us …
 
The Lord makes it clear in this oft quoted verse that the thoughts He is thinking towards us are good thoughts, not evil.  They are thoughts of peace. In other words, He is not angry and focusing on all the bad things we do. If He were, He would be violating the very instructions He gave us in Philippians 4:8 when He, through the apostle Paul, told us to only think on positive things.  No, saints, God is thinking only good of you. He is a wonderful Heavenly Father that treasures you in His heart and only desires the best for you. Let that truth penetrate your heart today.
 
You know, when we fall in love, one characteristic of that love is our minds become filled with that other person. We think about them all the time when we are at the height of that love. And why are we thinking so much of that person? It is because they are in our heart! Saints, God actually holds us in His heart! He does not just tolerate us or make Himself “have to” think good things about us. No, He thinks good thoughts about us because we hold a special place in His heart! In other words, we are important to Him because you do not rent space in your heart to people or things that are not important to you. No, what is in your heart is what is valuable to you! Therefore, we must be extremely valuable to the Lord if His heart and mind are so inclined towards us! Amen!
 
LOVE KEEPS NO ACCOUNT OF WRONGS
 
But back to this phrase “(love) thinks no evil.”
 
While it’s obvious that the Lord does not think evil of us, as I said earlier, this phrase is a little misleading. Certainly the idea of the mind plays a part in this, but actually this word “thinks” is a poor translation. It comes from the Greek word logizomai which means to credit, count, or consider. It was an accounting term that could be translated “to calculate.” So this phrase would be better translated “(love) does not keep a record or account of evil & wrongs” and this is actually how most translations translate this phrase.
 
So this is a very helpful piece of information for our love walk: You see, if I ever say or think something to the effect of – “You do this all the time!”  or “This is the 3rd time you did that” – then I am not in love because why? Love isn’t counting. No, it’s not adding up and recounting all the times someone has done something.
 
But, as we learn from this that I am walking in love if I am not keeping count of others’ faults, this is also how God is towards us! He doesn’t keep a record of our faults! He doesn’t recall our mistakes! In fact, He is not even considering how many times you and I have missed it.
 
We have a lot of other Scriptures that substantiate this about God. Allow me to remind you of some of them. In fact, let me remind you of these verses by showing you how you and I should be reminding the enemy of these truths when he comes against our minds with his lies.
 
So the next time the enemy comes to you, trying to get you to “count & consider” your sins, do this. Say, “Mr. devil, since you are trying to get me to consider all of the bad things I have done, I want to take you to ‘accounting’ class and have you ‘add up’ the following:
 

1. God separates my transgressions from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12)
2. For as the heavens are high above the earth, that’s how great His mercy is toward me because I revere Him (Psalm 103:11)
3. As a father shows compassion on his kids, that’s how my Heavenly Father has compassion on me (Psalm 103:13)
4. Furthermore, it is written in Isaiah 43:25 – “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”
5. In Hebrews (8:12 & 10:17), the Lord said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
6. And in Romans 4:7, I am told that “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

 
Is that enough? So it is written in the mouth of multiple witnesses that I am one of the blessed whose lawless deeds are forgiven, whose sins are covered—of which the Lord will remember no more. He chooses not to remember my sins and blots out my transgressions for His name’s sake.”
 
Church, this is what God thinks of you and I. His thoughts for us that outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore are good thoughts, not evil ones. This is how love thinks, counting the good, true, and lovely things of the ones it loves. God thinks no evil; only good.