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Have you noticed that people like different things? Whether food, clothing or entertainment, we all have different tastes. Some love horror movies. Others prefer romantic comedies. For this episode, I decided to look for things that delight people.

Something that delights gives great pleasure and enjoyment. It is not just a preference, but something that thrills you with joy. Think of a parent holding a newborn baby. Other things that delight people include their favored team winning the championship and meeting their favorite celebrity.

Cute videos posted online delight many people. One that recently went viral on TikTok showed construction paper jack-o’-lanterns made by kindergarteners. Videos of kittens and puppies have also delighted thousands.

It seems strange, but some people delight in evil. They are thrilled by it. Buddy Scott, when chaplain of the Brazoria county jail in Texas, had a conversation with an inmate. The inmate confessed to cheering for the bad guys in TV crime dramas. Scott goes on in an article published in The Facts to quote from an online magazine  YourTango, which said, “Evil people seem to delight in misfortune, to relish the bad feelings of other people.”*

This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (NIV)

If you relish slamming someone on social media, or snicker when your opponent suffers a misfortune or accident, you do not display love. Remember, love rejoices in the truth.

*Buddy Scott, “BUDDY SCOTT: Some people are disposed to evil,” The Facts, October 22, 2022, https://thefacts.com/living/article_2756ff56-0946-518e-90a6-6e115783baf4.html

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Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:00 — 3.7MB)

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Several years ago, I took my family to see the Grand Canyon. Water gouged out the canyon, which is a mile deep. How spectacular to stand on the south rim and look into its depths. We looked down at an aircraft flying above the river. On another day, we walked part way down one of the trails. It brought an entirely new understanding of the size of the canyon. The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion.

Some things erode easily. Others are more durable. A flash flood through sand will quickly wash it away. The same flood can crash against granite and leave it unchanged. This picture of erosion is useful to understand love. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8 says love “always perseveres. Love never fails.” (NIV)

Romantic feelings can fade. Time, distance or betrayal can erode it like sand. But the unselfish love described in Corinthians endures like granite. This is the love God has for us. It never fails. It will last for eternity. It endures even when we turn our backs on God. No matter how far away we drift from him, he loves us.

Our challenge is to love other people with the same love. A love that stands up under the pressures of our culture. A love the endure the tests of time. This love is the fruit of God’s Spirit. May God’s love flow from our hearts to those around us.

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:00 — 3.7MB)

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I hope my team wins. I hope I get the job. I hope the sun shines on Saturday. Have you ever said something like that? We toss that word hope around a lot. How many times have you said these three words, “I hope so.” Did you know that hope describes love? But maybe not the hope we commonly think about.

I Corinthians 13:7 says that love “always hopes.” This may be lost on English speakers. To us, hope is a feeling that something good might happen. In fact, dictionary.com defines the word as a feeling. Sometimes the feeling is just the earnest desire for something good to happen. You know, like buying a lottery ticket and hoping you win. You want it, but are not sure it will happen.

But the word translated hope speaks of a confident expectation something will happen, not just wanting it to happen. For example, many of us expect a paycheck to hit our bank account. We certainly want it. But we are also confident because we put in the hours at our job. We expect the money to arrive on payday. That confident expectation is the true meaning of hope.

So how does this describe love? If we love others, we will confidently expect the best from them and for them. Sounds optimistic doesn’t it? It should. We’ll have a hard time loving others if we are filled with pessimism. Love always hopes.

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Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

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What is it about human nature that makes us expect the worst. For some of us, we are confident that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.  For example, I used to have an old computer. I kept it long past it’s functional life. I knew when I booted it up I’d have to fix something. I expected it to fail. I find I am also cynical about other things, expecting bad things to happen.

This expecting bad things makes loving others difficult. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 13:7 says that love always believes. The King James Version uses the word “belief” but the New International Version translates the word “trusts.” Both are accurate translations for the original word. It is the word we also translate “faith,” as in believing in Jesus and being saved by grace through faith.

Trust and belief are related concepts. For example, I always trusted my dad. I believed in him. He never lied to me. Oh, sometimes he didn’t tell me everything, but he didn’t deceive me. I knew that I could trust him because he had proven himself trustworthy over the years. He had my best interests at heart.

This ability to believe in the positive and trust others describes love. You might say love is the ability to see good in other people and expect good things from them. As you love others today, who should you give the benefit of the doubt?

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

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If you do an image search on the internet for love, you’ll likely get a page of results showing red hearts  in Valentine’s Day style. You may get a couple of pictures of hands forming a heart outline or of a young couple embracing. Some of the pictures will be of the word love. But you probably won’t get a picture of Kristie Bennard.

On October 6th of this year, two pit bulls attacked a 5-month-old boy and his 2-year-old sister at their home near Memphis, Tennessee. Their mother, 30-year-old Kristie Bennard, ran to the rescue. She tried to stop the attack, and lay down on top of her daughter Lilly. The dogs turned on Kristie and attacked her. The attack continued for ten minutes. The two children died. Their mother was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Bite marks covered her body and face. She received an uncountable number of stitches. The dogs were euthanized.*

This is a tragic story, but also a heroic one. The actions of the mother illustrate love. I Corinthians 13:7 says love “always protects.” (NIV) The word used in the original means “to protect or preserve by covering.” Kristie protected her child by covering Lilly with her own body.

This also reminds us of Jesus’ love for us. He protected us from judgement by offering his body on the cross. Today, who do you know who needs protection. How will you love that person?

*Natalie Neysa Alund, “Family dogs kill 2 Tennessee children, injure mom who tried to stop mauling, family says,” USA Today, October 8, 2022, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/10/08/2-children-killed-mother-hospitalized-after-tennessee-dog-mauling/8219201001/

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Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

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The Major League Baseball post season is underway. Alas, my team didn’t even win one game before bowing out. But for many fans, this is a time of rejoicing. They cheer their team after each score and each victory. They’ll stand in the stadium and scream, clap and high-five total strangers. Those watching on television will also yell, jump and cheer, even if they are watching in their own home.  Then, for the team that wins the World Series, fans will rejoice in the streets in impromptu celebrations. Even more will turn out for the victory parade.

Now, think for a moment about child molesters and murderers. Should they be celebrated? Should people rejoice over their actions? Would you attend a parade for them? I hope not. Rejoicing should be reserved for good things. In fact, love “rejoices with the truth” (NIV) says 1 Corinthians 13:7.

Which means that rejoicing in falsehood and delighting in evil is not love. But notice the verse did not say to rejoice over your team’s victory, your child’s good grades or a promotion at work. Oh, don’t get me wrong. You should rejoice over these things. They are good things. But love rejoices with the truth.

What does that mean? Love can’t rejoice when the truth is denied. But rejoices when the truth wins. Truth is real. Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life.

Today, show love by celebrating the truth of Jesus.

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.