Day 14 – Love Thinks No Evil

“Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil” 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV). The love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation thinks no evil. The Greek word translated “thinketh” in the King James Version is “logizomai”, which means “to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over.” In 1 Corinthians 13, one of the most neglected is this: “Love thinketh no evil.” If you and I would practice this, what a difference it would make in our relationship with the Lord and with one another. “Love thinketh no evil.” In a literal sense, logizomai relates to the human action of counting, logging, or recording, as an accountant does in bookkeeping. To describe the figurative use of logizomai in I Corinthians 13:5, one writer offers this observation: “Life is one big ledger, with our minds and hearts recording and reacting to all the debits and credits, positives and negatives, pluses and minuses, which we encounter day by day Some have mistakenly interpreted “love your neighbor as yourself” as teaching self-love in order to love others. That is, we must love ourselves first, before we can truly love others. But this is not the teaching of the passage. Self-love is assumed to be the default condition; Jesus was teaching that concern for others must equal the natural concern we have for ourselves. Among the characteristics of love is this: “Love thinketh no evil.” Assume the best and trust God to do the best. Let’s face the fact that, by nature, you and I do not love. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does” James 1:22-25 (NKJV).

We were born with a selfish streak in us and even our salvation has not removed it. By nature, we are protective and suspicious. We get defensive when people disagree with us. How easy it is to lie awake at night and think of all the evil things people have said and done and imagine them to be worse than they are. Love doesn’t “keep score” when it comes to insults and injuries. But many of us do. And our scorekeeping is usually worst in our closest relationships: husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends, and fellow saints. When there’s a problem with the other person, we dust off our memories of his past transgressions and use them as weapons against him. Most of us are eager to make peace when someone has wronged us. We should be. The problem is that we often make peace without really forgiving. Instead, we file the incident away in the recesses of our mind with a little red flag on it. We store it up as ammunition in our arsenal of personal defense. That way we can bring it out and wave it in the other person’s face if he ever does anything like that again. You cannot force the other person to love you, but at least he cannot stop you from loving him. If there is an atmosphere of love, then the Spirit of God can go to work. “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” Ephesians 2:1-2 (NKJV).

Essentially this means that those who embody true, biblical love do not insist upon their own way or their own rights. Love thinketh no evil. The Bible says, “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” Love thinketh no evil. Be sure that the story is based on facts, not lies or malicious gossip. But even if the report is true, love still thinks no evil. Love does not put people on probation and make them earn Christian acceptance. Love covers a multitude of sins, and love thinketh no evil. There are times when our evaluation may be wrong, but if we are walking in faith and in love, the Lord will take care of it. This does not mean that Christian love is blind and naïve. Christian love is not about us but about others. Putting love into practice involves following the example of Jesus, considering the needs and interests of others, and denying our personal desires in order to serve those in need. God gives His wisdom to those who ask Him for it. But it does mean that we always seek to act in love, even if our interpretation is wrong. You have no idea how your life will be spared unnecessary burdens and troubles if you walk in love and stop trying to second guess everybody and look for hidden meanings. “Love thinketh no evil.” “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NKJV).

Love cannot be manufactured. Love they say makes the world go round. We are commanded to do no evil towards the people we meet in everyday life and to love them in practical ways. Loving the people that cross our path experientially, day by day, living a life of integrity and showing consideration towards others is the mark of a true believer who is walking in spirit, in truth, and in love. Artificial love is flattery and cheap sentiment, and nobody wants that. True love is the fruit of the Spirit. God gives us a growing love as we yield to the Spirit and permit Him to work in our lives. Love grows as we keep our lives clean and refuse to think evil of others. As we pray and worship God, as we serve others, we experience a growing love in the Lord. You can tell when this kind of love starts to take over in your life. When you hear a piece of gossip, your immediate response in love is, “That cannot be true.” When someone hurts you, your response is, “He didn’t mean to do that.” If someone disappoints you, you say, “There must be some good reason why he did that.” “Love thinketh no evil.” Love always gets the truth and wants the best for others. Love cannot thrive on lies, gossip, and suspicion. Love thrives on truth, honesty, and sincerity. So that you can more like Christ, this simple statement should be your guide and protection: “Love thinketh no evil.” “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection Colossians 3:13-4 (NKJV).