Bob got a Papa Murphy pizza the other day to bring home and bake. I reminded him as he left for the store that we wanted the “De-Lite” crust, the ultra-thin, lower carb version. It’s the only kind of pizza I can eat on my diabetic diet. And truthfully, I have grown to delight in the “De-Lite” crust.
Delight. The dictionary tells us that delight means a high degree of gratification or pleasure, joy, and extreme satisfaction. The NIV translates a word in 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) as delight. It’s a word the NKJV translates as rejoice.
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” [verse 6 NIV]
“[Love] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.” [verse 6 NKJV]
The Greek word for delight and rejoice in the first half of that verse is chairo (khah’-ee-ro); a primary verb which means to be cheerful, calmly happy or well-off. The Greek word for rejoices in the second half of the verse is a form of that word, but slightly different, and both the NIV and NKJV use “rejoices.”
Delight. Love takes no gratification or pleasure in evil, in sin. Love finds no joy or satisfaction there. Love’s satisfaction comes from a different source, the truth. That is true even though the truth is often difficult, often goes against our nature and our desires. The truth just plain hurts at times! Yet, love finds its cheer and well-being in the truth.
Beloved, evil is not something to rejoice in, it is something about which to mourn. Let us always find our delight, our joy, our cheerfulness in the presence of the truth.
