1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 Charity suffereth long, and is kind: charity envieth not: charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil: Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth: Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail: whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Yesterday we talked about Charity/LOVE, being a very important ingredient in the Christian way of life, and tried defining it. Today we continue with the same theme, giving you Paul’s words on how Charity/LOVE, actually operates; what it does and does not do. And you can see, it’s a rather long list. According to Paul, it’s long suffering, kind, not envious, nor stuck up and arrogant. Neither does Charity/LOVE behave inappropriately or selfishly, is not easily provoked, like some of us with short tempered fuses (smile). It’s not that I’m short tempered, it’s just as I get older, I find it harder to put up with a lot of the nonsense that passes for sense these days. In that respect I guess I’m uncharitable. Anyway, Paul claims that Charity/LOVE does not have evil thoughts or delights in wrongdoing, but happily deals in truth. And he’s not done yet. He also believes it possesses fortitude; a strong backbone and plenty belly, accompanied by lots of self confidence, hope, and faith. In fact he states that Charity/LOVE never fails. Wow! It leads one to wonder if it’s even humanly possible by Paul’s dictates to be perfectly charitable. I guess he was just stating the ultimate position, because I’m sure he knew that basic human nature naturally veers towards the exact opposite, the negative aspects, of all the things he outlined; selfishness, jealousy, impatience, arrogance, immorality, insecurity etc. But Friends, just because it seems a bit difficult, doesn’t mean we should not try to attain it. As believers and followers of J.C. we’re expected to aim for the stars, set our sights as close to perfection as possible. Note though, not by unreasonably stressing ourselves to do it. J.C. expects a lot of His followers, but not excessive stuff that will eventually hurt and hinder rather than help us. So please, let’s all try and be as charitable as possible. I know it doesn’t come easily, but as with most things, through patience and hard work (stick-to-it-tiveness) we can certainly improve, rise much higher than our current level. Much LOVE! ……. remember it’s for J.C’s sake…to bring Him Honour and Glory.
Yesterday we talked about Charity/LOVE, being a very important ingredient in the Christian way of life, and tried defining it. Today we continue with the same theme, giving you Paul’s words on how Charity/LOVE, actually operates; what it does and does not do. And you can see, it’s a rather long list. According to Paul, it’s long suffering, kind, not envious, nor stuck up and arrogant. Neither does Charity/LOVE behave inappropriately or selfishly, is not easily provoked, like some of us with short tempered fuses (smile). It’s not that I’m short tempered, it’s just as I get older, I find it harder to put up with a lot of the nonsense that passes for sense these days. In that respect I guess I’m uncharitable. Anyway, Paul claims that Charity/LOVE does not have evil thoughts or delights in wrongdoing, but happily deals in truth. And he’s not done yet. He also believes it possesses fortitude; a strong backbone and plenty belly, accompanied by lots of self confidence, hope, and faith. In fact he states that Charity/LOVE never fails. Wow! It leads one to wonder if it’s even humanly possible by Paul’s dictates to be perfectly charitable. I guess he was just stating the ultimate position, because I’m sure he knew that basic human nature naturally veers towards the exact opposite, the negative aspects, of all the things he outlined; selfishness, jealousy, impatience, arrogance, immorality, insecurity etc. But Friends, just because it seems a bit difficult, doesn’t mean we should not try to attain it. As believers and followers of J.C. we’re expected to aim for the stars, set our sights as close to perfection as possible. Note though, not by unreasonably stressing ourselves to do it. J.C. expects a lot of His followers, but not excessive stuff that will eventually hurt and hinder rather than help us. So please, let’s all try and be as charitable as possible. I know it doesn’t come easily, but as with most things, through patience and hard work (stick-to-it-tiveness) we can certainly improve, rise much higher than our current level. Much LOVE! ……. remember it’s for J.C’s sake…to bring Him Honour and Glory.
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