Charity: A GIving Love

Today is Valentine's Day. Everyone's thoughts are turned to love and their hearts are all mushy-gushy. So lets take a few moments to look at what love is. Many people would probably say that it is just a warm fuzzy feeling you get when you are around someone. Scripture has a lot to say about love so lets look at it. First of all, lets look at the greatest demonstration of love. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Lets also look at Ephesians 5:25, which says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" When we put these two verses together, we get the idea that ture love is a giving love. God's love is pure love, and He demonstrated it by giving His all for us. Next, lets examine I Corinthians 13. It has been referred to as "the love chapter."

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 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. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity here is often translated "love". While that is what it means, it goes deeper than that. It is a giving love. We aare shown here what true charity, or love is. It is patient, kind, and humble. So much of what is called love today is merely infatuation. As soon as the warm fuzzy feeling wears off, the relationship is discarded like yesterday's garbage. Scripture says that charity "beareth all things" and "endureth all things". This means that it puts up with the bad and stays through the hard times. As our precher preached on this subject yesterday, I know I was certainly challenged that my love for others is not anywhere near God's standard of true charity. How about you?