Charity part 5
We've been talking about seeing a need in someone and meeting it, right? Here's what I want to say to end this Rant series, "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" (1 Corinthians 13:3). I think this is important. Because doing good is, well, good. Right? That's seems logical. Makes a lot of sense. Better than the alternative, right? But the point is--WHY you do something is every bit as important as WHAT you do. That's why I've never really liked the idea of "fake it 'til you make it." And, like I just said, it's better than the alternative. It's better than not doing the right thing at all. But if you're faking it... it's not real. If you're doing something because you think you're "supposed" to, or because you're afraid you'll get in trouble if you don't... well, let's just say there's a more excellent way. And His name is Jesus. His name is love. Doing things heartily: to the best of your ability, because they are in your heart to do them. That's when things are real. That's when you're fulfilling your purpose. Your calling. Your destiny. That's when you're truly alive. Not when you're focused on getting... but when you're focused on giving what you've got. Sharing the love that is inside you. Your heavenly Father has filled you up with Himself--His Spirit, His Son, His nature, His life and His love. And because He has filled you up... you can fill yourself up to overflowing with what you've been filled with. You can give what you've got... because you've got something. And you know what you've got. You believe that you're got it. Everything in life comes down the heart. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). I like it even better in the Amplified Bible, "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life." Jesus is that living water, right? HE is what flows out of our hearts. And He is love. Love is what flows out of our hearts. What else possibly could? What else is the heart concerned with? What else COULD the heart be concerned with? Love, love, and only love. So it's a heart issue. It's a love issue. Charity is love in action. Charity is WHAT we do... and why we do it. The love feast--the six course meal that is the Six Steps to the Throne--that Jesus prepared for us in the presence of our enemies. That's what we have. So that's what we have to offer. We get to chow down on that feast... but it's better when we eat with people. When we share that feast. When, like it says in Revelation 22:17, "...the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come and get it!" They don't say, "Come, or else." And then we hear that invitation and we turn around and give that invitation. We see how good it is and then we tell people how good it is. We receive and release the gift of God. The love that He has given to us. The love that we have. We give that love by putting what we believe into action. By actively, physically, literally loving people. Not the idea of love, but the act of love!