The Pursuit of Charity

1 JOHN 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us"

Charity has been defined in so many ways by different people, but of all the definitions that i have heard my favorite is that Charity is "Perfect and Everlasting Love". Charity is the love that Christ has for us, as well as the kind of love that we should have for each other. Of course getting to a point in our lives where we have that much selfless love for others is not an easy task. Charity requires a lifelong pursuit! I'm writing this blog in order to put down in words some of the thoughts that come to me in relation to the pursuit of charity. For any who read this, my hope is that you will be able to overlook my obvious weakness in writing, and find something in the thoughts I have written that will be of worth to you.

Becoming Selfless in Pursuit of Charity

The first thought that comes to my mind when it comes to the pursuit of charity is selflessness. I don't think we can ever really have charity until we are able to forget ourselves and focus on those around us. One of Satins greatest tools is to get us thinking so much about ourselves; our wants, our needs, our trouble, that we forget to serve others. We must be willing to surrender what we want for what is of real worth. the adversary is good at making the cares of the world seem so important, but if we take a minute to think about what is really important in life I think that our time can often be spent in the pursuit of much better things. I have sometimes caught myself thinking thinks like "if I take the time to do this... for him, I will not have time for this...". Though serving others does require some sacrifice, I think it's important to remember that when we let the lord use our time He can accomplish much more with it than we ever could otherwise. The goal is "ultimate submission". I have heard it said that our wills constitute all we really have to give God. Everything else that we have is already His! But our own personal will He will never take from us, we must choose to give it to Him. In return God promises that the fully faithful will receive "all that [He] hath'! In light of that eternal truth giving up my petty concerns and selfish desires to serve others becomes much easier. My Dad often says (Speaking of life) "We are all in this thing together" I love that statement. We are not alone, we are all here together, and we are here to help each other succeed! The man content to get to heaven alone will never get to heaven!