~Above All~

This photo has nothing to do with anything here. Just, well, LoVe! He is totally not allowed on my bed, and here I find him.

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:12-17

Just like we have to get up every morning and choose to put on Joy, Charity is something we have to put on as well. Some people just aren't as easy to LoVe and some days just aren't as LoVeLy as other days. Put 'love' on anyhow. I have shared three sets of character trait devotions for kids on the 'Mom Life' page of this website. One of the devotions on the 2nd set is on 'Charity'. I want to share it with you here today! Happy February!!

Charity is ‘love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow man, and to do them good.’ What does the Bible tell us about charity? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says this, “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.” Basically, charity is a biblical love. A selfless love as we see in Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 Corinthians 13:3 says, “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.” We can do all the good in the world, but if we do not love others as God has loved us, it is all in vain.

John 13:34-35 says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” He set the example. All we have to do is follow it. Verse 35 tells us by showing this love, others will know we are His. You can show others you love them by serving them. Bake cookies for a friend, rake leaves for a neighbor, take groceries to a family in need. Write a note to someone who is feeling down, draw a picture for a friend in the hospital. There are so many ways to show we truly care for and love others. Make a list of people you know that are in need (in need of encouragement, food, company, friendship, etc.). Then pray for them. Ask God to show you how you can help them. God will supply all you need, if you truly want to demonstrate this great love to the people He has placed in your life. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Put a smile on your face then go out and spread God’s love around! “Charity never faileth…” 1 Corinthians 13:8