Charity, Love & the Heart

This weekend was nice.  Productive and relaxing all at the same time.  Went to the gym Friday night to fellowship, play games and play ball.  I participated in the fellowship - not so much the games or ball!  I had already had my exercise for the day and they were playing Nertz - a game I refuse to play.  My OCD kicks in and I get frustrated!  Not good for me, but hilarious to the other players!

Saturday was nice, slept all the way to 9:30am!  WOW!  Got up, had coffee, and cleaned out my sewing space.  I also cleaned out several drawers in my bedroom to make room for my fabric stash.  The drawers previously held remnants of old crafts that I have not and will not use or complete.  I filled up a trash bag and a box of TRASH to throw away, filled 3 bags full of stuff to bring to Goodwill, and placed a small handful of "keepers" in my closet on the shelf.  This gave me 4 drawers to place my fabric stash in.  I filled them to capacity!

Since this cleared up much needed space in my sewing area, I was able to re-organize my pattern collection.  WHEW!  I have a LOT of patterns!  :)  No complaints here, though!  After I got that all straightened out, we completely filled my trunk up with Goodwill donations, dropped them off at the local donation center, and headed to Bridge City for another night of good food, fellowship and NERTZ!  Again - I watched from a distance!  :)

Sunday was a beautiful day - my car temperature registered a nice, toasty 103!!!  Let me tell you this - if you've ever spent a summer in SETX, you will want to get your life straight with God!  Hell's gonna be HOT!  HOTTER than here!  :)  Bro. Hammer preached his heart out Sunday morning - admonishing us to keep our old landmarks and to stop putting pressure on him to move them or remove them!  Thank God for strong men of God who will stand up and stand firm.  Pray for the ministry daily!  They are under siege daily by Satan and the pressures of this world.  They are only human, after all, and it can be so taxing on them mentally, physically and spiritually!  Bro. Cade Howard preached last night, but I didn't get to hear him because our team was serving baked potatoes and dessert ole's after church and we had to head out to the kitchen. 

Since we have been studying about being a submissive wife, it has really got me stirred up.  Being a submissive wife has SO MUCH material to review.  It also parallels our submissiveness to God.  One of the basic bonds between a husband and wife is love.  This got me to thinking, so yesterday afternoon I took a few minutes to study I Corinthians Chapter 13:

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.

² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

⁵ Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

⁸ 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.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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.

¹³ And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.



Profound, no?  I took the time to look up the words Charity, Love, and Heart in the Miriam-Webster dictionary.  Charity is defined a "benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity".  Love is defined as "strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties".  Heart is defined as "one's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations; the central or innermost parts; the essential or most vital part of something". 

I believe in the text from I Corinthians, love can be substituted for charity.  However, if my heart is not right, clean, pure...it is unable to contain true charity/love.  Quite a bit to think about, I should say.  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  The words of David ring in my mind.  What a pitiful creature I am but for the grace of God.  I am thankful today for the Holy Ghost, for it's cleansing power, for the change it continually creates in me.  If there be any good thing in me, all the glory goes to Him, my creator, my savior, my friend, Jesus.  I am so thankful for the redeeming blood of Calvary that still flows today.  Our next goal will be to memorize I Corinthians Chapter 13 in its entirety.  It's good to memorize God's work and keep it safely in your heart everywhere you go.

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K.  Bye, now!