November 16
Straight from the Pastor’s Heart by Dr.Hernes Abante
2 Peter 1:7 - “And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”
We have now reached the greatest of all virtues; it is Charity or “Agape.” This highest form of virtue is the only source and motivation for everything that comes from God. It is God’s eternal virtue that has given way to our eternal salvation.
Charity is the Love God had shed abroad when He gave His Son to die to save us. It means “affection, goodness, perfect love, and benevolence.” - an expression of His “unconditional love” for us. Despite our sinfulness, He loves us with everlasting love.
How amazing it is to know that God’s love is in us. We do not have to search for love, for His love is more than enough to satisfy all our needs. Through His love, we are sustained, protected, preserved, and privileged to show and share His love.
As we grow in our faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness, we must remain in the love of God. Let us consider these virtues represent each step on a ladder. If you could think of your spiritual level, what would you be? With faith, we must move up to virtue - knowledge - temperance - patience - godliness - brotherly kindness, and finally, Charity.
The idea is to move up at each level of growth. From faith, we should be advancing to moral goodness, growing in our knowledge of God, having temperance or self-control, being patient, and showing godliness. We should have brotherly kindness, and all these qualities must have the unconditional love of God.
Without agape love or charity, we are nothing. It matters not how much we know, how much we understand, how much we speak, how much we do. It is not how gifted we are - even our achievements. Without charity, we are nothing.
1 Corinthians 13 describes the real essence of Biblical Christianity. It is the way of life only made possible by God, Who is LOVE and far above what this world can offer. Charity is WHY we are Christians. It is the core of what we believe. This is what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:5: “Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:”
We are meant to produce charity in our lives. God does not only give us knowledge and understanding for the sake of knowing. Jesus saved us so we could be new creatures. As God’s sons, we must have a character and nature befitting the sons of God. The end of the commandment is charity. All the law teaches and instructs is to produce a life marked by charity.
Colossians 3:14: “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Look at what it says in Hebrews 6:1 - “let us go on unto perfection” and what Paul writes in Colossians 1:28, “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” We are meant to be perfect. Jesus Christ also says in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
A life without charity is not perfect. We may have faith, know some things, and even be right, but without charity, we are not going to perfection. This perfectness is not saying we will not sin. It does mean that we are supposed to grow and build upon the faith of Christ.
What has been added to your life of faith since you were saved? Are you still the same? Where is the virtue, the knowledge, the temperance, the patience, the godliness, the brotherly kindness, and the charity? We should not be lacking in these things.
In 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible tells us, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God, and faith gives us access to this grace where we stand. Faith is essential, but charity is more excellent.
Faith is the foundation and the starting point of our life in Christ, but its end is charity. It is faith that has changed a person to the newness of life. We are not saved to go to heaven and to know the correct teachings. We are saved to be witnesses and ambassadors to manifest the grace and the love of God.
Christianity is not about being doctrinally and morally right. Do not allow charity to be missing because it is the whole point of everything! We need faith and hope, but 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all things be done with charity.”
We must, therefore, add charity and abound and be fervent in it because charity will turn our Christian life into a blessed experience of enjoying the fullness of God. Let us pray that charity abides in us, for it is the more excellent way.
Our prayer for today:
Our loving Father, You have shown and given us your love so we could love you back with the same love your Son Jesus expressed on the cross.
May we always be aware of living according to your love that is perfect, unconditional, and righteous but gracious and forgiving and willing to forgive and to restore.
Please help us to not only be satisfied with faith, Grace, and hope. May charity abound in us and be constant in living and serving you.
Forgive us that often we do things out of duty instead of Charity. Sometimes, we still seek other kinds of love. We are forgetting that your love is more than enough.
Thank you, Lord, for making us realize this great truth today. We again pray humbly in the precious name of Jesus. Amen!