1 Corinthians 13:8
“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.”
Love is the key element in any relationship. You often hear young people say, “I’m in love.” Those of us who have been married for any length of time chuckle when we hear them say that for we know that they don’t truly understand the real meaning of love. Though they may love to their capacity, their love is very small compared to a love that has been tested for many years.
God deals with the subject of love in 1 Corinthians 13. Instead of calling it love, God chose to call it charity. Charity carries a far deeper meaning than love in that charity is giving of oneself to help one in need. When you look at the verse above, you will find there are three ways God chose to define charity to show it’s longevity.
First, God says that charity never fails. This carries a two-fold meaning in that never failing can mean it always accomplishes what it set out to do. It can also mean that it never shuts off. I often say that once you choose to love someone you can never stop loving them. I also believe that once you let love do a work, it will eventually get through. You may think you are getting nowhere with someone, but though they may be successful in shunning you, they can never stop the love you invested in them.
Second, God also says that charity will never cease. In other words, it will never come to an end. You will never exhaust the resources of love. You may think you have no more love to give, but if you keep on giving love, you will find that there will always be more love to give. You can give all the love you have today to help someone, but you will find that there will be more love to give tomorrow. Don’t ever hold back on giving your love, for the faucet of love will keep on pouring as long as you keep on giving.
Third, charity will never vanish away. What I love about this statement is that it is implying that it will never go out of style. Trends come and go, but charity is always in style. Methods work today and fail tomorrow, but charity is always a tried and proven method. Charity will never get to the point that it no longer exists. When everything has come and gone, charity will still be the in-style tool of choice to help those in need.
Friend, the one thing that will always work in the hearts of individuals is charity. You may come and go, but if you love people, your love will continue on after you are gone. Styles and trends may change, but charity will always be something you can use that is never out of style. Whatever you have used to try to change people may have failed, but you can always use charity and it will never fail. I encourage you to love those with whom you work. You will find that the investment of charity in anyone’s life is the greatest investment that will pay the greatest dividends.