Reminders for Your Spiritual Journey

According to Wikipedia, the word “charity” can refer to a charitable organization which is “an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and spreading social well-being.” The legal definition of a charitable organization varies between countries and in some instances regions of the country.”  In the USA a charitable organization is often defined as having a C3 designation. Charity, as a verb, is an action performed out of kindness, generosity, sympathy or empathy for an individual or group who are in need. It involves giving of oneself or of one’s resources to help a person or a group of people or animals who are suffering. 

In the bible, charity may be written as “agape” translated as “love that seeks the well-being of others", like Christ's love for humanity, going beyond mere affection or giving to the needy. It's the highest form of love, a virtue of the heart that motivates actions like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and showing compassion, making it the "bond of perfectness" 1 Corinthians 13. Modern translations often use the word "love" for agape, but the King James Version uses the word "charity" emphasizing active, sacrificial, God-given love. Corinthians 13 describes charity as “patient, kind, not envious, not proud, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, and enduring all things.”  Caring for the needy involves tangible acts of mercy, such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and clothing the naked as described in Matthew 25. 

For some people, charity might conjure up some negative connotations. Some people think that, accepting charity is a sign of weakness or slothfulness. It might be equated to not being able to be resourceful enough or willing enough to earn one’s own way and deliberately depending on others for a handout. While there might be some people who make bad choices and take advantage of the generosity of others, but that should not stop us from ministering to the needs of all of God’s children in whatever way we can.   We need to remember that “all have sinned and fallen short” even we ourselves. Jesus did not discriminate and neither should we, His followers. Those who need help because of their own errant actions may need more or different kinds of help, but they too deserve our help (charity) and not our judgement. May God help us to see all of God’s creatures as worthy of His grace and our best efforts to do His will in the form of love and charity towards all.

Ohio State’s football team defended their status as the 2025 national champions when they defeated the number 1-ranked Texas Longhorns to start the new season on August 30, 2025.  To prepare his team for the year following their championship, coach Ryan Day had his team read, Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great.  In essence, it teaches that excellence is arduous and requires consistent, tiring work. The coach’s decision was based on the author’s perspective.  Joshua Medcalf said, “One of the biggest challenges whenever you have won is that winning is a great deodorant.  It covers up a lot of stuff, but it doesn’t fix it.  So, it’s very important to, every single day, get up and chop the wood and carry the water.” Wall Street Journal, 8/16/25, p.A12

We all like to win at whatever game or competition we engage in, whether as a player or as a spectator.  On the other hand, we all hate to lose, and in most cases, there can only be one winner or winning side, and one loser or losing side.  There are many kinds of winning and not all of them have a corresponding looser. The best kind of winning is the kind in which everyone has an equal chance to win, and it is possible for everyone to win. In the “game” of life, we all hope to be winners, to succeed at whatever we do and to live a long and happy life.  We all know that to succeed, we need to work hard, as in “chopping wood” and “carrying water” and “chopping” and “carrying” for others as well.

The bible tells us that the only kind of winning that matters is the assurance of eternal life.  Everything else is just worldly gain for temporary gratification.  Matthew 16:26 warns that it would not profit a person to gain the whole world but lose their soul.  The verse highlights the futility of pursuing worldly success at the expense of one's spiritual well-being.  It's about trusting God completely and asking only for things that are in line with His will.

Colossians 3:23 states: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” This means that Christians should approach all their work with wholehearted dedication, seeing it as an opportunity to serve God rather than just human masters. The verse encourages diligence, integrity, and are performed for God's glory, knowing that God is the ultimate judge and rewarder. This principle applies to all forms of work and is meant as to reflect one's worship and spiritual maturity. The ultimate goal is eternal life.  The key is to follow Jesus’ lead, and through faith in Him, to find not only great satisfaction in this life but to also to have eternal life with Him in heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:57 reminds us that it is God who grants us the victory over death.  It is He who has provided the means of obtaining the ultimate prize: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Feeling and expressing thankfulness involves an emotional response to something positive that has happened or relief that something bad or difficult has passed. Other words for "thankful" include grateful, appreciative, and indebted. "Grateful" implies a strong, deep sense of appreciation, while "appreciative" emphasizes happiness about something good. "Indebted" suggests a feeling of owing someone for a favor, service or kindness they have extended to us, or for an action someone has taken to prevent something bad from happening.

Many good things happen to each of us every day, and bad things come our way often. We are grateful when good things happen and when bad things can be averted, or we live through them without ourselves or those we love or our property being destroyed.  We are even thankful when we, or our loved ones, have suffered harm and losses but have survived. Things can be replaced, but lives can only be mended, healed and preserved.

The Bible is full of advice about being thankful. The following are just a few examples of how important gratitude is in the word of God: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  Psalm 107:1 reminds us: “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”  Ephesians 5:20 emphasizes: “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Colossians 3:15-17 cautions us: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  James 1:17 says: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

These verses remind us that we should thank God, above all. For it is He who provides for us.  It is He who lifts us up and sustains us and it is He to whom all glory should be given for all that He does, has done and will do, for our wellbeing. He is the one who has provided everything and everyone that has been instrumental in the things we are thankful for. Most of all, it was He who gave His only son Jesus as a living sacrifice that we should be saved.  Praise be to God for His unfathomable and forgiving grace!