Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In I Cor. 13, KJV, we read of "charity" and how it never fails.
1 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.
Some translations of the Bible remove the word "charity" and use the word "love."
This is misleading. You can love someone because they have been kind to you. But charity is kind to the unthankful and even to the evil. Charity is the extension of mercy when the person deserves condemnation. Charity is very different from love though charity is love.
The last time I went to my eye doctor for glaucoma containment, they had a new girl working in the test area. She tried to take photo of my eyes. She had to retake them. The light is very bright from the cameras and can hurt your head and some people even get bad headaches so to have to do pictures multiple times in the test is hard.
Finally she had to go to office area and get help.
Then she was going to test eye pressure in my eyes. She put drops in my eyes and the fluid ran down both eyes onto my face. She somehow missed the eye.
She was obviously incompetent in this job.
When the eye drops ran down my face she was upset and apologized. I said, "Oh, that's OK. Sometimes I miss my eyes when I put drops in."
Later I realized the way I dealt with her was with "charity".
Charity is often extended when there is no possibility of reward to us personally. I may never see this young woman again. Some people would complain to her because they know they might never see her again.
Charity is the thing that happens when the person is worthy of being rebuked or criticized but you choose not to do this.
Later I realized I extended charity to this worker at the eye doctor's office.