1 Corinthians 13:5 – Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

One thing about charity, in I Corinthians 13, is that it does not seek its own, it is not selfish.  The world’s mentality is-you are number one.  Everything is about pleasing self.  If we are not happy, then you should do whatever you need to, to make yourself happy.  We are allowed to complain and grip and have a bad attitude.  We can be rude to our family and the clerk at the store.  It is our right.  The problem is, that is not Bible.  That is not practicing charity.

Having a bad attitude and a bad spirit shows a lack of desire to please others.  When you are unhappy, you are saying that God has not given you what you think you deserve.  We often blame others for our bad attitude. Someone did not do what we wanted them to do and it is their fault we are in such a bad mood.  There are a lot of bad attitude Baptists who go to church, week after week, and have no charity in their heart.  If you were thinking more about others, you would not think that you deserve anything.  You would be happy with whatever you have or however you are treated.

When we are easily provoked, we show a lack of charity and a lack of a Spirit-filled life.  Instead we are showing we are full of the works of the flesh.  The key is to think no evil.  If you would look at others in a more positive light and give your brothers and sisters in Christ the same benefit of the doubt you believe you deserve, you would be exhibiting charity.  Maybe, quit seeking your own and seek making someone else happy when they are having a bad day.

Christ was reviled and the Bible says he reviled not back.  In other words, he was able to take being falsely accused, or chewed out, and not give it back to someone else.  He had control of His spirit.  We need to let God’s spirit control us if we are not going to be easily provoked and have charity.  We need to seek other’s  good and not our own, from a true heart of love, that only Christ could put there.  That is not going to happen overnight, in the Christian’s life.  It takes years to build that kind of charity in our lives.  We need to stay in the book, get God’s mind; and then, by faith, ask the Lord for the same charity He had toward us, as we put it in practice toward others.