“Flatter not thyself in thy faith to God if thou wantest charity for thy neighbor; and think not thou hast charity for thy neighbor if thou wantest faith to God. Where they are not both together, they are both wanting: they are both dead if once divided.”
Francis Quarles (1592-1744) as recounted in The Christian Register on 26 November 1908, vol. 13: 1285. Quarles was an English poet known for his famous work, Emblems.
In modern terms, Quarles is saying Christ-followers must also be neighbor-lovers. The two ideas cannot be separated. My prayer this season of Lent is both that we grow in faith toward God and that we serve as conduits of God’s material and spiritual blessings to those around us, which includes the destitute and the undeserving.
Why? As we approach the cross we realize how destitute and undeserving we were when the generosity of God was extended toward us! Without this faith or understanding of grace, there can be no charity. With it, the potential for generosity and charity becomes limitless because the cross is for everyone!