Lust is the opposite of charity.  Lust says I must have it at once regardless of the cost, regardless of the consequences.  "Charity suffereth long and is kind."  There is a world of difference between the two.  The way of charity is the long way…years of suffering, sacrificing body and soul for the ultimate dominion of spirit, of love and good works.  It is not done once and for all, but is a continual sacrificing to achieve perfection.  We can perform one shot deals like bestowing all our goods to the poor or giving my body to be burned and that is still not charity.  It is a life steadily maintained, a life of self examination and refinement, a life filled with obstacles to be overcome.  "Charity doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil."  Oh boy!  That is not natural.  That is spiritual.  That requires a severing of the spirit from the desires of the soul and the flesh and an adherence to the word of God.  The more excellent way, the way of charity, is the way of Christ.  It is a long road and a painful road.  To examine ourselves in the light of Christ and to share in his temptations takes us to the limit of our endurance and patience.  Yet it is only by getting there do we achieve perfection. 
The Gifts:

Without charity if I "have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I can move mountains" I am nothing.  The gifts do not add to my character but "bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things" does.  We must be formed into the image of Christ so that those gifts are used for the benefit of the kingdom and not my self glorification.  We are to "covet earnestly the best gifts", yet without charity, and that is a hard long road, we are not anything.  We may think we are, others may think we are, but God does not.  What makes us of worth to God is working out our salvation and becoming more and more like Jesus.  We "do not envy, do not vaunt ourselves, and do not puff ourselves up (paraphrased), what we do is keep our sights on the perfect one and follow a course that forms us into Him.  It is not a decision but a series of decisions, a way of life that has as its goal, perfection.  It is to have the heart of God.     When we are born into the kingdom of God we are babies, children, but not able to eat strong meat or understand fully what God requires, but when we become a man we put away childish things.  A child is self centered.  The man of God is God and other centered.  The long road is the movement out of self into the bosom of God.  Then the gifts become tools to manifest the kingdom of God on earth.  If we have the gifts without charity we become puffed up and self glorified.  If we have charity, we can not fail.  Prophesies can fail, tongues can cease, but love, the agape kind of love, the love that takes a long time to develop kind of love, the love which endures hardships as a soldier of Christ kind of love, that kind of love always produces fruit.  It is to be Christ, the anointing and the anointed one, on this earth. 

The Cost of Charity:

To be born into the kingdom of God, to enter and live in this kingdom means that you no longer hold allegiance to the other kingdom, the kingdom of the world and Satan.  The cost of charity is the time it takes to be loosed from all the strangleholds of the devil.  Not only addictions like alcohol, drugs, and sex but self will, lust, greed, covetousness, and self glorification.  That cost on an experiential level is difficult and painful.  The degree to which we are attached to those things, to that degree we struggle and suffer and to that degree it will take time to free ourselves. Only the truth can make us free.  Only the word can sever our soul and body from our spirit.  Only the word can help us to be led by the spirit and then, and only then, will we be sons and daughters of God.  We must meditate on the word day and night to prosper and have success.  We must not only be hearers of the word but doers.  We must count the cost and determine that we have it within us (the Holy Spirit) to finish this race and run the course and receive the crown of life.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  Lay up for yourselves treasures where moth and dust can not corrupt.  Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  Do the work of an evangelist.  Be sober and vigilant for the devil is like a roaring lion.  Determine to be first in the race.  Look not to the left or the right but ever follow that which is good.  Covet earnestly the best gifts but I show you a more excellent way.  Be ye imitators of God as dear children and walk in love. 

Amen.