Charity - The Pure Love of Christ

I am sure that all of you, at some point in your life, have loved someone very deeply. If not, than sometime in your life you surely will. God intends for us to be happy. And love is one of the greatest components of happiness.

I have the opportunity today to speak about “the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love.” It is also known as: Charity-The pure love of Christ. (*1)

The meaning of charity has been slightly construed in this world now. You hear poor, proud, suffering people say things like, “I don’t want to be a charity case,” or “I don’t accept charity from anyone.”

But Charity is never defined as the ‘doing of alms, or deeds, or benevolence.’ The LDS Bible dictionary says only that those may be a prompting motive. Charity is, simply, the strongest love there is, and who doesn’t want to be loved? (*2)

LDS.org states that: “Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul.” (*3)

Charity is a pure love. Not spot, no defilement, no ulterior motives, no lust, no fanciful imaginations of the heart. It is not simply affection. It is the Pure Love of Christ. As such, I don’t really believe that any of us can fully comprehend it. It is a perfect love that caused a perfect man to suffer for our sins and die for us. John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Charity and love are something that has to be worked towards. Not something that just happens automatically inside of us. As we strive to better ourselves and become like Christ, Charity is a key component. Charity is a love of all people. Not just those you like, or those you always get along with perfectly. And not just those who love you back. Love for all, including your enemies, is the higher law of the kingdom. To care for those who are happy and confident and smart and beautiful is an easy task. There is no hardship in it. And it does not make us any better. Perfect love sees past flaws, it sees past hardships, it sees past anger, and sadness, and hurt.

In a talk by President Uchtdorf entitled, “Lift where you Stand,” he said, “When we seek to serve others, we are motivated not by selfishness, but by charity. This is the way Jesus Christ lived His life and the way a holder of the priesthood must live his. The Savior did not care for the honors of men; Satan offered Him all the kingdoms and glory of the world, and Jesus rejected the offer immediately and completely. Throughout His life, the Savior must have often felt tired and pressed upon, with scarcely a moment to Himself; yet He always made time for the sick, the sorrowful, and the overlooked.” (*4)

We are commanded to love all of God’s children.

In Matt 22:36-40, there is a story of a lawyer asking Jesus a question. And it reads:

Jesus knew that if we could just learn to love everyone perfectly, then there would be no sin left in us. Sin cannot dwell in a charitable heart. It is impossible for the two to coexist together. A heart of gold cannot feel the effects of sin and darkness, and a filthy heart cannot feel the sweetness of love for other people.

"As the love of Christ, charity is characterized as selfless and self-sacrificing (1 Cor. 13:5), emanating from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned (1 Tim. 1:5). Thus, more than an act, charity is an attitude, a state of heart and mind (1 Cor. 13:4-7) that accompanies one's works and is proffered unconditionally (D&C 121:45)." (*5)

Love is what causes a good dad to give up his time for his kids; it causes a young lady to prepare a meal for a poor neighbor. Love can be great, or it can be small. The greatest of all love is charity. Charity causes people to do things more for another person’s benefit, even at, sometimes, tremendous costs to them. Examples include things like: serving in the military to defend your country, your people, and your freedoms, giving up two years of your life to serve a mission to people you have never even seen before, and deciding to become a mother or father and raise a family. 

What reason can these people give for doing those kinds of things? Not simply because they wanted to or because they felt like it. There was something much more there, a stronger kind of power. There is absolutely no selfishness. There is only a charitable heart in a loving person who thinks more for others than for themselves.

Now, as I was preparing this article, I kept coming across the phrase that many sources use to define charity. And that is: “Pure or Perfect Love.” As I thought about that, another scripture came to mind, and it is 1^st John 4:18. It states, “Perfect Love casteth out fear.”

If your heart is filled with Perfect Love, which is Charity, than you will not fear. You won’t fear to do good, you won’t fear to sacrifice your time for others. And, if your heart and your life are full of charity, you won’t even fear death or the judgment bar of God. For how could death even matter in the slightest when you have lived a good life, hand-in-hand with Christ? You won’t be scared. In fact, you will be joyous. And those you leave behind will be rejoicing as well, for they will know that you are not simply dead. They will understand that you have passed the ultimate test, and that your end will be glorious.

1 Corinthians 13: 8 and 13 state that out of Faith hope, and charity, the greatest is charity. And charity never faileth.

Elder Gene R. Cook stated that “Charity [is] a selflessness, not seeking for anything in return. All of our divine attributes seem to flow from and be encompassed by this one. All men may have the gift of love, but charity is bestowed only upon those who are true followers of Christ.” (*6)

Brothers and Sisters, this life is a test. It is the greatest test that we will ever have to face. Our trials come from our dealings with other people, and our dealings with ourselves, We have to learn how to control our temper at people, learn to love everyone around us, get along and work with difficult people, help those in need, be kind to those who are struggling, not strike back at others who treat us wrongly, and many other things.

If we were marooned on an island, it would be easy to pass all those tests, because there would be nobody else around besides yourself. That is why God put us all down here together. To learn from each other, to help each other to grow, to lend a helping hand to those in need, comfort those that need comforted, and strengthen those that are weak. That is Charity.

For what good are we without others? Without other people to serve and help? Everyone at some point in their life is going to need help. Even as an adult. What good are we without others? And what good are we if we choose to be selfish, unhelpful, unkind, self-centered people? We may as well be marooned on an island if we decide to only focus on ourselves instead of on others.

Charity and Love require open arms and an open heart. And it’s not just the receiver that gains. In all reality, the giver gains more. We cannot help another person without we, ourselves, becoming better. It is a natural law, that as we grow in love and good works, we will improve, we will become better, and we will grow close to God. Moroni told us that: “Except ye have Charity, ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God.”

Brothers and Sisters, Love is a great thing. Love for all mankind can be hard, but it will bring many great blessings and joys into your life. God loves us all, no matter what kinds of mistakes we make. If you fill your life with the pure Love of Christ, your days will be brighter and happier, and you will come to know and feel the love that Christ has for you as your serve Him by serving others. Life can be glorious and wonderful. 

But only if we choose it to be.

Sources:

*1:  https://www.lds.org/topics/charity?lang=eng

*2:  LDS Bible Dictionary: Charity

*3:  https://www.lds.org/topics/charity?lang=eng

*4:  Dieter F. Uchtdorf; "Lift Where You Stand", October 2008

*5:  Fuhriman, Addie; http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Charity

*6:  Cook, Gene R.; "Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love", April 2002

About Me

My name is Tara Howard. I am twenty-one, and currently attending college at BYU. I am studying Psychology. 

My hobbies over the years have included acting, singing, several musical instruments (including the saxophone and piano), swimming, running, and writing. Currently, I am training intensely in TaeKwonDo. I am a Blackbelt and have been doing the martial arts for several years. I have traveled all over the country to compete in various competitions. I have even qualified for, and competed in regionals, and then the TaeKwonDo National Championships. I would love to be able to compete internationally one day. I also am learning judo and several martial arts weapons as well. 

My family was raised in the country. We had a large garden full of raspberries and strawberries, mostly. There were several animals including a big dog, horses, and a couple of milk cows. I grew up in a family of ten kids. I am very normal in a lot of ways. I love to laugh, and spend time with friends and family. I like chocolate, reading good books, telling jokes, and standing out in the rain to watch the lightning.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born and raised in the church. I have never drifted away. I relied on my parents' testimonies at first, but I eventually gained my own. Although I asked questions, I never doubted. Something about the church always just felt so right, so warm, so good. It made me unafraid of the present, and unafraid of the future. 

I have been around the country, and have met many people. Plenty of Mormons, as well as members of all sorts of other religions. 

I know that God would never cease to give revelation to His children, unless we were in a complete and utter state of wickedness. That is why I believe that there is a Prophet of God always here on this earth, to receive guidance and direction for all of us. To add to that, we can receive our own personal revelation as well, every single day, in everything that we do. I have felt the strength inside of me as I pray and read the scriptures every morning and every evening. I continue to learn, and the blessings continue to be poured out upon me. 

Being able to go to church, and to be able to continually feel of the spirit and happiness that is there, is the greatest blessing there is. All the teachings of the church feel so right and so true. They are there for our eternal happiness. They teach us the right ways to live that will take the unneeded misery out of our lives that would come from the consequences of sin. I truly believe in the power of the priesthood. I believe in it with all of my heart. 

I believe in the church, and I believe in God. We are all given trials, and God will help us through all of them. They help us to learn, and to grow. We receive continual revelation for our day, and we can receive personal revelation daily in our lives.

How I live my Faith

My callings in church over the years have mainly been to assist and help other young women, like me. We planned activities, spiritual lessons, and service projects that we might participate in. My sister and I would visit the elderly in our ward, and take cookies to those who needed a boost. I include God in everything that I do. 

Every morning and every night, I pray. I also pray before every TaeKwonDo competition that I compete in, and I study the scriptures diligently. I am not afraid to stand up for my religion and for who I am. 

I am also not afraid to uphold all of the standards that the church has proclaimed. I would follow them anyway, because I know with a surety that they make me so much better than I could possibly be without them. I would never swear, or dress indecently, or consume anything that would contaminate my body. I also avoid things that would contaminate my mind and spirit as well. This is who I am. 

The blessings I’ve been given, the great life that I’ve been allowed to live, would not be possible at all without the help, and comfort, and blessings of my God. He is always there for me. I am not afraid to work towards all my hopes and dreams, because I know that He is always there, and He always has my back.

You Have Forgotten

A long time ago, there was a great King living in a distant land. To us, it was not distant though, for we lived there, with that King. He was our Father, and He loved us dearly. He taught us the ways of happiness, and how to become the most we possibly could with the different talents and skills we had been given. He taught us how to be dignified, respectful, and loving. He taught us how to be the Princes and Princesses that we had been born to be.

But there came a time, when the great King needed to send each of us off for a time, to learn the things that could only be learned through experience and from being away. All of us left, to discover the different things that we were to learn, away from the castle and the kingdom.

Many of them wandered, and didn’t return. They found distant lands, and settled down to till and grow. They worked there day in and day out. They became so focused on the task at hand, that they entirely forgot about their past. They forgot who they were. They forgot that they had been born to higher nobility, and that they deserved so much better than what they had settled for.

But the great King remembered all His children, and He missed the ones that had strayed. Many of His children had returned, but many had not. He went to His children who had returned, and sent them forth again, to find the ones who had forgotten. Away they went, individually or as groups, to survey the land, and find again their brothers and sisters, and bring them back.

A young princess wandered many days. She visited many people. A lot of them she recognized as her siblings she had known before, but they were different now. As if a light had gone out from behind their eyes. She realized, they had forgotten. Forgotten who they were.

Some of them listened, but not all of them did. Happiness filled her heart when another brother or sister of her’s joined her on the journey, but many of them would not. Many of them would not even listen to the message that she bore from the King, “Come home. Come join me again. I still love you, and I always will.”

Then one day, she passed a large field where a young man working. He was slopping the pigs, weeding the garden, digging ditches, and he was filthy from head to toe. This was his life. She recognized him as a brother, dear to her heart, that she had used to spend many hours with every day. They would sing songs, ride horses, and tell jokes.

With hope in her heart, she approached him. When he looked up she smiled, but he only looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. She introduced herself to him, but he did not remember her. He felt pity on the young girl though, and brought something for her to eat.

While they ate together, they talked. He listened to her stories of the past life, where they lived in the kingdom. He felt a stirring in his heart, and yet still he was not sure. He still did not remember. When they had finished their meal, he bid her farewell, and she departed, with a heaviness in her heart. He had listened, but still he was not sure.

Many weeks passed, and the young princess visited him as often as she could. They had many conversations. Slowly there started to come a change over the young man as his memories of the kingdom started coming back. They talked of the Great King, of the life they had lived with Him, of all the things that He had taught them. Slowly the light was coming on inside the young man.

Until one day he asked her, “Why do you keep coming back? Every time we talk, I am covered in mud. I have forgotten the kingdom, and the King. Why has He not forgotten me? I have messed up in so many ways. I don’t know if I can ever change. What help can you give me? What is the point of this? What do you see in me?”

She paused, and then replied, “You have forgotten who you are. The world has made you forget, but I am here to help you remember. “

“You are the son of a Great King, and you have eternity at your fingertips. Let go of those things that don’t matter so much, and remember who you are.”

“Unless you remember who you are, you will not know how to act. You will not know how to live your life, or be able to see all that you can become.”

“Unless you remember who you are, you will not be able to change. Let go of the dirt, sweat, and stains, and put on your clothes of nobility once again.”

“Remember who you are. As a son of the Great King, you are a Prince, with nobility and strength running through your veins. You are here working for this small amount of wealth, while the wealth of the whole kingdom is within your reach. Things that matter more are all you need to be worried about.”

“Anyone can change, especially you.”

Remember who you are.

I believe in you.

And so does God. Who is our Great King.

And our Heavenly Father.

**************
--Tara Howard



Copyright Aug. 30, 2014