A Talk I Wrote on Charity...

Charity in the Bible dictionary says charity: The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection, the pure love of Christ. Do I have that kind of love? Right now I would say probably not, but through the Lord I've been developing that kind of love, and I know we all can!! To rephrase it's not actually a we can thing, it's a we absolutely must thing. We must develop charity! Charity is the most important attribute for Salvation. The Lord has said "Except they should have charity they were nothing"(2 Nephi 26:30). We could be good at everything, good looking, having a worldly perfect life but without charity "it profiteth me nothing"(1 Cor 13:1-3). I believe there are three areas that need charity the most 1-Family life/marriage 2-Inside the gospel/missionary work 3-at the judgment bar of God. Mostly I want to talk about first two then briefly on the third.

FAMILY LIFE/MARRIAGE

The bond between husband and wife is a very sacred bond Heavenly Father has entrusted us with. We must "carry them (our spouse) all the days of old"(1 cor 63:9). Just as the angel comforts in that scripture we must be our spouses Angel. We must bare their burdens and carry them! The only way to accomplish this is through charity. Through real, pure charity there would be no fights or arguments and with that true love of Christ absolutely no divorces. Because through charity we forgive! through a Charity filled home you would not "(lose) the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them"(Jacob 2:35) But instead "ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and serve one another"(Mosiah 4:15) I watched one morning as I sat and ate my breakfast, two cheerful loving young boys running into the breakfast shop(soon to find out was ran by their parents). The youngest, his smile quickly turned to a sad a frustrated look and out the shop he went. Wondering what was going on I looked around quickly to find a mom with a frustrated angry look on her face. The young boy had forgotten a book from home. A book!! The happy morning smile of a young man was ruined because of a book that was left at home. What’s more important a book or your relationship with your child? I know all parents would say the child, but do we always act in that way? Do we get frustrated and mad when something was left at home, and now we have to turn the car around to get it? (as an example). You have to turn around to get it anyway, why add a couple mad faces and some comments in with it? Brush it off, and enjoy the sacred relationships we have with our family! Then comes the opposite of charity, selfishness, the proud. Me, me, me instead of them, them, them. Satan's onslaught on families is never ending and only getting stronger by the second. By the time you’re done reading this Satan will have destroyed many families....don't let this happen. Fight back!! "And the Lord said that: ye shall defend your families even unto blood shed."(Alma) Fight Back!! Satan is powerful, but the family based on Jesus Christ's teachings puts up a wall that Satan can't match against. Everyday say I love you, everyday forgive for wrong doings, just love, love, love. Not any love but the love of Charity, pure selfless love. Husbands "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life"(Eccl 9:9) Wife's "To love their husbands, and to love their children"(Titus 2:4). Serve, serve, serve! No excuse not to! Do this you'll have a successful marriage regardless how many fiery darts Satan throws at you and your family!!

INSIDE GOSPEL/MISSIONARY WORK

Everything Christ did was out of charity (1 Ne 19:9). Healed the sick, cared for the poor, taught the unlearned and learned. Then the most sacrificial, charitable event in the History of mankind, he died for each and every one of us. The perfect charity reacquired to have nailed driven through your hands and wrists, hung up on a cross, then to say to the father to forgive the people "For they know not what they do", and then humbly giving up the spirit to go back to the one he loves and calls dad. Are we willing to be "they who have endured crosses of the world"(2 Ne 9:18) Are we willing to follow His perfect example and carry our crosses with Him, in hope that we will live with him some day? We may be mocked for doing what is Right....But was Jesus Not mocked? Our friends may betray us for choosing the right...Was Jesus not betrayed by Judas. We may not be accepted of the world for keeping the standards of the church..."He is despised and rejected of men"(Mosiah 14:3) was Jesus even being perfect not spit upon, whipped, yelled at, and cursed? Yes even He was rejected of his own. "Your loyalty is first to the Lord"(missionary handbook) Live not in fear of mans judgment!!! Don't pick what will my "friends" think about me, pick what will my "true friend Jesus Christ" think about me. Think this in every situation. In doing stuff with the world According to a living prophet President Hinckley, "Don't be stupid". Don't follow the ways of the world that doesn't have a bit of charity involved. The world is lustful, covetness, greedy, and all about self gratification, nothing to do with charity. Run, run far away, get out of the world. Live in it but not of it. Stand as far away from the edge as possible. Or don't even go up the mountain to get to the edge in the first place. Fortify yourself, then take your testimony and teach the gospel to a world that is in an ever so desperate state. This world needs the cleansing ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Missionary work, missionary work, missionary work!! We all need to be involved. This gospel isn't a get baptized, sit back and enjoy the ride gospel!! Do you remember what we promised when we were baptized? "Desirous to...bear one another burdens....mourn with those that mourn....comfort those that stand in need of comfort....to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places" (Mosiah 18:8-10) "yeah let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you"(Alma 34:27) We need to get off the couch and invite people to be baptized. "That none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God....Join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God"(Alma 5:5-6) Join together, help your fellow brothers and sisters know God. Help them who will be forever grateful for that invite you gave them to come to church, Mutual, Family Home Evening, or even meet with the missionaries. Pray and diligently study for the charity to do missionary work. How do we develop the charity? Enos provided a great example of receiving things from God. "After I had prayed and labored will all diligence, the Lord said unto me, I will grant unto these according your desires"(Enos 1:12). It involves prayer and putting it into action. In Preach my Gospel it tells us to prayer fervently to receive this gift, also study, then look for opportunities to serve others. The word gift is a very important key word!! A gift is to be given something. We can't wake up one morning and all of a sudden tell ourselves we have charity. Because it is a gift from God it must be earned, then be given to us as a gift from the hands of God himself. We have to do all we can to develop the true gift of charity, once we do missionary work will become a way of life, Not just a turn 19 or 21 and serve a mission, or serve a couples mission, then 2 years or so your done, sign out, you've done your job, pat yourself on the back. There is more, missionary work can and should be a way of life. I have an Aunt, Aunt Nola, if anyone wants an example of living the missionary life look to her. She's still young in heart, and I'm sure since she was born she was given the charitable heart for a lifetime missionary service. At family home evening (when she could make it) she would tell me stories of her doing missionary work. i didn't realize or understand the importance of the work she was doing. Not until I've personally come out to join her in the service of the Lord. She is an amazing example, that we never retire from missionary work!! President Gordon B. Hinckley Said "That there is a better way to do missionary work then just tracting, which is through the members"(paraphrased). We must put forth out Love and befriend those that don't have the gospel yet. Spread the happiness. This is a happy, absolutely perfect gospel....So share it!!! "and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the highest"(Luke 6:35)

AT THE JUDGEMENT BAR

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and who so is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him"(Moroni 7:47). Through charity we are accepted into God's kingdom to live with Him. Because of charity we receive eternal life and exaltation, the ability to eternally progress, the ability to live with our families forever, the ability to become Gods. The Question is why wouldn't we want charity? Well we should want it and absolutely need it. Heavenly Father has told us through scriptures we need charity to live with Him. Because we must have charity he is willing to help us develop it. Do all you can, I want to see everyone in the Celestial Kingdom, in a perfect happy state of life!!!

Through studying charity I have grown to realize the true pure love of Christ. To even start to understand the Love of the Savior has for each of us is a big step for me in my life. I've come to love my Savior, Truly love him. His perfect charity led him to accomplish the single thing that has changed my life, that is His Atonement. I know without a single doubt the atonement is real, because I've seen the Healing Power work in my life, as well as in the life's of others. Jesus Christ is our Savior, He already suffered for our sins, now we just need to personally accept that suffering. When we don't repent the savior in essence suffered for no reason (he suffered because of his pure love) because we won’t allow that suffering to change our lives. We need to use the atonement, repent every day, and come unto Christ. He loves us and Lives. I know he lives!! He is the only way be which we will receive exaltation. So let us turn unto Him I so beg and pray for in His Sacred name even Jesus Christ, Amen!