In
God's plan for our happiness, as important as it is to do good things, it is
more important for us to become like Christ. As we talk about Charity today,
let us think about ways we can become more like our Savior.
The Great Commandment
and Associated Blessings
"Master,
which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:36-39).
"Though
I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am
become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have
all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give
my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" (1
Corinthians 13).
Q Why is charity the
greatest of all virtues, the most important Christlike attribute for us to
develop?
·
Charity
marks us as true disciples of Jesus Christ and we receive the blessing of His
atonement; if we are full of love we are on the path back to God
o "Wherefore, my
beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never
faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity,
which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure
love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at
the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray
unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this
love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus
Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we
may be purified even as he is pure" (Moroni 7:46-48)
o "A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34-35).
o "Love is the
beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship. It comforts,
counsels, cures, and consoles. It leads us through valleys of darkness and through
the veil of death. In the end love leads us to the glory and grandeur of
eternal life" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 2007 General Conference).
·
Pride
and selfishness are at the root of all sin, and manifests a lack of love for
God or others. Thus becoming more charitable is a major key in overcoming
temptation.
o Pride... is condemned
in the scriptures. To be prideful means to put greater trust in oneself than in
God or in His servants. It also means to put the things of the world above the
things of God. Prideful people take honor to themselves rather than giving God
the glory. Pride is competitive; those who are prideful seek to have more and
presume they are better than other people. Pride usually results in feelings of
anger and hatred" (Preach My Gospel).
·
Love
summarizes all commandments
o "He that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou
shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou
shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself" (Romans 13:8-9).
·
The
most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit
of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the
end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.... When
Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment to “love one another; as I have
loved you,” He gave to them the grand key to happiness in this life and glory in
the next. [Love] is the one trait that, if developed, will most improve our
lives" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 2007 General Conference).
·
It
is easier to strengthen our relationship with our Savior when we are loving.
o “[When we have the
pure love of Christ], we realize our days hold scores of thoroughfares leading
to the Master" (Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2006 General Conference).
·
Strengthens
families.
o "Happiness in
family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and
maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect,
love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities" (The
Family: A proclomation to the world).
o “The most important
thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother” (David O.
McKay)
Q How have you seen
these blessings as a result of being loving?
Showing Charity in
Daily Living
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth" (1
Corinthians 13:4-8).
Q How can each of these
aspects of charity manifest themselves in day to day living? In our families?
In marriage?
"In
a recent message of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s Music and the Spoken Word, a
story was told about an elderly man and woman who had been married for many
decades. Because the wife was slowly losing her sight, she could no longer take
care of herself the way she had done for so many years. Without being asked,
the husband began to paint her fingernails for her.
“He
knew that she could see her fingernails when she held them close to her eyes,
at just the right angle, and they made her smile. He liked to see her happy, so
he kept painting her nails for more than five years before she passed
away."
"That
is an example of the pure love of Christ. Sometimes the greatest love is not
found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the
greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we
extend to those we meet along the path of life" (Joseph B. Wirthlin,
October 2007 General Conference).
Meekness
We
are taught in the scriptures that meekness is an expression of love.
Q What does it mean to
be meek? What are some day to day examples of meekness you have seen or could
see in your families? (kind, gentle, humble, merciful, repentant, calm,
self-control, steady, consistent, tolerant, understanding, peaceful, peacemaker,
quietly and consistently doing what is right)
"Being
meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and
kindness, showing strength, serenity, healthy self-worth, and self-control"
(Ulisses Soares, October 2013 General Conference).
Mercy and Forgiveness
"Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the
use of edifying... And grieve not the holy Spirit of God... Let all bitterness,
and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you,
with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians
4:29-32).
"Pray
for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the
love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make
your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and
soften the sorrows of your companion" (Henry B. Eyring, October 2009
General Conference).
Q How does being
merciful and forgiving strengthen a marriage? a family?
"Ye
have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate
thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,
and persecute you; That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on
the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust"
(Matthew 5:43-45).
"But love ye your enemies, and do good,
and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye
shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as
your Father also is merciful" (Luke 6:35-36)
Q How have you been
blessed by following this counsel?
Counterfeits of
Charity
Q What are some of Satan's counterfeits for
love? (love overrides commandments, such as the law of chastity; love means
supporting someone in everything they do regardless of the eternal
consequences; infatuation = love).
"Real
love does not support self-destructing behavior" (Russell M. Nelson, April
1994 General Conference), which includes breaking God's laws. Love doesn't mean
just being permissive, love means building up others in accordance with eternal
principles.
Q What are some other
ways we can show love in our families? (Teaching them the gospel)
Please share your testimony of the principles covered in this lesson or share a favorite scripture or quote that wasn't included.
Key talks about charity
Key talks about service
Key talks about becoming more Christlike
Key talks about strengthening families
Please share your testimony of the principles covered in this lesson or share a favorite scripture or quote that wasn't included.
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