We now return to the regularly scheduled Book of Mormon project.
This post's subject is Charity.
This attribute is probably one of the most important to our development on this earth. Moroni 7:44-48 defines Charity and its importance.
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
This may seem like a laundry list of things to develop in order to have charity and that all of these things are required in order to have charity. However, if we struggle in one aspect, that does not mean that we do not have charity at all. This is not an all or none attribute.
Verse 47 says that "Charity is the pure love of Christ." A gift that we are all blessed with is the light of Christ. While this is typically associated with the ability to know right from wrong, I think that this is also means we are gifted with the love that Christ has. It can be seen in the person that reaches out to help someone who has fallen, the instant love between a mother and an adopted child, or a stranger willing to allow a busy person go ahead of them in line. We can have even a little bit of charity if we have an urging to reach out to those around us, whether or not we know them.
However, just having an urging to do something for someone else every once in a while is not enough. This is an attribute that we should continually work on to grow and strengthen.
Last year, I realized that I had a hard time feeling charity for a roommate. I read the verses in Moroni that talked on charity and I panicked. But then I read verses 48:
"Pray unto the Father with all energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he has bestowed upon all true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ...that we may be purified, even as he is pure."
I thought that I was a true follower of Christ, so I had this gift. But I had problems using this gift. So I decided to pray with all energy of heart for charity for this girl. However, I have a tendency to be distracted easily, so I knew that I needed to have a reminder. So I took a note card and wrote: "Have you prayed for Charity today?" This reminded me in each of my prayers to ask for charity. I found it a lot easier to serve and love this roommate. Comparing that to now, when I do not pray regularly for charity, I know that asking for this help makes a huge difference in caring about those that you are always around.
Ether 12:36 says that Moroni prayed that the Lord will "bless the Gentiles with grace, that they may have charity."
This is not an attribute that we can develop on our own. We can't knuckle down and really focus. It doesn't work that way. In order to gain the love of Christ, we have to work with Christ to develop it. It is through his help that we receive it.
Why is this so important? Amulek says plainly: "If ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men" (Alma 34:29). Charity is the essential quality to our service to the Lord. Without it, we are of little worth, because we will not complete our divine mission. If any attribute that we should work hard to develop it is Charity.
Scriptures for further study:
Why we should have Charity: 2 Nephi 26:30, Alma 7:24, Ether 12:28,34-35, Moroni 8:14,16-17
How we should develop it: 2 Nephi 33:7-9, Moroni 10:20-21, Ehter 12:36-37
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