Charity the Greatest of All

Charity is “the pure love of Christ,” or “everlasting love” (Moroni 7:47; 8:17). The prophet Mormon taught: “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 the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (Moroni 7:45; see also 1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity. In His mortal ministry, He always “went about doing good,” teaching the gospel and showing tender compassion for the poor, afflicted, and distressed (see Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:6; Acts 10:38). His crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement. He said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This was the greatest act of long-suffering, kindness, and selflessness that we will ever know. With an understanding of the Savior’s enduring love, you can exercise faith and repent of your sins, confident that He will forgive you and strengthen you in your efforts to live the gospel.

The Savior wants you to receive His love, and He also wants you to share it with others. He declared to His disciples: “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). In your relationships with family members and others, look to the Savior as your example. Strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy.
As you continue to receive the Savior’s perfect love and as you demonstrate Christlike love for others, you will find that your love increases. You will experience the joy of being in the Lord’s service. The Holy Ghost will be your constant companion, guiding you in your service and in your relationships with others. You will be prepared to meet the Lord at the Judgment, when He will reward you according to your dedication to His work. Mormon taught:
“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).
I know that with charity we can conquer anything the world may throw at us.  Pray for it and live as  you have prayed.

How do you know??

In a conversation I had recently, as I was telling a man of the gospel truths that I knew to be true, He asked me.  " How do you know?"  It was a simple and sincere question I had heard before and I thought of the standard answers that I tell everyone.   However, his question was so pure that it got me thinking...how do I know?...How does anyone know anything spiritual?

We know that the sun is shining when we see it.  We know someone is speaking when we hear it.  In this world if we want to know anything that is temporal then we rely on our physical senses to give us that information.  Is God going to cater to our physical senses to answer us?  He definitely could.

How will our Heavenly Father let us know He is there?  How can we know when we are receiving an answer to our prayers?

In the New Testament John tells us "26But the ^aComforter, which is the ^bHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in my ^cname, he shall ^dteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."(John 14:26)

Jesus Christ tells us "8But, behold, I say unto you, that you must ^astudy it out in your ^bmind; then you must ^cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your ^dbosom shall ^eburn within you; therefore, you shall ^ffeel that it is right.

 9But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a ^astupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is ^bsacred save it be given you from me."(D&C9:8-9)

One final scripture I will share comes to us from the writings of Paul in the New Testament. Galatians 5:22 says "22But the ^afruit of the ^bSpirit is ^clove, ^djoy, ^epeace, ^flongsuffering, ^ggentleness, goodness, ^hfaith," 

When we study it out in our mind and then prayerfully seek an answer as to weather the decision we have made is correct, we can know by the fruits of the Spirit that it is right.  The Spirit of the Lord or the Holy Ghost does not throw you to the ground, punch you in the face and say "take this."  The Holy Ghost prompts so gently that we have to be paying close attention to recognize answers when they come.  Being in tune with the spirit is something that takes great effort and practice.

As I answered the man's question "How do you know?" I could say. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that these things are true.  And not just because it was a one time thing, but I receive that same witness over and over again confirming the truths I already know.  Patient Persistence along with hope are part of the key to revelation.

I testify that anyone who is truly seeking answers or guidance from God will find it through His Spirit.  Pay attention to your feelings and to when you are feeling the 'fruits of the spirit.'

The Witnesses

Elder Jensen Nelson gave me the idea to make a post of this.  I have to give him credit.  In our last zone conference Elder Nelson, Elder Hunsaker and I sang this song from the musical called "Joseph Smith the Prophet."  This song is the testimony of the 3 witnesses; Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris.  In the beginning of each copy of the Book of Mormon is the testimony of the 3 witnesses.  Their testimony's are powerful and will stand until the end of the world.

I add my testimony to that of these men.  I know the Book of Mormon is true!

Friends and Family

When I was in my early high school years I had a pretty tight group of friends.  The friends that I had since I was knee high to a grass-hopper all went their separate ways, though we are all still fiends.  As time moved on our interests changed and I found new friends that were on the same page as me.  Eventually I started running with a pretty rough crowd and my parents were pretty concerned.  It is next to impossible to stand when all your friend's standards antagonize your own.  In the end I had to separate myself from those I called my friends.  In the time when I may have been the most lonely, I found my best friends...my family. 

Family is central to the plan of our Eternal God.  In our families we gain a sense of identity and characteristics.  I know not every family situation is ideal, but no matter our personal family situation, there is an eternal family to be had by all within the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm eternally grateful for the plan of happiness which assures us, as we are faithful, that we will be with those that we love for eternity.  This is done by the priesthood of God in His temples.  There is no greater joy than this!  It is my prayer that each of us will seek to secure our eternally family by showing the Savior that we love Him by keeping His commandments.

Sunlight to Warm the Soul

I'm from sunny St. George, Utah where we enjoy clear skies, calm breeze, and triple digits.  The winters are rainy and cold winter days are in the 40s or 50s.  I love the sun that seems to shine every day there in the desert.

This last winter was spent in Lander, Wy and Great Falls, Mt.  Needless to say the sun, even when it was shining, seemed dead or powerless.  Most days were spent in overcast and gloom.  Subzero temperatures dominated each day in what seemed to me to be a relentless choke hold that I was destined to endure for all time.

Often times many of us may feel that the adversary of all righteousness has a similar icy grip on our lives.  We know that we all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23), but Paul also tells us "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."(1 Cor. 15:22)   Each of us at one time or another in our lives has felt that we were in a rut.  We know what we want to change but we struggle to make it happen.  We may feel down on ourselves at our lack of ability to move forward.  We may feel that it is hopeless and that Satan has won.

I testify that Satan only wins when we let him.  No matter our situation, no matter how terrible or hopeless, we can always use our God given agency or free will to choose to pray to our Father in Heaven.(2 Nephi 2:27).  "...for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.  But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint." (2 Nephi 32:8-9)

As we seek for help and guidance through prayer, we can know what we must 'do.'  By praying like everything depends on God and then working like everything depends on us, we will qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost to lighten our load and to lead us through the freezing winter, until we are brought to the warmth of the summer sun.  I also testify the seasons are a testimony of things as they are to come.  No matter how cold the winter, the summer will always come as we rely on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Soldiers, Mothers, and Jesus Christ

Recently I was speaking with a man who had just retired from the military.  He talked of his tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other middle east countries.  He relayed his interest in watching the way young soldiers conducted their lives.  They get away from home and they drift far away from their faith and morals, but as soon as they get shot at they want nothing more than Jesus and their mothers.

I speak of these young soldiers with the utmost respect and gratitude.  I am grateful for their service to keep America a free nation.I was interested at this example of the deep roots that our Savior and our mothers have within each of us.  It seems to me that two of the most important people in our lives are Jesus Christ and our mothers.

I feel that there is a strong connection between Christ and my mother in my life.  Through out my childhood my mother worked tirelessly to teach me correct principles.  She taught me to have faith in Jesus Christ and that by keeping His commandments we are blessed.  There are so many instances when I have had to revert back to the deeply ingrained teachings of my mother, and by doing so I have found so much peace and support in times of trial.

I express my gratitude for loving mothers who show us the way.  With the family being the central unit in the gospel of Jesus Christ, what role is more important than that of a loving mother who teaches here children to love one another and to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.  I am eternally grateful for my wonderful mother who taught me correct principles and continues to be an example to me.

May we each remember the love of our own mothers and seek to emulate that love in our daily lives toward our fellow men.

Pride and Poetry!

The world we live in today tells us we have to be big and bad and better than the next person.  Society seems to judge success on how far ahead you are of the next guy, regardless of how far you've actually come.  This attitude creates enmity and hate between those who should love and help each other.   I have found that one key to maintaining humility is to remember all that has been done for us by our Father in Heaven.

I like the power that poetry puts behind words.  William Ernest Henley wrote this famous poem.  It is a great poem but for the sake of this post, read the "Invictus" first and then read the response in the second poem.

INVICTUS

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance,
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears,
Looms but the horror of the shade.
And yet the menace of the years,
Finds and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

I love the perspective brought to the table through the words penned by Orson F. Whitney in response to this poem.  He writes;

THE SOUL'S CAPTAIN

Art thou of truth?  Then what of Him
Who bought thee with his blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood?

Who bore for all our fallen race,
What none but Him could bear,
The God who died that man might live,
And endless glory share?

Of what avail thy vaunted strength,
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that his light may pierce the loom,
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree.
Thou, captain of they soul, indeed!

Who gave that place to thee?

FREE will is thine-free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that head "unbowed"
Small part of life's great whole!
And see in Him, and Him alone
The captain of thy soul.

The words of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon also says it well.

"19And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to ^athank your heavenly ^bKing!

 20I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the ^athanks and ^bpraise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and ^cpreserved you, and has caused that ye should ^drejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

 21I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

 22And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeep his ^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

 23And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

 24And secondly, he doth ^arequire that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately ^bbless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

 25And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were ^acreated of the ^bdust of the earth; but behold, it ^cbelongeth to him who created you."

May we remember our God who gave us life, live in humility and give thanks specifically and daily for our many blessings.