Lesson 20
"As we increasingly think and act like Him, the attributes of the natural man will slip away to be replaced by the heart and the mind of Christ" Gene R Cook
Defining Charity
The Lord said that charity is “the pure love of Christ,” that which is “most joyous to the soul,” “the greatest of all the gifts of God,” “perfect” and “everlasting.”
The Lord said that charity is “the pure love of Christ,” that which is “most joyous to the soul,” “the greatest of all the gifts of God,” “perfect” and “everlasting.”
As difficult as charity is to describe, it is rather easily recognized in the lives of those who possess it.
• An aged, crippled grandmother who subscribes to an afternoon newspaper, knowing it will bring her delivery-boy grandson to her home every day where, at her knee, she teaches him to pray.
• A mother who, in hard economic times and scarcity of meat, seems to savor only chicken wings, to the puzzlement of all.
• A man who suffers an undeserved public chastisement, but humbly receives it anyway.
• A mother who, in hard economic times and scarcity of meat, seems to savor only chicken wings, to the puzzlement of all.
• A man who suffers an undeserved public chastisement, but humbly receives it anyway.
A common thread in these examples is charity, a selflessness, a not seeking for anything in return. We may have the gift of love, but charity is bestowed only upon those who are true followers of Christ.
To develop a Christlike Charity, we can do these three things.
Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love, Gene R Cook
1. Recognize His love.
“Pray … with all the energy of heart” for this gift. Do so in meekness with a broken heart, and you will be filled with hope and love from the Holy Ghost Himself. He will reveal Christ to you. Moro. 8:25–26; Rom. 5:5; 2 Ne. 26:13 It is part of the gift of charity to be able to recognize the Lord’s hand and feel His love in all that surrounds us. At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. You will search all your life to uncover His hand and the gifts He has bestowed upon you because of His intimate, modest, humble way of granting such wonderful gifts.
Think about the following majestic gifts: the glories of all creation, the earth, the heavens; your feelings of love and joy; His responses of mercy, forgiveness, and innumerable answers to prayer; the gift of loved ones; and finally the greatest gift of all—the Father’s gift of His atoning Son, the perfect one in charity, even the God of love.
Think about the following majestic gifts: the glories of all creation, the earth, the heavens; your feelings of love and joy; His responses of mercy, forgiveness, and innumerable answers to prayer; the gift of loved ones; and finally the greatest gift of all—the Father’s gift of His atoning Son, the perfect one in charity, even the God of love.
2. Receive His love in humility.
Be grateful for the gift and especially for the giver of the gift. D&C 88:33
True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Alma 5:26
Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love. Receive it. Feel it. It is not enough just to know that God loves you. The gift is to be felt continually day by day. Alma 34:38 It will then be a divine motivator throughout your life. Repent. Remove any worldliness from your life, including anger. Receive a continual remission of your sins, and you will bridle all your passions and be filled with love.Alma 38:12
3. Convey His love.
The Lord’s response to us is always filled with love. Should not our response to Him be in kind, with real feelings of love? He gives grace (or goodness) for grace, attribute for attribute. As our obedience increases, we receive more grace (or goodness) for the grace we return to Him. D&C 93:12–13, 20 Offer Him the refinement of your attributes, so that when He does appear you will be like Him. 1 Jn. 3:1–3
As a man first immerses his thoughts in love and conveys those feelings to God, man, or self, a magnified portion of that attribute will surely follow from the Spirit. That is true of all godly attributes. Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, so remember: to be loved, truly love.
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As a man first immerses his thoughts in love and conveys those feelings to God, man, or self, a magnified portion of that attribute will surely follow from the Spirit. That is true of all godly attributes. Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, so remember: to be loved, truly love.
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Morm
on tried to teach hope through Jesus Christ’s Atonement and to have charity, which is the pure love of Christ. Click on the picture to read more about Mormon's Story, with pictures.
Print and cut out the flowers.
Write your family’s name on the nameplate on the house.
When you serve your family or live gospel teachings, glue a flower on the house.
As you add flowers, your house will become a home. Place it where it will remind you to make your own house a home filled with charity.
Treat: Share a bunch of grapes. For each grape that you eat, share something you know that shows how much Jesus Christ loves you. Share ways you can build the true love of Christ in your life. Name charitable people who you know.
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