Charity: The pure love of Christ

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I have been asked to speak on the subject of charity. I recognize that many of you already have thoughts and experiences with this powerful word, but I hope to add something meaningful by sharing some reflections and scriptures that guide me in daily life.

• • I was once asked, “Why do you volunteer as much as you do?” My answer, almost instinctively, is: “That is who I am.”

    I don’t say this to draw attention to my own actions, but to point out that for me, charity has become part of my identity. It is the true love of Jesus Christ. And if I’m going to love my family, my neighbor, the downtrodden—or even someone who has wronged me—then I must be willing to step down from comfort and walk in the valleys, where the sick, the poor, and the honest, struggling children of God walk.

    The word charity has deep roots. From the Latin caritas, meaning dearness or affection, and the Greek agapē, meaning a divine, selfless, sacrificial love. We find this expressed beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8:

    “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not;
    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...”

    This kind of divine love begins at home. It’s found in how we care for, support, and protect those closest to us. In my home, I have the responsibility to listen, advise, and listen again. Sometimes it means sweeping a floor or doing the dishes. These simple acts, done with love, are still charity.

    Charity also extends into our communities. It might be helping someone fix up their yard, offering a ride, or showing up when others don’t. The key is to act—or more pointedly, to be available.

    This brings me to the question: Where does charity end? When is enough, enough?

    The scriptures remind us that charity is not limited. In Moroni 7:47–48, we read:

    “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…”

    Charity is not just divine love from Christ—it is the love we must receive and then give to others. It transforms us from within and expresses itself outwardly. It is not optional for those who wish to follow Christ; it is essential.

    The Apostle Paul, in Colossians 3:12–17, gives us another beautiful list of Christlike traits. He writes:

    “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
    bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
    Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another…
    And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
    And let the peace of God rule in your hearts…
    And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
    giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

    That phrase “the bond of perfectness” speaks to me. Charity binds everything else together. It isn’t one virtue among many—it is what makes all the others whole. Without charity, our service is hollow. With it, even small acts carry eternal weight.

    Charity endures beyond this life. Moroni reminds us in Moroni 7:42 that:

    “If a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost
    that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity;
    for if he have not charity he is nothing…”

    I don’t claim to know what awaits in the next life, but I hope that the charity I try to live today—through simple service, patience with family, or acts of quiet kindness—will remain part of me. Until then, I’ll keep a smile on my face and a prayer in my heart for those I walk with today.

    In doing so, I believe I’m offering—however small—a portion of the grace Jesus described when He said:

    “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
    ye have done it unto me.” — Matthew 25:40

    Christ’s charity lives in us when we care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten.

    So I invite us all to seek charity—not just through acts of service, but also through repentance, and by asking God to change our hearts. As Moroni says, “Pray with all the energy of heart…”

    I testify that charity—true, Christlike love—is the highest expression of discipleship.
    It is the essence of His gospel.
    It heals the world, and it transforms the heart.