Charity Never Faileth

The Savior once said, "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). During our life in mortality we are commanded to love those around us and most importantly love our Father in Heaven. It should be one of our greatest desires to seek for the gift of charity in our lives. In speaking of charity the prophet Mormon said, "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." (Moroni 7:48). Charity, like faith, leads to action. As we pray and become true followers of Jesus Christ by living His gospel, we will be filled with the love of our Father in Heaven and develop the Christlike attribute of charity. We must remember that we are living in a world full of imperfect people. It is inevitable that there will be times when others may offend us or do us wrong. Let us follow the Saviors example who said of His perpetrators, "Forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34). 

Throughout my life i have been blessed to know many individuals who have truly attained the Christlike attribute of charity. Their example strengthens my faith and gives me a stronger desire to be more like my Savior Jesus Christ. I will always remember the example of my grandpa when growing up in Auckland, New Zealand. My grandparents use to live in the basement of my parents home. As a young boy I would always be found downstairs eating breakfast with my grandparents. One morning my grandpa was preparing breakfast and realized that there was only a little bit of milk left in the bottle. He looked at me and smiled and gave me the remainder of the milk to have with my cereal. He then walked to the Kitchen and had his cereal with water. I can't express how much i love my grandpa. His small acts of charity left such a strong impression on me as a young boy. I love him and wouldn't be the person i am today if it wasn't for his charity and love. I wish to express my gratitude to all those who have influenced my life because of their Christlike charity. The day will come when you will stand before the Savior and He will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 25:34).

Our Savior Jesus Christ was the perfect example of charity and selflessness. He gave His life for us that we might have eternal life. We are eternally indebted to him for the sacrifice he made for each of us. I firmly believe that if it had just been me or you that came to this earth, He still would have laid down His life. That is how much He loves you. I know that He lives. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored by a prophet of God. His church is on the earth today. I know that as we develop the Christlike attribute of charity in our lives we will draw closer to the Lord. May God bless you as you strive to be an example of charity not just in word but also in deed.