Charity: the pure love of Christ

Today I have spent some time thinking about what I most wanted to share with people today. I have had the chance recently to celebrate my birthday with some of those that I love and cherish dearly. I got to interact with my friends, and just felt blessed from all the love that they were showering on me. I know that Heavenly Father has been blessing my life through their actions. Thinking this way, has made me become even more aware of all the blessings in my life. I really want to bless others in a similar manner. To do this, I need to work on developing my charity.

According to the Bible dictionary, charity is, "the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ" (632). This concept of charity comes from the prophet Moroni, who took over writing in the Book of Mormon from his father Mormon. It says in Moroni 7:45-47, "And 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. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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."

Charity is the pure love of Christ. We need to love like Christ loved all mankind: fully, completely, with no reservations at all. I mean, Christ even loved Judas when he ended up betraying Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. That is a perfect type of love. To love in this manner, we need to help those who need help themselves. There are so many poor, sick, or lonely people in this world that need love and support. Many people have reached a point in their life where they don't believe that life is worth living anymore. These ones especially need our complete love. When we help others in the manner similar to Christ's, we will inherit the kingdom of God. Matthew 25:40, "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

When we help others, we need to have the right mindset. If we are doing it purely for gain, or to build ourselves up, we are missing the point and won't feel satisfied.  We need to feel compassion for those we help, to care for them, and to be kind towards them. In dealing with all people, we also must remember to forgive others. When we show God that we are willing to forgive others, then He in return will forgive us for our sins. Christ also said in Matthew 5:44, 46, "I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you...For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?" It is really easy to love those who show that love right back to you. It is harder to love those that hurt us, upset us, or are mean towards us. Christ was that perfect example, by even loving the soldiers who drove the nails into his hands and his feet.

There are practical ways in which we can develop our charity towards others. First, we can study the life of Christ by reading the scriptures. In it, we learn of how he dealt with people in many different situations, and we can attempt to emulate his actions in our own life. Second, when we don't feel like showing love towards others, we can pray to have greater love for them. Third, we need to learn how to love ourselves. This means that we need to understand how we are children of our Heavenly Father. One of my favorite parts in my calling as secretary in the Young Women's Presidency is reciting our motto every week. It starts out in this way, "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us and we love Him. We will stand as witnesses of God, at all times, and in all things, and in all places..." Each week, I am impressed upon by how simple, yet extremely complex it is that I am a daughter of God, and that I have such divine potential. Fourth, we need to keep ourselves humble, and not view ourselves as superior. Just because we may be in a different situation in our life, does not mean that we are better off than another person. In a way of acting with empathy towards others, Joseph Smith said, "The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs" (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 428-29).

We need to come humbly to God, confess of our sins and our difficulties, and ask Him to make us better. Then, we need to show our love towards others in the manner that God showed His love towards us. When we help others, lift them up, and are able to bear in one another's burdens, we become more like Christ. The world can be changed in this manner, if we put forth the effort and try.

Some very charitable missionaries that I know: Elders Meier, Beames, Crabbe, and Anderson. I get blessed by their efforts very frequently in my life. I am honored to consider them my friends.

On Prayer and Personal Revelation

I'm baaack! I was gone for a period of time because I just started my second year of medical school at LECOM, and it took a while for me to get back in the swing of things. I'm about to start my 5th week of classes with my 4th Digestive exam on Tuesday, so things have been quite hectic. The beauty of not studying on Sundays, and keeping the Sabbath day holy, among other things, is that I have the time to catch up with my family, friends, and blog. Hence why I am able to blog tonight.

I decided to catch up tonight with the missionaries who are serving where I am from (New Hampshire), and they suggested that I blog on prayer and personal revelation. Here goes!

Prior to joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I understood that I needed to pray, but I never really knew why. I mean, I wanted to have a personal relationship with Christ and God, but they were some unattainable Beings for which I could not really speak to, in my mind at least. When I first started investigating the Church, my good friend Rob gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon and told me to read and pray about it every day. Now, the reading part I was definitely used to. I have read the Bible through cover to cover countless times. However, praying every day was very new and foreign to me.

I remember reading a passage of the Book of Mormon, thinking about it, and then straight up asking God about it. I was just amazed at how well the Bible and the Book of Mormon meshed together. I would look up the footnotes for the various passages, and they continued to clarify and strengthen my understanding of the Restored Gospel. I was praying daily, sometimes even twice a day. I only wanted to join this church if I really knew it was true. If I didn't know, then there was no point for me to go through the challenges that would lay ahead. When I would pray to God, I would ask Him to give me a clear answer about what I should do. I prayed this way for weeks.

When I was writing an email to my parents about me joining the church, one of the missionaries who was helping me suggested that I say the next line of, "I know that the Book of Mormon is true". Prior to that, I hadn't really known. But when he said those words, and then I contemplated it for myself, I knew at that moment that this was my answer to my prayers. It wasn't anything spectacular or awe-inspiring like how God talked to prophets in days of old. It was a clarity of mind, a peace, and understanding. It was the Holy Spirit testifying to me the truthfulness of these things.

From then on, I have continued to pray daily, and many times a day. I have received answers to my prayers as well. For example, I would consider doing one thing, and then after thinking through it, if I got peace and calmness, I would precede. If, on the other hand, I got this really bad feeling, a sense of warning and foreboding, I would stop going down that path. Some clear examples of this are me praying that my relationship with my parents would improve, and it really has. We get along so much better now than we did previously. I've prayed for help with school, guidance about things I struggle with, and a myriad of other topics. Whenever I turn to God in prayer, I know that I can be completely open and honest with Him, and that He will answer me. He will let me know of the answer like the way that He presented Himself to the Prophet Elijah by the still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13).

There are many different ways that Heavenly Father communicates with his children:
Job 33:15-16 through dreams and visions
Matthew 3:17 speaking from heaven as a voice
John 16:13 we will be guided by the Spirit to all truth and will show us the things to come
2 Nephi 32:3 angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, speaking the words of Christ
Enos 1:10 hear a voice in his mind, directing him to do something
Helaman 5:30 by a small voice that did pierce them to their soul
D&C 1:38 the Word of God is spoken through prophets
D&C 8:2-3 be told in mind and heart by the Holy Spirit
Moses 1:2 speaking to God face-to-face

A great quote from Spencer W. Kimball, "Let us seek to read and understand and apply the principles and inspired counsel found within the scriptures. If we do so, we shall discover that our personal acts of righteousness will also bring personal revelation or inspiration when needed in our own lives."

To be able to receive personal revelation, or a direct answer to a question, we do need to be living a certain way. First, we need to be following the commandments. We need to be doing what is right, reading Scriptures and praying. We need to ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7-8). We need to be spiritually clean before God by repenting of our sins frequently. And just like Alma says in Alma 5:46, "Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me." Alma fasted and prayed to know about the truthfulness of the Church, and God manifested it to him, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

A couple more helpful words of wisdom from Jesus Christ spoken through the Prophet Joseph Smith: Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground." Doctrine and Covenants 9:8, "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right."

I would like to close by bearing my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. I know that I can talk to Him about anything, ask His advice, tell Him about my day, and forgive me of my sins. I know that through the restored Priesthood, I have the gift of the Holy Ghost which helps manifest to me the truthfulness of the Gospel, and what paths I should take. I know that the Holy Spirit will always testify of truth, and that through the Holy Ghost, God answers my prayers. I know that we can receive personal revelation to our prayers, if we ask, think through answers, and wait for a confirmation. I say these things in the name of my most perfect Savior, the only Begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. Amen.