Charity
CHARITY, noun 1. In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men.
1 Corinthians 8:1. Colossians 3:14. 1 Timothy 1:5.
2. In a more particular sense, love, kindness, affection, tenderness, springing from natural relations; as the charities of father, son and brother.
3. Liberality to the poor, consisting in almsgiving or benefactions, or in gratuitous services to relieve them in distress.
4. Alms; whatever is bestowed gratuitously on the poor for their relief.
5. Liberality in gifts and services to promote public objects of utility, as to found and support bible societies, missionary societies, and others.
6. Candor; liberality in judging of men and their actions; a disposition which inclines men to think and judge favorably, and to put the best construction on words and actions which the case will admit. The highest exercise of charity is charity towards the uncharitable.
7. Any act of kindness, or benevolence; as the charities of life.
8. A charitable institution. Charity-school, is a school maintained by voluntary contributions for educating poor children.
SCRIPTURES:
Charity
The pure love of Christ (Moro. 7:47); the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another (2 Ne. 26:30; 33:7–9; Ether 12:33–34); the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection.Moroni 7:
44 If so, his afaith and hope is vain, for none is bacceptable before God, save the cmeek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and dconfesses
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; wherefore he
must needs have charity.
45 And acharity suffereth long, and is bkind, and cenvieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily dprovoked,
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.
46 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—
47 But acharity is the pure blove of Christ, and it endureth cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
1 Peter 4:8
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.Ether 12:34
And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.Colossians 3:14
And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.1 Corinthians 13:2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.D&C 4:5
And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.QUOTES:
German Proverb
“He who wished to secure the good of others,
Has already secured his own.”
Confucius
“If you haven't any charity in your heart,
You have the worst kind of heart trouble.”
Bob Hope
“Where there is charity and wisdom,
There is neither fear nor ignorance.”
St. Francis of Assisi
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
"Every charitable act is a stepping stone towards heaven."
Henry Ward Beecher
. We all work at feeling joy and finding peace. One of our greatest tools in the process is charity.
Elaine L. Jack
Charity is not a single act or something we give away but a state of being, a state of the heart, kind feelings that engender loving actions.
Silvia H. Allred
When we have charity, we are willing to serve and help others when it is inconvenient and with no thought of recognition or reciprocation. We don’t wait to be assigned to help, because it becomes our very nature. As we choose to be kind, caring, generous, patient, accepting, forgiving, inclusive, and selfless, we discover we are abounding in charity.
Silva H. Allred
“Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.” 13
Thomas S. Monson
PERSONAL DEFINITION:
I think Charity is the pure love of Christ. In order for us to have charity, Christ must be at the center of our lives. It is only through Him that our hearts can be filled with that pure love. But before he can fill our hearts, we must open them up. We can do that by loving and serving God first (and serving His children in order to do so). We must also try to see others as divinity, and as children of God with true potential and worth. Then as we treat them as such, God will fill our hearts with more of that love, and it becomes a cycle of strengthening character, and building God's kingdom.
Charity is a way of being, and it is a process. When we fail, repentance and the atonement can repair us again. For true charity can really only come from the Lord. To have that gift, we must ask Him for it, and then do what He asks of us.
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