One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in Moroni (a book in the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ that supplements the bible). It is found in Chapter 7, versus 45-48 which read:
45 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 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 charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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, that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
There is so much to say about this passage. There is so much to learn from it. I have studied it for several years now and am still learning. But, for now, I will suffice by addressing the first thing I learned: that charity is the pure love of Christ as we are told in verse 47. It is not simply service—it is so much more. So, if charity is the pure love of Christ, then we should be able to substitute Christ’s name in for the word charity in this passage so that it reads:
45 And Christ suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not Christ, ye are nothing, for Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto Christ, Who is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But Christ has the pure love of Christ, and He endureth forever; and whoso is possessed of Him at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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, that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
Reading the passage in this way helps us to understand the true nature of Christ. And, are we not commanded to work to develop charity, or to become like Christ? I believe that this is our ultimate, life-long quest—one that even takes a life-time (or more) to accomplish. Therefore, if we replace “charity” or “Christ” with our own name, we will have a VERY clear picture of where we fall short and what areas we need to work on:
45 And I suffereth long, and am kind, and envieth not, and am not puffed up, seeketh not my own, am not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have me not, ye are nothing, for I never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto me, who is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But I have the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is possessed of me at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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, that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
When I read it in this way, it really amplifies my own imperfections. This helps me to focus on the areas I need to work on and better develop, but most of all, it helps me to love and appreciate the Savior in my life even more. For, how could I become perfect if I could not be perfected (completed) by Him? I am so grateful for the atonement of Christ and His unconditional love for me.
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