The word charity is
often used as something we give or give to.
However I have also come to understand that we can also have
charity. By obtaining charity in my
heart I can feel the kind of unconditional, godly love, which Christ has for
each and every one of Heavenly Father’s children. This love can be shown in many ways and it
can also fill, change and soften our hearts.
It is a result of the all-encompassing charity, or love, that Christ
felt for us that he was willing to sacrifice His life for us. I know that as I seek to obtain a charitable
heart I can become more like Christ.
President Thomas S. Monson, October 2010 General Relief Society Meeting "Charity Never Faileth" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/charity-never-faileth?lang=eng&query=charity+never+faileth
"The unselfish give of themselves. These may be small gifts of charity that have a grand impact for good: a smile, a handshake, a hug, time spent in listening, a soft word of encouragement, or a gesture of caring. All these acts of kindness can change hearts and lives."
President Dieter F Uchtdorf, April 2014 General Priesthood Meeting "Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/are-you-sleeping-through-the-restoration?lang=eng
"In his powerful discourse on charity, Paul makes reference to faith, hope, and charity, concluding with, "But the greatest of these is charity." He describes the qualities embodied in charity. He said: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, ...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."
Sister Silvia H Allred, October 2011 General Conference "Charity Never Faileth" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/charity-never-faileth?lang=eng&query=Charity
"Charity is work of the heart. The Savior said that "the great commandment in the law" is "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." When we love the Lord with all our mind, soul, and heart, we love others. And charity abounds."
Sister Elaine L Jack, October 1996 General Relief Society Meeting "Strengthened in Charity" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/10/strengthened-in-charity?lang=eng&query=Charity
"It is only when we love God and Christ with all of our hearts, souls, and minds that we are able to share this love with our neighbors through acts of kindness and service - the way that the Savior would love and serve all of us if He were among us today. When this pure love of Christ - or charity - envelops us, we think, feel and act more like Heavenly Father and Jesus would think, feel, and act. Our motivation and heartfelt desire are like unto that of the Savior."
Elder M Russell Ballard, April 2011 General Conference "Finding Joy through Loving Service" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/finding-joy-through-loving-service
"Brothers and sisters may I reemphasize that the most important attribute of Heavenly Father and of His Beloved Son that we should desire and seek to possess within our lives is the gift of charity, "the pure love of Christ." From this gift springs our capacity to love and to serve others as the Savior did."
Elder M Russell Ballard, April 2011 General Conference "Finding Joy through Loving Service" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/finding-joy-through-loving-service
"Charity is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is an effect of His Atonement working in the hearts of the members."
Elder Henry B Eyring, October 2009 General Conference "The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/the-enduring-legacy-of-relief-society
"We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason - for the pure love of Christ. The Apostle Paul illustrated this in his famous teaching about the importance of charity. The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, "the pure love of Christ," is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, "except men shall have charity they cannot inherit" the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father."
Elder Dallin H Oaks, October 2000 General Conference "The Challenge to Become" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become
"A new commandment I give unto you," he said, "That ye love one another; ... By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." This love that we should have for our brothers and sisters in the human family, and that Christ has for every one of us, is called charity... It is the love that prompted the suffering and sacrifice of Christ's atonement. It is the highest pinnacle the human soul can reach and the deepest expression of the human heart."
President Howard W Hunter, April 1992 General Conference "A More Excellent Way" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/04/a-more-excellent-way
"Charity encompasses all other godly virtues. It distinguishes both the beginning and the end of the plan of salvation. When all else fails, charity - Christ's love - will not fail. It is the greatest of all divine attributes."
President Howard W Hunter, April 1992 General Conference "A More Excellent Way" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1992/04/a-more-excellent-way
