Charity Never Faileth

Charity Never Faileth
SILVIA H. ALLRED

We are going to talk about Relief Society today.

What are the foundational principles upon which the Relief Society was built?
a. increasing faith,
b. strengthening the homes of Zion,
c. and seeking out and helping those in need

In one of those early meetings of the Relief Society in Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph quoted from Paul’s writings to the Corinthians. In his discourse on charity, Paul makes reference to faith, hope and charity, concluding with, But the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity denvieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 Charity never faileth.

What qualities embody charity?
a. Long suffering
b. Kindness
c. Doesn’t envy
d. Not Vaunteth (boastful)
e. Not puffed up
f. Seeketh not her own
g. Not easily provoked
h. Thinketh no evil
i. Rejoices in truth
j. Bearth all things
k. Believeth all things
l. Hopeth all things
m. Endureth all things
n. Never faileth

Speaking to the sisters, the Prophet Joseph said: “Don’t be limited in your views with regard to your neighbors’ virtues. … You must enlarge your souls toward others if you [would] do like Jesus. … As you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand—let them be enlarged towards others—you must be longsuffering and bear with the faults and errors of mankind. How precious are the souls of men!”

The scriptural declaration “Charity never faileth” became the motto of Relief Society because it embraces these teachings and the charge that the Prophet Joseph Smith had given the Relief Society sisters to “relieve the poor” and to “save souls.”

What does that phrase “Charity never faileth” mean to you when you hear it? These are Webster’s definitions:

Charity – the voluntary giving of help
Fail – to decline, to give away, to cease, to be unsuccessful

Keep those in the back of your mind while we continue.

What is charity? How do we obtain charity?

Moroni 7:47
47 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.

How does the prophet Mormon defines charity? [pure love of Christ]

Colossians 3:14
14 And above all these things put on acharity, which is the bond of perfectness.

What does Paul teach about charity? What does it mean to bond something? Verb - Join or be joined securely to something else. If we bond ourselves to charity we then become perfect.

2 NE 26:30
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is clove. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

In that verse, what does Nephi reminds? [It’s a commandment.]

In reviewing Paul’s previous description of charity, we learn that 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.

Mormon also teaches that charity is bestowed upon the Lord’s true disciples. Who are the Lord’s disciples? We are. And that charity purifies those who have it. In addition, we learn that charity is a divine gift which we must seek and pray for. We need to have charity in our hearts in order to inherit the celestial kingdom.

With the understanding that the Lord has asked us to “clothe [our]selves with the bond of charity,”.

What qualities will help us develop charity?

We must first have the desire to increase in charity and be more Christlike.

The next step is to pray. Mormon exhorts us to “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love.” This godly love is charity, and as we are filled with this love, so “we shall be like him.”

Reading scriptures daily can bring our minds to the Savior and to a desire to be more like Him.

The Savior is the perfect example of how to extend charity. During His mortal ministry He showed compassion for the hungry, for the sinner, for the afflicted, and for the sick. He ministered to the poor and to the rich; to women, children, and men; to family, friends, and strangers. He forgave His accusers, and He suffered and died for all mankind.

Today we are blessed to have a prophet who embodies charity.

President Monson teaches: “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.”

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.

Relief Society provides countless ways to serve others. One of the most important ways to practice charity is through visiting teaching. Through effective visiting teaching we have many opportunities to love, minister, and serve others. Expressing charity, or love, purifies and sanctifies our souls, helping us become more like the Savior.

Providing service and extending charity toward others helps us overcome our own difficulties and makes them seem less challenging.

In the teachings of the Prophet Joseph to the sisters in the early days of the Restoration, he urged the practices of charity and benevolence, he said: “If you live up to these principles, how great and glorious will be your reward in the celestial kingdom! If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.”

All women in Relief Society can be filled with love, knowing that their small acts of charity, [they voluntary give], have a healing power for others and for themselves. They come to know with certainty that charity is the pure love of Christ and never faileth, [never cease or decline].

When you read the Relief Society history, it will inspire you to discover that this important gospel principle is a thread woven through the whole book.

I give you the same invitation that Sister Allred gave, “plead for a desire to be filled with the gift of charity, the pure love of Christ. Use all your resources to do good, bringing relief and salvation to those around you, including your own family. The Lord will crown your efforts with success.”