Charity

1. A poor, wayfaring Man of grief
Hath often crossed me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer nay.

This is the first of a verse of  hymn written by James Montgomery, available here in its entirety.  At the bottom of the Hymnal, the scripture that it is based on says Matthew 25:35-40, a pretty famous scripture which reads  "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 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." (Matthew 25)
“Not only by precept did Jesus teach, but also by example. . . He stretched forth his hand that others might be lifted. . . Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Each of us has the charge to be. . . a doer. . . lifter. . . There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: ‘Is there no balm in Gilead…?’ Each of us must answer” (Thomas S. Monson, “With Hand and Heart,” Ensign, Jan 1995, 2)
Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car.  Christianity is a lifestyle, not a switch.  We can't turn it on when its convenient, and then flip it off when it proves a hindrance.  Christianity is is not a social title that we vacate when the first air of contempt threatens to capsize us, but rather the wind that fills our sails as we navigate the storms in our lives. If we want to be good Christians, we need to learn to love as Christ did, to look on the inside, to have the pure love of Christ, or charity.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:35)  In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah it says that ye shall not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition in vain.  I think its fair to say that everybody could use a little more charity in their lives.  "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." (Richard G. Scott).  If you want to be a better Christian, start by acting like one more and more every day.  With consistent effort, we will become better, more charitable, giving, loving, followers of Jesus Christ.
_Elder Halbert