Charity is the "PURE LOVE of CHRIST"

I recently was given a district meeting assignment to give a discussion on a Christlike attribute.  I was told I could pick any one of them.  I went to one of my favorite resources for teaching missionaries, missionary things; Preach my Gospel manual.  It is a great training tool for anyone about how to be a missionary, and also how to become more like Jesus Christ.  I started by reading through the Attributes section, Faith, Hope, Charity and Love, Patience, Virtue, Knowledge, Humility, Diligence and Obedience.  As I read through them my mind kept going back to Charity and Love.  So that's what I chose to do a discussion on.  I'll share a little about what I read from Preach my Gospel and about the discussion I gave as well.  In Preach my Gospel it says, "Charity is “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). It includes God’s eternal love for all His children. We are to seek to develop that kind of love. When you are filled with charity, you obey God’s commandments and do all you can to serve others and help them receive the restored gospel."  Charity includes God's eternal love for all of his children.  That is a lot of love considering he will love us no matter what, and will love us forever.  If I were to ask you to think of the most important things to you in your life many of you would name two things, God and Family.  So my next question is,  Why do you think it is that most people would name those two things first, above any earthly possetions?  As I asked that question in district meeting there were many answers.  God and Family are eternal,  possetions are not.  God blesses us, and so do families. 

   My thoughts as I studied this topic went to those questions and the answer I came up with was we answer with God and Family because of Love.  Love is something eternal.  We love God and We love our family.  Imagine if all people felt the kind of love they feel for God and Family for everyone!  What a difference that would make.  Chariy and Love is the way to do that.  In 1 Corinthians 13 is says, " Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 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.

 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

BUT THE GREATEST IS CHARITY!!!  If we love we will see amazing things happen.  We will see people change and we will see them love as we have loved them.  As God and our family have loved us, even so let us love one another.  Love you all. -Elder Austin Gene Goff

http://lds.org/study/topics/charity?lang=eng  feel free to click on this link to read more about Charity.

My Dream two Nights Ago

Two nights ago I had dream that I can't seem to get out of my mind.  I had been in some sort of an accident, and had been hospitalized.  Something had happened to my head, and I needed surgery right away.  I was not conscious, but I was watching everything happen from above.  I heard a voice and was told that through this procedure I would lose part of my memory.  I had the choice of what I would get to remember.  The decision I would make would effect me the rest of my life.  I was asked to choose between the two things I love more than anything else in this life.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ, or my Family.  I can still feel the confusion, sadness and pure distaste for the idea of forgetting one of them.  Then I would have to start over, with my family, or with my testimony of this gospel.  As I looked down from above as different nurses and doctors worked to begin surgery.  I contemplated the seriousness of the decision I needed to make.  I thought of my amazing family, the blessing and help they have been to me; known and unknown.  I also thought of the time and effort I have put into gaining a strong testimony of the things I have come to believe so deeply.  Through all of this thinking and contemplating my decision, I could not make one.  I was not trying to be defiant to the voice that asked me to make that decision, but I merely could not come up with an answer to give. 
As I woke up without a decision made I still have thought over and over again the decision I would make.  I cannot make the choice.  I would rather have one mightier then I make that decision.  I love this Gospel, I love who I have become and continue to become because of it.  I love my family.  They have helped me to gain this testimony.  They have helped me to become who I am.  I believe that Family and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are inseparably connected.  The family is the basic social unit of time and all eternity.  I do believe that if I did "forget my testimony"  my family would be at my side helping me to gain it once again.  I believe that if I forgot my family the Gospel of Jesus Christ would lead me to them.  I hope I will never have to make that decision, but I am glad that God has given me this time to think more deeply about what those two things mean to me.  How truly important they are to me.  I hope that we all can notice the way we REALLY feel about our families and the Gospel.  Just a little food for thought.  Hope you enjoy.