Talk 201405

Outlook.com « Sent › Message Previous Next talk20140525 Reply ▼ Delete More ▼ May 25 robherr . Show details talk20140525.docx (21.0 KB) In the New Testament, there is a great parable, possibly one of the greatest, as it has so many meanings. A lawyer had confronted Christ on the subject of the commandments. The Pharisees had categorized and compiled the commandments, over 600 in fact, you can imagine that this lawyer felt that he was very well versed in the Law of Moses and knew how hard it was to categorize them all. He wanted to challenge Jesus in front of his peers, possibly to make himself look good. He asked Jesus to give his opinion on which of these 600 commandments was the most important, knowing full well that anyone that tried would surely make a fool of himself by even trying. He probably figured that after Christ had given his answer the lawyer would be able to then ridicule him with any of the other laws that he had already in mind. I image that he was so sure as he thought to himself, as soon as he answers this, “I’ve got him”. Imagine his befuddlement when Jesus answers with the greatest commandment which truly turns out to be the greatest, both logically and spiritually. Jesus said onto him “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” These two commandments cover the entire law, and what was more they end up being the commandments that matter. If we love God we will keep his commandments, we will love ourselves; if we love our neighbor, we will serve them, be patient with them, give them the benefit of doubt, Perhaps at this point the lawyer sensed the wisdom in Jesus, or he was still trying to save face among his peers, so he asked him “And who is my neighbor?” Then Christ gives this parable: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. I don’t know when I first heard this parable but I have learned a little more and more each time I read it, and read about it. For instance I never understood the part where the Samaritan says “Spend whatever you need and I’ll repay you later!” Either the Samaritan is a very wealthy man and can afford not only a thorough medical treatment for the man, and no doubt a few luxuries for the inn keeper who might take advantage of a blank check; or there was much more to the parable. In fact I think there’s many different ways to see this story. On the surface it is obvious that we should be like the Good Samaritan. Taking care of our neighbor, going the extra mile, not only serving but having compassion and charity for this wounded person. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. It makes the thought of being [critical of others] repulsive. “Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other” close quote How are they wounded? Many of the afflictions of our day take their shape in the form of emotional wounds. People are lying in ditches, hurting all over, but they’re wounds are on the inside. Lying there as people pass them by. We can become more compassionate. Misunderstandings confrontations disagreements or any other unpleasantness in the past can lead to future disagreements and confrontations in perpetuity unless the knowledge that Christ has forgiven us for our imperfections can soft in our hearts to the forgiving of others. There has been many many times in my life that I have had to let things that bother me go. I in some ways feel very blessed and fortunate that I have a bad memory. It has allowed me to overcome and not hold a grudge against those that I feel might or might not have rightly or wrongly mistreated me. The world is full of injustice those that are unjust toward others will reap the rewards. How many times has something in the past come up into our minds and clouded our judgment and spirituality This is not charity. The Samaritan didn’t judge the person as being so foolish to have gotten into the trouble that he was in in the first place. How do we respond in this situation? Do we judge others? Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better, when in fact we rarely understand another’s unique circumstance or individual situation? Have we ever said, “She works outside the home.” Or, “He didn’t serve a mission.” Or, “She’s too old for a calling. Or ”It wasn’t right of me to do that, but it is justified because of the way I was treated.” Such judgments, and so many others like them, rob us of the good part, that pure love of Christ. The minute that we think that we are better than someone else, we are losing the gift of Charity. Elder Marvin J. Ashton said: “Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.” close quote The priest and levite are all of us as we hurry through our busy lives thinking of all of the other things that rightly need our attention. How many times have we had this inner monologue? “I can’t help with that, I have too much going on this week” I know I’ve said it. Certainly we are not asked to run faster than we have the strength, and we should not be beating ourselves up for all of the things that we are not doing. We should be counting our blessings, acknowledging the Lords Hand in all aspects of our lives and see that as we serve in callings we are fulfilling Christ’s admonition to “Feed his sheep”. Gas incident yesterday I am imperfect. I am certain that I have offended 99% of the people in this Chapel, at some point. I can honestly say that whatever it was, it was not intentional. I ask for your forgiveness and the forgiveness of God. I am ill equipped to speak on Charity and the virtues of the greatest love of all. But I have my favorite quote that gets me through difficult situations “We are imperfect creatures dealing with other imperfect creatures, and we’re doing it in an imperfect way.” We need to be forgiving of others. Has Christ forgiven us? How can we hold a grudge against someone else? “Well they offended me first” leads to a cycle of un-forgiveness and eventually bitterness. If I am un-forgiving of those around me, I am like the debtor who was forgiven of a debt of 10,000 talents and afterwards would not forgive a debt that was owed to me of only 100 pence. The Lord said: “I forgave thee all that debt… (shouldn’t you).. have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” Christ through His infinite atonement has forgiven, so why would we not forgive? “We are imperfect creatures dealing with other imperfect creatures, and we’re doing it in an imperfect way.” God understands this and He, I don’t know how, but He can turn all of our feeble attempts at goodness and even our mistakes into blessings. So don’t fret in imperfection. God is able to make so much more of you and I than we can of ourselves. God love us. He loves us more than we love ourselves, and there is nothing that you can do that will make Him stop loving you. Receiving of a gift honors the giver. The gift of Charity is always being given by God to those who are seeking to aid and bless others, and at the same time, could be more fully received by those who are seeking it. We give honor to God when we are charitable towards those around us. Receiving of a gift honors the giver. The Groves showed charity by helping Charlene with her college The opposite of charity then must be selfishness The Savior was our example of how to feel toward and treat others. He despised wickedness, but He loved sinners in spite of their sins. He had compassion for children, the elderly, the poor, and the needy. He had such great love that He could beg our Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet (see Luke 23:34). He taught us that if we do not forgive others, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us (see Matthew 18:33–35). He said: “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. … For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?” (Matthew 5:44, 46). We must learn to feel toward others as Jesus did. One way we can become charitable is by studying the life of Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments. We can study what He did in certain situations and do the same things when we are in the same kinds of situations. Second, when we have uncharitable feelings, we can pray to have greater charity. Mormon urges us, “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love [charity], which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48). The minute that we think that we are better than someone else, we are losing the gift of Charity. Third, we can learn to love ourselves, which means that we understand our true worth as children of our Heavenly Father. The Savior taught that we must love others as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:39). To love ourselves, we must respect and trust ourselves. This means that we must be obedient to the principles of the gospel. We must repent of any wrongdoings. We must forgive ourselves when we have repented. We will come to love ourselves better when we can feel the deep, comforting assurance that the Savior truly loves us. Desiderata by Max Ehrmann 1927 Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. The minute that we think that we are better than someone else, we are losing the gift of Charity. As a man first immerses his thoughts in love and conveys those feelings to God, man, or self, a magnified portion of that attribute will surely follow from the Spirit. That is true of all godly attributes. Righteous feelings generated by a man seem to precede the increase of those feelings from the Spirit. Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. The Lord has told us to love one another as He loves us, 30 so remember: to be loved, truly love. Elder Gene R. Cook “Above all the attributes of godliness and perfection, charity is the one most devoutly to be desired. Charity is more than love, far more; it is everlasting love, perfect love, the pure love of Christ which endureth forever. It is love so centered in righteousness that the possessor has no aim or desire except for the eternal welfare of his own soul and for the souls of those around him. (2 Ne. 26:30; Moro. 7:47; 8:25–26.)” (Mormon Doctrine, 121).Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul (see 1 Nephi 11:23). Charity is “the pure love of Christ,” or “everlasting love” (Moroni 7:47; 8:17). The prophet Mormon taught: “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 the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (Moroni 7:45; see also 1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity. In His mortal ministry, He always “went about doing good,” teaching the gospel and showing tender compassion for the poor, afflicted, and distressed (see Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:6; Acts 10:38). His crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement. He said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This was the greatest act of long-suffering, kindness, and selflessness that we will ever know. The Savior wants all people to receive His love and to share it with others. He declared to His disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). In relationships with family members and others, followers of Christ look to the Savior as their example and strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy. • How can we become more charitable?One way we can become charitable is by studying the life of Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments. We can study what He did in certain situations and do the same things when we are in the same kinds of situations. econd, when we have uncharitable feelings, we can pray to have greater charity. Mormon urges us, “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love [charity], which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48). Third, we can learn to love ourselves, which means that we understand our true worth as children of our Heavenly Father. The Savior taught that we must love others as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:39). To love ourselves, we must respect and trust ourselves. This means that we must be obedient to the principles of the gospel. We must repent of any wrongdoings. We must forgive ourselves when we have repented. We will come to love ourselves better when we can feel the deep, comforting assurance that the Savior truly loves us. Fourth, we can avoid thinking we are better than other people. We can have patience with their faults. Joseph Smith said, “The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 428–29). Reply ▼ Delete More ▼ robherr . Options Sign out PC site © 2016 Microsoft Privacy Terms Report abuse