The Bible dictionary says that Charity is "the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ. It is never used to denote alms or deeds of benevolence, although it may be a prompting motive". In Moroni 10:21 it says "And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God." Charity is vital to our salvation.
For a long time I thought of Charity as a character quality that I must develop or I couldn’t be saved. Obtaining charity became an overwhelming and seemingly impossible task. For years I would try to make myself feel this “perfect love”, and I would fail miserably every time. It was, to say the least, discouraging. I began searching for an understanding of how I can obtain charity. As I searched, pondered and prayed my understanding of Charity began to change and the overwhelming burden creating Charity was taken for me. I no longer defined Charity as a noble quality that I must create within myself, but rather as Christ’s pure love, it is His Love and only He can bestow on me. I realized that to receive it I needed to draw near to him. When we are filled with Charity and experience the joy that it brings, it will change us. It's that mighty change the scriptures say in necessary to obtain eternal life. It will take place in our hearts and our spirits, and His love will be free to flow through us and we will have a great desire to share it with those we love.
I understand Charity much in the way that I understand the Priesthood. The Priesthood is God’s Power which flows through righteous priesthood holders to bless those in need. Similarly Charity is Christ’s Love which flows through all who draw near to Him to bless those in need. Not until we've obtained Charity from it's source, can we share Charity.
