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 [putting others down] repulsive.
I haven't had a chance to study this entire talk, but I plan to. The talk is well known for Elder Ashton's words on charity that immediately follow these lines, but I'd like to think about these this week.
To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord—to understand that you have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your true strength lies.
True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference
(In my brief searches, I can't find the text of this online to link to.)
As we endeavor day by day and week by week to follow the path of Christ, our spirit asserts its preeminence, the battle within subsides, and temptations cease to trouble. There is greater and greater harmony between the spiritual and the physical until our physical bodies are transformed, in Paul’s words, from “instruments of unrighteousness unto sin” to “instruments of righteousness unto God” (see Rom. 6:13). Becoming at one within ourselves prepares us for the greater blessing of becoming one with God and Christ.
I find great hope in this: eventually the battle within will subside.
You and I can put Christ at the center of our lives and become one with Him as He is one with the Father (see John 17:20–23). We can begin by stripping everything out of our lives and then putting it back together in priority order with the Savior at the center. We should first put in place the things that make it possible to always remember Him—frequent prayer and scripture study, thoughtful study of apostolic teachings, weekly preparation to partake of the sacrament worthily, Sunday worship, and recording and remembering what the Spirit and experience teach us about discipleship.
Is the Savior at the center of my life?
That question is for me. But just a question for you now. One thing that makes it difficult for me to post new quotes every week is how long it takes me to hyperlink everything from here. Is it worth my time to do it? Well, I am not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you. If you think I should keep doing it, say so, and I will. Do you ever click the link and read more? If no, I will just put clear references so you can find the sources if you want to look for them. Leave me a comment and let me know.
