One of the most difficult qualities to master is that of charity. The natural man loves only himself. It is not much more righteous to show love for one’s family and friends for as the Lord has said, if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? (Matt 5:47). True righteousness requires a greater love than this. The spiritual man must first love the Lord God with all of his heart, might, mind and strength. Next, he must love his neighbor as himself. The last crowning quality of charity is to show love for vast groups of people—people with which you may have no interaction. This love stems from the godlike concern for the eternal welfare of others. This is the emotion which filled the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble (Mosiah 28:3).
Nephi’s concern for his flock was so great that he prayed for them continually, he wept for their eternal welfare. Nephi had charity for his people. He had that same love that the Lord has for all of his spirit children. He will later explain that his love extended beyond his stewardship, for he said, I have charity for my people…I have charity for the Jew…I have charity for the Gentiles (v. 7-9).
"When our hearts are filled with charity, we love as Christ loved, his goals become our goals, his work becomes our work, and ultimately his glory becomes our glory, for we will become ’joint-heirs with Christ’ (Romans 8:17) of ‘all that my Father hath’ (D&C 84:38).
With this thought in mind, and thinking of charity in relationship to hope, it might be said that hope is a hungering and thirsting after righteousness for oneself, and charity is essentially a hungering and thirsting after righteousness for others. Not surprisingly, therefore, we find that Lehi, after tasting the fruit of the tree of life, ’began to be desirous that [his] family should partake of it also’ (1 Nephi 8:12), and that Nephi wrote, ’I pray continually for [my people] by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them’ (2 Nephi 33:3)." (Book of Mormon Symposium Series, edited by PR Cheesman, MS Nyman, and CD Tate, Jr., 1988, p. 147)