What is the best thing we could possess when we leave this life? Is it knowledge, even the spiritual kind? Is it titles? Awards? Money? Friendships? Spirituality? Moroni 7:47 answers the question unequivocally: The best and most important possession is charity, the pure love of Christ. Luke 7:47 is an example of just how valuable it is: “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”
The greatest objective of the true followers of Christ in the dream of Lehi and Nephi was to get to the tree of life, which represents the love of God. The loftiest goal of this mortal existence is to acquire the love of God. Elder C. Max Caldwell said: “If we must have charity, then we must know what it is. The phrase ‘love of Christ’ might have meaning in three dimensions:
“1. Love for Christ;
“2. Love from Christ;
“3. Love like Christ.”9
And how do we acquire it? “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love.”
The Love of God
We know that faith is the first principle of the gospel. Repentance is the number one doctrine of the kingdom. Obedience is the first law of heaven. And happiness is the object of our existence. But of all things in the gospel, in the scriptures, and in the plan of salvation, that which is the most important of all is the love of God!
Circumstances and people come into our lives to teach us important lessons. A woman entered the office of the Santiago Chile East Mission to speak for a moment with the mission president. She wanted to talk to him about getting her name removed from membership records of this “incorrect” Church. “I’ve learned,” she announced, “that this is not the true way back to God, and I want to go back to my other church and just live by my Bible. I don’t believe that the Book of Mormon is God’s word, and I don’t believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. I don’t want anything to do with this church anymore.” She carried on and on. President Ogden felt irritation mounting and tried to interject some counterarguments here and there, especially some testimony, but it all fell on deaf ears. She was sincere, but her heart was closed.
Near the end of her tirade, a thought entered the mission president’s mind: “What would Jesus do in this situation?” The thought calmed him, and he began feeling compassion for her pain. She had said, accusingly, “Your missionaries only want to baptize people, and then they leave them and don’t care for them.” It came to the president’s mind, as clearly as if he had defrosted the windshield of his soul, that her problem was that no one had shown her the love she needed. She just needed some honest-to-goodness love. She might be hard for others to love, but she needed it anyway.
Following is a summary of what love is, why we want it, how we get it, what to be careful of, the blessings that come from having it, and its visible influence in our lives. If we ponder carefully and prayerfully what the Lord teaches, we may be inspired to desire and work toward the love of God above all else. We have a right, as we consider these teachings, to receive specific inspiration about how to improve and strengthen our own lives right now.
Love—What It Is
Love is powerfully defined in the Book of Mormon. We can know exactly what it is. “All men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing” (2 Nephi 26:30).
“Charity is the pure love of Christ … ; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:47).
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not [there is no resentment or discontent over the good fortune of others], and is not puffed up [there is no contention for superiority; those converted to Christ are not threatened by others’ abilities and successes; there is no pride], seeketh not her own [there is no selfishness], is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity” (Moroni 7:45).
“I am filled with charity,” exclaimed Moroni, “which is everlasting love” (Moroni 8:17).
Love is one of God’s perfect attributes. Knowing of this attribute allows us to exercise faith in him. “And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is the idea that he is love; for with all the other excellencies in his character, without this one to influence them, they could not have such powerful dominion over the minds of men; but when the idea is planted in the mind that he is love, who cannot see the just ground that men of every nation, kindred, and tongue, have to exercise faith in God so as to obtain eternal life?”10 The attribute of divine love is the one that influences, shapes, energizes, and mediates all the other qualities and characteristics of Deity. This is true for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Love—Why We Want It
We want the love of God because it is a commandment to love him and others. “Love the Lord thy God,” Moses wrote (Deuteronomy 6:5), and “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18). The grand secret is selflessness! The Lord revealed in modern times: “Thou shalt live together in love” (D&C 42:45) and “let thy love abound unto all men” (D&C 112:11). “Let thy bowels … be full of charity towards all men” (D&C 121:45).
Seeking and receiving the love of God is not just a commandment; it is the commandment, the number one of all commandments: “Above all these things put on charity” (Colossians 3:14); “above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8); “above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity” (D&C 88:125).
Getting the love of God in our hearts is a test: “The Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 13:3). It is to prove our discipleship: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
We want the love of God because it brings joy into our lives. “The love of God … is the most desirable above all things … and the most joyous to the soul” (1 Nephi 11:22–23). After the Savior’s visit to the inhabitants of the ancient Americas, Mormon was able to report that “there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God … in the hearts of the people [they did not have a mind to injure one another; see Mosiah 4:13] … ; and surely there could not be a happier people” (4 Nephi 1:15–16).
We want the love of God because we must have it to be able to successfully serve in his work and to get where we eventually want to be. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love” (D&C 12:8). “Wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place … prepared in the mansions of thy Father” (Ether 12:34).
Love—How We Get It
We can get God’s love by being obedient to him. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love” (John 15:10). “Keep the commandments of God, that [you] might … be filled with love towards God and all men” (Mosiah 2:4).
We must also be willing to give up some things; in fact, we must be willing to sacrifice all things for the cause of Christ. Said he, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Jesus admonished his presiding leader in the meridian of time with this pointed challenge: “Simon Peter, … lovest thou me more than these? … Feed my lambs… . Feed my sheep… . Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17). We get God’s love by dedicated service to others. “Teach them to love one another,” King Benjamin declared, meaning that they must “serve one another” (Mosiah 4:15). “Succor those that stand in need” (Mosiah 4:16).
One specific thing we can do to have godly love in our lives is to keep ourselves clean; quickly expel immoral, lustful thoughts and feelings when they come; and maintain control of our physical desires. Alma counseled his son, “Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love” (Alma 38:12).
Sincere prayer from our hearts is a key to obtaining the love of God. “Pray continually, that ye may … [be] full of love” (Alma 13:28). The prophet Mormon explained step-by-step how love comes: “Fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins; and the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer” (Moroni 8:25–26). “Pray … with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love” (Moroni 7:48).
Even doing all of that is not sufficient. Love isn’t something we can just work on, checking off each qualification on our checklists, and then receive it because we earned it. It is a gift. It is the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Love—Stumbling Blocks to Watch Out For
There are a few warnings in the scriptures about what to be careful of while working toward the gift of love. Along with his encouragement for us to pursue that greatest quality of godliness, Moroni advised: Do not “love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel … more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted” (Mormon 8:37).
Paul cautioned us not to allow intellectual pursuits to displace the quest for the infinitely more satisfying acquisition of love: “To know the love of Christ … passeth knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19); “knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” (1 Corinthians 8:1); “though I … understand all mysteries, and all knowledge … , and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).
So we need to be careful about money, worldly things, and intellectualism. They can distract us from the best possession of all.
Love—The Blessings of Having It
Paul learned by his own experience to prize the love of God that was granted to him, and he wrote in superlative terms about the mighty changes that can come to those who likewise experience this greatest gift: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). “All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).
John, the same that we call “the Beloved” because of his possessing the gift of love, wrote, “Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God … ; for God is love” (1 John 4:7–8). John also knew the serenity that can come into the life of one who is filled with the love of Christ, for “perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18; see also Moroni 8:16).
One missionary was concerned about returning home to an inactive family after his mission, and he wrote just before leaving for home: “There is no fear in love. I learned that while studying my scriptures, while trying to answer the question: ‘How can I call my mother and my family to the tree of life?’ (1 Nephi 8:15)—the answer came to my mind so clearly: ‘With love; just as you’ve always done.’ I felt that perfect love and from that time I’ve not had any fear of returning home, nor will I have.”
Moroni described how we can achieve the ultimate reward of becoming like God and dwelling with him: “Deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then … by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” (Moroni 10:32).
Spiritual preparedness, the readiness to dwell in God’s presence, which involves “sanctification through the grace of our Lord … [is given] to all those who love and serve God” (D&C 20:31).
Love—Its Influence in Our Personal Lives
To have the pure love of Christ means that we are praying fervently every day. We are studying the scriptures and writing new impressions, the revelation that comes while we are in the Spirit (see commentary at Mosiah 26:33). We are testifying of the Savior and of his work with everyone that we can. We are learning to love every person who comes into our lives.
When we have the pure love of Christ, we do more than just try to get along with others. In early 1967 young Elder Ogden used that phrase in one of his weekly reports from Paraná, Argentina, to his mission president, Richard G. Scott. He wrote, “My companion and I are getting along okay; we have some minor companionship problems, as I suppose all missionaries do.” That was the subject of the next zone conference. President Scott quoted from Elder Ogden’s report, without mentioning his name, and taught the missionaries that good, successful missionaries don’t just get along; they learn to love each other.
When we love God, we keep his commandments; we are obedient and happy. We are constant, or as the Book of Mormon says, “firm and steadfast” (1 Nephi 2:10; Helaman 15:8; 3 Nephi 6:14). We can be trusted. We do things for the right reasons.