421. We are to love one another.
422. We are to love our enemies.
423. We are to return good for evil, not evil for evil.
424. We are to judge righteously.
425. We are to strive to lift others—to strengthen the weak.
426. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
427. Without charity (the pure love of Christ), we cannot enter into the celestial kingdom.
421. We are to love one another.
recorded in Matthew
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Jesus gives the two great commandments) Matthew 22:36-40
quoted by John
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (Jesus washes the feet of his the Twelve after the Last Supper and commands them to love one another) John 13:34-35
It is a duty which every saint ought to render to his brethren freely—to always love them, and ever succor them. To be justified before God we must love one another: we must overcome evil; we must visit the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and we must keep ourselves unspotted from the world: for such virtues flow from the great fountain of pure religion, strengthening our faith by adding every good quality that adorns the children of the blessed Jesus, we can pray in the season of prayer; we can love our neighbor as ourselves, and be faithful in tribulation. . . . (Joseph instructs elders and Saints in Missouri) (Messenger and Advocate, June 1835) HC2:229; TLDP:367
It is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind, and the Lord will reward us with everlasting increase; cast our bread upon the waters and we shall receive it after many days, increased to a hundredfold. Friendship is like Brother Turley in his blacksmith shop welding iron to iron; it unites the human family with its happy influence.
I do not dwell upon your faults, and you shall not upon mine. Charity, which is love, covereth a multitude of sins, and I have often covered up all the faults among you; but the prettiest thing is to have no faults at all. We should cultivate a meek, quiet and peaceable spirit. (At the Stand in Nauvoo, Ill., Sunday July 23, 1843) HC5:517
We love him, because he first loved us.
20. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (John writes to the churches in Asia) 1 John 4:19-21
quoted by John
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (Jesus teaches his disciples the perfect law of love) John 15:12-13
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Revelation to Moses for the children of Israel) Leviticus 19:18
[I]f there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Paul writes to the Church in Rome, about A.D. 55) Romans 13:9-10
[W]herefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing. (Nephi gives commandments of God to Nephites, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 26:30
[F]or if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
45. And 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.
46. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47. But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Mormon preaches in the synagogue, prior to A.D. 384) Moroni 7:44-48
also quoting Jesus,
as recorded in Matthew
We know . . . that even the most extreme acts of service—such as giving all of our goods to feed the poor—profit us nothing unless our service is motivated by the pure love of Christ.
If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be accomplished for the love of God and the love of his children. . . .
This principle—that our service should be for the love of God and the love of fellowmen rather than for personal advantage or any other lesser motive—is admittedly a high standard. The Savior must have seen it so, since he joined his commandment for selfless and complete love directly with the ideal of perfection . . . "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48). . . .
Service with all of our heart and mind is a high challenge for all of us. Such service must be free of selfish ambition. It must be motivated only by the pure love of Christ. . . .
I know that God expects us to work to purify our hearts and our thoughts so that we may serve one another for the highest and best reason, the pure love of Christ. CR1984Oct:16
The most important thing that Jesus Christ taught when he was on earth is that we must love one another. ("Message from the First Presidency," EN1971Jan:3) TLDP:366
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race. (Epistle to the Twelve, Oct. 19, 1840) HC4:227; TPJS:174
Related Witnesses:
And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practise virtue and holiness before me.
25. And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself. (Commandments to Saints in conference, Jan. 2, 1831) D&C 38:24-25
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. (Paul writes from prison to the Church in Colossae, Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) Colossians 3:12-14
Author's Note: C.S. Lewis wrote profoundly about this business of loving one another:
"It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbour. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour's glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. . . . There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. . . . [I]t is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit. . . . This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses." (The Weight of Glory, pp. 18-19)
422. We are to love our enemies.
recorded in Matthew
But 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;
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Jesus teaches the multitude to love their enemies) Matthew 5:44-48
All men will be judged by what is in their own hearts. If their souls are full of hatred and cursings, such characteristics shall be restored to them in the resurrection. Loving one's enemies and blessing one's cursers perfects the soul. (The Mortal Messiah, 2:142) TLDP:370
recorded in Matthew
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Jesus teaches his disciples about love) Luke 6:27-28
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
Do I say, Love your enemies? Yes, upon certain principles. But you are not required to love their wickedness; you are only required to love them so far as concerns a desire and effort to turn them from their evil ways, that they may be saved through obedience to the Gospel. (In Tabernacle, April 22, 1860, JD8:71) DBY:272
quoted by Mormon
But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
45. That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good.
46. Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.
47. Old things are done away, and all things have become new.
48. Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. (The resurrected Jesus Christ teaches the Nephite people, A.D. 34) 3 Nephi 12:44-48
Related Witnesses:
He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. (John to the churches in Asia) 1 John 2:9-11
A brotherhood that seeks to establish the common good is as "sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal," except it be founded upon the divine principle of love of God and our neighbor as ourselves. One who says he loves God and is a follower of Jesus and yet hates his brother is false to himself and before the world, for no one can love God whom he has not seen and yet love not his brother whom he has seen. (See John 4:20.) The truest evidence that one loves God is that he keeps the commandments. (See John 2:3-4.) RSM1943feb:84-87
423. We are to return good for evil, not evil for evil.
recorded in Matthew
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. . . .
44. But 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; . . . 46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? . . .
48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Jesus Christ to the multitude, about A.D. 30) Matthew 5:38-42,44,46,48
Have I any ill feelings towards these people that persecute and proscribe us? No. I would do them good for evil, give blessings for curses; I would treat them well, treat them honorably. Let us be men of truth, honor and integrity; men that will swear to our own hurt and change not; men whose word will be our everlasting bond. If you see men hungry, feed them, no matter who they are; white, black, or red, Jew, Gentile or Mormon, or anybody else—feed them. If you see naked, clothe them. If you see sick, administer to them, and learn to be kind to all men; but partake not of their evil practices. (General conference, Oct. 1884, JD25:312) TLDP:368
recorded in Luke
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. (Jesus addresses his disciples) Luke 6:29-33
also quoting
President George Albert Smith
Sometimes the spirit of forgiveness is carried to the loftiest height—to rendering assistance to the offender. Not to be revengeful, not to seek what outraged justice might demand, to leave the offender in God's hands—this is admirable. But to return good for evil, this is the sublime expression of Christian love.
In this regard we have the stimulating example of President George Albert Smith. It was reported to him that someone had stolen from his buggy the buggy robe. Instead of being angry, he responded: "I wish we knew who it was, so that we could give him the blanket also, for he must have been cold; and some food also, for he must have been hungry." (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 282-84) TLDP:206-07
quoted by Mormon
But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
45. That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good. (The resurrected Jesus Christ teaches the Nephite people, A.D. 34) 3 Nephi 12:44-45
Related Witnesses:
Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God. (Much iniquity abounds among the Nephites, A.D. 29-30) 3 Nephi 6:13
Nevertheless, the people did harden their hearts, for they were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many churches, and to do all manner of iniquity. And they did smite upon the people of Jesus; but the people of Jesus did not smite again. And thus they did dwindle in unbelief and wickedness, from year to year, even until two hundred and thirty years had passed away. (Mormon abridges the account of Nephi, son of Nephi, one of the disciples of Christ, A.D. 36-60) 4 Nephi 1:34
Now, I speak unto you concerning your families —if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
24. But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you. (Revelation received Aug. 6, 1833 in consequence of the persecution of the Saints) D&C 98:23-24
424. We are to judge righteously.
quoted by Joseph Smith,
translating Matthew
Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment. (Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount) JST(Matthew 7:1fn. a)
Now, brothers and sisters, what the Savior meant [Matthew 7:1-2was that you and I, in our capacity as individuals, as members, outside of any official duty imposed upon us, should not sit in judgment upon one another. And yet we do it, and sometimes we say things about one another that we are not justified in saying. . . . It is not our province as members of the Church, to sit in judgment upon one another and call bad names when we reflect upon the acts of people. We have no right, even if we are in official capacity, to form a one-sided judgment. There are two sides to every such question, if not more, always; and we should hear both. . . . Hear the other side before you begin to find fault, and pass judgment. Do not let us pass judgment upon our fellow creatures, our brothers and sisters, or even people in the world. CR1916Oct:22
quoted by John
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (Jesus teaches in the temple) John 7:24
quoted by Mormon
Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.
15. For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all. (Alma instructs his son Corianton that every person receives again in the resurrection those characteristics and attributes acquired in mortality, about 73 B.C.) Alma 41:14-15
receiving the Word of the Lord
And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. (Revelation for Hyrum Smith, May 1829) D&C 11:12
Related Witnesses:
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (The Lord through Samuel chooses David to be king; Samuel examines Eliab, son of Jesse) 1 Samuel 16:7
recorded in Matthew
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount) Matthew 7:1-5
recorded in Luke
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: (Jesus teaches his disciples some principles of love and service) Luke 6:37
425. We are to strive to lift others—to strengthen the weak.
We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. (See D&C 38:24; 81:5; 84:106.) CR1989Apr:6
Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. (Jacob denounces the love of riches among the Nephites, 544-421 B.C.) Jacob 2:17
You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. . . . You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul. CR1973Apr:178
And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also. (Revelation on priesthood received with six elders, Sept. 22/23, 1832) D&C 84:106
also quoting Jeremiah
Time passes. Circumstances change. Conditions vary. Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. Each of us has the charge to be not a doubter, but a doer; not a leaner, but a lifter. But our complacency tree has many branches, and each spring more buds come into bloom. Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: "Is there no balm in Gilead . . . ?" (Jeremiah 8:22) Each of us must answer. CR1971Oct:171
And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also. (Revelation on priesthood received with six elders, Sept. 22/23, 1832) D&C 84:106
Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings. (Revelation for Lyman Sherman, Dec. 26, 1835) D&C 108:7
receiving the Word of the Lord
Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees. (Revelation for the newly called counselor in First Presidency, Frederick G. Williams, March 1832) D&C 81:5
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; (Paul's letter to the Jewish members of the Church, about A.D. 60) Hebrews 12:12
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. (Israel shall be gathered and Zion built up) Isaiah 35:3-4
Related Witnesses:
recorded in Luke
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Jesus talks to Peter, prior to departing for Gethsemane) Luke 22:32
No one ever lifted someone else without stepping toward higher ground. CR1973Oct:131
426. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
recorded in Matthew
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Jesus gives the two great commandments) Matthew 22:37-40
To love oneself—that is easy. Instinctively, from the first day, we have reached out for our own greater good. Every personal philosophy makes the man the center. To love our neighbor equally well—"that's the rub." His will is not our will; his ways, not our ways. Yet, only by the progress of all, can each gain the greatest advancement. The fundamental conceptions of a universe filled with eternal matter and forces, and a host of individual intelligent beings, make it clear that only by complete harmony of all intelligent beings can the interests of each be served, in the work of subjugating, by intelligent conquest, the forces of universal nature.
To love one's neighbor, then, a man must first fully know his own origin and destiny and possible powers; then he may soon learn the need of loving his fellowman, if his love for himself shall grow great. This commandment is not inferior to the first. (A Rational Theology, p. 188) TLDP:367
Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them. (Alma teaches the people, 145-121 B.C.) Mosiah 23:15
[I]f there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Letter to the Church in Rome, about A.D. 55) Romans 13:9-10
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Revelation, Aug. 7, 1831) D&C 59:6
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9. But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. (Letter to his brethren in the Church) James 2:8-9
Related Witnesses:
We must remember that those mortals we meet in parking lots, offices, elevators, and elsewhere are that portion of mankind God has given us to love and to serve. It will do us little good to speak of the general brotherhood of mankind if we cannot regard those who are all around us as our brothers and sisters. (At Sun Valley, Idaho, to Young Presidents Organization, Jan. 1977) (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 483) TLDP:368
427. Without charity (the pure love of Christ), we cannot enter into the celestial kingdom.
In this modern world plagued with counterfeits for the Lord's plan, we must not be misled into supposing that we can discharge our obligations to the poor and the needy by shifting the responsibility to some governmental or other public agency. Only by voluntarily giving out of an abundant love for our neighbors can we develop that charity characterized by Mormon as "the pure love of Christ." (Moroni 7:47) This we must develop if we would obtain eternal life. CR1972Oct:115
[F]or if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity. . . .
46. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47. But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Mormon preaches in the synagogue, prior to A.D. 384) Moroni 7:44,46-48
And I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father. (Moroni, having heard the Lord speak to him, addresses the Lord) Ether 12:34
[W]herefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing. (Nephi gives commandments of God to Nephites, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 26:30
If man would win eternal life, he cannot afford to neglect the duty of love to his fellow, for "Love is the fulfilling of the law." AF:392
Related Witnesses:
Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made. CR1982Oct:135
The Lord expects us when he blesses us with the good things of this earth to remember those who are not so fortunate. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, comfort those who mourn, and minister unto those who are poor and needy, and thus become of that class to whom the Lord, when he shall come, shall say: "Come, ye blessed of the Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." CR1939Oct:108-09
Activity in the cause inspires love for, and interest in it. I have proven to my satisfaction that when we work for the Lord we love him more, and as we love him more, we have more desire to work for, and serve him. It works both ways. . . . If we do not love him we will not give to him much valuable service. Love and service to God and man are necessary qualifications in order to obtain eternal life, the greatest gift of God to man. CR1919Oct:61
The man who does only those things in the Church which concern himself alone will never reach exaltation. For instance, the man who is willing to pray, to pay his tithes and offerings, and to attend to the ordinary duties which concern his own personal life, and nothing more, will never reach the goal of perfection.
Service must be given in behalf of others. We must extend the helping hand to the unfortunate, to those who have not heard the truth and are in spiritual darkness, to the needy, the oppressed. Are you failing? CR1968Apr:12
recorded in Matthew
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38. When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Jesus gives the parable of the sheep and the goats; the sheep are placed on his right hand at the Lord's second coming) Matthew 25:34-40
If one really loves another, one would rather die for that person than to injure him. (Copenhagen Denmark area conference, Aug. 5, 1976) (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 279) TLDP:369
