How Can I Have Charity?
The clearest refernce to charity comes from Mormon, Moroni 7.46:
44…if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for 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.
Charity therefore is not having within us a pure love for Christ, and having that same kind of love for our fellowman. Instead it is to posess and to exhibit within ourselves that same pure love that Christ has for all of God’s children. This is why Mormon entreats us to pray mightily to have this, His, love betowed upon us. We cannot create it ourselves, we cannot learn to acquire it or develop it directly, we must live our lives as ‘true followers’ of Christ, full of faith and hope, so that we may be justified in requesting this love of Christ to be ‘bestowed’ on us and that we will exhibit and express to others not our love, not a feigned love, not a self-serving love, not a similar love, but the true love of Christ, a portion of that same love that Christ has for us. Any other kind of love is ‘nothing’!
The Fairest Gem 