November is here and I start thinking seriously about things of the spirit, and things I am thankful for. Today I'm thankful for the blessings that come from "faith," "hope," and "charity."
Faith: “Faith is defined as, ‘an attitude of confidence in the reality and trustworthiness of something that cannot be absolutely proved; as faith in the victory of a righteous cause or in the existence of God.’ Faith is not the same as knowledge, else it would not be faith. One of the great definitions of faith is in the Epistle to the Hebrews: ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) In this Epistle, faith is conceived as ‘…a vision of the eternal realities of the unseen world – God, His righteousness, His salvation, the better country' – the vision of these realities and the conviction that they are more enduring than the things we see and touch.”
(from Christ’s Ideals for Living by Obert C. Tanner)
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Hope: “Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we ‘might have hope’….Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency
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Charity: Charity and service are often used interchangeably, however there are differences. Charity is a noun. It is described in the Bible as “the pure love of Christ.” Service is a verb. It requires action. Service is the natural consequence of charity. When you love someone, you have a natural desire to serve them.
Faith: “Faith is defined as, ‘an attitude of confidence in the reality and trustworthiness of something that cannot be absolutely proved; as faith in the victory of a righteous cause or in the existence of God.’ Faith is not the same as knowledge, else it would not be faith. One of the great definitions of faith is in the Epistle to the Hebrews: ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ (Hebrews 11:1) In this Epistle, faith is conceived as ‘…a vision of the eternal realities of the unseen world – God, His righteousness, His salvation, the better country' – the vision of these realities and the conviction that they are more enduring than the things we see and touch.”
(from Christ’s Ideals for Living by Obert C. Tanner)
.
Hope: “Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we ‘might have hope’….Hope is critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency
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Charity: Charity and service are often used interchangeably, however there are differences. Charity is a noun. It is described in the Bible as “the pure love of Christ.” Service is a verb. It requires action. Service is the natural consequence of charity. When you love someone, you have a natural desire to serve them.
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