Have love for Christ

      - Comply with conditions of atonement

      - Serve others

      "Charity is not just a precept or a principle," Elder C. Max Caldwell of the Seventy declared Saturday afternoon. "Nor is it a word to describe actions or attitudes. Rather, it is an internal condition that must be developed and experienced in order to be understood. We are possessors of charity when it is a part of our nature."

      As he began his address, Elder Caldwell quoted Moroni 7:47, which states that "charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever." He also noted 2 Ne. 26:30, which reads that "the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love."

      He then explained that the phrase "love of Christ" might have meaning in three dimensions:

      - Love for Christ. "This concept proclaims Jesus as the object of our love, and our lives should be an external expression of our gratitude for him," Elder Caldwell said. He also cautioned against letting desires for blessings we don't have "overshadow our reasons to maintain our love for the Savior. Otherwise, we may lose our perspective or become bitter, and our love for Christ may be lost.

      "How deeply do we love him?" Elder Caldwell asked. "Does our love depend on favorable environments? Is it diminished or strengthened by our experiences? Is our love for Him evident by our behavior and our attitude? Charity, or love for Christ, sustains us in every need and influences us in every decision."

      - Love from Christ. "Through His compliance with the severe requirements of the atonement, the Savior offered the ultimate expression of love. And by permitting His Son to make such a selfless and suffering sacrifice, the Father provided us with an ultimate expression of His love as His gift to the rest of His children."

      Elder Caldwell admonished, however, that the gift of charity is to be received. "The Savior's act of redemption of our sins is of no effect without our willingness to comply with the conditions of His atonement."

      - Love like Christ. "In other words, people are the object of Christlike love," he explained. "Jesus' love was inseparably connected to and resulted from His life of serving, sacrificing, and giving in behalf of others. We cannot develop Christlike love except by practicing the process prescribed by the Master.

      "Is it a coincidence that missionaries give a portion of their lives in behalf of others, then come home and testify of their great love for the people they have served?" he asked. "Is it any wonder that bishops and other priesthood and auxiliary leaders who sacrifice for others are filled with love for those who are recipients of their labors? Is there a greater love among mortals than that of a mother who offers all for her child? Many, who desire to have charity like Jesus, attain it as He did."

      Elder Caldwell exhorted, "People who have charity have a love for the Savior, have received of His love, and love others as He does."