One day, while perusing my scriptures, I noticed that when I marked passages that were interesting to me, I didn’t usually mark entire verses, but phrases within a verse. Sometimes I would only mark two words, or three words at a time. Sermons don’t have to be long, sometimes they can be as brief as a sentence. Here is one of my favorite “Sermons in a Sentence:”
Charity never faileth. — 1 Corinthians 13:8
It’s thrilling when scriptures use strong words like never, always, first, last, and best. Imagine how much weaker this phrase would be if it read, “Charity hardly ever faileth,” or “There’s a really good chance charity won’t fail.” Elder Bruce R. McConkie used strong words like most and above all when he commented on this verse: “Above all the attributes of godliness and perfection, charity is the one most devoutly to be desired. Charity is more than love, far more; it is everlasting love, perfect love, the pure love of Christ which endureth forever” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 2:378). Since charity never fails, we should always strive to have it. President Thomas S. Monson used strong words like everything and all when he taught, “May this long enduring . . . motto, this timeless truth, guide you in everything you do. May it permeate your very souls and find expression in all your thoughts and actions” (“Charity Never Faileth,” Ensign, November 2010, 125).
(Excerpt from Sermons in a Sentence, 57).
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