Becoming Perfect (3/29/2010)

As we were discussing the Savior in our Gospel Essentials lesson yesterday, I had an idea that had never crossed my mind. When Jesus was on the Earth, He had mortal attributes which came from His mother as well as immortal attributes which came from His Father. This gave Christ the ability to choose everything for Himself, so when He fasted for 40 days, even though His mortal side must have truly felt the effects of that ordeal, He was able to live because His life was His alone to give up. Satan, of course, appealed to the mortal pains that Jesus felt, but He was able to overcome those temptations and become the perfect individual that was required to make an Atoning Sacrifice for all of our Father in Heaven's children.

This realization led me to several thoughts, two of which I would like to share. The first of these thoughts is that because the Savior suffered temptation beyond what we could bear, He understands what we are going through. No matter how hard the road seems, we can always turn to the One who has felt as we do, and who truly understands us. The other idea I would like to share is that we too have a spiritual side to counter our mortal side. I will be the first to acknowledge that allowing our spirit to master our mortal body can be an immense challenge, yet if we look to the example laid out by the Savior and rely on Him to help us along our path to perfection, we too can daily become more as He is. (see 3 Nephi 18:11-15)

Doing (3/24/2010)

"There is but one path of safety to the Latter-day Saints, and that is the path of duty. It is not testimony, it is not marvelous manifestations, it is not knowing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true,... it is not actually knowing that the Savior is the Redeemer, and that Joseph Smith was His prophet, that will save you and me, but it is the keeping of the commandments of God, the living the life of a Latter-day Saint." -President Heber J. Grant

When I read President Grant's quote, it struck me as being simple yet deeply true. If one has matches and wood and tinder, it will never make a fire unless someone assembles the materials and strikes the match. Having a recipe, flour, sugar, and eggs will never make a cake unless I put the ingredients in the mixer and prepare the recipe as directed. The same can be said of the Gospel - as important as it is to have a testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, the thing that will ultimately help us is to live as we have been taught.

Optimism (3/18/2010)

Today, I would like to share a brief thought from President Gordon B. Hinckley about the attitude that will make our lives more enjoyable:

"I come with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I'm suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I'm asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort.

"Let our faith replace our fears. When I was a boy, my father often said to us, 'Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve.'"

Building Spiritual Strength (3/17/2010)

In my thought yesterday, I talked about the idea that our Father in Heaven will never test us beyond that which we are able to bear. This was witnessed in Nephi's confidence when he was sent to retrieve the Brass Plates. Instead of asking why and giving the thousand excuses about why it couldn't be done, he simply replied that he would go do it and trust that because the Lord had commanded it, the Lord would make it happen. Was it an easy task? Absolutely not. It cost Nephi and his brothers their worldly wealth. It almost cost them their lives. But in the end, through persistence and faith, Nephi was able to get the scriptures that kept his descendants on the right path (more or less) for the next 1000 years.

I thought some more about this in the context of a trainer at the gym. When one works out with a trainer, I doubt that after 5 minutes on the treadmill they will hear "Great! Now let's go to the snack bar and get a smoothie!" At least in my experience, the trainer will push you as far as you can go, then when you decide that your body can take no more, they yell at you to keep going. The reason they do that is because not only can your body take it, that is the time when the most beneficial training occurs. That extra time is when you gain the most strength and endurance.

The same can be said of our spiritual fitness. It may be easy to say our prayers, to go to church every week. But are we being the missionary we should be? Are we the home teacher or visiting teacher that is making the effort to do more than the once-monthly visit? There are so many ways that we can serve in the Gospel, and as we step outside ourselves and truly lengthen our stride as President Kimball admonished us, we will be able to grow in ways we never imagined possible.

Perfection (3/16/2010)

I heard a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell recently that really made me think:

"The scriptures concerning life's purposes do make it clear that we are to become like the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matthew 5:48). 'Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.' (3 Nephi 12:48) 'Therefore, what manner of men [and women] ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.' (3 Nephi 27:27)"

Perfection is one of those things that I always question whether I will be able to attain. I see all of my shortcomings and realize that there are many times when I am about as far away from the Savior as I could be. Yet this quote reminded me that the Lord will never give us any commandment that we cannot fulfill. (see 1 Nephi 3:7) His goal is for us to succeed, to overcome the obstacles that we will encounter in this life, and as long as we seek His help, we are sure to succeed.

The Book of Mormon (3/9/2010)

"Do eternal consequences rest upon our response to this book? Yes, either to our blessing or our condemnation.

"Every Latter-day Saint should make the study of this book a lifetime pursuit. Otherwise he is placing his soul in jeopardy and neglecting that which could give spiritual and intellectual unity to his whole life. There is a difference between a convert who is built on the rock of Christ through the Book of Mormon and stays hold of that iron rod, and one who is not."

- President Ezra Taft Benson

I love to read. Especially when my kids come home with a new book, I like to see what they are reading and have been known to read several hundred pages over the course of a week in just the few minutes I can muster here and there. When I saw this quote, however, I realized that more than a few minutes every day should be spent studying the Book of Mormon. Making a study of the book is more than just reading the obligatory chapter daily. It is prayerfully reading it and seeing how we can apply the things we read in our lives. Only then can this Book help draw us nearer to our Father in Heaven and realize our full potential.

Loving Ourselves (3/4/2010)

In the movie "Groundhog Day," the main character is accused by the girl whose affection he is trying to win of never being able to love anyone but himself. His reply? "That's not true. I don't even like myself!" Even though his reply is good for a laugh, I think that there are many people who feel this way. In a talk, President Faust suggested a way to work through this all-too-common feeling.

"The commandment given by the Savior was to love others and yourself.
Am I secure enough in my love of myself to laugh at myself, to admit my mistakes, to graciously accept a compliment? Am I secure in my love of others to smile and say hello to a perfect stranger?

"Years ago in seminary our class was taught:

"I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to go out with my head erect.
I want to demand all men's respect.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see.
I can never fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free!"

A Sure Foundation (3/3/2010)

I was conversing with a friend in my ward last night about some of the people who had become less active over the past year or so, including one who had previously served in a bishopric. Each of these individuals had reasons for their inactivity, and a common them was that someone had said or done something to offend them. While I believe that I am strong (or ambivalent) enough to avoid this pitfall, it is important to take the advice that Helaman gave to his sons Nephi and Lehi:

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

Satan will use whatever tactic he can to lure people away from the Church. While this is not news to anyone, I think that this is an important reminder to strengthen ourselves now so that when the time comes that we are tempted to drift away, we will be able to withstand it with our Savior's help.

Finding Peace (3/1/2010)

One of the things that people often seek in this world is peace. The problem to me seems that they are looking for it in all the wrong places. They want to continue living the life that the natural man says they should live, but then they hope to reap the dividends of peace and a good life. Unfortunately for them, as the prophets have told us, wickedness will not bring happiness. (see Alma 41:10) This morning, I would like to share a thought from President Eyring on this topic.

"God has told us through his servants, the road to travel to find peace. No road leads to peace, for a person or for the world, unless it leads away from the effects of sin and Satan. Satan has always taught men and women to take what they want by taking life. I like the forthright way John Taylor, a president of the Church in this dispensation, gave us the direction to follow. He said:

"'Peace is the gift of God. Do you want peace? Go to God. Do you want peace in your families? Go to God. Do you want peace to brood over your families? If you do, live your religion, and the very peace of God will dwell and abide with you, for that is where peace comes from, and it doesn't dwell anywhere else.'"