Faith and enduring

I spent time this morning watching the Church’s videos on the life of Christ.  I was particularly impressed watching those that depicted His apostles as He told them that His hour was come, and that when the shepherd was taken, the sheep would be scattered.

When Peter said that though all might deny, he would not, but would stand with Him, the Savior foretold his thrice denial.  I watched as the mob took Him away for His “trial.”  I pondered on the confusion that the apostles must have felt.  It was impressed on me what great faith it took at that time to not understand, to feel the confusion, to see everything going wrong.  Remember that they did not have the Holy Ghost yet to be a companion and strengthening influence.  I wondered how they endured it!

Despite being scattered, they remained true.  In his denial Peter did not deny that Jesus was the Christ, but merely that he knew Him.  They did not throw away their faith in the midst of this confusion and trauma. They were frightened, greatly distraught, and very anxious.  Nevertheless they remained faithful.

May we likewise, when times get tough and confusing, use the shield of faith to ward off the fiery darts of the evil one.  And then let us stand, having girded ourselves with the armor of God, by way of the scriptures, hearing the prophets and leaders, and doing His will.  With the preparation of the Gospel, our foundation will be sure, and the floods will not wash us away.

Imagine the relief of these brethren after struggling through, not perfectly, but still holding on, when the Lord showed Himself to them later.  How wonderful it must have been to know they were still His.  May we likewise feel this great joy when we at last see each other on the other side, resurrected, and glorified with Him!

A New Heart

It has been said that anything desirable is either illegal or immoral.  This would be true with the natural man.  However if we put off the natural man, repenting, and asking in faith, we become "born again."  If we continue with a contrite spirit, He will give us a new heart that abhors sin and a new mind as stated in Mosiah 4:13 "And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due."  When this happens we no longer desire that which is illegal or immoral.  We begin to see things as God does.  We see things "as they really are" instead of as we wish, desiring that which will only bring sorrow.

Developing Kindness

One of the “fruits of the spirit” is kindness.  How do we develop kindness?  We have to start by becoming aware of others and then by serving others.  Even then kindness is not achieved without gaining some measure of charity, which is a gift of God bestowed because of faithfulness.  Therefore kindness, more than mere activity in church, is a measure of how close we are to the Savior.  Activity in church is designed to help us gain this and other qualities, but one can be “active” and not have developed kindness.

Kindness is not a quality you either have or not.  It is acquired line upon line, here a little and there a little.  We can be kinder at one time and lesser at another.  Initially it seems a continual struggle to get ourselves to think of others.  However with much practice it becomes more natural.  Just as with a great athlete or pianist, we must devote attention to and actively and continually seek it to develop this character trait.

It is impossible to develop this trait without also developing patience, for patience is one of the most important manifestations of kindness.  How kind it is when someone shows patience with our weaknesses!

Kindness is not indulgence however.  Sometimes the kindest thing we can do for our children is to teach them discipline, for self-discipline helps us avoid a great deal of suffering and pain.

Kindness then is thoughtfulness, awareness, and gentleness in helping each other along this difficult path of mortality.  It is one of the most desired fruits Father in Heaven wants to have grown in his vineyard.

At this Easter season, let us think on the greatest of all kindnesses, the atonement, which allows us to live again both spiritually and physically.  It took much strength, patience, and love to provide and was entirely a one-sided gift from the Savior to us.  May we use that atonement and gift of repentance to develop kindness in ourselves, especially toward those closest to us, our families, and thus be one bud that produces much desirable fruit to our Father in Heaven.

The Iron Rod

When we want to talk to God, we pray.  When we want to listen to God, we read the scriptures and the conference addresses.

Christmas talk 2011

I wondered what I could say regarding Christmas that hadn’t already been said, or regardless of that, would be inspirational to you who have come to hear and feel the word of the Lord in Sacrament meeting. I did a search on Google for Christmas messages. Then I added LDS and the Christmas Devotional last week came up on the Church’s website. I clicked on Pres. Eyring’s talk.

As I listened to him speak, I had a number of thoughts I wrote down. God’s gifts to us include our life and His Son. Christ’s gifts to us include the resurrection and the atonement. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him (or through making use of the atonement He provided) might be saved (or find joy and eternal life).

Jesus sacrificed more than all the money in the world to provide the atonement. He literally sacrificed effort, blood, and pain to provide it. And what is the atonement? It is only partly forgiveness. The atonement is a process of continual cleansing coupled with covenants that give strength sufficient for obedience that changes us gradually to become as he is, thereby becoming able to live in His presence and experience the joy and power that he enjoys.

About halfway through his talk, Pres. Eyring said that Pres. Monson had directed that we should watch an overview of some of the Bible scene videos recently made by the Church, which were being made as a gift to all free of charge. He said that they would provide light to us. As I watched them I had perceptions that were new given to me.

I was amazed to consider what Mary must have felt as the angel told her that she was to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the great Messiah that all Israel had been looking for, for so many generations! Would that not scare you? What a responsibility to bear and raise the Son of God! And consider her response, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.” There was none of this, “I’m not a good speaker.” “I’m not good enough.” Even the great prophets of Enoch and Moses protested when they were called, but not Mary. She just humbly said OK.

When the angel appeared to the shepherds, some of the lowest, I suppose, in social status back then, to announce His birth, he said, “And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manager.” The sign was that they would find the Savior of all mankind wrapped in rags in the lowliest of places to be born! I wondered then at the love that was shown to us, and those shepherds, that He would be born in this way both as proof that He was sent to all and as a directional pointer for us to think on.

After the video Pres. Eyring said that we can learn many lessons from this video of the birth and early life of the Savior.

"Most of those lessons came as you watched and listened, not so much from the pictures and words as from the Spirit. You recognized and felt truth. You felt the love of the Savior and for the Savior. And you surely felt an increased desire to love as He loved.

"You felt your faith grow in prophets and in the servants of God, both the angels He sends to bear us up and those He calls to His service to guide us. You surely have felt greater faith that God is the same, without change, over time or space."

I felt each of those manifestations of the Spirit, just as he said, while watching it. Pres. Monson said, “To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.” I believe that we can get that Spirit of Christ by watching those video clips, indeed by watching on our own those talks by the First Presidency in their Christmas Devotional, which are easy to find online at the Church’s website. I invite you to watch some or all again before Christmas.

Finally Pres. Eyring, referring to the song “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” said that, “You can have a Merry Christmas if you remember the gifts God has given you and as best you can offer them to others.” Combined with the gift of service and kindness, perhaps the best gift you can give to someone this year, or even to yourself, is the gift of forgiveness by means of the Savior’s gift to us.

Obedient and Humble

Moses was not great because of who he was. He became great, because he was both obedient and humble - the most humble man alive at that time according to scripture. That roughly coincides with justice and mercy.

Most Important in Life

The most important thing we can do in this life is come to know God's way of living (indeed to know Him), and to get our lives, through the atonement of Jesus, in line with that way of living. This will bring peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.