Christ Never Faileth

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (1 Corinthians 13:13). Charity, or the pure love of Christ, is possibly the greatest Christlike attribute. In fact, Christ is the embodiment of charity, for none else, save our Heavenly Parents, has such a perfect love for all mankind as Christ does. The scriptures tells us that "if ye have not charity, ye are nothing" (Moroni 7:46). There is such an importance placed upon this attribute yet it is so commonly spoken of that we often tune out when we hear of it. However, my Book of Mormon professor gave us an interesting insight that changed my way of thinking about charity. Because Christ is the embodiment of charity, he suggested that we replace the word "charity" with "Christ." 

The scripture now reads, "And Christ suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not his own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

Wherefore, my beloved brethen, if ye have not Christ, ye are nothing, for Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto Christ, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail--" (Moroni 7:45-46). 

Reading this scripture with new eyes and listening with new ears, I felt an increased understanding of what charity really is. Through cleaving unto Christ and seeking to follow His example, we can be filled with his love towards, ourselves, our fellow beings, and God. Filling our life with the light and love of Christ will bring peace to our souls because we know that Christ never faileth. As you go about your week, I would encourage you to seek some way in which you can be filled with and act more upon the pure love of Christ. I implore you to "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, (...) that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."

The Living Christ

It has truly been a joyful time as I have more fully prepared to serve a mission and to make sacred covenants in the temple. This new focus in learning and growing has renewed my commitment to center my life on the life of Jesus Christ. One of the things that has helped me to do that is memorizing The Living Christ. As I tuned into conference, I noticed that was one of the things that was repeated and I must admit, I had never really before taken the time to study that wonderful gift and testimony of the apostles. Studying The Living Christ has really helped me to see Christ in all things, like the temple and the scriptures and to more fully understand how he is truly the center of the Plan of Salvation; without him, there would be no hope, no peace, no everlasting joy. Having had the blessing to go through the temple on Easter weekend filled my heart with so much peace and gratitude for a loving Heavenly Father who sacrificed His Only Begotten Son so that we too may have all that He has. In that light, I would just like to share my favorite scripture which is found in Alma 7:11-13.
"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he know according to flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot our their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."
This is my testimony. I know that we have come to earth with a purpose which can only be fulfilled through Jesus Christ. He lives and He loves you and as you set apart the time to study His wonderful life and the majesty and gifts he bestows upon all who have lived and will ever live, you will feel His matchless love for you.

The Beatitudes

  One of the most well-known stories of Jesus Christ is his Sermon on the Mount. While I'd grown up hearing about it, I honestly had never studied much of that famous sermon myself. However, as I dug deeper into those teachings found in Matthew 5 and 3 Nephi 12, I discovered how meaningful those Beatitudes are. The first five Beatitudes are meant to add goodness into your life. As we recognize the gap between our poor, imperfect spirit and Christ's rich, perfect spirit, we can come more humbly come unto Him. As we mourn over that gap, we can become meek and teachable. This humble submission leads us to hunger and thirst after righteousness. In that search for God's will, we begin to fill the gap between our imperfection and God's love. Included in that perfect love is the need to be merciful. We must be willing to forgive others and ourselves; without forgiveness we cannot be one with ourselves or those around us and hence cannot be one with God.
  While the first five add goodness to your life, this Beatitude is about keeping it good by pushing out the bad. The sixth Beatitude is about being pure in heart.We must not only learn to become like Jesus Christ, but also to use the sanctifying power He offers us. By keeping the good in ourselves, we can then look outward to bring good into the lives of others, as the next Beatitude teaches us to be a peacemaker.
  The final Beatitude says that those who are persecuted for Christ's sake will be heirs of of the kingdom of heaven. While it may seem odd that Christ included persecution in this sermon which seems to be about inward aspects, it makes perfect sense when you consider the first seven Beatitudes as a time of preparation and strengthening for us to be able to withstand this persecution. As those seven steps allow us to be molded by the potter, this step is about going through the Refiner's fire. It is interesting to note that the first and eighth Beatitudes both end with the same phrase, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"and that in Hebrew tradition, the number eight is symbolic of new beginnings. When connecting those parallel phrases with the idea of new beginnings, it becomes clear that these steps don't end on the eighth Beatitude but rather that they continue upward in a spiral staircase back at the first Beatitude.
These attributes with the enabling power of Jesus Christ will bring us closer and closer to heaven with each refining step. As you go about your week, take a moment to gage where you currently stand on that staircase and make goals and plans to help you keep moving forward.

Your Personal Savior

3 Nephi 11 is one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon as it gives an account of the Savior's coming to the Americas. In verse 14 we hear the Savior telling the people to come unto Him to thrust their hands into his side and feel the prints of the nails in his hands and feet. While this often depicted as a mass crowd moving towards the Savior, verse 15 tells that they went forth one by one taking their turn to see and feel so that they could each have a personal witness that indeed it was He whom the prophets had testified of. I love the imagery of the Savior taking his time with each one of them personally. The image of the Lord embracing each of my sisters and other loved ones as they  take their turn before the Creator brings joy to my heart.
Although we may not each have our turn in this life to stand before our Savior, Jesus Christ, and to physically feel the prints on his hands and feet, I know we can feel His presence in our lives and His suffering on our behalf in so many other ways. During my times of sadness, pain, or tribulation, I have always felt the loving embrace of my Redeemer and I have seen his blessings come in ways only He could have known I needed. While Jesus Christ is the infinite Savior of all mankind, he is also your own personal Savior. This scripture serves as a loving reminder that Jesus Christ knows each one of us personally and desires only for us to come closer unto him so that we may know for ourselves. This is the message of the Book of Mormon; it is to connect you with Jesus Christ, your personal Savior who has taken upon him your infirmities, doubts, and afflictions so that you can come unto Him and know that He is the Prince of Peace. Take time this week to look away from the world and look up unto Christ. Reconnect yourself with the Son of God who so willingly dove into the deepest depths of misery and suffering for you and feel the peace and joy that closely follows.

A Sure Foundation

"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).
In this scripture, we find Helaman teaching his son of an important truth. He exhorts them to "remember, remember," placing an emphasis on that which they already knew to be true. One could even argue that Helaman spoke concerning that they were to remember that which they knew in the premortal life as they chose to come to earth and rely on Christ to be their Savior with a knowledge that Satan would oppose them. He teaches them to build their foundation on Christ. We too must center who we are on Jesus Christ, for he is the root of our safety against all things this world can throw at us.  I find it important to note that this scripture says "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds." It does not say "if the devil shall send forth his mighty winds," but "when." We came to earth knowing that Satan would send forth his mighty winds, his shafts in the whirlwind, his hail, and his mighty storms. More importantly however, we came knowing that Jesus Christ would come too; that He would come to deliver us through His mighty power if we would build our foundation upon His rock.
This scripture has always been one of my favorites and has proven true throughout my life time and time again. Satan will tempt you and plunder you with all manner of pain and heartache. He seeks to bring you into the bondage of sin and to strip you of your agency; dragging you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo. The devil can never take your agency from you but he can tempt you in small increments until he has you chained. But never forget that the Lord always has His arm mercifully stretched out to you. If you will come unto Him, He will lead you and guide you so that the devil has no power over you. Faith and doubt cannot coexist; if you will continually build and strengthen your foundation on Christ, you will be strong so that you cannot fall. There is no point where you have fallen that Jesus Christ has not already experienced. There is no place so far where Christ cannot reach you. There is no time too late to begin building this sure foundation. As you go about your weak, I invite you to strengthen that foundation and come closer unto Christ, because it's never too late to begin building that foundation and see for yourself the enabling power that comes from it.

Count Your Many Blessings

Reflecting on this past week, I see how gratitude truly makes life so enjoyable. As I took the time to write down tender mercies, personalized blessings and miracles, in my scripture journal every night, I was able to be filled with so much happiness and joy, despite the crazy world around me.

Last Monday was especially stressful for me. I woke up late, struggled to finish my assignments on time, studied hours on end for a midterm only to feel like I was still going to fail it when I got to the testing center, and all with a headache. But when I set aside my time for my scripture study that night, I wanted to leave behind all of that stress and feel the uplifting peace that so often comes from earnest prayer and study. I opened my scriptures to Alma 37:37 which tells us to "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." 

After reading this scripture, I began to write down all of the tender mercies I had seen throughout my day and filled about a page of my journal; noticing that in all of those things that had stressed me out earlier, I received help in every time. Then I knelt down and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. I followed that pattern of gratitude for the rest of the week and what a difference it made. Life can be busy and stressful and sometimes it may seem like we don't have time for the gospel. Sometimes we may even feel like we have been left to do it all alone, but when we take time to count our many blessings, our hearts will be full of praise and joy for a Heavenly Father who watches over us in such personal ways. The Lord knows you and blesses you so much more than you can ever realize. Each day is a blessing. I challenge you to take time this week to more fully focus on your blessings and notice just how much God is aware of you and how personally He knows you. 

The Worth of Souls

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. For behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-11). This scripture always serves as a such a great reminder of the individual worth we each have as children of God. I came to understand and gain a testimony of that at a very young age. I was aware of my divine heritage as a daughter of Heavenly Parents and of all the temporal and eternal blessings that entails. Knowing of my own worth to God and of the love He has for each one of His children, even as to submit his Only Begotten Son to endure undeserved pain and suffering, was one of the things that deepened my desire to serve a mission.
While easy to apply to everyone else, sometimes remembering your own infinite worth can be a challenge. Just as I was about to submit my mission papers, I began to feel so unprepared and inadequate, almost to the point where I felt unready to serve. Knowing that I had prepared for so many years for this moment, I earnestly sought out guidance to know what I might do to be a more adequate servant of the Lord. While I expected to receive an answer somewhere along the lines of doing more service or being more patient or improving my study habits, the answer I received was to be kinder of myself. I was shocked by this answer but as I pondered it, I realized I was being so hard on myself for every failure. I was focusing on all of my weaknesses instead of all of my strengths and I had even begun to define myself by them. I began to catch myself saying things like how dumb I was whenever I did poorly on a school assignment or how unfocused and unprepared I was whenever I didn't meet every goal I had set for myself, both spiritual and temporal. I realized that those feelings had begun to take a toll on me and that they didn't come from Heavenly Father. As I prayed to God, he made clear to me of how much He loved me and I even felt how proud He was of me. He reminded me that imperfection does not mean unworthiness and that I needed to more fully express gratitude for all of the successes He helped me accomplish everyday. I was reminded of my worth as a valiant daughter of God, who although isn't perfect, seeks to become whole through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. May each one of us learn to be kind, not just to your fellow brothers and sisters but to yourself as well. Take time to celebrate your victories and learn from your mistakes. You are not defined by your weaknesses or imperfections. You are defined by your divine heritage as a child of God; being the literal offspring of Heavenly Parents endows us with gifts and we must seek to develop them and cherish them, rather than focus on what we have yet to accomplish. God is your loving Heavenly Father; He is aware of you and your efforts. Ask God what He thinks of you and look at yourself through heaven's eyes. I can testify that they are filled with love and compassion. I can testify that no matter how unworthy, how inadequate, how unrighteous you may feel, Christ's arm is stretched out to you waiting to catch you in a loving embrace.