Here it is: A blog. About words. Words to help us to understand God. I will be studying different words that I find while reading the scriptures. Here I will write what I have learned about the word and what my thoughts and feelings are about it. Enjoy.
I've been studying the word humility for about a month. I've come to realize that humility is like a large umbrella. It encompasses so much. It is incredibly important if we want to follow God and someday return to live with Him again. It is vitally important if we want to have joy in this life.
This is what I have learned:
To be humble is to recognize that you have strengths and weaknesses.
It is not making claims based on those strengths and those weaknesses.
It is remembering that God is in charge and that ultimately, your strength comes from Him.
It is giving Him the honor and the glory for your success.
It is always being grateful to Him for everything that you are and that you have.
It is submitting yourself to God's will.
It is never drawing attention to yourself, for better or worse.
It is continuing to learn about yourself and God through study and prayer.
It is praying to Him daily, kneeling down, admitting that you need Him and asking Him for help.
It is repenting of your sins, changing yourself to become more like Him, aligning your will with His.
It is accepting and embracing correction and reproof.
It is putting your trust in God and Jesus Christ for everything and in all situations.
I know that if we rely completely on our Heavenly Father, we will have joy and one day return to live with Him again. We can look to Jesus Christ and see how perfectly humble, submissive, meek, and lowly in heart he is. We must follow his example and work to develop the Christlike attribute of humiliy.
"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." (3 Nephi 27:27, Book of Mormon)
After we have been baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost we can't just stop there. That isn't enough. We must then endure until the end of our lives and then we will receive eternal life (see 2 Nephi 31:15-20).
In the Merriam-Webster dictionary the word endurance means "the ability to withstand hardship or stress, fortitude".
I then looked up the word fortitude and found a very beautiful definition which says, "a strength of mind that enables one to meet danger or bear pain or adversity with courage".
Just because we enter the straight and narrow path by being baptized, doesn't mean that we will be free from pain, temptations, and trials. Bad days will still come. Sometimes we will make a wrong choice. There will be times we feel we can't handle it any more.
"And ye shall be
hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Mark 13:13)
It takes dedication, perserverance, and self-discipline to build spiritual strength enough to endure. It is not easy. We might be persecuted and hated for it. But, we can never give up. We must strive to choose the right every day, no matter what.
Preach My Gospel defines enduring to the end as "remaining true to the commandments of God, despite temptation, opposition and adversity thoughout life".
I know that as we continually choose to follow God's commandments, develop perserverance, dedication and self-discipline, and bear our trials with courage, we will have the strength to endure. Peace will come into our lives and we will realize that although we are not perfect and life is sometimes very hard, we will one day return to God's presence and He will recognize the effort we have put in and we will be rewarded with eternal life in His presence. "This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 31:21)
"The quality of our eternal future is proportional to our ability to endure in righteousness...our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion." -Richard J. Maynes
"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings." (2 Nephi 8:7)
I want to focus on the word know.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of know is: to perceive directly, have understanding or direct cognition of, to recognize the nature of, to be acquainted or familiar with, to be aware of the truth of, to have a practical understanding of.
So in this particular scripture it is addressing all of us who "know righteousness". So how do we know if we fall into that category?
I was thinking about people I know. Not the people that I "know of" but the people that I truly know. When I know someone it is usually because I have been around them, I know what they do and where they go. I know how they react and even what they would say in certain situations. If I know them very well, I know their weaknesses and what makes them happy. I might even start to talk and act like them. Some people even say that when you spend a lot of time with someone you start looking like them.
I think the same ideas can be applied to "knowing righteousness". It takes a lot of work. You have to spend a lot of time with it. You have to get to know it so you know what righteousness says and what it does. You need to know it so well that you talk like it, act like it, and even look like it.
So if righteousness was a person, who would it be?
Jesus Christ was and is the only perfect person to ever live on the earth. He is righteousness. If we want to know righteousness, we need to know Jesus Christ. You need to spend time with Him. You need to learn about Him. You need to know what he does and says. You need to talk like Him and act like Him so there is no doubt in anyone's mind that you know Jesus Christ.
3 Nephi 12:48 says: "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (See also Matthew 5:48)
A modern apostle, Russell M. Nelson said, "Our adoration of Jesus is best expressed by our emulation of Jesus."
Our Savior, Jesus Christ has invited us to become perfected even as he is perfect. We all make mistakes, but as we continue to learn about Jesus Christ we can know Him, become like Him, and become perfected. Every day we can get a little closer to becoming like Jesus Christ. Every day we can know righteousness better than we did the day before.
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13)
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)
I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 5:8 which says,
8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
In Merriam-Webster the word name is defines as: a word or words by which a person or thing is known, having a distinguished reputation.
As I have been studying taking the name of Christ, everything I found falls into three categories.
1. What it means to take upon you the name of Christ.
2. What you have to do to take upon you the name of Christ.
3. Blessings that God grants if you do your best to take upon you the name of Christ.
So here is what I found while studying these three questions:
1. What it means to take upon you the name of Christ.
Me, personally, as a missionary, I literally take upon me the name of Christ as I wear the name tag that bears not only my name but Jesus Christ's name as well. I represent him.
Like Merriam-Webster said a name has a certain reputation. Jesus Christ had a distinguished reputation. To take upon me his name means that I have the same reputation.
Someone who has joined the church of God and are called the people of God (Mosiah 25:23-24).
Someone who is Christian, a true believer (Alma 46:15).
Will be called by the name of Christ in the last day (3 Nephi 27:5-6).
You see yourself as His (True to the Faith, 23).
2. What you have to do to take upon you the name of Christ.
Glorify God (1 Peter 4:13-14).
Be willing to be obedient unto the end of your life (Mosiah 5:8-10).
You will be able to speak with the tongue of angels (2 Nephi 31:13).
You will be a part of the church of God (Mosiah 25:23-24).
His spirit will be poured upon you (Mosiah 25:23-24).
You will be blessed and will prosper (Mosiah 25:23-24).
You shall be saved at the last day (3 Nephi 27:5-6).
Wow. That is incredible really. I can bear witness that these things are true. That if we are baptized by someone holding the authority of God, and as we promise that we will take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, then we truly will have blessings poured upon us. It isn't an easy thing to do. We can't just accept Him as our Savior and be saved. We have to live our lives in a way that we represent him.
Have you taken his name upon you?
References: 1 Peter 4:13-14 2 Nephi 31:13 Mosiah 5:8-10 Mosiah 25:23-24 Alma 34:38 Alma 46:15 3 Nephi 27:5-6 True to the Faith, Baptism, 23 "When you [are] baptized, you [enter] into a covenant with God. You [promise] to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, keep His commandments, and sere Him to the end. You renew this covenant each time you partake of the sacrament. When you take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, you see yourself as His. You put Him and His work first in your life. You seek what He wants rather than what you want or what the world teaches you to want."
Mosiah 15:23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.
Merriam-Webster says part of the definition of "through" is: by way of, in the midst of, by the means of.
Now let's see them in context.
Mosiah 15:23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life by way of Christ, who has broken the bands of death.
Mosiah 15:23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life in the midst of Christ, who has broken the bands of death.
Mosiah 15:23 They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life by the means of Christ, who has broken the bands of death.
I know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the way that we can receive eternal life. Because of His atoning sacrifice we will be able to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for eternity. He made it possible. He is the only way to get there.
"Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 3 Nephi 28:35)." (Brad Wilcox) I know that if we do the things that Jesus Christ has asked of us, we will be able to live with God and with those we love again. But we must do what he says. We must comply with His set of requirements. Faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Those are His requirements.
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto god as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts." (Jacob 6:5)
While reading this scripture, one phrase stuck out to me in particular: full purpose of heart. So I looked up each of those words in my good ol' Merriam-Webster, and this is what I found:
full: filled, complete, abundant, extremely, entirely, the highest or fullest state or degree, the utmost extent
purpose: an object or result aimed at, intention, resolution, determination
heart: the whole personality, one's innermost being
So what does it mean to come with full purpose of heart to God?
According to these definitions, it means that our entire personality, our innermost being is completely and entirely aimed at, determined, and resolved to follow God. We intend on following God and are extremely committed to doing so.
We all have to work on it. We have a long way to go before we will be perfect. Fortunately, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to feel all that we feel and to go through all that we go through. Because of that magnificent sacrifice that he made, we CAN work on it. We CAN repent of our sins. We CAN improve every day. We CAN get closer and closer to perfectly coming to God with full purpose of heart. We will one day be able to say, "My heart is fixed, O God, my Heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise." (Psalms 57:7)
I love this account in Matthew 4:18-21 where a few of Jesus Christ's apostles are trying desperately to catch some fish. The Savior comes and says to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
There are many words and ideas we could analyze from this passage in the bible but the word I want to focus on is follow.
What does the word follow mean?
Merriam-Webster says the definition of follow is:
a. to go or come after
b. to proceed along
c. to engage in as a way of life
d. obey
e. to keep one's attention fixed on
Now if we look at this in the context of the scripture above we can try to understand how to better apply it to our lives.
When Jesus Christ tells us to follow him, he is telling us to:
a. come after him. We are living in the 21st century. Two thousand years after Christ did. So we literally come after him.
b. proceed along the path that he walked. He walked a path of diligence, sacrifice, and humility. We must also be willing to walk in that path. We must bear the trials, temptations, and hurt that are given us and submit to God's will.
c. engage in his way of life. Jesus Christ spent his time in the service of others. He didn't think about his needs before others. He was always serving, always reaching a hand towards the needy, the outcast, or the forgotten. He healed, taught, comforted, counseled, and loved. We can live a life of love like Jesus by giving extra money we have to the poor, giving a friend a call, hugging someone who is having a hard day, doing some service for the elderly, etc.
d. obey. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of obeying his Father. He was the only sinless person to ever live on the earth and came to do his Father's will. We also, should be obedient. One prophet said of Jesus Christ, "He said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?" (2 Nephi 31: 10). Some of these commandments include: baptism, prayer, loving our neighbor, obeying our parents, living virtuous lives, being honest, etc.
e. keep your attention fixed on him. Keep him always in your mind and in your heart. Study his life and teachings. Put a picture of him somewhere you will see it often. Think of him. Talk about him. Express your gratitude for him.
In April 2013, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places."
I know that it is so important to follow our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. We must be willing to do it "at all times, in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9). It can't just be something that we do when we go to church. It must be a part of you. At home, work, school, recreational activities. With friends, co-workers, family, and acquaintances. He must be imprinted on our hearts. I know that as we continue to follow his example and walk in his footsteps we will become like him. We will be the purified men and women that God sees us becoming.
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons [and daughters] 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." (Moroni 7:48)
I find great satisfaction in looking up a word that I don't know. Sometimes I even look up a word that I think I already know. Knowing exactly what a word means helps me to better understand what I am reading. This is especially true when I'm studying the scriptures and other gospel materials.
The meanings of words and my thoughts about those meanings bring great insight to my mind about God, His perspective, and His plan for me. Because of this, I want to help you understand God through words.
So here it is: A blog. About words. Words to help us to understand God.
I will choose different words while I am studying the scriptures. I will study those words. I will be using resources such as:
and some thoughts, feelings, and experiences from my life and the lives of people I love.
Then I will write on this blog about what I have learned about the word and what my thoughts and feelings are about it. And how we can apply it to our lives.
Please, feel free to leave a comment or thought you have about the word of the week.
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