Post # 86 – Believe, Love, Do
Dear Family
and Friends
It is time to
share another general conference talk with all of you. Today’s topic is to live
a more abundantly. In John 10:10 Jesus said: “I am come, that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
In Doctrine
and Covenants 66:2 we read: Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving
mine everlasting covenant even the fulness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children
of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the
glories which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the
prophets and apostles in days of old.
Clearly in both
of these verses the Lord wants us to have life, and “that we might have life
more abundantly,” “and that we will be made partakers of the glories which are
to be revealed in the last days.” How are we to accomplish this task to have
the abundant life? Let’s get back to our talk to see what we can learn. Our talk
for today’s post is titled: “Believe, Love, Do.” By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf Of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
We achieve that abundant
life not by focusing on our own needs or on our own achievements but by
becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ—by
following in His ways and engaging in His work. We find the abundant life by
forgetting ourselves and engaging in the great cause of Christ.
And what is the cause of
Christ? It is to believe in Him, love as He loved, and do as
He did.
Jesus “went about doing
good.”5 He walked among
the poor, the outcast, the sick, and the ashamed. He ministered to the
powerless, the weak, and the friendless. He spent time with them; He spoke with
them. “And he healed them all.”6
Everywhere He went, the
Savior taught the “good news”7 of the gospel.
He shared eternal truths that set people free spiritually as well as
temporally.
Those who dedicate themselves
to Christ’s cause discover the truth of the Savior’s promise: “Whosoever will
lose his life for my sake shall find it.”8
Solomon was wrong, my dear
brothers and sisters—life is not “vanity.” To the contrary, it can be full of
purpose, meaning, and peace.
The healing hands of Jesus
Christ reach out to all who seek Him. I
have come to know without a doubt that believing and loving God and striving to
follow Christ can change our hearts,9 soften our pain,
and fill our souls with “exceedingly great joy.”10
Do you recall
what Elder Uchtdorf taught us about what we need to do to achieve the abundant
life? He said we need to become true disciples of Jesus Christ and not by
focusing on ourselves, our needs, or our achievements. We do this by forgetting
ourselves and engaging in the work of Jesus Christ. So, what are we waiting
for?? Let’s get started!
We must believe
in Him. We must love Him. We must love as He loves! We must do as He did! Remember,
“the healing hands of Jesus Christ reach out to all who seek Him.” And what did
Elder Uchtdorf say that he knew without a doubt? “That believing and loving God
and striving to follow Christ can change our hearts, soften our pain, and fill
our souls with ‘exceedingly great joy.’” I must say that I have to agree with
him totally!
Believe,
Love, Do
Of course, we must do more
than merely have an intellectual understanding of the gospel for it to have
this healing influence in our lives. We must incorporate it into our lives—make
it a part of who we are and what we do.
May I suggest that
discipleship begins with three simple words:
Believe, love, and do.
Believing God leads to
faith in Him and developing trust in His
word. Faith causes our hearts to grow in our love for God and others. As
that love grows, we are inspired to emulate the Savior as we continue our own
great journey on the path of discipleship.
“But,” you say, “that seems a
bit simplistic. Life’s problems, certainly my problems, are far too complex for
such a simple prescription. You can’t cure Weltschmerz with
three simple words: Believe, love, do.”
It is not the aphorism that
cures. It is the love of God that rescues, restores, and revives.
God knows you. You are His
child. He loves you.
This very day—every day—He
reaches out to you, desiring to heal
you, to lift you up, and to replace the emptiness in your heart with an abiding
joy. He desires to sweep away any darkness that clouds your life and fill it
with the sacred and brilliant light of His unending glory.
I have experienced this for
myself.
And it is my witness as an
Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ that all who come unto God—all who truly believe,
love, and do—can experience the same.
I don’t know
about you, but I love that sentence: “Even when you think that you are not
lovable, He reaches out to you.” I know that when I began my journey to come
unto Christ, I did not feel as though I was even worth being loved, and yet I feel
His love all around me every day. I know that He loves me! I still do not feel
worthy of such great love sometimes, but I do know that I am a daughter of a Heavenly
Father and I know that I am loved by Him!
And that
is an amazing feeling!! Especially when you are not sure if there is anyone else
on the world who does☹ I am sure some of you have felt that
way a time or two in your life as well. It id always helpful for me to remember,
that no matter what anyone else may think, I am loved by my Heavenly Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ and that gives me comfort and hope😊
We Believe
The scriptures teach us that
“without faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is.”11
For some, the act of
believing is difficult. Sometimes our pride gets in the way. Perhaps we
think that because we are intelligent, educated, or experienced, we simply
cannot believe in God. And we begin to look at religion as foolish tradition.12
In my experience, belief is
not so much like a painting we look at and admire and about which we discuss
and theorize. It is more like a plow that we take into the fields and,
by the sweat of our brow, create furrows in the earth that accept seeds and
bear fruit that shall remain.13
Hebrews 11:6. But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
2 Nephi 9:28. O that cunning plan of the
evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When
they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the
counsels of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves,
wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they
shall perish.
John 15:16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you.
James 4:8.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh
to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
We must have faith in order to please God. We must not let our pride
get in the way of our faith. Or our believing in God. We must not let Satan
dictate our faith or our believing in God. If faith is like a plow that implies
that we must work to maintain our faith. And then what did Elder Uchtdorf
promise us – each one of us who seek to believe? If we draw nearer to God, then
He will draw nearer to each one of us. I know this is true too! 😊
We Love
The scriptures reveal that the
more we love God and His children, the happier we become.15 The love Jesus spoke about,
however, isn’t a gift-card, throwaway, move-on-to-other-things love. It isn’t a
love that is spoken of and then forgotten. It is not a “let me know if there is
anything I can do” sort of love.
The love God speaks of is
the kind that enters our hearts when we awake in the morning, stays with us
throughout the day, and swells in our hearts as we give voice to our prayers of
gratitude at evening’s end.
This is the inexpressible
love Heavenly Father has for us.
Once we see through that lens, we cannot discount,
disregard, or discriminate against anyone.
“The more we love God
and His children, the happier we become.” Just as it teaches us in 4 Nephi 1:15–16. 15 And it came to pass
that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did
dwell in the hearts of the people.
16 And there were no envying’s,
nor strife’s, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any
manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among
all the people who had been created by the hand of God.
There was no contention because of the love of God
that lived in the hearts of the people. There could surely not be a happier
people among all the people created by God. Wow!! How would that be? If we would each love God
with all our hearts, our might, mind and our strength, how would that change our
families, our community, our towns, our cities, our states, and our country,
even our would?
n
“The
love God speaks of is the kind that enters our hearts when we awake in the morning,
stays with us throughout the day, and swells in our hearts as we give voice to
our prayers of gratitude at evening’s end.
n
“It
is this endless compassion that allows us to more clearly see others for who
they are. “
n
Through
the lens of pure love, we see immortal beings of infinite potential and worth
and beloved sons and daughters of Almighty God.”
n
“Once
we see through that lens, we cannot discount, disregard, or discriminate
against anyone.”
We Do
In the Savior’s work, it
is often by small and simple means that “great things [are] brought to pass.”16
We know that it requires
repetitive practice to become good at anything. Whether it’s playing the
clarinet, kicking a ball into a net, repairing a car, or even flying an
airplane, it is through practicing that we may become better and better.17
The organization our Savior
created on earth—The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—helps us to do
just that. It offers a place to practice living the way He taught and
blessing others the way He did.
As Church members, we are
given callings, responsibilities, and opportunities to reach out in compassion
and minister to others.
Recently, the Church has
placed a renewed emphasis on ministering, or serving or loving others. Great
thought was taken to determine what we should call this special emphasis.
One of the names considered
was shepherding, a fitting reference to Christ’s invitation:
“Feed my sheep.”18 However, it had at least one
complication: using that term would make me a German shepherd. Consequently,
I am quite content with the term ministering.
Alma 37:6. Now ye may suppose that this us
foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things
are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound
the wise.
I believe
that it is by the small and simple things that we do and say that the Lord uses
to bring great things to pass. Oh, and what did he say that we needed to do?
Practice, that it takes repetitive practice to become good at anything. And that
in doing this repetitive practice we become better and better at the thing at
which we have been practicing.
Remember
what Jesus asked Simon Peter in John
21:15–17.
15 So when they had dined, Jesus Saith to Simon
Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him,
Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest
that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son
of Jonas, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things,
thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
Jesus wanted
Peter to feed His sheep. Jesus wants us to feed His sheep. Once we love Him,
then He wants us to care for one another. We can do this! Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints I have experienced many opportunities to reach out and
minister to others. Let us each one, try to be kinder to one another. Let us
each try to do more for one another. Let us love our Heavenly Father and His
children.
This Work Is
for Everyone
Of course, this emphasis is
not new. It simply provides a renewed and refined opportunity for us to
practice the Savior’s commandment to “love one another,”19 a refined way to implement and
practice the purpose of the Church.
Just think about missionary
work; the courageous, humble, and confident sharing of the gospel is a
wonderful example of ministering to the spiritual needs of others, whoever they
are.
Or doing temple work—seeking
out the names of our ancestors and offering them the blessings of eternity.
What a divine way of ministering.
Consider the act of seeking
out the poor and the needy, lifting the hands that hang down, or blessing the
sick and afflicted. Aren’t these the very acts of pure ministering the Lord
practiced when He walked the earth?
If you are not a member of
the Church, I invite you to “come and see.”20 Come and join with us. If you
are a member of the Church but presently not participating actively, I invite
you: please come back. We need you!
Come, add your strengths
to ours.
Because of your unique talents,
abilities, and personality, you will help us become better and happier. In
return, we will help you become better and happier as well.
Come, help us build and
strengthen a culture of healing, kindness, and mercy toward all of God’s
children. For we are all striving to become new creatures where “old things
are passed away” and “all things … become new.”21 The Savior shows us the
direction to move—forward and upward. He says, “If ye love me, keep my
commandments.”22 Let us all work together to
become the people God intended for us to become.
This is the kind of gospel
culture we desire to cultivate throughout the Church of Jesus Christ. We
seek to strengthen the Church as a place where we forgive one another.
Where we resist the temptation to find fault, gossip, and bring others down.
Where, instead of pointing out flaws, we lift up and help each other to
become the best we can be.
Let me invite you again. Come
and see. Join with us. We need you.
I too,
would like to invite each one of you to find a meetinghouse and come and join
us. Or maybe you would like to have some missionaries come to visit you and
answer any questions you may have? Let us each work together to help one
another to become the people God intended for each of us to become.
Imperfect
People
You will find that this
Church is filled with some of the finest people this world has to offer. They
are welcoming, loving, kind, and sincere. They are hardworking, willing to
sacrifice, and even heroic at times.
And they are also painfully
imperfect.
They make mistakes.
From time to time they say
things they shouldn’t. They do things they wish they hadn’t.
But they do have this in
common—they want to improve and draw closer to the Lord, our Savior, even Jesus
Christ.
They are trying to get it
right.
They believe. They love. They do.
They want to become less
selfish, more compassionate, more refined, more like Jesus.
Yes, we
all are imperfect in one way or another, but we can still do the small and
simple things to help one another to become better every day😊
if I have ever offended anyone, I am sorry, it was never my intention. Please forgive
me. I want to improve and draw closer to my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus
Christ. I want to follow Jesus’s example and become more like Him!
The
Blueprint for Happiness
Yes, life can be hard at
times. Certainly we all have our times of despair and discouragement.
But the gospel of Jesus
Christ offers hope. And, in the Church of Jesus Christ, we join with others
who seek a place where we can feel at home—a place of growth where, together,
we can believe, love, and do.
Regardless of our
differences, we seek to embrace one another as sons and daughters of our
beloved Heavenly Father.
I am grateful beyond measure
to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to know
that God loves His children enough to give them a blueprint for happiness and
meaning in this life and a way to experience eternal joy in the halls of glory
in the life to come.
I am grateful that God has
given us a way to heal the soul-sicknesses and the Weltschmerz of
life.
I testify and leave you my
blessing that as we believe in God, as we love Him
and love His children with all our hearts, and
as we strive to do as God has instructed us, we will
find healing and peace, happiness and meaning. In the sacred name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
Together let
us each try our best to embrace one another as sons and daughters of our
beloved Heavenly Father. Together let us each believe, love, and do!! “As we
believe in God, as we love Him and love His children with all our hearts, and
as we strive to do as God has instructed us, we will find healing and peace,
happiness and meaning” in our lives.
Well dear
Family and Friends, here we are at the end of today’s post. I hope and pray
that what I have shared with each of you today has been helpful to you in some
way. Please do think about just how blessed you are and how much more you may
be blessed as you follow Heavenly Father’s instructions for us😊
And as always, remember to make it a great week!!!
To contact a missionary visit : https://www.mormon.org/site/home
To find meeting house near you visit: https://www.lds.org/maps/meetinghouses/
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