"Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear"

I want to share some thoughts that I had while reading the talk entitled "Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear." This talk was given by Elder L. Tom Perry, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church).

Here is a link to his full talk: http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/perfect-love-casteth-out-fear?lang=eng

The main idea of Elder Perry's talk was that members of the Church should be anxious and willing to help those who are not of our faith to understand us better. He speaks of the visibility that our religion is receiving in many media outlets daily. 

One of the things he said that really stuck out to me was regarding stereotypes about the Church: "While the Church is becoming more visible, there are still many people who do not understand it. Some have been taught to be suspicious of the Church, to operate under negative stereotypes about the Church without questioning their source and validity." It is important to question stereotypes that we hear about other people or groups of people, especially when the stereotypes are negative. As fallen mortals, we often have a tendency to assume the worst of other people's intentions or acts. We are often suspicious. It is a truly divine quality to seek out and recognize the good which is most certainly there in each and every person on Earth.

My invitation to those who are not Mormons is this - please talk to me about my beliefs! If you have any curiosity regarding what I believe and why I believe it, I am more than willing to help you understand that. I would love to understand more about what you believe and why you believe it too. Whether you just have one simple question or you want to gain an in-depth perspective on why I choose to live my life the way I do, please ask!

My invitation to my fellow members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is this - help me in helping those not of our faith to understand us better. There is much that we can learn by having a two-way discussion about religious beliefs with friends outside the Church, and much that our friends will learn as well.

Elder Perry shares these three main points in his talk with regards to speaking to our friends outside the Church about our religion:

1. Be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ
2. Be righteous examples to others
3. Speak up about the Church 

As we do these things in a spirit of Christlike love, we will bless the lives of our friends with greater understanding of our beliefs, and we will be strengthened ourselves. Talking to others about the convictions you have and your conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ does wonders for deepening your faith in the Savior.

The Earnest of the Spirit

There are a few instances in the scriptures in which the phrase "the earnest of the Spirit" is used. That specific phrase is found in 2 Corinthians 1:22 and 2 Corinthians 5:5, and the blessing the phrase is describing is referred to, though not in the same words, in other scriptures.

So, what is an earnest? In the Bible Dictionary found in the LDS edition of the King James Version of the Bible, it is described this way: "Earnest. A pledge or security. The word thus translated is a commercial term denoting the deposit paid by a buyer on entering into an agreement for the purchase of anything. As used by Paul (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:14) it means that the Lord gives us his Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord’s surety that he will fulfill his promise to give eternal life to the faithful."


What an incredible blessing, to think that the Lord gives us a foretaste of the joy of living with Him for all eternity! When we feel the Spirit in this life, that is exactly what it is - a foretaste, a small nibble, of the feast of blessings and glory prepared for us as we follow Christ. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).


When things get hard, as they often do along our mortal journey, we need to keep in mind the earnest of the Spirit that we have received. As we continue faithful, that witness from the Spirit is God's personal assurance to us that we will receive eternal life.


I was reminded of this concept of the earnest of the Spirit as I was just reading in The Magician's Nephew, the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia. The characters are there as Narnia is coming into existence and they hear the song of Aslan, who is C.S. Lewis' symbol for Christ throughout the series of books. As the stars appear and join in glorious song with Aslan, one of the characters, a Cabby, exclaims "Glory be! I'd ha' been a better man all my life if I'd known there were things like this." What a poignant statement. If any of us could remember seeing the creation of the world, the majesty and beauty of that process would certainly motivate us to live better lives. If we knew everything about the blessings God desires to give us, we would certainly realize that the things that we often place above God are really of no lasting worth. 


My invitation is as the Savior's: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). For surely, as we receive the earnest of the Spirit, we understand a small piece of what it will be like to live with God. Knowing that what I have felt is only a foretaste of eternal joy, I want to give my heart, might, mind, and strength to the Lord so that, in the Judgment Day, I will receive the entire feast He has prepared. And oh, what a glorious feast it will be!

Accountability

Accountability is an essential principle for life. In the time of Moses, the Lord gave us the Ten Commandments. When speaking of not worshipping idols, the Lord tell us that for those who break this commandment, He will be "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me" (Exodus 20:5).

This does not mean that the children will be held accountable for the sins of their parents. What it means is that the parents need to remember how accountable they are for their own actions. The wickedness of parents has a powerful influence on the level of righteousness among their descendants. Each individual does have agency and can choose to be righteous despite the iniquities of their parents. However, a negative example from parents - the people a child generally trusts the most - does have a large impact on how that child views the world. The teachings and example of parents can shape the views of children regarding what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, each of us must be continually aware of the influence we have on others through our teachings and actions - influences that will be felt unto the third and fourth generation and beyond.

Another example of accountability for our influence is found in Exodus 28:38 as well as Jacob 1:19. From Jacob we hear this example of taking accountability upon himself: "And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." Due to the offices that Jacob and Aaron held, with the responsibility to help the people draw nearer to the Lord, each will be held accountable for his diligence in doing so. When the Lord sees each of us in the final judgment, He will ask for an accounting of what we've done with the responsibilities He has given us. This means we will be accountable for whether we've done all we can to become better each day - in family life, church callings, academics, spiritual studies, career pursuits, and all else that He has asked of us.

This may sound like a tall order… but that's exactly what life is! God has commanded us to be like Him - to become perfect. He will hold us accountable for whether we're trying to become more like Him each day or not. The greatest news is that our Savior, who is all-powerful, will give us the extra boost that each of us requires. We cannot become perfect, as God wants us to be, without His help. I am so grateful that He is so willing and desirous to give us His grace. That power will enable each of us to be what the Lord wants us to be if we rely upon Him.

My Testimony (or at least a portion of it)

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom these words shall come: I know that God lives. He is literally the Father of our spirits and knows and loves me. He knows and loves every person who has ever lived with a perfect love that we do not fully comprehend. However, I know that God desires us to do everything we can to comprehend it. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). He wants us to know everything about Him! I know that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are distinct people with specific roles that they play in our lives. I know that Heavenly Father desires for us to become like Him. This is why Jesus Christ taught "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

I also know that as Christ's apostles and prophets foresaw, there was a falling away from the teachings of Christ after His crucifixion. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first" (2 Thes. 2:1-3).

As terrible as it is that there was a falling away, I know that a restoration of the church and gospel that Christ established was also prophesied. "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:6-7). I know that this restoration has taken place. God calls prophets in our day as He has from the beginning. He restored the church and gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith, and the power and authority given to him has been passed on to each prophet since then, including our current prophet Thomas S. Monson.

"In the genius of the gospel plan, there ultimately only has to be one witness, but that witness must be you. The testimony of others may initiate and nourish the desire for faith and testimony, but eventually every individual must find out for himself. None can permanently endure on borrowed light." -Elder Douglas L. Callister, "Knowing That We Know" (October 2007 General Conference)

This is my testimony. It has been revealed to me through a witness of the Holy Ghost to my spirit, and I cannot and will not deny it. I know that I know, and it is a sweet, sublime feeling. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth, and no unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord from progressing. God will lead me as I put my trust in Him and follow the promptings of the Spirit and the counsel of God's living prophets. He will give you a witness that the things I have written are true if you study them out and sincerely seek a witness of the Spirit from Him.

Happy Independence Day!

It is an amazing blessing to be a citizen of The United States of America. I am so happy to have been born here and to have the freedom that I do. Thank you so much to all who have given their lives defending that freedom, and to those who are fighting to defend it right now.

I often wonder how many citizens of the USA remember that this country was founded on faith in God, and that it will only continue to be free as long as we put our trust in Him. The founding fathers of our country knew this very well, and it is even reflected in our national anthem. We all know the first verse of Francis Scott Key's poem, but read through the whole thing and pay special attention to the last verse:

O! say can you see by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
’Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation.
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the Heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust;”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

We are truly a Heaven-rescued land, and it is God's power that has made and preserved us a nation. May we always fight for those causes that are just and forever keep as our motto: In God is our trust. Happy Independence Day everyone and remember who has made it possible to have this blessed nation exist! :)

Questions

It is intriguing to me how powerful questions are as a teaching tool. From Preach My Gospel, a manual used by missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help them become better missionaries, we learn the following about questions: "Jesus Christ often asked questions to help people ponder and apply principles. His questions prompted thought, soul searching, and commitment." (pg. 183)

As I watched the general conference sessions that we had this month, I wrote down questions that would help me ponder and apply the things that the speakers were teaching. Some of these may only make sense to you if you are also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I feel that most of them apply to anyone who is trying to follow Jesus Christ and become a better person. Some of these questions are very directly related to what was being spoken about, while others just came to my mind as I listened.

• Do I use the time when I'm taking the sacrament as a time of self-inspection?
• Does my love for God give me strength to overcome any adversity or temptation?
• When I experience pain, do I turn away from God or do I turn to Him?
• Am I willing to suffer and sacrifice all things for the kingdom of God?
• How well do I appreciate and acknowledge the role and contribution of women?
• Do I turn my feelings of sympathy into actions to bless others?
• Do I invite others to give, in addition to giving of myself?
• In what areas of my life do I need to readjust my desires?
• How often do I ask "What can I give?" instead of "What will I get?"
• Are we as priesthood holders living far beneath our privileges?
• What can I do to live up to my potential?
• When I say I'm going to do something, how long do I wait to do it?
• Am I merely going through the motions, or am I experiencing the feeling of joy that God desires for me?
• The heavens are open - how often do I take advantage of that?
• Would I rather push a handcart across the plains than talk about faith and religion with those whom I interact with?
• Who can really measure the influence of a mother's love?
• How well do I really understand the Atonement?

I hope you can learn something from thinking deeply about these questions. I also hope that whenever each of us has an opportunity to teach (believe me, you have them all the time) that we try to ask effective questions that really get people thinking and wanting to act. It's incredible how powerful a well-worded, well-timed question can be.

The "Do It" Switch

Yesterday night as I was watching the priesthood session of general conference, President Uchtdorf said something that really intrigued me. He called me out on something that I have done far too often in my life. He mentioned that far too often, we go to meetings with great intentions, write down some notes, even make an action list of things we should do... and then end up forgetting all about it. I know sometimes I'll come across some notes from a meeting that I went to far in the past and realize that I never called that person I thought of during that meeting, never went and studied those specific scripture verses with that new view on what to look for... and I regret never doing those things.

The way that President Uchtdorf described it was that we have put our "do it" switch to the "later" setting. I am starting to realize that I have left my switch on the "later" setting far too much in my life. President Uchtdorf said that we need to move our switch to the "now" setting. There are so many benefits to just doing things now rather than unnecessarily delaying. First of all, you don't end up forgetting the things you need to do! You also will receive the results of those actions sooner rather than later. For example, one thing that we as mortals often delay is repentance. However, the sooner you make the decision to repent and do all that you can to achieve that, the sooner you will receive the sublime peace and forgiveness that is sure to come. The sooner you decide to share any feelings (positive or negative) that you have about your relationship with anyone, the sooner you can have the open communication necessary to strengthen that relationship. Those are just two of many examples that can show how important it is to not delay things in our lives.

Starting now, I commit to doing the most important things each day, and not delaying big assignments or duties until the last possible hour. I know that the Lord will bless me for planning ahead even better in the future than I have in the past, and that I will achieve much more in my life as I leave my "do it" switch to the "now" setting rather than "later." I would invite anyone who reads this to do the same. We will all miss out on many opportunities in life if we delay pursuing the righteous things that we desire, so don't delay! Do it now.