Seeing is Believing

if you want to see Christ, you need only to look around you. As you do so, and act in compassionate kindness, you will see Christ in yourself.

Bluff or Fold?

Christ warned about wolves in sheeps’ clothing.

Maybe I am more of a sheep in wolf’s clothing?

Christ is asking me to take off my wolf’s costume and get down to the real me.

He wants me to humble myself: become something worthy of God's sacrifice.

He wants me to enter the fold as a co-prodigal.

flaws-despite-best-efforts

God-given flaws encourage me to look to Him. As I develop earnest love for the least of my neighbors and diligent, intelligent, intentional submission to Him, He will strengthen weaknesses without reclaiming me from mortal frailties. Trusting God is believing that these flaws-despite-best-efforts are for the best.

Love my neighbor as myself

Love the Lord my God

with all my heart,

with all my soul,

and with all my mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it,

Love my neighbor as myself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I’m prone to misreading this passage, as if it said that the first commandment was love God with all my heart, the second to love God with all my soul, and the third to love God with all my mind. It’s not that way, really. In fact, Paul turns it around: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

2 Ne. 28:30

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: God gives a steady, gentle, nurturing rain, rather than a deluge.

I will give unto the children of men line upon line, I may be frustrated with the lack of downpours

precept upon precept,—sudden, overwhelming evidence—but God nurtures, granting the resources

here a little and there a little; for growth in the circumstances where I now stand.

and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, If I will receive Him: recognize my neighbor’s

and lend an ear unto my counsel, virtues as part of His nurturing, and grow in His love: if I will thirst

for they shall learn wisdom; diligently, I will see that He is granting water in a desert, pouring forth 

for unto him that receiveth I will give more; love,healing the Dead Seas in my heart.

and from them that shall say,

We have enough,

from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

Article of Faith 13

We believe in being

honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous,

and in doing good to all men;

indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—

We believe all things, we hope all things,

we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things.

If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy,

we seek after these things.

We believe in being and doing. 

Believing and hoping are part of being us. 

Enduring discomfort is part of doing good. 

We don’t expect to be comfortable: 

we expect that exhilarating goodness sparkles under the surface.

Out of Context

I have heard that you should never interpret a scripture out of context. 

But when I apply a scripture, I am purposefully taking it out of context. 

Sometimes the more dramatically out of context, the greater the impact: the over-riding truth applies everywhere. The Spirit testifies of truth.