Do a Little Good, Just Because

There is a quote that is widely circulated yet the original source is unknown. It is one of my favorite quotes, one that has been on my mind: "The true measure of a man is how he treats those who can do absolutely nothing for him."

Jesus' mission and ministry, with the Atonement, Resurrection, the gospel and the plan of salvation, had influence on more people across all ages in the history of the world than any other person. But one of the things that impresses me most about the life and ministry of Jesus is his attention to "The One."

The New Testament is filled with stories of Jesus being interrupted along the way and he stopped and made a significant influence on the life of an individual, and often a stranger. A few examples are healing and teaching the woman with the issue of blood, respecting "the sinner" who washed his feet with her tears, healing the blind man (men) and lepers, and spending time with the woman at the well. The idea of caring for individual people was a regular theme in his teachings. One of the most poignant is the parable of the Good Samaritan, a man who didn't just stop along his journey to treat an injured stranger, but carried the man to nearby town and paid a doctor to care for his needs and recovery.

Hugo E. Martinez taught, "The Savior focuses on the individual and the family. His love and tender attention to the individual have taught me that He recognizes the great worth of each of Heavenly Father's children and that it is essential for us to ensure that each individual is ministered to and strengthened by the gospel of Jesus Christ."

We often get focused on the big goals and priorities that we overlook the needs of people around us. But God often answers people's prayers through other people, and we could be that other person.

Perhaps my favorite of Jesus' teachings is from Matthew 25: " Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked and ye clothed me, I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

The Book of Mormon prophet and writer named Mormon taught, "If ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail, but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart that ye may be filled with this love."

I hope that we can be more like Jesus, who "went about doing good" (Acts 10). Everyone around us is a child of Heavenly Father, and often all they need is a little bit of help and a little bit of time. And we often never know the positive impact we can have on people by a kind word, act, or few minutes but sometimes it can be significant.

Commanding fire from Heaven

There is an interesting yet understated event in chapter 9 of the Book of Luke that has a great lesson for us.

There's not a lot of clear information on the situation. Jesus decided to head to Jerusalem, and planned to stop in a Samaritan village along the way. He sent messengers ahead to the village, "to make ready for him. And [the people of the village] did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem." (Is this like restaurants that post "Restrooms for Paying Customers Only"? I dunno.) James and John, two of Jesus' most prominent apostles, said: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?"

This is a very interesting request. They are referencing Elijah (aka Elias) from 1st Kings 18 and 2nd Kings 1, who called down fire from heaven in the challenge against the priests of Baal and against other soldiers sent to apprehend him.

One chapter earlier (Luke 8), Jesus and the apostles were caught on the sea in a terrible storm and Jesus commanded the sea and sky to be still, demonstrating he had power over the elements. At the onset of chapter 9, Jesus called the Twelve Apostles and gave them Priesthood authority. A little later, James and John were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, where they received more priesthood keys and power (including from Elijah). Immediately after this, some of the apostles, perhaps James and John included, were unable to heal a boy possessed by an evil spirit and were rebuked by the Master.

James and John were looking for an opportunity to prove their faith (that previously on occasion failed to produce miracles) and exercise their new-found priesthood power, received from Elijah, just like Elijah.

The response: "He rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."

The story concludes with this simple phrase: "And they went to another village."
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We are naturally inclined to revenge, pride, anger, returning spite for spite. When someone offends us we want to get even and prove they don't know who they're messing with.We want to have the last word.

Jesus has other ideas. He was fine with just moving on to another town. Let them be. He loved them even though they did not welcome him.

When he was being crucified by the Roman soldiers he exclaimed, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

I am amazed by Jesus' love and compassion. There is not enough forgiveness and compassion in the world. Well would we be to follow his admonition, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

I hope we can do a better job of forgiving and forgetting; of being compassionate; of excusing people who are inhospitable towards us; of having charity--the pure love of Christ--towards everyone around us.

Jesus said he was sent not to destroy, but to save, and if follow that example we will have more peace in ourselves.

What makes Mormons different than other Christians?

I think Latter-day Saints have a lot in common with Catholics, Protestants, Born again Christians, etc. Still, there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty about our church. 

In response to friends asking about what makes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints different than other Christian churches, I've put together these twelve basic statements of belief. I made them concise, salient, and understandable. 

1. We believe Jesus is the Son of God who suffered for our sins, died for us and was resurrected. Because of him, we all will be resurrected; it is a universal gift. And because of the Atonement (his suffering for our sins), we have the opportunity to be freed from our sins and return to live with God if we have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized by the proper Priesthood authority, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost through confirmation, and faithfully keep the commandments. 

2. We believe God chose righteous people as prophets in Bible times, but that was not the end of prophets. God chose prophets in other places/periods of time, and has continued to call prophets in our day. Prophets hold the keys of authority to administer the ordinances of salvation, receive revelation from God, and lead the church.

3. We believe Jesus established doctrine, established The Church of Jesus Christ, and gave people priesthood authority to administer the church during his earthly ministry. Unfortunately, in the decades following his death those doctrines were perverted and ultimately the authority was lost.

4. We believe that God called Joseph Smith to be a prophet to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth, reestablish the true doctrines of the gospel, and restore the Priesthood authority. We believe in modern revelation. 

5. We believe the Bible to be scripture/the word of God. We also believe God has given additional scripture through other prophets. One example of additional scripture is The Book of Mormon, an account kept by prophets living in ancient America 600 BC-400 AD, translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. One of the ultimate purposes of The Book of Mormon is stated by one its writers Nephi: "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 

6. We believe we are children of God and have divine potential. We believe in eternal progression. We strive to become more like our Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and like God our Heavenly Father. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5). This growth can occur day by day and continue after our life on earth ends.

7. We believe that family relations can continue after death through sacred temple ordinances and continued faithfulness and obedience. This is why we place such emphasis in strengthening the family. 

8. We believe the ordinances of salvation (like baptism) and family sealing are not exclusive to "Mormons" living after The Church's organization in 1830. We believe everyone in the history of the world will have an opportunity to hear the gospel in the spirit world after death where they may accept Jesus Christ if they had no opportunity while living on the earth. This is why we perform vicarious work for the dead in holy temples. This sacred service provides an opportunity for those departed spirits who accept the gospel of Christ to receive those ordinances of salvation, before they receive Judgment and Resurrection. 

9. We believe that all children who die before reaching the age of accountability and people with significant mental handicaps are heirs of salvation and do not require baptism. 

10. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all people. We seek after anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy. We believe in being good neighbors, good citizens, obeying the law, and working hard. We strive to follow Christ's teachings to not judge others and to forgive. We are imperfect but we humbly try do better.

11. We believe our physical bodies are precious gifts and we aim to master our body, be healthy and treat this gift well. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3)

12. We follow Jesus' commandment to lovingly share our beliefs with others. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28). This is why we have a strong missionary presence. This commandment also influences other members of the church to extend loving invitations to their friends, family, and neighbors. 

Although we are often referred to as "Mormons" and may go by LDS for short, we prefer to be known as "members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Mormons was a nickname given based on our belief in The Book of Mormon, named after an ancient historian prophet who compiled the book in 400 AD. Our full name reflects our true position as Christians with Jesus as the head of our church and the subject of our worship.

I hope these thoughts clear confusion and alleviate a few concerns. This obviously isn't a comprehensive list of our doctrine as I focused on a few prominent differences.

If you have questions about our church I invite you to email me, contact the missionaries, ask your friends or neighbors who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or check out mormon.org or lds.org.

General Conference Preview Recap

General Conference is this weekend. For those who don't know, GC is 10 hours of sermons from the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (plus musical numbers) over two days that comes up twice a year. It's a lot of church, but at least now I can watch it via internet at home on the couch in my pajamas.

Before hearing the new messages, I wanted to reflect on some of my favorite nuggets from the last Conference in October, specifically messages about the Savior. Here are six.

--- "Jesus Christ is the resurrected Christ. We worship and recognize Him for the pain He suffered for us collectively and for the pain He endured for each of us individually, both in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. He bore with great humility and with an eternal understanding of His divine role and purpose...The mercy and grace of Jesus Christ are not limited to those who commit sins either of commission or omission, but they encompass the promise of everlasting peace to all who will accept and follow Him and His teachings. His mercy is the mighty healer, even to the wounded innocent." -- Boyd K. Packer

--- "In every way possible, [Jesus] was His Father's perfect disciple. He was so perfect in representing His Father that to know the Savior was also to know the Father. To see the Son was to see the Father. To hear the Son was to hear the Father. He had, in essence, become indistinguishable from His Father. His Father and He were one." --- Lynn G. Robbins

--- "The Lord invites us using various verbs: 'Come unto me,' 'Follow me,' 'Walk with me.' In each case it is not a passive invitation; it is an invitation to act... Make the decision today to act and say, 'Yes Lord, I will follow Thee!" -- Eduardo Gavarret

--- "Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water [the sacrament] remind us of the Savior's sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our bread of life and living water... Aaronic Priesthood holders represent the Savior when they prepare, bless, and pass the sacrament. As a priesthood holder extends his arm to offer us the sacred emblems, it is as if the Savior Himself were extending His arm of mercy, inviting each one of us to partake of the precious gifts of love made available through His atoning sacrifice--gifts of repentance, forgiveness, comfort, and hope." --- Cheryl A. Esplin

--- The most important event in time and eternity is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He who accomplished the Atonement has given us the ordinance of the sacrament to help us not only remember but also claim the blessings of this supreme act of grace. Regular and earnest participation in this sacred ordinance helps us continue to embrace and live the doctrine of Christ after baptism and thereby pursue and complete the process of sanctification. Indeed, the ordinance of the sacrament helps us faithfully endure to the end and receive the fulness of the Father in the same way Jesus did, grace for grace." -- James J. Hamula

--- "As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that he Died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can." -- Thomas S. Monson

Offering of a Sinner

A story in chapter 7 of the Book of Luke stuck out to me today in my scripture study. Jesus was invited to dinner at a man's house. During the meal a woman came in, "And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment." 

We don't really know anything about this woman other than that she was "a sinner." As if that narrows it down at all. The host was a sinner, I'm a sinner, you are a sinner. The host thought to himself, "this man [Jesus], if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner!" 

This woman made no requests, no pleas. Didn't say a word. But she recognized Christ and humbly presented the very best she had to offer. What a tender moment. 

Feet, especially on people in Israel two thousand years ago walking through the dirt and dust of the streets and countryside, were pretty gross. I'm sure Jesus' feet were filthy. As we can see from the Last Supper, cleaning people's feet was a real menial job. (Peter said 'Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Thou shalt never wash my feet!') But due to how dirty it was, I imagine having your feet washed was a real treat and a symbol of honor. For Jesus, there could probably be nothing better (or more appreciated) that this woman could do. "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.... Thy faith hath saved thee. Go in peace."

What can I offer the Savior? What can I do to show that, despite being a sinner, I love him much? There are a few things that come to mind. 

- I can offer my will: I can keep Him first in my mind. I can strive to always remember him, and spend time reading and learning more about him. I can choose to be like him.

- I can offer a broken heart and contrite spirit: I can repent, be humble, and try to be better and do better

- I can offer myself to others: I can be kind to other people, and give them a little of my time. "When you are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Book of Mormon: Mosiah 2:17). 

I love reading about Jesus and his life. I love this Easter season where we celebrate Christ, his sacrifice for us and his glorious Resurrection. I know He is still there to help and comfort us. Because He lives this life still matters. 

the Essence of the Gospel

Happy Easter week to you! I wrote a little about Easter previously here and here.

(For you readers unfamiliar with General Conference, it is 10 hours of church in one weekend that happens twice a year, broadcast from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints headquarters to around the world. If that sounds crazy, technological developments have made it possible for us to participate in Conference from virtually anywhere, which means many of us watch most of it at home on the couch in our pajamas. Not too bad. The messages are published and available online at www.lds.org or in print and we can study these messages throughout the year. Indeed, these messages from prophets and apostles constitute new scripture for us to enjoy. I love to make these a part of my personal scripture study.)

General Conference was a couple weeks ago. One of the first talks I like to go back to right away is from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, from Sunday morning. This time President Monson centered his message around one of my favorite passages of scripture, Matthew 22: " 'Master, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said unto him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.' "

 When I hear (or read) the Savior declare in no uncertain terms what the most important commandment is, I listen up. Especially when He follows it up saying that the entire gospel centers on this principle.

Says President Monson: "There are many attributes which are manifestations of love, such as kindness, patience, selflessness, understanding, and forgiveness. In all our associations, these and other such attributes will help make evident the love in our hearts."

If the commandment is to love our neighbors, and the prophet specifically mentions these five attributes, I take note that these are things which are lacking in society and that we should really focus on. This doesn't need to be just a rehash, something we've heard a hundred times that is next in the queue. It may not be new, but this is relevant and what we need to work on now.

I'm not going to write a whole sermon now on each of these five points he mentioned (kindness, patience, selflessness, understanding, and forgiveness), but I do want to emphasize making these attributes a priority. He also mentions being considerate, sensitive, compassionate, and encouraging. Not only are these manifestations of love, but by practicing these principles the love of Christ will grow within us. "Charity is the pure love of Christ... and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him" (Moroni 7:47).

A favorite parable of mine is the parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus taught: "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying: Lord, when saw we thee... and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:34-40).

It is so easy to judge people and decide that they deserve what they get. It is natural to hold on to grudges. Or, like in the story of the Good Samaritan, we think we are simply too busy with other worthy things. But what do these people need and what we can do? It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but often there is something we can do. Brighten someone’s day. Make someone happy instead of just proving a point. President Monson reminds us, “Every day of our lives we are given opportunities to show love and kindness to those around us."

A mother of one of my closest childhood friends has been one of the best examples of love and charity in my life. It may be a little surprising at first glance. She is definitely not a soft woman; she is strict, loud and outspoken. She works hard but never had much money or nice things. But she is caring, considerate, selfless, and compassionate. Here’s one example. I was a pretty dopey kid and involved in too many activities. My parents were very busy and often would expect me to rescue myself, “figure out a way to get home.” I dreaded that, because I hated to mooch or inconvenience other people, but I seemed to always be in a situation requiring it. Even though my friend’s mom also worked and they lived five miles away from my home, she was always willing to help me out and go far out of her way to give me a ride from school or baseball practice or anything else, even without any notice. If they were there, I don’t recall her ever saying no (or complaining about the trouble). That may seem small, but it wasn’t small to me because that is what I needed most. That is just one of many examples. Her husband was no different but it is she that really sticks out in my memory. Because of her example, I have tried to always be available for others in a similar way.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophesy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and though I have all faith…, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). Love (kindness, patience, et al.) may seem like such a basic thing but I believe it is needed now as much as ever and is lacking in society. Kindness is one of the most underrated attributes on the planet. It doesn’t just mean doing nice things, it also is being a friendly person. I know the people I like to be around are kind. Think of how different life would be if people were a little bit more kind, patient, and friendly! Each of us can have a part in improving that.

President Monson stated: "Love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love." I believe one of our personal missions on earth is to become more like Jesus. One way we can do that is by developing and demonstrating more love and charity throughout each day.

Palm Sunday

This weekend is one of my favorite unheralded holidays of the year. We call it Palm Sunday, the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

“And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:6-9).

This kickoff to Holy Week was one of the few events that was so significant it was recorded in each of the Four Gospels in the New Testament (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12). There is a lot of symbolism, historical background, fulfillment of prophesies and additional meanings to the event but I keep the simple reality in my mind. This was a time when the public (in public) praised Jesus, recognized Him and hailed Him as a King. Most of the time when we think of the general population they rushed to Jesus to be healed or listen to Him teach, but this time they came out to celebrate Him. And Jesus humbly accepted it because He is the King, the Messiah.

Too often we hear people say that “the people rejected Jesus” or didn’t listen to him, that his following was small. This simply isn’t true. Even at the beginning of his ministry, for his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew writes that “there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea, and from beyond Jordan” (Matthew 4:25). Later he fed 5000 men plus women and children, another time he fed 4000. Once he was teaching in a house that was so crowded that people cut a hole in the roof to get to him. Many times he had to go into a boat to teach because there were so many people around him, or up a mountain to get some space. And at this point, the final week of his earthly ministry, “a very great multitude” came to see him and praise him; a multitude so big that the corrupt Jewish leaders were afraid to take/arrest him because of his throng of supporters.

What a beautiful moment that was. I know that Jesus is the King of kings and he is my king. I am grateful for this simple holiday where we can remember and celebrate Jesus as not just the babe in Bethlehem or the beaten Savior on the cross, but as King, Lord, Ruler, God, Messiah, and Master.