Reflections of Christ

“Abide in me”

In the allegory of the vine and branches, the Savior said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1). He goes on to say, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered….If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:5-7). 

What is the Savior teaching us through the imagery of a vine and branches? From a vine, branches draw the nourishment and strength that they need to live and produce fruit. Cut the branches off from the vine and they wither away, die, and produce nothing. Earlier in His teachings Christ referred to himself as living water (John 4:13-14), the bread of life (John 6:3), and the light of the world (John 8:12)—all of which are necessary for life. Just as  vine provides sustenance to the branches, Christ provides everything we need to sustain us spiritually. 

In this simple allegory, Christ also declares that He is the true vine (John 15:1). If He is the true vine, then there must also be false vines in the world. What is a false vine? Any doctrine, philosophy, practice, persuasion, or person who is not of Christ must be a false vine. We can choose to be a branch of the true vine, or we can choose to be the branch of any number of worldly vines; however, there is only one way to Eternal Life. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).The only vine which can spiritually sustain us in our journey through mortality and provide lasting peace, safety, happiness, and growth, is Christ.

Christ also invites us to abide in Him as a branch abides in the vine. How do we do that? To abide in Him there must not be any distance between Him and us, we must permanently be a part of Him. On another occasion He asked, “What manner of men ought ye to be?” (3 Nephi 27:27). He then answered the question by saying, “Even as I am.” Only as we strive to follow His example do we abide in Him. The promise of the Master is that if we abide in Him in this way we will receive all the strength that we need to flourish spiritually. We cannot do it on our own. As we abide in Him, He also promises us the blessing of His love; He says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).

By abiding in Him, we will receive everything we need. With the nourishment and strength of His grace and the blessing of His love, is there anything we should not be able to do?

“Sunday Will Come”

With the approach of Easter, our thoughts turn to that first Easter morning and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These words spoken by Elder Jospeh B. Wirthlin in General Conference shortly after the death of his wife Elisa capture my feelings perfectly:

In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived—the just and the unjust.  

 

When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the first fruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth. Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant….Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies. On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind. And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the first fruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come. (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Sunday Will Come”, Ensign, November 2006, http://lds.org/ensign/ 2006 /11/sunday-will-come?lang=eng )

How Firm a Foundation

Nurturing Faith

The blessings that come from faith are enormous. Jesus said, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20; emphasis added). A mustard seed is very small, but it grows into a bush larger than a person. Mormon taught: “The reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief…” (Mormon 9:20). The question isn’t whether miracles come through faith but do we have the faith to see miracles.

Faith can’t be static; either it is increasing or it is dwindling. How do we ensure that our faith is always growing? Alma used the example of planting a seed to answer this question and teach about strengthening our faith. He said,  

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.  Now behold, would not this increase your faith?” (Alma 32:28-29)

Allegorically, the seed represents the steps we take to strengthen and nourish our faith. Just as we care for a seedling and watch it grow into a mature tree, so too we should carefully nurture our faith until it becomes strong enough to lead us to the greatest of all miracles—Eternal Life (Alma 32:28, 1 Nephi 15:36).

What must we do to nurture our faith? The scriptures teach us that we must:

Pray for the gift of faith. Faith is a gift of the Spirit (Doctrine and Covenants 46:14) that we should earnestly seek (1 Corinthians 12:31). We need to pray to Heavenly Father asking Him to grant us a greater measure of this precious gift.

Study the scriptures. Studying the words of the prophets leads to “firm and steadfast faith” (Helaman 15:7-8). Nephi tells us to “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3). Feasting means more than hurriedly or casually reading the scriptures. It means to cherish the word of God, to liken the scriptures to our lives, and to ponder the meaning of the verses. By doing this, the scriptures come to life and show us the way to the Savior.

Hearken  to the word of God. Faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Alma felt that, “The preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just” (Alma 31:5) because the word of God, humbly received, will build faith and faith will lead to changed hearts (Mosiah 5:2-5). But it must be more than hearing. To hearken means to hear and do. Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). Faith grows when we hear and then do. This is what Alma meant when he taught that we should “experiment upon my words” (Alma 32:27). James also taught, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17).

The blessings of faith are so great that it is worth expending the effort to strengthen it.

A Message for Today

A Thought for the Day

The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

A Thought for the Day

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

“Be Not Afraid”

Peter’s experience of briefly walking on the storm tossed water of the Sea of Galilee teaches me important principles about having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that I can apply to my life. Of this event, Matthew records:

And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. (Matthew 14:22-33)

From this event, I learn the following.

First, when the Savior’s disciples saw Him walking on the water amidst the waves and the wind “they were troubled”. Then Jesus said, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” During the storms of life, I need to remember and stay focused on the Savior. With faith in Him, I can be positive, happy, hopeful, and not afraid of what’s happening around me. Without faith in Jesus Christ, life can be daunting, and filled with doubt, fear, and despair.

Second, when Peter recognized the Savior he asked Jesus to invite him to leave the boat and walk on the water to Him. As Peter climbed out of the boat at the Savior’s bidding, he had the faith to walk on the water even though the ship was being “tossed with waves”. Faith is a principle of power, even the power to walk on water, or more importantly it gives me the power follow the Savior in dealing with the difficulties of life .

Third, I don’t know how long Peter walked on the water, but after a while he became frightened because “he saw the wind boisterous.” Fear overcame him and he lost faith. “Faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other.” (Kevin Pearson, Ensign, May 2009). As one increases the other decreases. Peter quickly went from having enough faith to walk on the water to being fearful, losing faith and beginning to sink. How prone am I to vacillate between faith and fear?

And finally, as Peter lost the power to walk on the water and began to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me.” I believe that this plea shows Peter still had a little faith left. After all, the Lord said to him, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” He did not say, “O thou of no faith.” In this moment of need, Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and saved him. Peter lost the faith to walk on the water, but when he cried out in faith for the Savior’s help, Jesus was ready to help. I know that if I have enough faith to cry out to the Savior in my time of need, He stands ready to rescue me just as He did Peter.

The Journey of Faith

The adjectives used to describe faith in the scriptures are insightful. Here are some examples:

“Perfect faith”—2 Nephi 9:23

“Great faith”—Moses 7:13, 3 Nephi 19:35, Matthew 8:10

 “Great is thy faith”—Matthew 15:28

“Faith unfeigned [sincere, genuine]”—1 Timothy1:5

“Rich in faith”—James 2:52

 “Unshaken faith”—2  Nephi 31:19

“Faith becometh unshaken”—Jacob 4:6

“…Being exercised with much faith”—Alma 2:30

 “Exceeding faith”—Alma 57:26

“Faith as a grain of mustard seed”—Matthew 17:20

 “Faith is sufficient”—3 Nephi 17:8

“Ye of little faith”—Matthew 6:30

“Thou of little faith”—Matthew 14:31

 “Weak in faith”—Romans 14:1

I see a continuum of faith ranging from perfect faith to little faith. This is also the journey of a disciple; it’s the journey of strengthening ones faith. As a disciple, I am on this journey. I want my faith to be unshakable, rich, exceeding, and perfect.

A Thought for the Day

“Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything….There is no end to the creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity of those who look for reasons to criticize. They cannot seem to release their grip on grudges. They gossip and find fault with others. They nurse wounds for decades, taking every opportunity to tear down and demean others….We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Looking For The Good”, Ensign, March 2011, 4-5)

A Thought for the Day

One of my favorite C. S. Lewis quotes—

"It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit.” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, 45-46; emphasis in the original)