Second Essential for Perfection

"The second essential for perfection that I would name is found in the conversation the Master had with Nicodemus. He discerned as Nicodemus came to Him that he was seeking to have the answer to what many others had asked Him: "What must I do to be saved?" And the Master answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3-5)

A man must be "born again" if he would reach perfection, in order to see or enter into the kingdom of God. And how is one born again? That is the same question that Enos asked. And you remember the simple answer that came back: "Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; Wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole." (Enos 1:8)

Brother Marion G. Romney and I were sitting in the office one day when a young man came in. He was getting ready to go on a mission, and he had been interviewed in the usual way and had made confessions of certain transgressions of this youth. But he said to us, "I'm not satisfied by just having confessed. How can I know that I have been forgiven?" In other words, "How do I know that I am born again?" He felt he could not go on a mission in his present state.

As we talked, Brother Romney said: "Son, do you remember what King Benjamin said? he was preaching to some who had been pricked in their hearts because of 'their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men. And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ...'" (Mosiah 4:2-3)

Brother Romney said to him, "My son, you wait and pray until you have the peace of conscience because of your faith in Jesus Christ's atonement, and you will know that your sins then have been forgiven." Except for that, as Elder Romney explained, any one of us is impoverished, and we are wandering in a fog until we have had that rebirth...

You cannot have a Christlike life...without being born again. One would never be happy in the presences of the Holy One of Israel without this cleansing and purifying...

("Stand Ye in Holy Places" (1974), 208-16)

Understanding What We Lack...

How Does An Understanding of What We Lack
HELP US BECOME PERFECT?

"There are THREE ESSENTIALS that are necessary to inspire one to LIVE a CHRISTLIKE life---or, speaking more accurately in the language of the scriptures, to LIVE MORE PERFECTLY as the MASTER lived. The FIRST ESSENTIAL I would name in order to qualify is: There must be awakened in the individual who would be taught or who would live perfectly an AWARENESS of his NEEDS.

The rich young ruler did not need to be taught repentance from murder nor from murderous thoughts. He did not have to be schooled in how to repent from adultery, nor from stealing, lying, defrauding, or failing to honor his mother. All these he said he had observed from his youth; but his question was, "WHAT LACK I YET?" (Matthew 19:16-22)

The Master, with His keen discernment and the power of a Great Teacher, diagnosed the young man's case perfectly: His need and his lack were to OVERCOME his LOVE for WORLDLY THINGS, his tendency to TRUST IN RICHES. And then Jesus prescribed the effective remedy: "If thou wilt be PERFECT, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." (Matthew 19:21)

In the Apostle Paul's dramatic conversion, when he was physically blinded by the light while on his way to Damascus..., he heard a voice that said to him: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4) And from the depths of this humbled Saul's soul there came the question that is always asked by the one who senses that he needs something: "Lord, what wilt thou have ME TO DO?" (Acts 9:6)

Enos, the grandson of Lehi, tells of the wrestle he had before God, before he received a remission of his sins. We are not told what his sins were, but he apparently confessed them very freely. And then he said, "And my soul HUNGERED..." (Enos 1:4) you see, that awareness and feeling of great need, and that soul-searching, brought him face to face with his lack and his need.

This QUALITY of sensing one's need was expressed in the great SERMON on the MOUNT when the Master said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit, of course, means those who are spiritually needy, who feel so impoverished spiritually that they reach out with great yearning for help...

Every one of us, if we would reach perfection, must one time ask ourselves this question, "WHAT LACK I YET?" if we would commence our climb upward on the highway to perfection... ("Stand Ye in Holy Places (1974), 208-16.)

Will continue...later...with the SECOND ESSENTIAL for perfection...another day...

Striving for Perfection

"Hope in the Horizon"

How can we strive to fulfill the commandment "Be ye therefore perfect"?

President Harold B. Lee taught the importance of following the example of the Savior as we strive for perfection:

"I am convinced that the Master was not merely thinking relatively when he said, 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.' (Matthew 5:48)...Would you suppose the Savior was suggesting a goal that was not possible of attainment and thus mock us in our efforts to live to attain that perfectness? It is IMPOSSIBLE for us HERE in MORTALITY to come to that state of perfection of which the Master spoke, but in this life we lay the FOUNDATION on which we will build in eternity; therefore, we must make sure that our foundation is laid on truth, righteousness and faith. In order for us to reach that goal we must keep God's commandments and be true to the end of our lives here, and then beyond the grave continue in righteousness and knowledge until we become as our Father in Heaven... "(The Apostle Paul) pointed to the course by which perfection comes. Speaking of Jesus, he said, 'Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.' (Hebrews 5:8-9)... "...Let then no day pass but that we learn from the great lesson book of (Christ's) life his way to a perfect life and walk therein to our eternal goal." (Decisions for Successful Living (1973), Pages 40-41, 44.)

SHAPING the NEW YOU...

I am going to retype an article I read this morning...I wanted to SUPPORT Heidi Stott's "Weight Loss" Group (The LINK to her Blog is posted in this R.S. Blog)...by posting this article. Though, this article refers to "weight loss"...there is a principle here...that we could emulate in other areas of our lives...

"SMALL deeds done are better than GREAT deeds planned."
By: Peter Marshall

Eight, 10, 12, 14...year after year, I watched my jean size creep up, along with the number on the bathroom scale. Feeling weak and ashamed, I responded by exercising like gangbusters and severely limiting my caloric intake. I would promptly lose five to 10 pounds, and then slowly fall back into my old habits---overeating and infrequent exercising. Falling back into bad habits meant falling back into larger jeans, too.

In late 2006, I began to think about my previous attempts at weight loss. I realized my goals were always too demanding and I was inadvertently setting myself up to FAIL. In previous years, I had told myself that I would lose 10 pounds by the end of January, five more pounds by the end of February, five more by the end of March and so on. I set a much different kind of goal for January 2007.

I vowed to walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes at least five days a week. It was a small, manageable goal. I began walking just two miles per hour for 15 minutes, giving myself the weekends off. I worked my way up to three miles per hour for 15 minutes and then three miles per hour for 20 minutes. Month after month, little by little, I increased my rate of speed and the length of my walk. I now walk four miles per hour for 30 minutes per day.

I added another manageable goal for January 2008. I had been drinking at least one soda every day. I wanted to drink less soda and more water. Again, I cut back little by little, month after month, and over the course of the year, I reduced my consumption to just one soda a week.

In January 2009 I set myself another new fitness goal. Previously, I was eating fast food two to three times each week. I knew that if I could manage to scale that back, I would be doing my body and my pocketbook a huge favor. Again, just like with my previous goals, I cut back little by little. After two months, I was already down to eating out just once a week.

After just TWO YEARS on my journey to a new and healthier lifestyle, I was down 20 pounds and comfortably back into my size 8 jeans. by keeping my goals small, I was able to follow through and sustain each one for the long haul. I continue to seethe results on the scale, and I feel so much better with each passing YEAR and each new resolution!

("Resolution Not Revolution" - From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You - By: Kimberly M. Hutmacher)

Additional note from ME (Deb)...A couple of years, ago, my DAUGHTER-IN-LAW came up with this thought in the area of WEIGHT LOSS...She set a reasonable goal of losing ONE POUND a WEEK...and she figured if she did that...by the end of the YEAR...she could potentially lose up to 52 pounds...I thought that could be very possible. I have a friend who shed "50" pounds last year (2010)...by simply changing her diet...incorporated more FRESH FRUITS and VEGETABLES to her eating each day...and added some exercise to her week...

Loved Peter Marshall's quote...I do believe...we accomplish so much more...ONE DAY...or ONE STEP at a time...SOMETIMES...ONE MINUTE at a time...YOU GO GIRLS!

"The Constitution for a PERFECT LIFE"

Some years, ago, I read this by President Harold B. Lee. I fell in love with it..."The Constitution for a PERFECT LIFE". I am going to retype all my notes over the next few days...(LOTS OF INFORMATION) (smile)

Most of the doctrine and statements will be from President Lee's:

• "Decisions for Successful Living" (1973) Pages 40-41, 44, 55-62
• "Stand Ye in Holy Places" (1974) Pages 208-16

"In that matchless Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has given us EIGHT DISTINCT WAYS by which we might receive this kind of joy. Each of his declarations is begun by the word 'Blessed'. BLESSEDNESS is defined as being "higher than happiness". 'Happiness' comes from without and its dependent on circumstances; blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect.'"

SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Matthew 5:1-11

1. AND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3. BLESSED ARE the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. BLESSED ARE they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5. BLESSED ARE the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6. BLESSED ARE they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7. BLESSED ARE the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8. BLESSED ARE the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9. BLESSED ARE the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of god.
10. BLESSED ARE they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. BLESSED ARE ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

The GREAT TEST OF LIFE

President Ezra Taft Benson gave us this GREAT enlightenment:

THE GREAT TEST OF LIFE is obedience to God. "We will prove them herewith," said the Lord, "to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abraham 3:25)

THE GREAT TASK OF LIFE is to LEARN the WILL of the Lord and then do it.

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT OF LIFE is to love the Lord

HAPPY NEW YEAR! "Our Purpose in Life"

WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE?

• First - We are HERE to PREPARE to MEET GOD: (Alma 34:32-33)
  

"For behold, THIS LIFE is the time for men to PREPARE to MEET GOD; yea, behold the day of THIS LIFE is the day for men to perform their labors.

"And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not PROCRASTINATE the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to PREPARE for ETERNITY, behold, if we do NOT IMPROVE our time while in this life, then cometh t he night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

• Second - We know we are to be TRIED IN ALL THINGS! (Abraham 3:25)
  

"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they WILL DO ALL THINGS whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them"