So much has changed and yet people are very much the same.
So I'll share a few things I've learned from my scripture study.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 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.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:36-40
And then we have these scriptures that echo this ethos:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. John 13:34-35
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
Love is the foundation of the Gospel. See I think if you guide yourself by the principle of love you will not only fufill the letter of the law but also the spirit of it.
If you are truly a disciple of Christ and not just a fan of Christ the your actions and words will bear that out.
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matthew 7:17-20
In other words the way you live your life is proof enough as to who you follow. Not everyone who claims to be Christian really is. Jesus deals with this directly:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: Matthew 7:21-28
Acting like Christ is a tall order but I believe we can get much closer to that goal that most think is possible.
Many people are quick to condemn others saying that Jesus never condoned sin and these people are saying such things in order to justify their condemnation of others which is not how Christ lived His life.
They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:4-11
Jesus was the only one who could have ever thrown a stone justly, yet He did not. Why? Neither did He condemn her. Yet so many of Christ's followers are the first to condemn.
Why is it that so many people who claim to follow Christ don't seem to act in as compassionate and understanding way?
Many argue that forgiveness, like love, should be withheld from sinners.
Jesus said otherwise:
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
Seventy times seven is representative of infinity you can google it.
So Christ didn't say we have to condone anything but He did say we are taught to forgive as we are taught to love; infinitely.
As Christ loved and forgave us and bore each sin from each person all at once.
The idea that we are to withhold forgiveness and love denies the purpose and power of the Atonement.
In mental health and counseling circles withholding love is considered a type of abuse and a means of control and manipulation. It is rotten fruit from a corrupt tree.
"We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey.""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."
Both quotes are from President Monson who eloquently described how and why love is the very essence of the Gospel.
How we talk to and about people makes evident the contents of our hearts. How we treat others and how we treat ourselves also makes evident the contents of our hearts.
Jesus said it's not what goes in our mouths that defiles us it's what comes out that defiles us because our speech is one of those things that makes evident the contents of our hearts.
We know the contents of the Saviors heart and we know how far away we may be from acting like Him.
We can't change who we've been or even who we are but we have complete control over who we become and we can become like Christ to the degree any mortal can.
We can be exactly who we were meant to be.
