While driving in the car Elder Wixom and I were listening to a talk by Jack R. Christianson. The talk he gave is called, "The Mortal Christ." It was a really good talk and it got me thinking. He talked about how we need to not just know about Christ, we really need to know Christ. So how do we come to know Christ? This is the question I have been asking myself. There are a lot of things we can do, and need to do, but I will focus on just one. The one is an attribute Christ himself shown perfectly. It is something we must have and understand to know Christ, because it is who he his. It is the attribute of love!
I love the scripture John 3: 16. It is a well known scripture stating God's love, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Can we really comprehend that love? We can't comprehend that love; we can't comprehend the love of Christ in following through with the sacrifice. He suffered so much, in His own words He said this of His suffering, "Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—"(Doctrine and Covenants 19: 18).
He has loved, and still loves, us so much. We must understand love in order to know Him. So what has Christ taught us about love? John 15: 13 reads, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." To love, we must forget ourselves! Christ also taught, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."(John 14: 15) We must follow His example, and live what he has asked us. This is how we can learn to love and know Christ. I recently heard a poem from a missionary. I really liked it:
I sought my soul, my soul I didn't see,
I sought my God, but He alluded me,
I sought my brother and found all three.
As we learn to love and forget ourselves, we will come to know Christ. He never thought of Himself, He was always willing to go and do for others. He descended below all things. If we wish to really "know" Christ, we must do likewise. This is something I am trying to do. I am so thankful for my Savior and His love. I want to love Him as He loves me. I know that as we really learn to love, we will follow, and I know we will come to know Christ. I know this, because that is what He did!
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What a powerful message. It can be easy to think that we know His doctrine, but you're right - we need to come to know Him, and how better than through developing charity? Thanks for sharing.
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