Purity
Purity, it seems, is the ultimate elusive goal. We have been instructed that to return to our Father’s presence, we must be pure, even as His Son, Our Lord and Savior, is pure and yet it seems like we are incapable of keeping ourselves free of sin to some degree. To be pure does not necessarily mean to be absolutely perfect in the sense which we imperfect mortals define it. It does mean, however, that we repent of our sins and transgressions, throw off the false mantles of pride in all of its forms, and adorn ourselves with the spirit of submission, adopting a desire for the correct, and acceptance of our individual developing subplot within the Lord’s Master plan.
We are constantly invited to come unto Christ, be perfected in Him, and become a “saint” through the Atonement of Christ. However, in this day and age, with the Adversary as bold in his tactics as he is, developing a pure constitution is becoming increasingly difficult. So, what do we do? To borrow from both B.H Roberts and a dear friend I knew many years ago, I submit this proposal. Everyone we meet and keep company with, takes a little of us with them. Doing what is necessary keep constant company with the Lord and maintain the standing invitation to the Holy Ghost will “by the very force of association,” allow us to eventually make “the light and wisdom of God [our] own,” as we consistently choose to consecrate our lives to His holy purposes.
Work
The Savior’s example of an established work ethic began at a young age. Work, in terms of our existence, takes many forms. As we convert ourselves to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we feel a natural inclination to assist the Father and the Savior with Their work. While it is always good to “put your shoulder to the wheel”, per se, I’ve additionally taken fancy to the viewpoint of the Negro spiritual, “Ain’t got time to die”, which conveys the essence of a consecrated life: A man being too busy working, doing, and living the Gospel to be bothered with the pestering nature of death.
Temporally, work enables us to sustain and enrich our lives, as well as to survive life’s disappointments. Work can give us a sense of self-worth, assist in refining our character, and “ is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated, but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires.” For anything to progress, work must be utilized – it cannot succumb to the siren call of stagnation., or idleness.
However, as we know, all work and no play doesn’t lead to a joyful existence. We must choose to balance our lives with wholesome recreation, taking in the best forms of entertainment that further enrich and support a consecrated life.
Bodily Respect
One cannot begin to fully engage in a consecrated life without the gift of a mortal physical body to house our eager spirit. If you think about it for a moment, this body you now enjoy is one of the central, catalytical reasons for why we are here now. Regardless of its shape, size, or imperfections, your body is essential for exaltation and is your personal mechanical vehicle by which your spirit gains experience and knowledge necessary to obtain the highest degree of glory. Because of our knowledge of our body’s purpose, we must “acknowledge our duty to God with respect to this crowning achievement of His physical creation” and in turn, earnestly care for it the best way we know how.
In my brief studies of anatomy, physiology, psychology, chemistry, physics, nutrition, and biomechanics, I have discovered that, for the most part, the body is a literal machine that puts out exactly what you put into it. The body doesn’t lie, and if something goes awry, it should not be because we didn’t take care of it properly.
Integrity
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a strong moral character. We have been charged from the beginning to be honest in our dealings with one another, and any earnest seeker of a consecrated life would do well to remember that. We are accountable foremostly to God, who will judge our works from our allotted time here on this earth. A former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court had a famous piece of advice he would tell each of his children: Be good. And that was that. To “be good” meant for them to choose to conduct themselves in the way their Father in Heaven would have them, and summed up everything he wanted his children to remember as they transitioned into independence, as there is a right and a wrong, and a poor, better, and best decision to make in every situation. From Elder Christofferson, “A consecrated life does not seek to take to take advantage of another.” Being a person of integrity will afford you the ultimate trust of those with whom you associate, especially with your Father in Heaven.
Service
I transposed the order a little to make this the final tenet I discuss with you because it is the nearest to my heart. I want you to reflect on something for a moment: Why do you help someone? Is it because others are watching? Because of someone else’s expectations? Or because of genuine concern for that person’s welfare? Since I was a small, my parents had my brothers and I involved in doing what my mother called “good works.” In laymen’s terms she meant service, but she’s from Tennessee, so that translates to “good works” in her vernacular. These good works ranged from staying after most if not every church activity to help clean up, supporting service projects, donating blood when we were old enough, preparing meals for new mothers, you name it and my brothers and I did it. My mother would additionally direct our attentions to people who devoted much of their lives to doing good works, like the Savior, the prophets of God, as well as Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Schweitzer, and even some of the local people we knew from Church and school. My mother’s focus on service even extends to her office at school where she works as a nurse. She has a tin full of lemon drops that she’ll reward to a lucky child if they correctly answer her one simple question, “What good have you done for humanity today?” (which is a heavy question if you’re a 7 year old, if you ask me, but lemon drops get handed out, so their answers must be legitimate)
For many years, I never really understood what good works, or service, was; I just assumed it was doing something because no one else was going to do it. As years passed and I matured, I learned through trial, and many hours of long suffering why my mother was so adamant about us lending a hand at every available opportunity - to instill in us the value of not only work, but that of learning to be helpful, what it was to fill a need, and to be grateful for everything that we have been blessed with but imparting of that substance to those who need it more than we do.
As part of the baptismal covenant in Mosiah 18, new members to the Church of God were described as being a people who are:
“8…willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;We begin to feel love for those we barely knew because we then began to see them more as our Father and Savior see them: as our brothers and sisters, regardless of race, religion, creed, body type, hair color, financial status, or orientation. As Elder M. Russell Ballard stated in a talk from the April 2001 Conference, “…a doctrine of inclusion…That is what we believe…If we are truly disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we will reach out with love and understanding to all of our neighbors at all times.” As my mother always said, “We all bleed red blood.”
9. Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort
those that stand in need of comfort.”
From Elder Christofferson, “Jesus demonstrated that a consecrated life is a life of service. Hours before the agony of His Atonement began, [arguably the greatest act of service in this life], the Lord humbly washed His disciples feet, saying to them:
‘If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.’Those who quietly and thoughtfully go about doing good offer a model of consecration.”
A consecrated life has the ability to influence many for good, as well as to lay the foundation for our own joyful eternity. We have been allotted a finite amount of time here on this earth, and what we choose to do with that time moment to moment, we will have to account for before the Lord at the end. I encourage each of you to develop the requisite faith to make the decision to wholly consecrate your lives to the cause of Christ, “that we shall appear to be like him” and be a united force for good on our Father’s behalf. I leave this with you with my testimony of its truthfulness.
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