By Michelle Sim
The Savior Serves Us
Jesus Christ is the Son of God our Savior and Redeemer who
died so that we may live again.
Let us not forget that Jesus Christ not only died for us but
he LIVED! - For us- to serve us, to love us, to teach us.
What would Christ’s redemption be without an example to
follow?
The scriptures say Jesus “grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him."
President Monson described the way he lived best and said:
Baptized of John in the river known as Jordan, [Jesus
Christ] commenced His official ministry to men. To the sophistry of Satan,
Jesus turned His back. To the duty designated by His Father, He turned His
face, pledged His heart, and gave His life. And what a sinless, selfless,
noble, and divine life it was. Jesus labored. Jesus loved. Jesus served. Jesus
testified. What finer example could we strive to emulate? Let us begin now… to
do so. Cast off forever will be the old self and with it defeat, despair, doubt,
and disbelief. To a newness of life we come—a life of faith, hope, courage, and
joy. No task looms too large; no responsibility weighs too heavily; no duty is
a burden. All things become possible.
John 10:10 reads “I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly”
Jesus Christ has given us a path through his example and
when we follow this path we can live life more abundantly and find the true
beauty, joy, and blessings of life on this earth.
Although Jesus is not on the earth now he has given us the
Holy Ghost to guide us in his teachings:
Again in John we read
“The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26),
and “he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).
Following the Savior
Little Mitt Neilson in his Primary talk last week said
the Wise Men followed a star to Jesus. A
star is like a light and if we follow the light of Jesus we will never be lost.
The most joyous times in my life are when I follow the Savior. I have realized that the principles we call
small and simple such as reading the scriptures, praying daily and serving
others are truly the great and mighty principles that if followed regularly
will bless our lives beyond measure.
These principles allow the spirit to dwell in our hearts giving us
constant guidance, support and love.
Elder L Tom Perry shares an experience he had right after
the peace treaty was signed for World War 2 he was among the first wave of
marines to go ashore in Japan as occupation troops. Seeing the destruction of the city was one of
the saddest times of his life as part of the city was completely gone and some
of the dead had not yet been buried.
This gave Elder Perry and some of his companions the desire to do
more. During their time off he and the
other soldiers helped rebuild some of the Christian churches so that they may
hold Christian services again. They
found the ministers and encouraged them to return to their pulpits. Elder Perry Continues “We had a tremendous
experience with these people as they again experienced the freedom to practice
their Christian beliefs. An event
occurred as we were leaving Nagasaki to return home. All the marines were ready to board the train
that would take them to their ships to return home. Some of the marines started to tease my
companions and I, these marines had their girlfriends and were saying their
goodbyes- they laughed at us saying we had missed the fun and wasted our time
laboring and plastering walls. Just as
they were at the height of their teasing up over a little rise from the train
station came about 200 of these great Japanese Christians from the churches we
had repaired, singing Onward Christian Soldiers. They came down and showered us with gifts then
they all lined up along the railroad tracks and as the train just started to
pull away we reached out and touched the tips of their fingers as we left. We couldn’t speak, our emotions were too
strong but we were grateful that we could help in some small way in
reestablishing Christianity in a nation after a war.”
This story touched me deeply as Elder Perry and some of
his marine companions saw a need and took action to fill it. They sought nothing for themselves, only for
the people of the community and had faith that by rebuilding these churches it
would help bring people unto Christ again.
And what greater reward can we receive from service than heartfelt
gratitude by those we have served. When
Elder Perry spoke of the marines teasing them at the train station it made me
think about the times in our lives where maybe we have been teased or made fun
of for doing what we feel is right or good.
Maybe we have even felt embarrassed at times for believing in God and
hesitant to show our devotion to his teachings.
This reminded me of a talk President Monson gave last year called Stand
in Holy Places (and this is a fantastic talk I wish I could read the whole
thing) he says:
It may appear to you at times that those out in the world
are having much more fun than you are. Some of you may feel restricted by the
code of conduct to which we in the Church adhere. My brothers and sisters, I
declare to you, however, that there is nothing which can bring more joy
into our lives or more peace to our souls than the Spirit which can come to us
as we follow the Savior and keep the commandments. That Spirit cannot be
present at the kinds of activities in which so much of the world participates.
The Apostle Paul declared the truth: “The natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.”4
The term natural man can refer to any of us if we allow ourselves to be
so.
I know that there is no greater peace or comfort that can
come over us than when we are following the Savior and what better time to
begin or to do better than this Christmas season.
Continuing another talk Pres. Monson gave at the
Christmas Devotional last year he says
(President Thomas S. Monson, 2011 First Presidency
Christmas Devotional):
“When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the Spirit
of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ Spirit. It will block out all
the distractions around us which can diminish Christmas and swallow up its true
meaning.
“There is no better time than now, this very
Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught
by Jesus Christ.
“Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to
follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in
our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example which, if followed,
stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others.
“Because He came, there is meaning to our mortal
existence.
“Because He came, we know how to reach out to those in
trouble or distress, wherever they may be.”
As Jesus taught
the people of Israel and all around he found there were so many to teach that
he, even being Jesus Christ, could not teach all of them and so he appointed
some of his most faithful disciples as apostles to spread his work and
glory. Today we too are like the Disciples
of Christ in his day. There are so many
who have yet to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and feel his spirit. President Spencer W. Kimball with the
Doctrine and Covenants says “We are ‘to warn, expound, exhort, and teach, and
invite [others] to come unto Christ’ (D&C
20:59), as the Lord said in his revelations. Your testimony is a terrific medium.” As we testify of Christ and his gospel we will
find a closer connection to our father in Heaven along with those we have
shared the gospel with.
The Savior Knows Us
Brothers and Sisters I would like to testify to you today
that our Savior knows each and every one of us.
There are those who may feel abandoned by their family or friends maybe
because of religion, lifestyle choices, hard heartedness and the like but as Our
Savior said:
“For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she
should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet
will I not forget thee…I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…1Ne 21:15
The Lord knows each of us. He has proven this to many of us even when
maybe we weren’t looking for him. I have
shared this story with some of you and it is a very personal experience I had
but I felt inspired to share it with you today.
A little over
four years ago I was pregnant with our 4th and likely last
child. We were excited to go to the
ultrasound as we already had 3 beautiful and healthy girls and thought maybe
this one would be a little boy. My
husband is the last living male in his family and we had hopes of carrying on
his name (and let’s face it he needs someone to wrestle with too). As you probably know we found out at the
ultrasound we were having a healthy little girl. We didn’t say much and went on our way
home. I did not call my family to tell
them the joyous news of our healthy baby instead I stayed in feeling sad and in
a way that I had let my husband down.
The next day my
dad called me and asked how I was. I
said I am doing better today. He said
Oh, I am sorry I didn’t know you were not doing well. I hear you are having a baby! He said.
I started to cry a bit and said yes a girl. He said I need to tell you something. Last night I had a vision, a premonition if
you will. I saw your baby girl and she
is amazing. The Lord chose her for your
family and she’s very excited to come but she needs to know she is loved because
she can feel that, she is very choice and is like to our family as Nephi was to
his family. You must teach her to pray
so that she will know and remember her Father in Heaven and her purpose. She is a great spirit. I just cried the whole time and thanked him
greatly for sharing that with me. My dad
said he has never had a feeling like that about a grandchild before, and knows
she is of great importance. With that I
got over myself and was ready for the baby to come.
I gained a great
testimony of many things from that experience.
One of which was that God knows me and my child coming to this earth. God did not have to share those things with
my dad and with me, I obviously wasn’t asking for it, he just did it and this
testified to me that God knows us loves us and has nothing but the greatest
desire for us to be happy. I may have
been human for a moment and forgot the importance of all his children, but he
did not forget. And now I will never
forget.
Lucy Mack Smith said “We must cherish one another, watch
over one another, comfort one another and gain instruction that we may all sit
down in heaven together.”
The Holy Ghost is sent to you and to those you care for.
You will be strengthened and yet inspired to know the limits and extent of your
ability to serve. The Spirit will comfort you when you may wonder, “Did I do
enough?”
What greater example did Christ show us than that of
service?
I love Christmas stories and a few years ago some good
friends gave our family a Christmas story that I would like to share with
you. It is called “Why Christmas Trees
Aren’t Perfect”
They say that deep in the forest the evergreen trees
whisper to one another the older ones telling the younger ones why they will
never be perfect. They will always have
a bent branch here a gap there. But long
ago evergreen trees were perfect. Each
one took special pride in branches that sloped smoothly down from pointed top
to evenly shaped skirt. This was
especially true in a small kingdom far away.
Here the evergreen trees were the most beautiful of all. Each year as Christmas approached, the Queen’s
woodsmen would search the royal evergreen forest for the most perfect, most
beautiful tree. The one chosen would be
cut and set up in the center of the great hall and there it reigned in honor
for all the Christmas celebrations.
Out in the hushed forest every evergreen hoped for this
honor. Each tree tried to grow its
branches and needles to perfection and strained to have the best form and
appearance. One tree, Small Pine,
promised to be the most beautiful of all and as a seedling had listened careful
to the older trees who knew what was best for young saplings. Everything about Small Pine, from its deep
sea green color to the curling tip of its evenly spaced branches was perfect. There were even jealous whispers from the
other trees. Small Pine paid them no
mind, it knew that if one did one’s very best, what anyone else said didn’t
matter.
One cold night, a little gray rabbit came hopping as fast
as he could through the snow into the grove of evergreens. The rabbit’s furry sides heaved in panic
frantically searching for cover from the howling wild dogs that were quickly
approaching. The dark, cold trees lifted
their branches from the snow and frowned.
They did not like this interruption of their quiet evening when growing
was at its best. The rabbit circled again
frantically and then Small Pine’s heart shuddered. When the terrified rabbit ran near, Small
Pine dipped its lower branches down, down, down to the snow. And in that instant before the wild dogs
broke into the grove, the rabbit slipped under Small Pine’s evergreen screen. He huddled safely among the comforting
branches while the dogs galloped by and disappeared into the forest.
In the morning the rabbit went home to his burrow, and
Small Pine tried to lift its lower branches back up to their proper
height. The branches had been pressed
down too long through the night. Oh
well, Small Pine thought, no matter.
Perhaps the woodsmen wouldn’t notice a few uneven branches near the
ground in a tree so beautiful.
Several days later a terrible blizzard lashed the
land. A brown mother wren had become
lost in the storm. With feathers so wet
she could barely fly, she went from one large evergreen to another looking for
a shelter. But each tree she approached
feared the wren would ruin its perfect shape and clenched its branches tight,
like a fist. Finally, the exhausted wren
fluttered toward Small Pine. Once more
Small Pine’s heart opened and so did its branches. The mother wren nestled on a branch near the
top, secure at last. But when the storm
ended and the bird had flown away, Small Pine could not move its top branches
back into their perfect shape. In them
would be a gap evermore.
Days passed and winter deepened. The deer in the forest could not reach the
tender ground moss, which they ate to survive.
One little fawn had wandered away from his mother. Now he was starving.
He inched into the pine grove and noticed the soft,
tender evergreen tips. He tried to
nibble on them, but every tree quickly withdrew its needles so the tiny deer
teeth couldn’t chew them. Thin and weak,
he staggered against Small Pine. Pity
filled the tree’s heart and it stretched out its soft needles for the starving
fawn to eat. But alas, when the deer was
strong enough to scamper away, Small Pine’s branches looked very ragged.
Small Pine wilted in sorrow. It could hear what the larger, still-perfect
trees were saying about how bad it looked.
Small Pine knew it could never hope for the honor of being the Queen’s
Christmas tree.
Soon the good Queen came with the woodsmen into the
forest to choose the finest tree for their Christmas celebration. As the royal sleigh drawn by two white horses
slowly passed through the forest, her careful eye scanned the evergreens. Each one was hoping to be the royal choice.
When the Queen saw Small Pine, a flush of anger filled
her. How could such and ugly tree with so
many drooping branches and gaps be allowed in the royal forest? She decided to have a woodsman cut it to
throw away and nodded for the sleigh to drive on.
But then….she raised her hand for the sleigh to stop and
glanced back at the forlorn little pine.
She noticed the tracks of small animals under its uneven
needles. She saw a wren’s feather caught
in its branches. And, as she studied the
gaping hole in its side and its ragged shape, understanding filled her heart.
“This is the One” she said, and pointed to small
Pine. The woodsmen gasped, but they did
as the Queen directed.
To the astonishment of all the evergreens in the forest,
Small Pine was carried away to the great hall in the castle. There it was decorated with shimmering,
silver stars and golden angels, which sparkled and flashed in the light of
thousands of glowing candles. The
Queen’s family and all the villagers danced and sang together around Small
Pine. And everyone who danced and sang
around it said that Small Pine was the finest Christmas tree yet. For in looking at its drooping, nibbled
branches, they saw the protecting arm of their father or the comforting lap of
a mother. And some, like the wise Queen,
saw the love of Christ expressed on earth.
So if you walk among evergreens today, you will find,
along with rabbits, birds, and other happy living things, many trees like Small
Pine. You will see a drooping limb,
which gives cover, a gap offering a warm resting place, or branches ragged from
feeding hungry animals.
For, as have many of us, the trees have learned that
living for the sake of others makes us most beautiful in the eyes of God.
(The end)
Jesus Christ saw the beauty, joy, and satisfaction in
living for others. I am grateful for my
Savior not only for his redemption but for his life. I testify that our Savior lived for us, he
knows us, and there is no fuller life we can live than that of following our
Savior.
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