“What manner of men ought ye to be”

all the new year talk has got me thinking…actually wishing….actually wanting

to be a better person….i am desperate to know if i will be able to handle my coming life

i know that at some times in our life it is important to be PRESENT…live in the PRESENT

and i think that if i could do that now my mind would be less of a  wreck…i would be better for it…yet

i feel my mind wandering and wondering to/about the future and what it holds…..

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because this blog holds my journal i add the talks i’ve given in church to it

we spoke a couple of weeks ago and i want to start the new year remembering

what I should be

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3Ne 27:27 “What manner of men ought ye to be?”

And the answer “Even as I am”

More holiness give me…
More strength to o’er come,
More freedom from earth-stains,
More longing for home.
More fit for the kingdom,
More used would I be,
More blessed and holy—
More, Savior, like thee.

Or

I’m trying to be like Jesus; I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

Each of these hymns clarify the most important work that we will do in this life..the actual purpose to our earthly mission

More Savior Like thee…to be like Jesus..to love as he did in all that we do and say

Yet each psalm states explicitly that we

MUST DO…

in order to obtain what is in the end our goal of becoming like Him

We must:

Continue to strengthen our testimonies in order to o’er come, we must keep ourselves FREE from earth stains, we must love as he did, we must listen to the spirit, we must perform good deeds, & continue in kindness always

President Henry B. Eyring stated “Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others. There is no surprise in that, since the Lord proclaimed those as the first and great commandments. It is love of God that will lead us to keep His commandments. And love of others is at the heart of our capacity to obey Him.”

President Ezra Taft Benson said about Christ’s marvelous example: “Nearly two thousand years ago a perfect Man walked the earth—Jesus the Christ. … In His life, all the virtues were lived and kept in perfect balance; He taught men truth—that they might be free; His example and precepts provide the great standard—the only sure way—for all mankind”

Can we not find the love for him in our souls which will lead us to keep his commands ?

Can we after knowing all that he is & has given to & for us disobey the Great Command to LOVE one another…

President Howard W. Hunter helps us to understand the path “This Righteousness must start in our own individual lives. It must be incorporated into family living. Parents have the responsibility to follow the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and teach them to their children. Religion must be part of our living. The gospel of Jesus Christ must become the motivating influence in all that we do. There must be more striving within in order to follow the great example set by the Savior if we are to become more like him. This becomes our great challenge”

First as an individual

Pray for the humility to tame your pride

Pray for optomisim no matter how difficult the present

Pray for determination & confidence

next

As Husbands and Wife

we should Pray

for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion

for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small.

for the love to make your companion’s joy your own.

for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion

Next as

Fathers & Mothers

we should Pray

For the patience which will allow our children’s spirits to be easy

For the courage to teach what is not always popular

For the strength to hold our children with our faith

Did you notice the common thread in those statements

Pray or Prayer

Where do we find our example for prayer

Like in all aspects of our life let us look to the saviors example, follow me to Mark 1 :35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Or

Luke 5:16

And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed

Luke 9:28

And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

Yet again

Luke 22

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

And those are just a few of the scriptural witness to the Saviors constant and continued prayers for direction, strength, guidance, & even in behalf of those whom he loved

Who can forget the Saviors final recorded mortal prayer

“father forgive them, for they know not what they do”

Or later when visiting this continent we read

3 Nephi 17:17

“And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.”

In my life I have witnessed many such soul filling moments

First when I was 16 and a prayer given in behalf of my chemo riddled mother helped ease her into an assured calm & eventually to a miraculous recovery

Later when I was a young bride facing the loss of my first pregnancy & prayer healed the endless ache in my heart.

And more recently as I witnessed a prophetic confirmation prayer, giving a dying man the assurance that through his example his wife & son whom he would soon leave behind in the world would eventually be babtized & He would have the opportunity to live with them again

And after we have endeavored to pray as our great example has taught us we must remember the promise given in 3 Nephi: “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”

Great shall be our peace if we do all that we can & must. Slowly we will feel the evidences that we are moving along the road to becoming more like Jesus. It will help us remember how we have felt, at times, like a little child, even in the midst of cares and trials.

Let us live as if we were singing;

I’m trying to be like Jesus I’m following in his ways I’m trying to love as he did in all that I do and say

Let our lives declare with determination. Jesus Christ was is our example. To be like Him is our fixed goal. And let our looks and shining eyes convinced others that we have no doubts. We expect to succeed. We believe that the instruction of the Savior to be perfect was not a hope but a command. And we are sure He has prepared the way.

I bear testimony that the way is sure, we can follow Jesus & be like him. I know that he gives us no commandment that we cannot follow thus we can be like him I testify that prayer can and will help us in our endeavors & we will find as we try that the path will become more joyous and easy as we love others more than we try to satisfy our mortal desires our lives will become full. I know that Jesus is the Christ & I trust in him and those whom he has anointed to lead us and guide us down the path that will in turn reunite us with Him & our families forever