"Be Thou an Example of the Believers"

Sermon on the Mount - Picture from LDS.org

When Christ taught on the earth, He had many people flocking to hear what he had to say. As I think about those people and wonder what it would have been like to live during that time, I wonder if I would have sat at His feet to listen to the words He had to say. Would I have followed Him? Would I have been an example of a believer? I would like to say that I would be, that I would be no different than I am today, having lived my life believing in Christ, though I have never seen Him with my own eyes. Today, I live through faith, I do my best to follow His commandments, and I seek to do good things while repenting when I have fallen short, so that I can be an example of a believer to someone else who may be seeking His peace in their own lives.

Picture from lds.org

How do I show that I believe? As a little girl, I have always been taught that my body is a gift from God. It was created in His imagine. As I treat my body with respect and follow His commandments, I have the gift of the Holy Ghost to always be with me, to reside in me. Any disrespect of myself or the teachings of Christ, I will lose the gift of the Holy Ghost in my life. Once this life is over, at the time of resurrection, I know that my body will be made perfect and that my spirit will once again be reunited with my body. It is a gift and I must remember to always treat it with the respect I would give any gift I receive that is special.

Another way I show of my faith in Christ is by never letting my guard down on the things that can distract me from the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are many temptations out there that the adversary is using to get us to “depart from faith” (1Timothy 4:1). He knows that when he can get us to follow him, not only will he have us, but he will have generations behind us. We must always be on the lookout for these seducing spirits and doctrines of the devil; because, if we are not careful, they will make us spiritually blind making it harder for us to find out way in this world (1Timothy 4:1-5).

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1Timothy 4:12)

Picture from lds.org

Today, our missionaries are going out younger than ever. Many wonder if they are mature enough to handle the things they will face as they try to bring others into the gospel fold. This scripture found in 1 Timothy reminds us that age does not matter in teaching others the gospel. When someone is worthy and willing to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost will work through that person, regardless of age. I can’t tell you how many times my heart has been touched by someone who is only a quarter of my own age. When we make our lives clean and worthy for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, nothing else matters, especially for the one ready to hear the message that needs to be shared.

Many times, Christ taught that we cannot serve two masters. In 1 Timothy 6:7-11, we are taught that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). To me, this means that when we love something, this being money, we put it above everything else. We put it above our families, our responsibilities, and God himself. Everything we do is focused on how we get more money rather than what Heavenly Father wants us to do. To counter this, Paul gave counsel that can help us not have a love for money take over our hearts. He said that we should not be high minded or conceited, to not think of ourselves as better than someone else. We should not trust uncertain riches but trust God as His rich blessing are sure. We should always to seek out opportunities to serve others and always be generous. We should also always be looking ahead and being prepared for life’s trials. In The Book of Mormon in Jacob 2:18-19, we are further taught to always put the kingdom of God first, being promised that our needs will be taken care of as we put His needs above our own. As we are blessed, we should have the intent to do good things with those blessings and take care of the poor. As we focus more on Christ, our thoughts are less centered on the things of this world and money, and more of showing love for one another, which is the second greatest commandment; but, ultimately shows our love of God as well.

from lds.org

There is so much around us to distract us from being who we are meant to be. Satan is hard at work to keep us from obtaining all that our Heavenly Father wants for us because he is angry. He wants us to be as miserable as he is but we don’t have to listen to him. We can be “an example of the believers” in all that we do. Through our reverence for the gift of our bodies, in keeping the commandments, and to seeking to do good, we can have all that Heavenly Father is waiting to give us. We are His sons and daughters and He is ready to give you your blessings. The only thing you have to do is decide if you’re ready to be a believer too.