Happy
Halloween! Halloween
is one of my favorite holidays! If you know the McGavocks, you know that we are
no strangers to a friendly prank! Halloween is a special time when we like to
have lighthearted spooky fun. We enjoy a good jump scare or a frightening
haunted house…. But on most other days we find ourselves actively pursuing
quite the opposite. We seek peace and joy in our lives. As followers of Jesus
Christ, we know that he is the source of peace and joy. He is after all, the
Prince of Peace.
Today I
want to share some thoughts on Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk from October’s
General Conference titled “Our greatest possession”. He began by sharing a
story - that I will paraphrase - from the New Testament about a rich young
ruler who asks Jesus, “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” After
reviewing a long list of commandments that this young ruler had kept, Jesus
told him to sell all his belongings, give the proceedings to the poor, take up
his cross, and follow him. To that, the rich young ruler went away sorrowing
because, the scriptures say, “he had great possessions.”
When we
think of this young ruler’s “possessions”, of course the Savior was speaking of
his temporal belongings - his gold and his riches…. But in the phrase, “take up
the cross and follow me” we see that the Savior was asking him to forsake more
than just temporal possessions. This young ruler likely possessed worldly
praise or popularity among his peers. He likely possessed a relatively
comfortable lifestyle, and being a ruler he certainly possessed social status and
power that was highly desirable… So in addition to his gold and his riches,
Jesus was asking him to forsake all of those things and make HIM his greatest
possession.
As we
learn of this young ruler, do we perhaps see a little bit of ourselves in him?
In addition to OUR worldly things, do we perhaps also enjoy some of these same
OTHER possessions?
Elder
Holland teaches quote “With or without riches, each of us is to come to Christ
with the same uncompromised commitment to His gospel that was expected of this
young man.” End quote.
So with
that in mind I ask you to ponder these questions:
- What are
some of YOUR great possessions?
- How can
YOU take up your cross and more fully follow Jesus Christ?
- In
short, How can YOU make HIM your greatest possession?
Elder
Holland assures us quote “when difficult things are asked of us, even things
contrary to the longings of our heart, remember that the loyalty we pledge to
the cause of Christ is to be the supreme devotion of our lives.”
He goes on
to demonstrate what life is like in a world where Heavenly Father and his son
Jesus Christ are people’s greatest possessions. This demonstration is taken
from the Book of Mormon, from the lives of the people living in the Americas,
after the Savior was resurrected and visited them. Quote:
“And it
came to pass that there was no contention among all the people in all the land
because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And
there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor any manner of lasciviousness, and
surely there could not be a happier people among all the people that had been
created by the hand of God. There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were
there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites, but they were in one, the children of
Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.” End quote.
Just a
quick back story on the phrase “nor any manner of -ites” - In these times,
people were often labeled in different groups based on their lineage or where
they were from. The names of these groups usually ended in “-ites” such as
Nephites, Lamanites and Zoramites to name a few. We see this practice in our day also, as
people are often grouped together according to their political beliefs, races, social
standings etc… Although these things were still very much part of who they
were, the people were ONE in their love of God.
Although
this is the world that we long for and strive to create, the world in our day
more closely resembles what the world was like in Lehi’s time. Lehi was the
first prophet in the Book of Mormon. He and his family lived in Jerusalem
during the first year of the reign of Zedekiah. During this time in Jerusalem
there was wickedness and open rebellion against God and his commandments. Those
that lived the gospel were mocked. While it appeared that Lehi and his family
lived comfortably by worldly standards, they stood alone in their commitment to
keeping the commandments.
It was
around this time that God commanded Lehi to take his family and depart from
Jerusalem because they were no longer safe. In this moment, Lehi had a choice,
and it is a choice that we all make each day. What was HIS greatest possession?
Was it his
comfortable life in Jerusalem with his home and his belongings…. Or was it God?
Did he truly love God enough to do this difficult thing that was being asked of
him?
Yes, he
did. The scriptures explain, He left behind his house, and the land of his
inheritance, and his gold and his silver and his precious things, and took
nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and they
departed into the wilderness.
As we read
along in the Book of Mormon, we follow Lehi and his family along a difficult 8 year
journey of ups and down, challenges and mighty miracles that eventually leads
them to the promised land.
And whatever
became of Jerusalem after they left? In the Old Testament in 2 Kings chapter 25
we learn that about 8 years after Lehi left, wicked king Nebuchadnezzer of
Babylon came and besieged Jerusalem. In addition to famine, and much bloodshed,
many people were carried captive into Babylon.
Is it not
interesting that Lehi’s path to the Promised Land is on a nearly identical
timeframe as Jerusalem’s path to captivity? His entire course, and the course
of his loved ones was changed by this one decision - to make God his greatest
possession!
Each day
we have opportunities in one way or another to make this same choice. We can
choose to put our faith in Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ and claim
the blessings promised to us or we can treasure up the things of the world and
see where that leads us.
While the
choice is ours to make, and like Lehi, following the Savior may at times
require sacrifices…. we are given this
wonderful promise in 1 Nephi chapter 1 verse 20:
“I will
show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he
hath chose, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of
deliverance.”
So what
are some ways that we can make HIM our greatest possession? We can start by
striving to be more like him. As we seek to possess Christ-like attributes, we
find more joy and direction in our lives. We develop a greater ability to
withstand temptation and we can more easily discern what is important in our
lives and what is not.
Last week
at Stake Conference we listened to our Stake leaders each speak one different
Christ-like attributes. A few that were mentioned were…. showing love to
others, exercising empathy and compassion toward others, mourning with those
that mourn, exercising selflessness and engaging in acts of service. It seems
that the opportunities to develop Christ-like attributes are almost endless. Striving
to become more like the Savior may look a little different for each of us as we
prayerfully consider our specific talents, opportunities and stages of life.
Isabel,
for example, has chosen to serve a full time mission, serving and teaching in
Texas. She will soon be putting on a name tag that she will wear for the next
18 month as an official representative of Jesus Christ. This was without doubt,
a decision that she made after much prayer and contemplation.
Another
example - Throughout the years I have seen members of our ward organize service
projects and collect donations for local needs such as assisting families affected
by fires, helping refugee families resettle, stocking up food banks and
cleaning and beautifying our community.
These are
wonderful examples of making Jesus Christ the center of our lives. Not every
effort to become more Christ-like needs to be as grand of a gesture however. Often
it is in the small and simple things in our lives that we can make the greatest
impact.
One
example of this was shared In the October 2020 conference, by Sister Michelle D
Craig. She spoke of a small but impactful experience she had as she prayed to see
others as the Savior did. As she prayed, she asked Heavenly Father these two
questions: “what am I doing that I should stop doing” and “what am I not doing
that I should start doing?” As she pondered this, she felt impressed to stop
looking at her phone when she was waiting in long lines. The next morning she
found herself waiting in a long line at the store. Out of habit, she pulled out
her phone and then remembered the impression that she had had. She put it away
and looked around and saw an elderly man in line ahead of her. She started up a
conversation with him and after a few minutes he said, “you know, I haven’t told
anyone this but today is my birthday.” Her heart melted for this sweet man
alone at the store on his birthday. She wished him a happy birthday and offered
a silent prayer of thanks for the impression she had had to put her phone down
and be more present.
As we
consider how we can make Christ the center of our lives, we can start small. Remember….
during Christ’s ministry on earth, between his miraculous moments of healing
the sick, raising the dead, or feeding thousands with just a few loaves and
fishes, he also sat with those that were lonely, he forgave those that made
mistakes, he was selfless with his time, he wept with those that were sad, he
prayed for his friends and his enemies, and he served in small and simple ways.
During seasons or circumstances when we may not be able to make more grand
gestures of devotion to Christ, we can still seek him through studying the
scriptures and through prayer, we can offer a kind word or a wave, we can be
patient with those that challenge or disappoint us, we can drop off a card or a
treat to a friend, we can help a neighbor in need or we can be a listener and a
shoulder to lean on when a loved one is struggling.
When we
show love and serve others the way Christ did, we are showing love and serving
God the way Christ did. In Mosiah chapter 2 verse 17 we learn quote:
And behold
I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom. That ye may learn that when ye
are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your
God.”
Another
way that we can make Christ the MOST important thing in our lives is to be
unwaivering in our commitment to keeping his commandments and trust that they are
the path to happiness. We live in a time that would suggest that just about
anything goes. There is no shortage of voices seeking to persuade us that
popularity is the key to happiness, chastity is outdated, or partaking of
addictive substances is fun and exciting. Each voice promises greater happiness
if we would only loosen up a little, live for the moment or that making
sacrifices is unfair. We see this among our peers and especially on social
media. Looking to the world for peace or joy will always leave us with an appetite
that can never be satisfied. When we are faced with opportunities to choose
between the Lord’s plan of happiness or the world’s idea of happiness, we can
strive to have the same simple but unwaivering conviction as was mentioned in
Joshua 24:15 which says:
“Choose ye
this day whom ye will serve…. But as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord”
Following
the Savior TRULY IS the path to happiness! While choosing to follow Christ may
require us to stand alone at times, I can honestly say that I have never
regretted the times that I have chosen faith over fear or temptation. Have the
courage to stand for something. When you know what the right choice is, DO IT!
Whatever it may be. Choose to follow Christ when you are among your friends and
with your families and even in your entertainment.
To put it
in social media terms, if we can learn to like and follow the Savior and make
Him our most important influencer and subscribe to his teachings, even tagging
a few friends along the way then we can joyfully partake of all of the
blessings he has in store for us. His gifts are free to each that will choose
to accept them because he loves us. We simple have to choose it.
Elder
Holland described it this way quote :
Of course
we are speaking here of the first great commandment given to the human family –
to love God wholeheartedly, without reservation or compromise, that is, with
all our heart, might, mind and strength. This love of God is the first great
commandment in the universe. But the first great TRUTH in the universe is that
God loves us exactly that way – wholeheartedly, without reservation or
compromise, with all of HIS heart, might, mind and strength.” End quote.
I invite
each of you today to ponder how you can make Heavenly Father and his son Jesus
Christ your most cherished possession. We can all take inventory of our lives
and see where we can improve. As we prayerfully take our efforts to the Lord,
he will guide and direct us to know the things we should do.
