Jesus’s commandment to be “perfect, even as [our] Father which is in heaven is perfect” is a clear reflection of His high expectations and our eternal possibilities. Now, none of this will happen overnight. In the words of President Jeffrey R. Holland, it will happen “eventually.” But the promise is that if we “come unto Christ,” […]
I bear you my witness of the divinity of the Savior of the world and of His redemptive love and power to heal, strengthen, and lift us when we are earnestly striving to come unto Him. Conversely, there is no way we can move with the crowd and also toward Jesus. The Savior has defeated […]
Truly converted disciples, though still imperfect, will pursue “the life of the soul” on any day, in any decade, amid any decadence and destruction. This process constitutes being about our “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49; see also Moses 1:39). – Neal A. Maxwell, “Care for the Life of the Soul,” Ensign (CR) May 2003
It is often a temptation in our world and even within the culture of the Church to obsess about perfection. Social media, unrealistic expectations, and often our own self-criticism create feelings of inadequacy—that we are not good enough and never will be. Some even misunderstand the invitation of the Savior to “be ye therefore perfect.”1 […]
The Savior taught that we “should be perfect.”17 This can seem so daunting. I can clearly see my personal inadequacies and am painfully aware of the distance between me and perfection. We may have a tendency to think we have to perfect ourselves, but that is not possible. Following every suggestion in every self-help book in […]
We cannot reach at once that high moral standard of perfection that was promulgated by Him. And while we are conscious of the fact that we cannot at present attain to that perfection, and cannot grasp the whole as we should, yet the mark is there, the standard is before our eyes. We are looking […]
I believe it was from this very pulpit that my grandfather presented a sermon in which he said, “The test, the test, the TEST is coming.” Well, the test is here. The test has always been here. We came into the world as a test. All the way down the line there are adjustments to […]
The cardinal direction for all of us in mortality is to come unto and be perfected in Christ.16 Holy covenants and ordinances help us to keep our focus upon the Savior and strive, with His grace,17 to become more like Him. Most assuredly, “an unseen [power] will aid me and you in the glorious cause of truth.”18 […]
Burdens provide opportunities to practice virtues that contribute to eventual perfection. They invite us to yield “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and [put] off the natural man and [become] a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and [become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit […]
Some mistakenly receive the message that they are not worthy to participate fully in the gospel because they are not completely free of bad habits. God’s message is that worthiness is not flawlessness.11 Worthiness is being honest and trying. We must be honest with God, priesthood leaders, and others who love us,12 and we must strive to […]