"Our Relationship with the Lord"
Whaddup whaddup errbody.
Like you now probably know, if you didn’t before, my name is Suzy Kinghorn, and
I am leaving to serve the Lord on a mission in three days. What you probably
don’t know is that prior to receiving my call, I really didn’t want to go on a
mission. I had thought about going on a mission a lot, but I mostly just
disregarded the thoughts because I figured it was only on my mind because so
many people were leaving. But, sitting in church one Sunday I had a really
strong impression that I definitely needed to truly consider going. I turned to
my dad to tell him the feeling I had just had, but I just started crying,
probably freaking him out a little bit. And I said to him, I have a really
strong feeling I need to go on a mission, but I just don’t want to. Don’t worry
though, because my opinion has since changed completely, and now the only thing
I have wanted this past year is to serve my mission. Some of the reasons why I
now want to go will be mentioned throughout this talk, but, to make sure it is
clear, I’d like to let you all know that through scripture study, temple
attendance, and a dedication, though difficult at times, to live a worthy life
that our Heavenly Father would approve of, I have come to know for myself that
this is the true and restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. And because
of those things I know that there is nothing I should be doing, rather than
serving a mission. It took until receiving my call for me to truly know that
this is what I want to be doing. And honestly, the decision to serve has made
me so happy already. I feel extremely
blessed for the opportunity to both serve a mission and to speak to you all
today.
I have the privilege
of speaking on developing a relationship with our Heavenly Father, Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost the three are otherwise known as the Godhead. What a
special topic for me to speak on today, as I prepare to serve and rely on these
three for the next year and a half in the Canada Montreal Mission. I’ve decided
to begin and end my talk with a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson, he says,
“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop
out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our
affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of
our priorities.” I picked this quote because until recently, I never fully
understood, and still have much left to learn about how crucial our
relationships with the Godhead are. I say relationship plural because while the
three of them are one in purpose and goals, they are three distinct beings. In
Doctrine and Covenants section 130 verse 22 it says,” The Father has a body of
flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy ghost has not
a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.” So, they are separate
beings with different means of bringing to pass God’s purpose. Ultimately, as
it teaches in Preach My Gospel, our Father in Heaven’s “whole purpose-His work
and His glory-is to enable each of us [His spirit sons and daughters] to enjoy
all His blessings.” And because our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost,
are united with Heavenly Father in purpose, they want that exact same thing for
us. Aside from knowing their purpose, it is important to know, like in any
other relationship, who the individual is.
In True to the Faith, it says that Heavenly
Father is the Father of our spirits, the author of the Plan of Salvation, and
as it testifies in Alma 30 verse 44 “all things denote there is a God; yea,
even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its
motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness
that there is [and God is the] supreme creator.” Bruce R. McConkie said, ” We know that God is the only supreme and
independent Being in whom all fullness and perfection dwell and that he is
omnipotent, omniscient, and, by the power of his Spirit, omnipresent.” Or in other words, infinite in power, having unlimited
knowledge, and present everywhere at the same time.
Jesus Christ is our spiritual brother. He is our Savior and
redeemer, and it is through His atoning sacrifice that we will be able to live
eternally again. Or, as Bruce R. McConkie continued to say, ““the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son” (D&C
20:21), as the scriptures attest, to ransom man from the temporal and spiritual
death brought into the world by the fall of Adam and to put into operation all
of the terms and conditions of the Father’s plan.” As it can be seen,
“Christ is central to God’s plan” (PMG 48), which is to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man. Our Savior and Heavenly Father work together to bring about their means
of us returning back to or Heavenly Father. To be reconciled with him. “The four gospels are a treasure house of knowledge concerning
the Father because they set forth what the Son is like, and he is like his
Father.” A lot of times in the scriptures it will say God or The Lord.
Sometimes I get a little confused as to who they are specifically talking
about. As I read in Elder McConkie’s “Our Relationship with the Lord,” it
doesn’t always specify who is talking, because God and Jesus Christ are one in
purpose. “They are one. The words or
deeds of either of them would be the words and deeds of the other in the same
circumstance.”
In True to the Faith it defines the Holy Ghost as, “the
Spirit of God […] or the Comforter. [He] works in perfect unity with Heavenly
Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help [one] live
righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel.” “We
know that the Holy Ghost, as a “personage of Spirit,” is both a Revelator and a
Sanctifier and that his chief mission is to bear record of the Father and the
Son.” The Holy Ghost is vital in bringing knowledge of the truthfulness
of the gospel if we live worthily of receiving his promptings. “[We] can
receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power
of the Holy Ghost” (82). Often times it seems that our relationship with the
Holy Ghost is overlooked. At baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by
the laying on of hands. Like many gifts, we take it for granted and simply
expect the presence of the spirit to be with us always. Personal worthiness
plays a major role when it comes to having the spirit. The spirit of the Lord
does not dwell in unclean places, so we must keep ourselves clean if we want
the spirit to continually dwell within us.
A misconception I came across while preparing for this talk
is that sometimes we believe that we should have a stronger relationship with
one member of the Godhead or another. This is not so. Elder McConkie said, “the very moment anyone singles out one member of the Godhead
as the almost sole recipient of his devotion, to the exclusion of the others,
that is the moment when spiritual instability begins to replace sense and
reason.” While Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, all
have significantly important roles, we need to have strong relationships with
all of them because one of those relationships is not more important than the
other.
Knowing now who God,
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are, and what their purpose is, why then is it
important that we develop a relationship with them? Elder McConkie said, “Eternal life is reserved for those who know God and
the One whom he sent to work out the infinite and eternal atonement.” If we want the greatest gift of all, which is eternal life,
then we must come to know our Savior, our God, and His holy spirit that guides,
directs, and protects while we are on the earth. In “To Be Loved by Perfect Love: John’s Special Message of the
Savior” Sheryl Condie Kempton says, “the Savior, since he is aware of our eternal natures, knows better
than we what will bring us happiness. A personal relationship with Jesus can
help us unmask ourselves to ourselves.” Through
growing to know the Lord more personally, we learn more about ourselves and all
that we can be become.
In order to strengthen our relationship with the Godhead,
there are things we must do. On lds.org it says we can strengthen our
relationship with Heavenly Father by speaking to Him through prayer, reading
prophet’s testimonies of Him, and by doing our best to continually keep His
commandments, because the Lord said “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). Through keeping God’s commandments
we can grow closer to Him and know that he lives. We can also strengthen our
relationship with Christ through these practices. If we live our lives as Jesus
did, we will grow to become like him. And through our efforts to become like
him, we will know Him better. In Moroni chapter 7 verse 48 it says, “Wherefore,
my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye
may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true
followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that
when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that
we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.” When Christ
appears again and we see him, like it says in this scripture, we will recognize
him because we have worked to become like him. I know that if we strive to live
like our Savior and develop Christ like attributes, we will grow to know the
Savior better. I cannot wait for the day when I see my Redeemer again, and I
know him because I have sought with much effort, to be like him. Living a life
as the Savior lived his is not easy, but that is what is so amazing about his
atonement. We were never asked to be exactly like him right now. Our Savior’s
atoning sacrifice makes up throughout our strivings of giving it our all to be
like Him. He isn’t going to wait until we have done all that we can either. Our
Savior is with us our entire journey of enduring to the end. Stephen E.
Robinson, in his book Believing Christ,
stresses this point. In 2nd Nephi chapter 25 verse 23 it reads “For
we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren,
to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by
grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” It is common to miss interpret
this scripture to mean that at the very end of our efforts is when Christ’s grace
will save us. But here, Brother Robinson says we can “understand the
preposition ‘after’ [in this verse] to be a preposition of separation rather
than a preposition of time. So instead of meaning after all that we have done,
it is hopeful to know that Christ’s grace is saving us throughout all that we
are doing. I know that I make mistakes continually, and although I am striving
daily to be a better person, I rely on our Savior to help me throughout all
that I do to make up for where I lack. ……..It is important to try and improve
our relationship with the Savior and know him better because He knows and loves
us perfectly, as well as our Father in Heaven.
To me, their knowledge of us as individuals is perfect. More than we will ever
be able to comprehend in this lifetime. I have had too many experiences that
have made this clear to me, and to deny it would be a lie. Our Savior and God's
love is never something I could deny as not being true and constant. Just
trying to do as he would has helped me. Reaching out to him has taught me. I
know He lives and that His atonement for our sins in infinite. He makes up for
where I lack. I know that if my best is only 1% he will make up for the other
99%. He doesn’t ask us to give a specific amount, but only what is our best. His
grace is sufficient for us all. And I believe that through Him and only Him can
we be made perfect. And as a result of this knowledge, I want to come to know
him as best I can so that I can receive the gift of eternal life.
Another way we can strengthen our relationship with Christ
and the Holy Ghost is through actually utilizing our Savior’s atonement. It is
a gift that is there for us to always use, regardless of whether or not we
choose to use it. Through asking for forgiveness for mistakes that we have
made, we are trusting that Jesus’ sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane will
make up for our mistakes. That his atoning sacrifice will do just that, atone
for when we have gone wrong. Brother Robinson makes the point that sometimes we
only remember to believe in “Christ’s identity as the son of God and the Savior
of the world,” but we forget to believe in his “ability, in his power to
cleanse and to save-to make unworthy sons and daughters worthy.” Trust is a
very important characteristic in any relationship. Jesus trusts that we will do
our part to be like him, he knows that we are imperfect. And we in turn, have
to continually trust in Christ’s ability and power to save us throughout our
lives and mistakes. Then, after we have sought forgiveness, through the power
of the Holy Ghost, it is made manifest unto us that we are truly forgiven. In
Alma chapter 33 verses 21 and 22 it says, “O my brethren, if ye could be healed
by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold
quickly, or wouldn’t ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful,
that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish? If so, wo shall
come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in
the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall
suffer that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the
resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and
judgment day, according to their works.” Although it does seem so simple, the
power and promise of this scripture are real. And that is what is great about
it! In comparison to being able to live for eternity by merely going through
with full and sincere repentance, why wouldn’t we do it? The reward we receive
is huge!! Eternal life and a lesson on humility is nothing compared to our
reward in Heaven, all for simply turning to the Savior when we’ve messed up.
Like Moses and the serpent staph. Why not just look? In the long run it is
fairly easy, and the reward is so huge. Letting pride get in our way of
becoming the greatest that we can become is so sad. Because turning to Christ
does seem too simple, we sometimes turn away and miss out on opportunities to
know Christ and to be reconciled with God through him. But I know that if we
trust in our Savior’s power, that we can be made worthy to live for eternity.
To conclude, I come
back to President Benson’s quote, “When we put God first, all other things fall
into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will
govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we
pursue, and the order of our priorities.” One of my favorite scriptures is
Matthew 6 verses 19 through 21 where it says, “Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break
through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal;
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The things that are
most important to us are what we put our heart into. It is crucial that we put
our hearts into our relationships with Heavenly Father, our Savior, and the
Holy Ghost and that they “claim our affection.” In one of my favorite songs by
the band Rush it says, “Some will sell their dreams for small desires or lose
the race to rats, get caught in ticking traps,” sometimes we get distracted or
tempted with immediate pleasures, and we get caught up in things aren’t
eternally important. If these relationships, and all that they encompass, aren’t
our number one priority, we will fall short of truly knowing our God, and we
will get caught up in the everyday motions. To live a life of meaning we should
all strive to be closer to our God, our Savior, and the Holy Ghost. One of the
many reasons I am going on a mission is because I know that the Godhead is here
for me. I have a personal relationship with them, even though I am still
working on making it better, I have felt love from all three. The gospel and
everything that the doctrines contain have truly grown to be the treasure of my
heart. I hope that as I serve I can learn and grow to become a more Christlike
person. That if my soul is the only one that is converted while I am gone, that
it will be a daily conversion and that I learn to live the rest of my life in
continual seeking after a real and lasting relationship with my Heavenly
Father, my Savior, and the Holy Spirit. I know this is the true gospel of
Christ on the earth today. I know that Heavenly Father answered Joseph Smith’s
prayer, like he answers mine, and that because of his answer, Joseph Smith
restored the true gospel and translated the Book of Mormon. I know that
President Monson is living prophet today, and I am thankful for his words and
the words of other prophets that guide and direct us. I know that if living a
righteous life through the gospel becomes what is most precious to us, our
heart will soon be into it too, and we will surely live blessed lives for that.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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