AS YOU END THIS SEMINARY SEMESTER AND LOOK FORWARD TO A BRIGHT NEW YEAR…
You will be studying the last words of Moroni. He was all alone yet he did not get discouraged. He remained full of eternal Hope.
This year has been one of the most challenging in world history yet YOU HAVE MET THE CHALLENGE and you too can look ahead knowing your future is bright with Hope!
Watch this little message from President Uchtdorf about The Power of Hope:
. . . . .
SOMETIMES I WANNA BE ANYBODY BUT ME 😦
William Shakespeare wrote:
“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another” (Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1)
Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde said it this way:
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry.”
We live in a world with a culture obsessed with endless comparing.
It promotes a subconscious desire to have a different “better” life.
A desire to be someone else—more talented, more beautiful, more rich, more “liked” on social media.
Movies and the gossip columns add endless fuel to the fire of the desire to be like others.
Sometimes this drives people forward to great accomplishments and achievements.
However, most of the time, it leads to feelings of low self-worth, anxiousness, disappointment, and even depression.
TODAY you will learn that seeking to become like Jesus is truly the only One you should ever desire to be like.
Seeking to become like Christ will increase your self-worth, enlarge your eternal perspective, and promote your greater happiness and inner peace.
It all begins with understanding His pure love — the bond of charity — which will lead you to an expanded view of your (and others’) divine nature and eternal destiny.
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
(Colossians 3:14)
PLEASE OPEN YOUR SCRIPTURES TO
MORONI 7:44-48
As you study record your thoughts and feelings in your journal or in your Gospel Library digital notes.
As you do this, the things you learn from the Spirit will not fade away and you will receive more.
The call to become like Christ is drowned out by the chorus of political correctness and immoral crusades. It was in a similar climate that we receive one of the most oft-quoted verses in scripture: Moroni 7:44–48
The Nephites had been destroyed and it was a very dark and evil time, and yet in the midst of this Mormon is focused on how we can be more like Christ. Joseph Smith was in a similar circumstance while at Liberty Jail and he received revelations on charity now found in sections 121 and 122 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
What does that teach you about the circumstances necessary to have charity revealed to each of us?
It seems that all the bad in the world has put us in a good place to learn charity. Imagine the difference it would make if people would open the gift of charity and strive to live according to Mormon’s description of it in verse 45. Think of the difference in your community, your high school, on social media — and most importantly, in your home and family.
STUDY MORONI 7:44–48 and mark the words or phrases that Mormon used to define the character of Christ.
Here are some added definitions of words and phrases in verse 45 that may add deeper meaning to your study:
• “suffereth long” means to endure patiently
• “envieth not” means to not be jealous
• “not puffed up” means to be humble and meek — the opposite of pride
• “seeketh not her own” means to put God and others first
• “not easily provoked” means to not become easily annoyed and angry
• “believeth all things” means to accept all truth and trust God
There are other Christlike attributes of charity mentioned in that verse as well that you will want to ponder.
JESUS HIMSELF IS SYNONYMOUS WITH CHARITY
Try the following exercise. Add Jesus’ name in front of every attribute of charity mentioned in verse 45 and see what difference it makes.
Remember the deeper meanings of the various phrases that you studied above.
Here are the verse with blanks before each word or phrase that will make this easier to do…
Now as you read these verses, replace the blanks and say Jesus’ name in their place:
45 “And __________ suffereth long, and __________ is kind, and __________ envieth not, and __________ is not puffed up, __________ seeketh not (his) own, __________ is not easily provoked, __________ thinketh no evil, and __________ rejoiceth not in iniquity but __________ rejoiceth in the truth, __________ beareth all things (think of the Atonement), __________ believeth all things (trusted Heavenly Father perfectly), __________ hopeth all things, __________ endureth all things (think of Jesus perfect life all the way up to the moment on the cross when He bowed His head and said, “It is finished” (see John 19:30)).
46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not __________ , ye are nothing (life is so much better and easier with Jesus’ help!), for __________ never faileth (He will never fail YOU!). Wherefore, cleave unto __________, which (who) is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—
47 But __________ is the pure of (of the Father), and __________ endureth ; and whoso is found possessed of __________ at the last day, it shall be well with him.
48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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 of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall like him, (the only one we should ever really want to be like) for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be even as he is pure. Amen.”
POSSESSED OF CHARITY — FILLED WITH JESUS LOVE
Notice in VERSE 47 that it says “whoso is found possessed of it” — possessed of charity. It does NOT say possessing charity.
• What is the difference between being possessed and possessing?
• What does it mean to be “possessed”? Possessed of charity? Possessed by the pure love of Christ?
We do not possess the love of Christ from the OUTSIDE IN — It possesses us from the INSIDE OUT.
As you learn to understand and accept how much Jesus loves you — His perfect pure love — then it will possess your heart and you will be filled with that love!
You will understand and know that YOU were worth dying for.
As Christ’s love changes you from the INSIDE OUT, you are “filled with His love” (see verse 48) which changes you.
WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO ANYBODY OR WANT TO BE LIKE SOMEONE ELSE, YOU’LL ONLY WANT TO BE LIKE CHRIST!
In other words, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
This understanding will enable you to see others for who they truly are as sons and daughters of God. You will not compare them or judge them unrighteously. You will be able to love and serve them more like Jesus does.
HOW ARE YOU DOING IN YOUR QUEST TO BECOME LIKE JESUS?
OK, let’s do what we did above one more time—only with verse 45— but this time put YOUR OWN NAME in the blanks.
As you say your name along with each Christlike attribute of charity, ponder how you are doing in your quest to become like Jesus.
45 “And (Your Name) suffereth long, and (Your Name) is kind and (Your Name) envieth not, and (Your Name) is not puffed up, (Your Name) seeketh not her/his own, (Your Name) is not easily provoked, (Your Name) thinketh no evil, and (Your Name) rejoiceth not in iniquity but (Your Name) rejoiceth in the truth, (Your Name) beareth all things, (Your Name) believeth all things, (Your Name) hopeth all things, (Your Name) endureth all things.”
• As you associated your name with each of the attributes above, what did you feel?
• Take a moment and write your thoughts down as you evaluate each of the attributes mentioned.
• Assess yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 on how you are doing with each attribute.
• Based on what you have learned in Moroni 7:44–48, why do you think we are nothing if we do not have charity?
WHAT GOOD IS A GIFT IF IT’S NEVER OPENED? OR NEVER USED!
And why is it not opened? As long as our hearts are occupied by the things of the world; we are unable to focus on the things of a better world.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “The reason charity never fails and the reason charity is greater than even the most significant acts of goodness he cited is that charity, ‘the pure love of Christ’ (Moroni 7:47), is not an act but a condition or state of being. Charity is attained through a succession of acts that result in a conversion. Charity is something one becomes. Thus, as Moroni declared, ‘except men shall have charity they cannot inherit’ the place prepared for them in the mansions of the Father.” (Ether 12:34; emphasis added) (“The Challenge to Become,” November. 2000 General Conference).
• How does Elder Oaks’ comment help you understand the relationship between practicing charity and becoming more like Jesus?
Watch this little video, and think of ways you can demonstrate the gift of charity to those around you:
• In your scripture study journal or in a Gospel Library digital note, write about a time when you felt that the Lord helped you to be charitable. Or write about a time when you saw someone else being charitable.
• Additionally set a specific goal for how you will improve in one of the characteristics of charity listed in Moroni 7:45. Pray for the gift of charity as you strive to accomplish your goal.
EXTRA MILE LEARNING JOURNEY: LEARN TO FAIL SUCCESSFULLY
in Moroni 7:46 you read, “Cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—”
• How well do you deal with failure?
• How does it feel to know, ALL things MUST fail? Failing is painful!
Read the following quote and ponder how failure is an important part of the learning and growing process of mortality:
“Because of the Atonement [of Jesus Christ], all failures are changeable and temporary, except the one that occurs when we give up. So whatever you do, don’t you dare give up.
“What I am suggesting is not simply an affirmation of the power of positive thinking; it is a recognition of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ—the perspective it gives us, the truths it provides, and ‘the infinite virtue of [Christ’s] atoning sacrifice’ that is available to us all. Yes, I am asking you to trust yourself more, but, more important, I am asking you to trust God. I urge you—in your moments of doubt and despair, in the times when you think you have failed and you think you can’t make it right—to focus more on Him and less on yourselves.
“Too often we ask the wrong question when we fail. We ask, ‘Am I good enough?’ But the real question is, ‘Is God good enough?’ Is He as good as He says He is? Can He really deliver on His promise that ‘all things’ will ‘work together for [our] good’ if we will trust Him and strive to do the best we can and keep going whenever we fall short?
“I testify that He is. God is as good, as powerful, as loving, as patient, and as consistent as He says He is. If we will but focus on the eternal truths He has made available to us, both through institutional revelation and through personal promptings and reassurances, He will turn all our failures into successes. I bear my witness that He lives and loves us with a love we cannot comprehend. He gave His Son so that we might move forward in our quest for perfection with full confidence and assurance that we will succeed despite our failures” (Kevin J. Worthen, BYU Devotional, January 2015).
• Study in your mind how all things will fail and how we can better rely on the only thing that won’t fail—the pure love of Christ.
• How can these thoughts help you cope with your next failure?
If you’d like to listen to President Worthen’s entire devotional, CLICK HERE
What is one thing you learned today that you want to remember to teach your children one day?
Make sure to record your thoughts, feelings, and impressions so they will not be lost.
DO NOT CLICK THE NEXT BUTTON… CLICK ON THE “HOW DID YOU HEAR HIM?” PICTURE DIRECTLY ABOVE
Confessions of a Little League Dad 
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