Sunday Thoughts About Perfect Love
Love as Christ Loved
2 Nephi 10:24
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.”
There is a line in the Hymn, "Thy Will, O Lord, Be Done," that is beautiful and tells me much about the atonement of Christ and the nature of Christ. That hymn is four verses long, each with examples of Jesus giving up His will to the will of the Father. As I read the lyrics during sacrament services, I'm touched by the love the Savior has for us. I'm also moved by the plan that God the Father established. This plan could not be completed without His perfect Son and His sacrifice.
The first verse of the hymn goes like this:
"When in the wondrous realms above
Our Savior had been called upon
To save our world of sin by love,
He said, “Thy will, O Lord, be done.”
He saved "our world of sin by love." He had turned his will to the Father. Why? Because of perfect love.
Luke 22:41-44
“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
What struck me today, was in addition to His perfect love and His grace saving us, what an example this should be for us. How often do we turn from the sinful person, or the one we do not like and ignore them? How often do we judge others as not as worthy as us? Do we preach to those who we feel are sinning rather than love them and encourage them? Do we wish punishment more than happiness on others? Are we the cops in other people’s lives or the source of love and support?
Sin is overcome with love, not judgement and harsh words. Love as Christ loved.
"Jesus talked to His friends a lot about how we should identify ourselves. He said it wouldn’t be what we said we believed or all the good we hoped to do someday. Nope, He said we would identify ourselves simply by how we loved people. It’s tempting to think there is more to it, but there’s not. Love isn’t something we fall into; love is someone we become." (Bod Goff, "Everybody, Always")
If we saw preparing as practice, this might help us maintain the daily effort. Practice is usually seen as a way to be ready to play in a sports match or to perform in an artistic or musical performance. If we don't practice and prepare, we will either lose or not perform to our ability.