One of the tragedies the trinitarian belief (that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one being) has taken away is appreciation and understanding of God’s part of the sacrifice in the Atonement.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son.”
Doesn’t mean much if there isn’t actually a God giving up his Only Begotten Son, right?
We talk so much about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did for us, for good reason. His Atonement paved the way for us to return home. He suffered, bled, felt the crushing pain of a universe of sickness, pain, and sin, and died for us. He did that. There’s reason we talk about Him. He is the only way to God, our Heavenly Father.
Speaking of God’s part in that sacrifice shouldn’t diminish what Christ Himself did for us.
I’m a father.
The other day Ivy was on the top of the couch and fell backward to the cushion. She wasn’t hurt at all. She was fine, but try telling her that. She was scared, and she was screaming and freaking out. She was fine, but she was still upset.
Now, if Ivy was really hurt, if she fell from the cushion down to the floor, I would have moved so fast. I would have been there. As it was, I stayed in my seat and tried to tell her how awesome a fall that was.
If Ivy or Sage are in real pain, I’m there.
I can’t imagine the torment, the suffering, the heart-wrenching anguish of watching my children suffer. I can’t imagine it.
God can.
God watched His Son be spit upon, scourged, beaten, slapped, ridiculed, and finally nailed to a cross to die a slow, painful, and seemingly humiliating death.
“I am a father, inadequate to be sure, but I cannot comprehend the burden it must have been for God in His heaven to witness the deep suffering and Crucifixion of His Beloved Son in such a manner. His every impulse and instinct must have been to stop it, to send angels to intervene-but He did not intervene. He endured what He saw because it was the only way that a saving, vicarious payment could be made for the sins of all His other children from Adam and Eve to the end of the world. I am eternally grateful for a perfect Father and His perfect Son, neither of whom shrank from the bitter cup nor forsook the rest of us who are imperfect, who fall short and stumble, who too often miss the mark” (“The Hands of the Fathers,” Ensign, May 1999, 14).
What I realize is that God knew His Son. He knew Jesus Christ was going to fulfill His destiny. He knew what His Son, Jesus Christ, would do on the cross. LIke me on the couch, knowing Ivy was ultimately going to be OK, God knew Jesus Christ would be OK. He knew that Christ so loved us, that He would suffer it all for us. Why did God do it though? Why didn’t He send angels to intervene? Wouldn’t that be what a loving Father would do? He didn’t intervene because He so loved the world. The world is us. He loves us so much that He was willing to suffer this pain of watching His Son suffer. The ultimate sacrifice, of Father and Son.
If that doesn’t bring you to tears, I don’t know what will.
God loves you.
I don’t know how it all works. I don’t know how the celestial kingdom, heaven, a place of infinite joy and peace, can also have weeping. But I know that my God weeps.
Don’t let us forget that God suffered that day too. He suffered an anguish hardly imaginable. The anguish of watching His only begotten in pain.
In the case of the suffering of Jesus Christ, the payment had to be made to save us. In some grand cosmic mystery that I don’t yet understand, we can’t return home until we are perfected through the blood of Christ. God allowed that sacrifice, and contributed His sacrifice, because he loves the world. He loves us.
I believe God does weep over the evil, heartache, pain, suffering, and sadness in this world. He weeps over sin. He weeps over us.
But ultimately, we have fallen to a soft cushion. We are safe. We are secure. We are secure in the blood of Jesus Christ. We are secure only because of Jesus Christ and what He did for us.
While God wants to come comfort us, He doesn’t stop suffering because we’re still on the couch cushion. And if it helps us grow, does that make it any easier for Him to watch us suffer? Maybe. I knew Ivy wasn’t really suffering. I knew it was temporary fear she felt. I was always there for her.
This is my reminder to you: God is there for you. He will never leave you. He is always aware of your hardships. In addition to God, Jesus Christ isn’t only there with your hardships, He already felt your hardships. He understands it all, because He felt it all.
God loves you. Jesus Christ loves you. They love you so much that they sacrificed for you. Don’t forget that. It will give you strength.
I recently shared Beth’s amazing talk given on the natural man being an enemy to God. That can be read by clicking HERE.
The following week I was asked to give a talk on the topic, “how can I show faith in Jesus Christ more in my daily life?” I thought I’d share that as well. My written talk was more of an outline, but here were my notes.
Introduction
Good morning!
If you were here last week then you saw my wife already introduce us when she spoke. For those that weren’t here, I am Brayden Quackenbush. My wife goes by Beth, and we have a 1-year-old daughter named Ivy.
Brother Patterson commented after Beth spoke last week, quote “Clearly you, like me, have married up.” So of course, the Bishopric has asked me to speak today, more likely for you to see that principle of marrying up in action for yourself as opposed to any spiritual enlightenment I am meant to impart. I hope along with demonstrating the marrying up principle, my talk can also provide some uplifting spiritual content for you today.
Topic – faith
The topic I was asked to speak on today is, “How can I show faith in Jesus Christ more in my daily life?”
Let’s start with the what. What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said QUOTE: “‘Faith without works is dead.’ But ‘Works without faith is even deader.’”
How do we increase our faith?
Read the scriptures every day. Pray every day. Go to church each week. Serve others. Go to the temple.
For those of you that have zoned out – Okay, let’s take a quick pause. I know I’ve lost most of you. You’re thinking, great, he started his talk with 5 things I’ve heard 1 MILLION times. And then you started zoning out. Come back to me for a second. I’ll say it again for those who REALLY zoned out. Come back to me.
I could go on and on with quotes about what faith is and give ideas you’ve heard over and over and over about how to increase your faith and be exemplary latter-day saints. In my time back at church, I’ve learned that personal experiences are powerful. Repetition is good. There’s a reason we hear the same things over and over. Read scriptures, pray daily, go to church, attend the temple. Of course, these things are good and of course these things are important.
How?
But HOW do we really show more faith in Jesus Christ in our daily lives. – This is an interesting question – how? How is so independent of anyone else’s how. How isn’t a hypothetical. It’s an action. Faith is a principle of action. For that reason, I can’t tell YOU how to live with more faith in Jesus Christ. What I can do is tell you what has helped me.
It always benefits me to hear of others’ habits, stories, experiences and how they strengthened their faith. I hope some of my thoughts can help someone here today.
A little background about me – I spent 7 years of my life, from age 18-25 with zero church activity. I was about as far from the church as I could be.
It was wholesome books brought me back. Books that started making me ask the questions – why am I here? Where am I going?
To increase our faith, we must know in whom our faith resides. That is Jesus Christ. This is the first how I suggest, that helped me. President Russell M. Nelson has repeatedly implored us to study the life of Jesus Christ, understand His ministry, understand His life, understand Him. With more of an understanding of Him, more love for Him will naturally develop, and it will become easier to follow Him and act in faith.
What other how’s have helped me in my daily life?
I’ve mentioned I want to focus on faith being a principle of action. If you have faith in Christ, it should move you towards action.
For me, after knowing who my faith resides in, it’s helped to be conscious of what I want to accomplish. Showing more faith in Christ daily needs to be a conscious goal.
Daily affirmations
The cartoonist behind Dilbert, his name is Scott Adams, he talks about a habit he developed in his early 20s. What he did was, every single day, he wrote 15 times a statement over and over. For example, “I Scott Adams will become a famous cartoonist.” This was before he’d ever written a comic. Most of you have heard of Dilbert. His second affirmation was “I Scott Adams will write a bestselling book.” He also accomplished this goal.
Write what you want to accomplish in your relationship with Jesus Christ, your family, or your greatest desire. The act of writing it each day will make it a focus in your life.
Examples could be: I will love others. I will be a loving father/mother. I will increase my faith in Jesus Christ. I will bring others unto Jesus Christ. I will return to live with my Heavenly Father.
This makes this a focus every single day. How did Scott Adams become a famous cartoonist? Faith. Now he wouldn’t say it, but that’s what he did. He put something out there, he focused on it every single day for years and he made it a reality.
Make your faith a focus in your life.
This leads to another how – focus on your thoughts.
A book I read recently stated that rock is sculpted one chip at a time. Concrete is poured then molded. People are formed one thought at a time.
I hope the daily affirmations example shows the power in our thoughts.
Guard every thought. Any time a judgmental or unkind thought enters your mind, remove it. Remove impatience. Remove anger. It is possible. Our thoughts are ours to control. Once you control the negative thoughts, move to loving thoughts. Keeping your thoughts focused on God and Jesus Christ as much as possible will help.
Matthew 22:37-39 “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
The third thing that has helped me is to study the scriptures with a purpose.
I have a close friend who is not a member of this church. He has read the Book of Mormon multiple times and doesn’t believe it’s divinely inspired. He believes it was written by a man and not translated by a prophet of God. I’ve read the Book of Mormon every day for 4 years alongside an online commentary noting every time I find something from Hugh Nibley or some other LDS scholar that can’t be explained by an uneducated farm boy writing the Book of Mormon. The note in my phone now includes well over 100 notes that can’t be explained by an ignorant farm boy writing the Book of Mormon. Each day I’m excited to find another unexplainable feature of the Book of Mormon. That strategy has worked for me. But I invite you to think about something that can make you interested and excited to read a little scripture each day. By the way, if you’re interested in seeing my list of “proofs” I would love to share them. It strengthens my testimony of this work and of the love Jesus Christ has for us in providing these “proofs” of the divine nature of the Book of Mormon to those who seek them.
A fourth, and to me personally, the most important thing that has helped me with my faith is to feel the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Can you feel your love and appreciation for Christ and His gospel? Really feel it, inside of you. Feel the emotion of it. For some, your conversion moment may be so long ago that you haven’t thought about it in a long time. Remember what it was like to realize this was true. Think about the comfort it brought you. Remember the feeling of knowing that Christ died for you, and He allowed you all this. Family, love, peace, eternity: It’s because of Him. Close your eyes. Remember that moment. Feel that moment. Do that often.
The best time to feel this appreciation for Jesus Christ is during the sacrament, it’s why we partake of the sacrament – to remember Him.
You need to feel, truly feel, what Christ has done for you. I’ve had more of a challenge doing this during the sacrament since my daughter Ivy entered my life. Sometimes I miss the quiet time of closing my eyes and thinking about what Christ did for me that day 2000 years ago. But then recently I’ve found an amazing substitute. During the sacrament I’ve found it extremely beneficial to stare at my daughter. I think about not only what Christ did for me, but I remember that He gave her to me, He saved her, and He allows her to be mine forever. If you aren’t brought to the verge of tears every so often when you partake of the sacrament or think about what Christ did for you, you NEED to think about it more. Focus on it and feel it.
We’ll be taking the sacrament in a few minutes. I invite you to focus on Christ. Think where you’d be without Him. Think about what He’s done for you eternally. Eternal glory, forgiveness, love, peace for ALL eternity. Have you thought about the word eternity? Forever. That’s what He’s given you. Feel it in your heart and thank Him with all your might, mind, and strength.
The fifth important part of my faith has been to repent daily. There is always something to repent for, no matter how good we think we are, we always fall short, and that’s ok. Because of Him.
That concludes my how’s of developing and strengthening faith daily, but I hope you can search out your own.
Why?
The last thing I’d like to talk about is the why. Why do we need to develop more faith? Why does our faith matter?
When this work truly touches your heart, what do you do?
In a book called Faith in the Service of about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the armed forces, a U.S. Air Force Chaplain gave the simple quote: “I am a convert to the gospel, and I am indebted to the missionaries who saved me spiritually.”
Do you consider your membership of this church being spiritually saved?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland when speaking of the Apostle John’s great desire to remain on the earth said:
“The Apostle John asked the Lord if he, John, might remain on the earth beyond the normal span of life for no other purpose than to bring more souls unto God. In granting that wish, the Savior said that this was ‘a greater work’ and a nobler ‘desire’ even than that of desiring to come into the presence of the Lord ‘speedily.’”
From the book Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Like all prophets and apostles, the Prophet Joseph Smith understood the deep meaning of John’s request when he said, ‘After all that has been said, [our] greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel.’”
I’ll ask again the question; do you consider your membership to this church as being spiritually and eternally saved? You have been saved by Christ. Then save others. If you saw someone on the roadside bruised and bleeding, would you help them? And yet we’re surrounded by masses of people missing what we have. They’re not physically bruised and bleeding. Worse, they’re spiritually bruised and bleeding. Reach out, share your faith, love, serve, share a Book of Mormon, have a real conversation, invite to church, invite to an activity. Many people don’t want to be saved because they don’t know they’re drowning. That’s fine. You still cast out a life jacket. The world is lonely, the world is sad, the world is divisive, the world is angry, the world is hurt. And we have Jesus Christ in our lives. To whom much is given much is expected. And we, us, you, here in this room, you have been given as much or more than most individuals in all of human history. Think about that for a moment. Billions and billions of God’s children and you live now, in Arizona, in the United States, in a free country, with the saving ordinances of Jesus Christ in your life. You live with a knowledge of God as your father, you live in the dispensation of all times, the fullness, You are peaceful, you are happy. Many of us are prosperous spiritually as well as physically. And more important than all the physical benefits of our existence – you know where you come from, why you’re here, and where you’re going. To whom much is given. Has anyone ever been so blessed as us in this room?
When we feel how truly blessed we are, when this gospel and the love of Jesus Christ touches your heart, what do you do next? You share it.
Don’t be discouraged by the world we live in today. Even Christ was rejected by many. Many are called and few are chosen could also apply to the masses that don’t want to come unto Christ. It is still our sacred duty and loving responsibility to share it.
I hope that we can strengthen our faith in Christ through righteous habits. Make it a conscious decision. Guard our thoughts. Study with purpose. Feel the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Repent daily. These have helped me. I hope we all can find our own ways to show more faith in Jesus Christ. And when we do, and our faith is strengthened, strengthen others.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I had a dream last night. In it I was going down a stream. I had the feeling of leaving civilization for the wilderness. I came to a cliff. I climbed to the top and on the precipice there was a small and shabby tent erected. I went inside and there was an old prophet. I spoke with him.
A new prophet came. The new prophet was well dressed and well-kept, not like the old prophet living in a tiny tent on the edge of a cliff. The new prophet was respected, and I knew he came from a comfortable home. He was well regarded by society and lived comfortably in the world. He was told he had to take the place of the old prophet and live there in the wilderness, in a tent.
When I woke up from this dream, I had a feeling it was important, but I couldn’t figure out why.
What was this dream telling me?
I write down all my dreams. But this one felt important.
Was Russell M. Nelson the new prophet? Was he of the world? Was he flawed? What was the dream telling me?
As I meditated in the morning, I continued to ponder this question. On my drive into the office, I prayed to know if there was something I was supposed to glean from this dream. I asked specifically that if there was something important that I was supposed to learn to please allow my reading for the day to guide my mind to understanding.
I’m in Mosiah chapter 3 and Doctrine and Covenants section 133 respectively in my daily scripture study. A few hours later I was reading verse 71, exactly where I’d left off the day prior, of section 133, which reads:
“Behold, and lo, there are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not.”
Alongside D&C I’m reading a commentary. The commentary for verse 71 said:
Why Are the Prophets Rejected?
President Spencer W. Kimball commented:
“Various excuses have been used over the centuries to dismiss these divine messengers. There has been denial because the prophet came from an obscure place. ‘Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ (John 1:46.) Jesus was also met with the question, ‘Is not this the carpenter’s son?’ (Matt. 13:55.) By one means or another, the swiftest method of rejection of the holy prophets has been to find a pretext, however false or absurd, to dismiss the man so that his message could also be dismissed. Prophets who were not glib, but slow of speech, were esteemed as naught.…
“We wonder how often hearers first rejected the prophets because they despised them, and finally despised the prophets even more because they had rejected them. Even so, why else is the record of rejection so complete? The cares of the world are so many and so entangling, even very good people are diverted from following the truth because they care too much for the things of the world.…
“Sometimes people let their hearts get so set upon things and the honors of this world that they cannot learn the lessons they most need to learn. Simple truths are often rejected in favor of the much less-demanding philosophies of men, and this is another cause for the rejection of the prophets.
“But while there are various excuses for rejection, there’s a certain cause for this sad record. It must not be passed over: the cares of the world, the honors of the world, and looking beyond the mark are all determined by a persuasive few who presume to speak for all.…
“The holy prophets have not only refused to follow erroneous human trends, but have pointed out these errors. No wonder the response to the prophets has not always been one of indifference. So often the prophets have been rejected because they first rejected the wrong ways of their own society.
“These excuses for rejection of the prophets are poor excuses. The trouble with using obscurity as a test of validity is that God has so often chosen to bring forth his work out of obscurity. He has even said it would be so. (See D&C 1:30.) Christianity did not go from Rome to Galilee; it was the other way around. In our day the routing is from Palmyra to Paris, not the reverse. Just because something is in our midst does not mean that we have been in the midst of it. We can daily drive by a museum or an art gallery but know nothing of what is inside.
“The trouble with rejection because of personal familiarity with the prophets is that the prophets are always somebody’s son or somebody’s neighbor. They are chosen from among the people, not transported from another planet, dramatic as that would be!…
“Of course, rejection of the holy prophets comes because the hearts of people are hardened, as people are shaped by their society. Yet even when the hardening is swift, it can also be subtle. Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today? Like all the diseased doctrines of the devil, the practice is pleasing unto the carnal mind.
“Prophets have a way of jarring the carnal mind. Too often the holy prophets are wrongly perceived as harsh and as anxious to make a record in order to say, ‘I told you so.’ Those prophets I have known are the most loving of men. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lord’s message merely to make people feel comfortable. They are too kind to be so cruel. I am so grateful that prophets do not crave popularity.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1978, pp. 115–16; or Ensign, May 1978, pp. 76–77.)
It wasn’t until the very end of that statement from Spencer W. Kimball that it hit me, and I remembered – I asked for guidance in what I read today to help with my dream. I dreamed of prophets, now I was reading a long commentary from a prophet about why prophets are rejected.
I thought back on my dream. I had correctly believed that Russell M. Nelson was the “new prophet.” What I incorrectly interpreted was that Russell M. Nelson was “of the world” or wrong in some way. My dream gave me a feeling that he was flawed. That he was attached to the comfortable home and respectful world he lived in.
After reading that comment from Spencer W. Kimball, I realized there was no flaw in Russell M. Nelson.
The attacks on prophets are starting to escalate in our current society. See the recent backlash against Jeffrey R. Holland as an example.
The eternal and correct view of prophets on gender, marriage, and the importance of the family is under attack. Prophets will not deny truth. They will continue to speak truth even as they are rejected by the world.
Nobody embodies a “loving man” more than Jeffrey R. Holland. If you’ve ever watched one of his tear-filled and tear-jerking General Conference addresses, you know that the man emanates love for us, for followers of Jesus Christ and for all of God’s children.
“Those prophets I have known are the most loving of men. It is because of their love and integrity that they cannot modify the Lord’s message merely to make people feel comfortable.”
No statement has ever fit Jeffrey R. Holland more accurately.
I started making connections between my dream and what it was trying to tell me, so I went back and re-read where I was at in Mosiah 3:18, 19 (the verses I read before D&C that day). It reads:
18 “For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
19 “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”
“And the infant perisheth not that dieth in infancy.”
“but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children.”
“For the natural man is an enemy to God.”
“And becometh as a child.”
“even as a child doth submit to his father.”
“Who, for instance, a scant twenty years ago would have foreseen the massive use of abortion in society today? Like all the diseased doctrines of the devil, the practice is pleasing unto the carnal mind. Prophets have a way of jarring the carnal mind.”
I think my dream was reminding me what I already know to be true. We are in the time where our society has fully rejected the prophets. The attack on them is going to increase. Russell M. Nelson has been a respected heart surgeon, kind, gentle, grandfatherly figure. I believe we are quickly approaching the time that he will be cast into the wilderness and hated by a world that has always hated prophets. I believe this is what my dream was telling me.
Those of us with faith in Jesus Christ and His anointed servants must keep firm in our faith in Him, and in His servants. Don’t be shaken by the attacks on His chosen servants. If you do, your faith in Him (Jesus Christ) can be shaken next. Trust in whom He has chosen. Follow them as you follow Him. The Lord’s prophets will not lead us astray. Russell M. Nelson is the Lord’s anointed and he is our prophet. As the world turns on Jesus Christ’s prophet, we must support and protect him from a world that will hate what he and our Lord stand for.
For more on this topic, I read this blog post that elaborates on the dangers of choosing what we do and do not want to believe from prophets. Click the image below to read the post:
No Coincidences 