- It is part of human nature to want to look our best. There is nothing wrong with shining our shoes, smelling our best, or even hiding the dirty dishes before the home teachers arrive. However, when taken to extremes, this desire to impress can shift from useful to deceitful.
The Savior is not worried about numbers, flashy impressions, or outside appearances. He is worried about our heart and how we are helping His children come unto Christ.
- If Jesus Christ were to sit down with us and ask for an accounting of our stewardship, I am not sure He would focus much on programs and statistics. What the Savior would want to know is the condition of our heart. He would want to know how we love and minister to those in our care, how we show our love to our spouse and family, and how we lighten their daily load. And the Savior would want to know how you and I grow closer to Him and to our Heavenly Father.
The Savior is concerned with our discipleship. He wants us to follow Him and blesses us as we move in that direction in our lives. We move closer to being a true disciple of the Savior by making gospel teachings a part of our every day lives.
- Here in the Church of Jesus Christ you can mature spiritually and draw closer to the Savior by applying gospel principles day by day. With patience and persistence, even the smallest act of discipleship or the tiniest ember of belief can become a blazing bonfire of a consecrated life. In fact, that’s how most bonfires begin—as a simple spark.
Sometimes we fall short of who we want to be. But we should never give up. He has the power to help us overcome our failings and become the type of person we desire and He desires us to become.
- My beloved brothers in Christ, the God of Creation, who breathed life into the universe, surely has the power to breathe life into you. Surely He can make of you the genuine, spiritual being of light and truth you desire to be.
He reminds us that the church is not for perfect people. He reminds us that the church is for people that need help and fixing.
- The Church is not an automobile showroom—a place to put ourselves on display so that others can admire our spirituality, capacity, or prosperity. It is more like a service center, where vehicles in need of repair come for maintenance and rehabilitation.
He shares this simple thought about what the true purpose of the church is in our lives.
- We come to church not to hide our problems but to heal them.
He concludes with words of encouragement about the role that the Savior can play in our lives if we seek for His guidance.
- The greatest, most capable, most accomplished man who ever walked this earth was also the most humble. He performed some of His most impressive service in private moments, with only a few observers, whom He asked to “tell no man” what He had done. When someone called Him “good,” He quickly deflected the compliment, insisting that only God is truly good. Clearly the praise of the world meant nothing to Him; His single purpose was to serve His Father and “do always those things that please him.” We would do well to follow the example of our Master.
The Savior is not worried about the image that we try to show to everyone. He is concerned about our hearts. He wants our hearts to be focused on being true disciples of Him. He wants us to be engaged in helping His children come unto Christ. He wants us to be examples of Him. He wants others to have a desire to come until Christ because they see how the blessings of being a disciple of Christ effect our lives. How grateful I am to have a Savior that is not worried about the clothes I wear, the car I drive, or the size of my house. He is worried about the heart I have, the way I share His love with others, and the people that he puts in my path that I can reach and encourage their discipleship of the Savior.