Monday, April 3, 2017

Charity - McMinnville, Tennessee

Hello everyone!

This was an exciting and a happy week, but there really aren't many stories to tell. Most of the great things that happened came in the form of lessons learned. Here is one of my favorites I learned from General Conference.

I learned a lot all throughout conference, but I definitely learned a lot more afterwards as I stopped and thought about all of the teachings together. After looking back there is one thing that really stands out to me and that is the importance of being Christ Centered. They talked about a lot of different gospel topics and brought up many different ways to improve. However, if we see all these things as separate and individual points to be achieved one at a time then we will be probable become overwhelmed by the vast array of things yet to do. In order to experience the true power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must learn how all things become one in Christ and how "in Christ there should come every good thing." Principles such as the atonement, faith, repentance, and covenants only have power when they are connected to our savior Jesus Christ. All of our goals and pursuits in life will only have power to change our hearts when centered on Christ. 

The biggest way in which this has helped me is in understanding Charity. For a very long time I have sought after charity as if it were some sort of independent entity or power of its own. I was praying and working for charity as if it were an object that could be just handed to me or obtained through effort, but this is all wrong and doctrinally incomplete. "Charity is the pure love of Christ." That love exists in him, because of him, and through him. We seek this attribute in order that we may love as he loves, serve as he serves, and see others as he sees them. Most importantly we seek it 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." 

If we pray and strive to be filled with the pure love of Christ and to love and serve as Him, we will have a miracle. We will come to a greater understanding of His perfection, character, attributes, and mission as our Savior and the Son of God. "And [Jesus Christ] 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, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." We will come to deeply "Know ... the one true God and Jesus Christ whom [He] hath sent." We will have our hearts changed and our desires made pure through the love of God. We will grow an unshakable Faith in Him. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you find ways to center your life and your goals on Christ. Definitely start by reading Moroni 7 and John 17

Love

Elder Basham

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