Kénōsis

 I just learned in my religion class that in Christian theology, kenosis (κένωσις, ekénōsen) is  the Greek word for emptiness. It means the 'self-emptying' of one's own will in order to become entirely receptive to God's divine will.

Philippians 2:7 (KJV) says that Christ, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."

In the American Standard Version it says: He "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men"

Christian's have long debated over Jesus's process of Kenosis.  What did it mean for Christ to "empty Himself"?  Did it mean he temporarily let go of who He was to take upon the form of man? Did it mean when  He "descended from the throne" He somehow descended in His godhood?  Of course not.  He understood His true identity and place as rightful King on earth and in heaven. His godhood and power never left Him spiritually but He gave up being recognized as such physically.

In fact, during the pinnacle crux of all human history, where His greatest "emptying" took place, is also where we see manifested the greatest and most magnificent power!!  In the Garden of Gethsemane He was emptied as He bled from every pore. (D&C 19:18) And on the cross blood and water "flowed from His side" (John 19:34)

Isaiah 53:12 also speaks of the Savior's emptying saying,"He [Christ] poured out His soul".  The highest majesty ever known was reveled through the most intense humility.

Psalms 36:9 describes Christ as "the fountain of life."  Living water "pouring out" in a constant steady flow.

Luke 8:43-48 tells another story of Christ's emptying:
"A woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
And Jesus said, Who touched me?
When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."

Virtue had emptied out of Him.
"Virtue" here contextually means "strength."  He may have felt physically weak in that moment but He was certainly not weak in the spiritual sense.  He was "emptied" as in the context of Isaiah's illustration. The woman exercised such tremendous faith in Christ that when she reached to Him through the pressing crowd, He literally felt His body go weak from the "pouring out of His soul" to her and she was healed.

As the Savior emptied Himself, we too must empty ourselves.

Matt 16:25 teaches that when we "lose our self" we'll find ourselves.  This does not mean we lose our identity in the slightest.  In fact, as we choose to draw closer to Christ, we see our TRUE self, our Divine nature more and more defined, more clear than ever before.  What we DO lose however is the false identity, the labels and the lies the world would have us believe.

To "lose ourselves" we, like Him, must "pour out our souls".  Here, we show that He is the very center of our life, that we want Him more than anything else. As He prayed, we also pray, "Not my will but thine be done." (Luke 22:42)

In "emptying" ourselves of our own will, we "pour out" our souls, making room for Him to enter in.  This is the "whole tithe." We lay it all on the altar and say, "take it all, I surrender."  In return, He opens the windows of heaven, whether through temporal or spiritual needs, revelation, or guidance. The promise is heaven will be opened and poured out!

The New International Version of Malachi says it this way
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." - Malachi 3:10

I love the imagery of "floodgates!"

He will "pour out" to us as we "pour out" Him.

Think of the results that come when we open ourselves up to Him in prayer:  We pour out all our strength - He gives us His strength, pour out all our hearts - He gives us His heart, pour out all our thoughts - He gives us His thoughts.  Fully and completely submissive and receptive, we open our self up to Him, we let Him in our heart and soul, receiving Him, becoming one with Him as He became one with the Father.

"In striving for ultimate submission, our wills constitute all we really have to give God anyway. The usual gifts and their derivatives we give to Him could be stamped justifiably “Return to Sender,” with a capital S. Even when God receives this one gift in return, the fully faithful will receive “all that [He] hath” (D&C 84:38). What an exchange rate!" - Neal A. Maxwell - Consecrate Thy Performance

I testify that Christ is the "fountain of Life", His love and power is ever flowing over.  He wants to "pour it into us."  But we must first go through our own kenosis, our own 'self-emptying' in order to be open to receive Him, all of Him.
-Alicia

To Know God

"More Of You"

by, Colton Dixon

I made my castle tall

I built up every wall

This is my kingdom and it needs to fall

I want you and no one else

Empty me of myself

Until the only thing that's left is

More of You

Less of me

Make me who I'm meant to be

You're all I want all I need

You're everything

Take it all I surrender

Be my king

God I choose

More of You and Less of me

I need more of you

More of you

This life I hold so close

Oh, God I let it go

I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul

So take it all I abandon everything I am

You can have it

The only thing I need is

More of You

Less of me

Make me who I'm meant to be

You're all I want all I need

You're everything

Take it all I surrender

Be my king

God I choose

More of You and Less of me

I need more of you

More of you

All to You

I surrender

All to You my blessed Savior

I surrender all

A Wise Investment

One of the biggest lies and falsehoods ever told to man is that you can buy anything in this world with money. But pure love is far richer than pure gold and it cannot be bought, neither can it be sold.  Pure love, like precious metals, can be discovered and refined on this earth but not exchanged from hand to hand only from heart to heart.  The wise understand the value of this commodity, because the purest love brings the purest joy.  It is not found in the stock market but in the investing, the exchanging, and the returning of Eternal bonds among our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our children and grandchildren. The truth is, if you spend your life chasing things that only money can buy: fashion, popularity, pleasures, and praise...  you will not only come up empty handed in the end, but empty hearted.

The purest love = sacrifice, especially that of one's self

-Alicia

"A selfless person is one who is more concerned about the happiness and well-being of another than about his or her own convenience or comfort, one who is willing to serve another when it is neither sought for nor appreciated, or one who is willing to serve even those whom he or she dislikes. A selfless person displays a willingness to sacrifice, a willingness to purge from his or her mind and heart personal wants, and needs, and feelings. Instead of reaching for and requiring praise and recognition for himself, or gratification of his or her own wants, the selfless person will meet these very human needs for others. Remember the words of the Savior as he taught his disciples on an occasion when personal recognition was being sought: “But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, … whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42–45.)
- H. Burke Peterson - Selflessness: A Pattern for Happiness

Self-Esteem vrs Christ-Esteem

Have you ever been around a person who struggles to rejoice in the successes of others, a person wherewith they often envy instead of encourage, resent instead of regard?  They feed themselves with the falsehood that when they praise or build another, their worth somehow diminishes in the process.  The irony of this malady is that in most cases their lack of esteem for others is more a reflection of an unhealthy esteem for themselves.  Whether this unhealthy esteem stems from lack of confidence or overconfidence, it doesn't really matter, they both create a vacuum.  Either extreme, conceit or cowardliness, both are self-centered and both come from the "fear of man".  And where there is fear there can be no real love because "perfect love casteth out all fear".

During a particular exciting moment in my life, a time when I had achieved a goal I never thought I could attain, a close friend of mine confessed to me, "I want to be happy for you Alicia but I'm sorry, I can't... I just can't. I hope you understand."  This friend of mine struggles with depression and I understood.  "It's alright", I answered.  "I know you want to be happy for me.  I'm sure it's depression speaking."  It must be hard for a person to rejoice in the accomplishments of others when they don't feel accomplished themselves or to believe in others when they don't believe in themselves.

Even so, it was still painful to hear and the temptation to grow bitter stung my heart.  I had supported my friend tirelessly though countless numbers of their goals and achievements.  I praised and cheered for them all along their way and yet at that moment, I felt absolutely no support in return.

I suppose I could have responded back that I "deserve" better.  But I have learned that when I get caught up in all that "I deserve" I too become trapped in the vacuum of self.  In truth, I don't "deserve" anything!  I came into this world with absolutely nothing, so the smallest things are blessings, even the tiniest bits of encouragement.

Gratefully, I don't suffer with clinical depression.  Of course, I've had "down days" but the concept of feeling no hope or a numbness to Divine love is completely foreign to me.  So, I cannot judge fairly nor do I understand fully the struggle with apathy my friend endures.  However, the Savior comprehends all things.  He can bless me with the compassion that I seek.

I admit that I am terribly far from perfect.  I don't esteem myself as anyone great or praiseworthy.  In fact, I'm pretty ordinary, if you ask me... but that's the beauty of it.  That's what makes me love my Savior even more, the fact that He loves flawed and ordinary me.
"I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!"

I appreciated the question Elder Ringwood of the Seventy posed this last conference,
"In our pursuit of me and mine, Have we forgotten Thee and Thine?"

I believe what we need more of is Christ-esteem not self-esteem, more Christ-confidence not self-confidence.  You see, the problem with the equation is the focus on "self".  Christ teaches that when we lose ourselves, for His sake, we will find ourselves.  When Christ becomes the center of our focus, then and only then are we released from this implosive vacuum.

"Instead of allowing yourself to be unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow. Seek goodness in others. Love more persons more -- love them more impersonally, more unselfishly, without thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself."

- Henry Drummond

- Alicia

The Tree of Life / The Love of God

I've been thinking a lot about this part of The Living Christ.
"Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts."

What are the "desires of our hearts"?

In the Thesaurus, I find it interesting that "desires" is also tied with "appetites and passions".  So the phrase from The Living Christ to be expounded a little bit more could say, "each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires [appetites and passions] of our hearts."

What is it that we are passionate about?
What is it that we are hungry for?
What is our motivation?
The Savior was passionate about building the Kingdom of God, He was hungry for instruction from His Father, He was motivated by the purest love. And because His motives were of the purest kind, it naturally followed that He willingly stayed within the bounds His Father had set, it naturally followed that He was obedient to whatever the will of the Father was for Him.

All of these thoughts go right along with a talk I gave a while ago.  I found that I had a copy of it, so I've pasted it here.

.....................

(Copy of a talk I originally gave in church on Dec. 22nd, 2013)

The Tree of Life / The Love of God

Most of us are familiar with Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, you know the one… the iron rod, the midst of darkness, the field, and the great and spacious building:

I love 1Nephi 11 where Nephi desires to know the meaning of his father, Lehi’s dream.  As he was praying and pondering in his heart the Spirit of the Lord comes to him. And he asks Nephi “What desirest thou?”  Nephi says, “to know the meaning of the dream my father had.”
(Notice right after he says this, the spirit immediately turns Nephi’s focus to the tree of life by asking him, “do you believe  that your father saw  the  tree?” Nephi says yes, that he believes.)

Then, Nephi sees in vision this glorious, most beautiful tree with the fruit thereof most desirable. And the Spirit of the Lord asks him again, “What desirest thou?”  He says, “To know the interpretation thereof.”
He is then  shown a vision of Mary, the mother of Christ, holding in her arms the infant Son of God, the Savior of the world.   The Spirit of the Lord asks him a vital question, “Knowest thou the condescension of God ?”

Do we know the condescension of God? Do we know Who He is and realize the magnitude of His choice to “descend below all things”?

Listen to these two descriptions of the Savior:

 Under the direction of the Father, He is the very Creator of the Heavens and the earth!!!  “All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made.” (John 1:3) The tree in Lehi’s dream is described as "exceeding all beauty, most precious above all, most desirable!” He is all-powerful, all-knowing, "the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace," The Savior or the world. -Isaiah 9:6

Now listen to the first couple of verses in Isaiah 53- and this description of how many of the people would view Him. (I’m paraphrasing)

 “a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. looked down on and passed over, not worth our time or attention”. He was viewed as inferior, lower, less than, spit upon, despised, rejected and hated. - Isaiah 53:2-3

Wait a minute?
We’re talking about the same person here?
What happened?  How could one so perfect, so amazing, so Mighty be viewed as one so inferior, hated and rejected?

The answer is "The people were blinded."
 By what? What was it that was blinding them?

1 Nephi 13:8 & 9,  Mormon 8:38, 39 – tell us the cause of their visual impairment….both of these references say, ”for the praise of the world.”  Their desires all stemmed from selfishness.  All they cared about was "getting glory for themselves".

Yes, sometimes the limelight isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be… sometimes the limelight can be blinding.

Twice, this past Sunday, I heard reference to a story called “The Mansion”, a story about a man and his downfall because he sought all his life for the honor and praise of the world.  Whether we are rich or poor, we must beware of valuing and centering our lives around the honors, the praise and approval of mankind …. For in doing so, we may be blinded and overlook the Divine, even the very
Savior of the world.

Now I go back to the question, “knowest thou the condescension of God?”

Condescension means = Voluntary descent from rank, voluntary descent from dignity. Letting go of deserved honors; submission to inferiors in granting requests, or performing acts which strict justice does not require.

So often all that is hailed, applauded, awarded or paraded in accolades or accomplishments is NOT where we will find true greatness.  It is found in the depths of the heart. Remember: "he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matt 23:11)

I ask the question then “why?”  Why would one so glorious and noble, worthy of all praise,  willingly,  voluntarily relinquish His throne and descend to the sphere of man? He’s the creator of the earth, the Lord and Savior of us all, the King of Kings… shouldn't He have been the most loved, the most recognized, appreciated, praised, revered and admired? YES, but He wasn’t and, sadly, He isn’t… and knew He wouldn’t be… because that wasn’t His motive.  His motive never has been about “what He deserves or recognition.”  His motive was LOVE, sincere pure love for God our Father, and love for us!

Brothers and sisters, behold the condescension of God:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was  bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace  was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)

 "And he [went] forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 And he [took] upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he [took] him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12) 

And He did  all this without any thought for Himself!…. Why?  Because , “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,” 1 Corinthians 13:4

Brothers and Sisters, there really is no need to draw attention to ourselves. We are God’s children! We have His full attention!  We are already loved and already noticed..   I testify that the Lord of Heaven and Earth, knows all, is above all, and sees all! And Who is greater than the Lord? I witness to you that there is none that is greater!

I testify that as we “lose ourselves”, as we take our focus off of ourselves and instead focus on Christ, focus on His words in the scriptures and through living Prophets, focus on our Savior’s example of love, our eyes will be opened!  We will be free from the anxiety that accompanies pride, the concern of what others think of us, the pride that blinds us.  When we put the Lord first, where He deserves to be, and sincerely reach out to all others as the Savior did, without "rustling for recognition"* or praise, but because of the pure love of Christ flowing through us, then we will have eyes to see… it is here we will find true satisfaction, fulfillment, and lasting joy.

 This is the Spirit of Christmas…. The Spirit of Christ!  Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

……

*From a talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell entitled, “The Pathway of Dicipleship” 1998 BYU Education Week – “Be grateful, therefore, for the gospel’s emphasis on meekness. Be careful of the natural man’s milder expressions—craving for credit and rustling for recognition. Alas, so often the hearts and even the moral agency of others can be crushed in the search for self-glorification.”

"Learn" and "Rest"

It must have been sometime in August of last year:  I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting and Brother Mann was speaking when I heard him read this quote;

"Instead of allowing yourself to be unhappy, just let your love grow as God wants it to grow. Seek goodness in others. Love more persons more -- love them more impersonally, more unselfishly, without thought of return. The return, never fear, will take care of itself."  

The words "without thought of return" struck me. In my scriptures at that time I had been focusing on overcoming pride and selfishness and this quote was in direct line with my studies.  "I've got to write this down!” I thought to myself.  I tried to remember who he said the author was and scribbled on a notepad "Henry Garamound."  

After the meeting, I rushed over to Brother Mann and inquired, "How do you spell the last name of that author you quoted from… was it G-a-r-a-m....?" 

"No", he said, “It’s Drummond.  Henry Drummond.”

"Sweet! I've never heard of him before.  I'm going to look him up, thanks!"

This led me to discover what is now one of my most favorite books, “The Greatest Thing in the World and Other Addresses” by, Henry Drummond.  It is really a short compilation of sermons, a very quick read, but packed full with truths of gold!

I sat in the back of a crowded chapel yesterday afternoon watching the funeral services for the father of my good friend.  Earlier that morning I had just read this scripture in Enos; 

"I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father."

I pondered this verse as I watched my friend lay his father to rest. That word "Rest",  What does it mean?  I thought about it in my personal life and my mind recalled the beautiful sermon Henry Drummond gave on “Rest”. 

He expounds upon the scripture, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Brother Drummond points out that the key to "rest" is to "learn".  And how do we most often learn things?  It is usually over a process of time, through much effort, and a lot of practice.  He says, "How novel a connection between these two words "learn" and "rest". How few of us have ever associated them -ever thought that rest was a thing to be learned.... What must one work at?  What is that which if duly learned will find the soul of man in rest?  Christ answers without the least hesitation.  He specifies two things - Meekness and Lowliness."

He goes on...

"What are the chief causes of unrest? ...Pride, Selfishness, Ambition.  As you look back upon the past years of your life, is it not true that its unhappiness has chiefly come from the succession of personal mortifications and almost trivial disappointments... it is the petty friction of our every-day life with one another, the jar of business or of work, the discord of the domestic circle, the collapse of our ambition, the crossing of our will or the taking down of our conceit, which make inward peace impossible.  Wounded vanity, then, disappointed hopes, unsatisfied selfishness - these are the old, vulgar, universal sources of man's unrest."

So, if rest is found when we learn to be humble and meek like the Savior.... 
And restlessness or unrest is most commonly a result of pride, selfishness, and conceit...
Then to truly have peace, to be calm and rest in the Lord, we must die.  I'm not speaking physically, although the righteous do find rest in Him through mortal death.  But spiritually speaking -"the natural man" inside of us must die- our will, how we want our story to unfold, our vanity, and our selfish desires must die. When we meekly and humbly let these things go, our eyes will be opened and we'll comprehend them for what they really are: shackles and fetters that chain us down to the mire of anxiousness and misery.

How much do we trust God, I mean really trust Him?  Can we let go of our stories, the things we  think we need to be happy in this life?  Or do we insist on frantically perusing things we can't control or paths that the Lord has counseled us time and time again not to take?  He knows our hearts.  He knows what is best for us.  We can be assured with a heavenly calm and inner peace when we practice and learn His life, seek every day to follow in His way, humbly and sincerely. It will all work out in the end. His promises are sure. Pray always and be believing. Give thanks in everything and be anxious about nothing. D&C 90:24, Ephesians 5:20,Philippians 4:6

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come 'till heaven; but for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." - Jeffery R. Holland

-Alicia