The Greatest of These is Love

"It don't take money and it don't take fame

don't need no credit card to ride this train

Tougher than diamonds and stronger than steel

you won't feel nothin' till you feel

you feel the power, just the power of love

that's the power of love"

- Huey Lewis & The News

Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen, one of the most profound truths embedded within the movie score of a 1980's teenage-time-travel saga.  Who knew?  This song is definitely a hit in my book but I doubt Brother Lewis and his news crew intended to make any Bible references when they wrote it. So, I'll help them out with that.  ;) 

Amazingly enough, what most of the world describes as the "power of love" is just a drop in the ocean.  It hardly scratches the surface, especially when we are talking about God's love.  President Uctdorf said, "Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you."

Such love is hard for me to fathom because the "purest, most all-consuming" kind I have experienced in my life is already breathtaking and overwhelming. I am certain that I would not be able to stand in Christ's presence were I to see Him today.  I do not doubt that being near Him, I would lose all physical strength within me and I would fall at His feet, His beautiful feet.  Perhaps that is why the people in Lehi's dream "fell down" when they partook of the fruit of the Tree of Life.

Associated directly with this love is "joy" as the angel describes to Nephi, "Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! .. it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things... Yea, and the most joyous to the soul." - 1 Nephi 11:22-23

When I think of joy, I think of the sun and the warmth of its rays on my face.  You know that feeling when you are out in the fresh open air, when the light of the morning breaks over the horizon... You cannot help but close your eyes and soak in every stream of warmth and radiance. There flows in you a sensation of new energy and that energy fills every part of your being.  It puts a spring in your step, an excitement for life, and you begin to feel that light of the sun bursting through you.  It's incredible!

We do not keep these glimpses of Heaven to ourselves.  They are meant to be shared.  When we come to understand "the power of God's love" so deep that it changes our heart, our very nature, there does not need to be any command to share it because it will happen so naturally.  We cannot restrain ourselves from doing this because it is in "the sharing" that the joy becomes magnified and infinitely limitless.  In return we feel a greater measure of His love and thus it propels us to grow "brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

Yes, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love... it's the only thing that there's much too little of."  But Jackie DeShannon, I don't think there's "much too little" of it, I just think most people don't know where to find it.  And how do we help them find it?  We feast on the sweet Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Here pure love infuses joy, and pure joy creates light... enabling us to SHINE!  This is how we help others discover it... Shine so everyone can see what they so desperately need, shine so they can find the Tree for themselves and partake. There is plenty to go around.

In the entire world there is nothing that is greater. Yet one of the biggest lies ever told is that "you can buy anything in this world with money."  I refute that lie with this truth: Love "don't take money, it don't take fame, don't need no credit card to ride this train."  And Mr. Lewis...It's not that it "might just save your life", it IS LIFE and it's the ONLY way to save ours.  It has saved mine.

"Love.. ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations. Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk.

When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "The Love of God"

-Alicia

"Sweet Above All That Is Sweet"

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!  I love to hear the words of the Living Prophets.  I am deeply grateful to have their counsel in my life.  I know they have been called of God.  If you haven't experienced the joy that comes from applying and acting in true doctrine, I invite you to come and see, come and feel, and come and know!  It's beautiful!

I look forward to a Spirit-filled weekend this wonderful Easter with LDS General Conference.  The word of God is "sweet above all that is sweet!"

"But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.

 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst." -Alma 32: 41,42 

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.

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(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.

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*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.”