We have grown to love the beautiful country of Portugal and the wonderful people that have been so kind and loving to us. What a blessing to have been called to serve here for the past year and assigned to live in Vila Real. This is our final post from Portugal as we return home on Tuesday, March 14th.
Here are some of our recent events:
On Friday, March 3rd after our last seminary class Kim gave Bruno a BYU shirt. She has given the girls many of her clothes but finally found something for Bruno.
SCRIPTURE POWER
Like King Benjamin, who’s discourse was given to those who had “been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the Lord.” (Mosiah 1:11; see also Mosiah 2:31) Mormon also speaks to a group of "peaceable followers of Christ" (Moroni 7:3) "true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ" (Moroni 7:48). The goal is to have charity, be cleansed from all sin, "be like him..purified even as he is pure." (Moroni 7:48)
Mormon teaches us how to know good from evil, "to do good continually" (Moroni 7: 13) without Christ nothing good can come to us. "all things which are good cometh of Christ;...and there could no good thing come unto them." (Moroni 7:24)
Mormon’s teachings include echoes of King Benjamin: "the devil is an enemy unto God" (Moroni 7:12) “enemy to God” (Mosiah 2:38) “the natural man is an enemy to God” (Mosiah 3:19) "he being an enemy to all righteousness" (Mosiah 4:14) "that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually" (Moroni 7:13) "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." (Mosiah 5:2)
Charity is the ultimate measure of our Spiritual progression.
Elder Gene R. Cook said: “All men may have the gift of love, but charity is bestowed only
upon those who are true followers of Christ.. Charity encompasses His love for us, our
love for Him, and Christlike love for others...If you think about Him long enough, you will
begin to act like Him. If you act like Him long enough, you’ll truly become like Him.” (‘Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love’, Ensign, May 2002 p 82)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Charity is more than love, far more; it is everlasting love,
perfect love...It is love so centered in righteousness that the possessor has no aim or
desire except for the eternal welfare of his own soul and for the souls of those around
him. (2 Ne. 26:30; Moro. 7: 47; 8: 25-26).” (Mormon Doctrine, p.121; Doctrinal New
Testament Commentary, vol. 2, 378).
Elder Bruce C. Hafen said: “The ultimate purpose [of charity] is to make Christ’s followers like him.” (Moroni 7:48) (The Broken Heart, p. 196)
President David O. McKay said: “That man is most truly great who is most Christlike.
What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are, will largely determine what your acts will be...By choosing him as our ideal, we create within ourselves a desire to be like him, to have fellowship with him.” (C.R., Apr. 1951 pg. 93,98)
Bishop Keith B. McMullin said: “The person who does what Jesus says comes to know
who Jesus is.” (Jesus, the very Thought of Thee, Ensign, May 2004 p 33)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “The greater definition of "the pure love of Christ,"
however, is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others
but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. True charity has
been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely in Christ's unfailing, ultimate,
and atoning love for us. It is Christ's love for us that "suffereth long, and is kind, and
envieth not." It is his love for us that is not "puffed up . . . , not easily provoked, thinketh
no evil." It is Christ's love for us that "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things." It is as demonstrated in Christ that "charity never faileth." It
is that charity—his pure love for us—without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of
all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of his
love at the last day—the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal
promise—surely it shall be well with them...
As Christ lived so should we live, and as Christ loved so should we love. But the "pure
love of Christ" Mormon spoke of is precisely that—Christ's love. With that divine gift,
that redeeming bestowal, we have everything; without it we have nothing and ultimately
are nothing, except in the end "devils [and] angels to a devil." (2 Nephi 9:9)
Life has its share of fears and failures. Sometimes things fall short. Sometimes people fail
us, or economies or businesses or governments fail us. But one thing in time or eternity
does not fail us—the pure love of Christ. ...
Thus, the miracle of Christ's charity both saves and changes us. His atoning love saves
us from death and hell as well as from carnal, sensual, and devilish behavior...
Wherefore, we must "cleave unto charity"—Christ's pure love of us and our determined
effort toward pure love of him and all others—for without it we are nothing, and our
plan for eternal happiness is utterly wasted..Without the redeeming love of Christ in our
lives, all other qualities—even virtuous qualities and exemplary good works—fall short
of salvation and joy.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic
Message of the Book of Mormon, p. 336.)
The First Presidency have stated: “Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity....His
crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement....This was the greatest act of
long-suffering, kindness, and selflessness that we will ever know. .The Atonement is the
supreme expression of our Heavenly Father’s love for us (see John 3:16). It is also the
greatest expression of the Savior’s love for the Father and for us.” (‘Atonement of Jesus
Christ’, True to the Faith,, p. 15)
With an understanding of the Savior’s enduring love, you can exercise faith and repent of your sins, confident that He will forgive you and strengthen you in your efforts to live the gospel...As you continue to receive the Savior’s perfect love and as you demonstrate Christlike love for others, you will find that your love increases.” ( ‘Charity’, True to the Faith,, pgs. 27-28).
As Nephi concludes his writings he states: “And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ” (2 Ne. 31:19-21)
Nephi teaches about faith, hope and charity by saying “a steadfastness in Christ” which is faith. “A perfect brightness of hope” which is hope and “a love of God and of all men” which is charity.
Indeed “the doctrine of Christ” is the greatest love story ever.
Like Nephi, as Alma the younger concludes his speech in the land of Ammonihah he explains the natural spiritual progression that occurs for all true followers of Christ. He mentions the three connected principles of faith, hope and charity. The gradual process of being “led by the Holy Spirit, becoming”
“And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.” (Alma 13: 27-29)
The effectiveness of Alma’s speech was such that: “after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the scriptures.” (Alma 14:1)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Everyone in the Church who is on the straight and narrow path, who is striving and struggling and desiring to do what is right, though is far from perfect in this life; if he passes out of this life while he's on the straight and narrow, he's going to go on to eternal reward in his Father's kingdom. We don't need to get a complex or get a feeling that you have to be perfect to be saved. You don't. There's only been one perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus, but in order to be saved in the Kingdom of God and in order to pass the test of mortality, what you have to do is get on the straight and narrow path—thus charting a course leading to eternal life—and then, being on that path, pass out of this life in full fellowship. I'm not saying that you don't have to keep the commandments. I'm saying you don't have to be perfect to be saved. If you did, no one would be saved.
The way it operates is this: You get on that path that's named the "straight and narrow." You do it by entering at the gate of repentance and baptism. The straight and narrow path leads from the gate of repentance and baptism, a very great distance, to a reward that is called eternal life.
If you're on that path and pressing forward, and you die, you'll never get off the path. There is no such thing as falling off the straight and narrow path in the life to come, and the reason is that this life is the time that is given to men to prepare for eternity. Now is the time and the day of your salvation, so if you're working zealously in this life—though you haven't fully overcome the world and you haven't done all you hoped you might do—you're still going to be saved. You don’t have to do what Jacob said, “Go beyond the mark.” You don't have to live a life that's truer than true. You don’t have to have an excessive zeal that becomes fanatical and becomes unbalancing. What you have to do is stay in the mainstream of the Church and live as upright and decent people live in the Church—keeping the commandments, paying your tithing, serving in the organizations of the Church, loving the Lord, staying on the straight and narrow path. If you’re on that path when death comes—because this is the time and the day appointed, this is the probationary estate—you'll never fall from it, and, for all practical purposes, your calling and election is made sure. Now, that isn’t the definition of that term, but the end result will be the same.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Probationary Test of Mortality” (address delivered at the Salt Lake University Institute of Religion, adjacent to the University of Utah, 10 January 1982)
