A Christ-Centered Life

Imagine what the world would be like if we were all striving to be like Jesus Christ. I love the beautiful reminder in one of the Primary songs. It says, “I’m trying to be like Jesus. I’m following in His ways. I’m trying to love as He did, in all I do and say.” Ezra Taft Benson gave us this advice, “If we would truly seek to be more like our Savior and Master, then learning to love as He loves should be our highest goal.” That quote comes from Teachings of the Presidents of the Church – Ezra Taft Benson, Lesson 24. This lesson is the perfect way to finish our study of this extraordinary man! His life was one of love and devotion to the Savior. The lesson quotes from his April 1984 LDS General Conference, when he said:

“I testify to you that there is no greater, more thrilling, and more soul-ennobling challenge than to try to learn of Christ and walk in His steps. Our model, Jesus Christ, walked this earth as ‘the Exemplar.’  …

‘What would Jesus do?’ or ‘What would He have me do?’ are the paramount personal questions of this life. Walking in His way is the greatest achievement of life. That man or woman is most truly successful whose life most closely parallels that of the Master.”

Some of the most beautiful scriptures are found in Chapter 7 of Moroni in the Book of Mormon. They teach:

  45  And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her 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.

 46  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47  But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

 48  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; 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.”

Verses 45-47 plainly teach us how we should live. Verse 48 reminds us that we cannot do it alone.  We must pray to our Father and ask for His help. Charity is a gift of the Spirit. We must ask for His help in obtaining that gift.

I love the last part of verse 48. Two things strike me in that sentence – we shall be like Him and we shall see Him as He is. The only way to become like the Savior is to try every day to do the things He would do. And to see Him as He is will only be possible if we know Him.

President Benson reminds us that becoming Christlike is a lifelong pursuit. He said:

“To become as He is, we must have Him on our mind—constantly in our thoughts.  . . .  If thoughts make us what we are, and we are to be like Christ, then we must think Christlike thoughts.

Let our personal lives, our homes, and our work performance reflect our Christlike character. So live that others will say about you, ‘There is a true Christian!’

Yes, we believe in Jesus Christ, but more—we look to Him, we trust Him and strive to emulate His attributes.

Christ is our ideal. He is our exemplar. … The best measure of true greatness is how Christlike we are.

To be like the Savior—what a challenge for any person!”

In October 2015 LDS General Conference, Elder Richard J. Maynes compared centering our lives on Christ with a potter who must have the clay perfectly centered on the wheel.  He said:

“The world in which we live is similar to the potter’s spinning wheel, and the speed of that wheel is increasing. Like the clay on the potter’s wheel, we must be centered as well. Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel. Living a Christ-centered life means we learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel and then we follow His example and keep His commandments with exactness.

“If our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, He can successfully mold us into who we need to be in order to return to His and Heavenly Father’s presence in the celestial kingdom. The joy we experience in this life will be in direct proportion to how well our lives are centered on the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

We were also reminded in general conference that we don’t have to be perfect but that we need to be good and getting better. 

Neal A. Maxwell said it like this, “Once our direction is correct, we can give attention to pace.” (The Christ-Centered Life.)

Elder Maxwell,  from that same article, said, “To speak of personal progress and drawing closer to the Savior requires our trusting not only in the Lord’s plan for all mankind but also trusting in his unfolding and particularized plan for each of us. Drawing ever closer to the Lord, therefore, means much more than merely acknowledging that He is in charge, though that is a beginning. Believers who remain underinvolved with Him are, in a sense, living without Him in the world.

“In spite of what the world declares, there is still only one way to find ourselves and that is by losing our lives for the sake of the Savior and the gospel.”

As we center our lives on the Savior and keep our focus firmly fixed on Him, we will see more clearly His hand in our lives.  He loves us and wants us to succeed.  If we pause from our busy lives, it is actually quite easy to see how much He loves us individually.

 I cannot think of a better way to show our love for the Savior, especially at this special time of year, than to accept this challenge from President Benson, “May we all have the moral courage from this moment forward to more fully strive each day to think on Christ, learn of Him, walk in His steps, and do what He would have us do.”

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