Sabbath Devotional :: Learn of Me

*Jesus Teaches the People by the Sea* by James Tissot. Located at Brooklyn Museum, image in public domain.

I have been having moments of melancholy recently because of what has been happening in the country. COVID, the election saga, and other world issues take their toll on a person. There are times when it overwhelms me.

I realize that I have been leaning on my own understanding (really dumb). So I have taken to reading material about the Savior and learning of him in my scriptures and other books I have in my library. One of those books is titled The Redeemer: Reflections on the Life and Teachings of Jesus the Christ. It contains essays written by several different authors. I have also started bringing a journal to sacrament service and writing insights I obtain during church that day. Our brothers and sisters and the Holy Ghost are amazing. These have been a balm during these difficult times.

Ann Madsen, professor at BYU, wrote “The Lord teaches us where we are, whether a novice or a seasoned convert. We then are called to action to be proved herewith.” About the Savior, she wrote: “He was virtuous, so when we are close to him and seeking, that virtue could flow to us” (The Redeemer, p. 40). To me, that same virtue can flow to us as it did to the woman with the “issue of blood” in Mark 5. It is just as possible today as then. WE have to seek him! If we are humble enough to be taught at whatever level we are, he provides.

We must remember though, we will be proved herewith as He calls us to action, in whatever form that is.

Sister Madsen continues, “Jesus teaches with perfect understanding. We teach with limited understanding. He invites us all to learn to love in that unfailing way when he commands ‘love one another as I have loved you’” (John 15:12).

Personal worthiness is essential to learning. D&C 88:74 says “Prepare yourself and sanctify yourselves, yea purify your hearts. Cleanse your hands and feet before me, that I may make you clean.” No matter how clean we think we are, it is the Savior’s Atonement that is the real cleanser. It allows us to realize our divine nature, as we learn of him, and recognize his attributes can be developed in us. Otherwise, how can we develop, if we don’t have a pattern to follow?

Elder Renlund said: “To think that God will just simply reveal what we have not studied is naive and nonsensical.”

We have to stretch out of our comfort zones to experience the increase he has in store for us. That’s why learning of the Savior is our salvation as HE is our salvation! In our desire to become worthy of eternity we are tested here in mortality. Sister Madsen wrote, “It isn’t a test unless it stretches us, unless it’s really hard. We must find ourselves on a path that forks, and choose to go forward towards Christ, or to move away from him. Our individual tests will vary, but the pattern of giving overall will not” (The Redeemer, p.49).

Patricia Holland said “Our part is to bring a broken heart and a contrite spirit. God knows how to receive a broken heart and bless it, and give it back healed and renewed.”

Let’s stop a bit (and the measure of your bit will be different from mine) and sit or kneel at his feet as if we were there for the Sermon on the Mount. We are there at the foot of that hill. He teaches us what we need (remember he teaches at our level). Then as we learn, we are ready to act. We don’t sit and wait until we are full, so to speak. We practice what he gives us, we ACT!

A verse I have heard frequently the last few weeks is “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34). That is a course of action. A ward member said this in teaching her Relief Society in 2019: “We need to ACT when we have a prompting, acting is a vehicle to let it out. ACTING solidifies the prompting in our lives.” Another said: “A plate of cookies or a loaf of bread opens the door.” Loving one another can be as simple as smiling, or just being kind. Recently I was taught by a young service missionary: “Respecting another’s opinion, connecting with someone, volunteering are acts of love or serving.”

During the Christmas season, following “Light the World” ideas, my husband and I baked banana bread and we took it to our new neighbors. We had just moved into our new home, and took the opportunity to connect with our neighbors. These opportunities allow me to draw closer to the Savior, and love him, through service and love to others. Doesn’t it bring you happiness to see others happy with something you did for them?

In Matthew 11:28-30 we learn: “Come unto me, all ye that labour 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” The yoke the Savior speaks of is a covenant. “Covenants are a special teaching method that enlists his help, it includes him in our equation. His power comes into play, lending us his competency until our own determination develops over time” (Ann Madsen, The Redeemer, p.47).

God’s part in the covenant-making process is supreme and steady. (Remember he is the master of all things.) Our part is fitful and not so sure. It is his sure reality that provides the power, again we are blessed and sanctified. Our broken hearts healed, our spirits renewed as Sister Holland spoke of. We have to take our burdens to him. Because of his Atonement he relieves us of them, and they are made light (a freeing action).

Stephen R Covey taught in The Redeemer: “As we come unto Christ, we become partakers of the Divine Nature. Through the refining process of divine love, filled with faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity (2 Peter 1:5-8). We realize that everything good which needs to be done in our souls can only be done by God.”

Camille Fronk wrote in The Redeemer: “The Savior shows us how to be true. Because of his perfect heart, he was obedient and faithful in all things.”

Ezra Taft Benson said, “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in.”

Again, Sister Fronk: “When we put God first, he will teach and empower us to love each other better even if our love is not understood or appreciated by the recipient at the time.” She also said something that struck me: “The Savior’s perfect life did not shield him from pain, sorrow, and intense opposition. Following his example in dealing with frequent hardship and malicious enemies will strengthen our ability to feel charity in all circumstances.” So who am I to expect when my life course is rough, it is out of the pattern of the Master? It helps me to see that when life is painful, I can learn from the experience and be refined. There are times it is a struggle, other times easier. The Savior’s example of living in this imperfect world prepared him to taste the “bitter cup” and yet he provided the path we can follow to eternity.

He wants us to learn of him. He can lead us through the dark times, as we submit our heart and spirit, which is all we can give.