Continued Ways to be More Like Jesus

At the end of last year I started sharing ways to be more like Jesus. A young man preparing to go on his mission showed me this information in the Preach my Gospel manual. I would like to review what I had posted from before and then add the rest.

So I posted thoughts about Faith, Hope, and Charity (Love) found in November 2013. I mostly wanted to focus on understanding the concept then showing ways to apply it in our lives.

Faith - Just believing in something with out tangible proof. We do this each day we arise from our beds and go through life. We have faith that we can get through the day and that there will be another tomorrow. With faith great things can happen in our lives but we have to be willing to let go of those things that hold us down. We have to have faith that we are not alone that God is there and wants to help us, always.

Hope - Hope goes hand-in-hand with faith. Hope is to want something and believe that it can happen. We hope that the Savior will return someday and redeem what is His, that would be us, those who are followers and do much good in the world.

Charity- This is love, this is the main purpose we are here. We have to find love in our hearts for everyone and do what we can to help them to find the same. There is only one way we can do this and that is by following the footsteps of our Savior and become like Him. When we do this we can do great things by small acts of kindness.

Virtue - This has been defined as what you think or do when you think no one is looking. If you are good then you produce good, no matter what, if not then you do not. It is a matter of self control, you can control your thoughts and actions to become virtuous. Proverbs 31:10-31says that a Virtuous Woman is of great worth. Why, because everything she does is good for her and those around her. Read the scripture and liken it to yourself today to see what you need to be doing to help build the Kingdom of God.

Knowledge -We should gain more knowledge of the teaching of our Savior and of other things. The scriptures tell us we should seek learning by study and by faith. I love to learn new things, things that make me a better me. I love to know what I am talking about when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in order for that to happen I have to study the scriptures and learn His ways. They say that with more knowledge comes more power.

Patience -When we are patient we find that we don't get angry too often. This helps us to be able to develop more love for people. There are so many reasons to get mad at things people do but with patience we can forgive and move on. Wed can take the time to figure out that maybe that person who cut us off was on their way home to a sick family member, or they would get fired if they didn't get to work on time. We do not know why people do what they do but we can find in our hearts forgiveness and not dwell on the negative.

Humility - If we are humble we have the heart to submit to the will of God in our lives. That means we are teachable and willing to make changes in our lives to do what ever we are asked of God, so long as we realize it is from Him and not other sources. Humility shows that we trust in God to direct our lives for good. It's hard sometimes but we have to be ready and willing to do whatever He asks and trust that all will be well.

Diligence - This means we will be steady and continue on a righteous path. Its easy to waver but being diligent requires effort on our part. we have be willing to continue to stand no matter what evil winds howl around us and they will. We have to endure until the end. When we do this we will find peace and joy.

Obedience - Jesus was obedient to His Father in Heaven. He was submissive to His will. We should be, too. If we are obedient we can find peace and joy in our lives. I tell my children that as a parent I don't make rules just to have control or be mean, I do it for your safety, which makes you happier. The same is for Heavenly Father, he tells what we should do because He knows that we will be protected and happier if we do those things; works for me.

In all of these Christ-like characteristics we have to be focused on the Savior. He needs to be foremost in our minds so that we are willing to do things and become more like Him. These attributes will strengthen who we are and will help us become the people we need to be to move on to the next level of our progress. Ponder these things and seek answers to how they can work in your life. You will come to know true happiness and peace that we so need today. May God bless your life as you seek to put the Kingdom of God first.