...and I mean "LDS" when I've titled it so. In otherwords, a saintly life.
Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
Well then, what if we thought of the gospel, comprising all the covenants, commandments and principles as a way of life? Not just dos and don'ts?
Let me illustrate with a juxtaposition.
A man is content with simply paying his tithes and fast offering. His fasting is spiritual,
Sure, he is keeping his commandment, but is he doing so much more? More that internalizes the principles behind tithes and offerings?
Does he make the mental link between his payments and the opportunity to attend chapels and temples? Does he know where his tithes and offerings go? When he actually meets the homeless, does he spare a meal for them? Does he reach out to serve the needy not only through his fast offering? Does he truly have a spirit of service toward the needy and widowed? It is true religion anyway.
This idea of a commandment or principle being a lifestyle can be applied to... yes, any commandment or principle.
Take faith for example.
Ariel Szuch said in her article, "The Practice of Choosing Faith:"
“More than anything, I’ve learned over time that choosing faith isn’t a big, one-time choice (“I’ve chosen faith, and therefore I will never have any doubts or fears ever again!”)—it’s a practice. It’s an ongoing effort made up of many smaller choices strung together over days and months and years. There are ups and downs, and I may not always progress as fast as I think I should, but God is patient with my progress, and if He is, I can be too. He is pleased with every effort; all He asks is that I keep trying and keep turning to Him instead of clinging to my fears. And I can do that.”
She has learned that faith is a lifestyle. That is thinking beyond "faith is a principle of the gospel," into the realm of "faith is my life!"
I encourage all of us to see every commandment and principle of the gospel in this way.
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