Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "You might spend years acquiring a skill or developing a talent. You might work so hard that it becomes second nature to you. But if you think that means you can stop practicing and studying; you'll gradually lose the knowledge and abilities you once acquired at great cost. This applies to skills like learning a language, playing a musical instrument, and flying an airliner. It also applies to becoming a disciple of Christ. Simply put, discipleship takes self-discipline."
Joshua and Moses had to remind this principle to the Israelites over and over again - you get to choose if you are going to serve the Lord. The Israelites went through the pattern of choosing the Lord and then not choosing the Lord, choosing the Lord and again not choosing the Lord, etc. I would argue mankind still goes through this pattern today. However, the times where mankind chooses the Lord are becoming further in between and are of a shorter duration. I feel like the last time, at least our country, choose the Lord was 9-11. Which was over 20 years ago. Ever since then, people seem to be leaving the Lord in droves.
I have my own family members who have chosen to leave the Lord and His presence. It hurts my heart to see them leave values and beliefs that I thought they once held dear. Now, they choose their own morals and do what feels right to them in the moment. From an outsider's perspective, I see them with more confusion and mental anguish than before. As time has gone on, the Holy Ghost has slowly taught me that this was their choice to leave. It was their choice to fall out of the presence of our Savior and Heavenly Father. They are choosing to rebel.
Pres. Uchtdorf also said, "Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift, but receiving it is a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our 'might, mind and strength.' It is a practice of every day. Every hour. it takes constant learning ad determined commitment. Our faith, which is our loyalty to the Savior, becomes stronger as it is tested against the opposition we face here in mortality. It endures because we keep nourishing it, we keep actively applying it, and we never give up."
As simple as it sounds to do something every day, it can be one of the hardest things to do. Why? It requires consistency. The adversary associates consistency with mundane, which feels unimportant, non-urgent, and boring. Yet, it is these simple acts, these primary answers, that have the most powerful effect on our testimony, our spiritual knowledge, and our lives. If we can practice our discipleship and our discipline daily we will gain a strength that will endure time and trials.
President Russell M. Nelson taught, "I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth."
In Joshua 24, the Lord is talking to the Israelites about all the miracles He did for them and their ancestors. The Lord is asking the Israelites, now, to again trust Him and follow Him. Joshua continues to encourage the Israelites to forsake their other gods and to follow the Savior. Joshua teaches them that it is their choice who they will follow. Joshua 24:15 says, "...choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Not only do we underestimate the importance of every day discipleship, but we also underestimate the power of our agency. Elder Kevin G. Brown said, "We are agents, and agents are responsible for something. In this case, we are responsible for the choices we make based on the knowledge we have and the gifts we are given. We cannot make a choice without being responsible for the consequences. Why do we have agency? To choose good. To choose Christ. To choose eternal life - again and again."
Every day we have the choice to choose between serving Christ or serving the gods of this world, the gods that man has created. Some people make a conscious choice to leave Christ, while others let things make those choices for them. For example, I see families around me choosing to put their kids in extra curricular activities. These activities are often good and beneficial to the kids and the family, however, it takes a lot of time away from other things. I would argue that these extra things takes the family away from the more important things like time together as a family and time with Christ, as a family and as individuals.
As for me and my house, we have had to choose. Is it worth putting our kids in all these extra curricular activities? As for right now, my husband and I have chosen - no. We have our kids in some activities, but not ones that fill all their time. Instead, we choose to put intentional focus on family activities. We have daily scripture study in the Come Follow Me manual and the Book of Mormon, followed with family prayer. We have weekly family movie nights, family game nights, family home evening. We have monthly dates with each kid. And we are finding more ways to have intentional time as a family.
This last year in school I have been feeling more pull to be more intentional about my own physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. I have been implementing more daily and weekly activities that help me in each of these areas. I'm feeling the benefits. I feel my spiritual understanding has increased immensely. The greatest blessing is that I feel like my relationship with my Savior has gotten stronger and deeper. I don't only feel a desire to be where He is or invite Him to my life, I need Him. I need to talk to Him daily. I need His strength daily.
Elder Brown stated, "I invite you to think about your path to a sure witness of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Take charge of your testimony; use your agency wisely and acknowledge the giver and all His glorious attributes. I bear witness that the power is within you. No one can choose for your. No one can take this gift away. You can choose to believe."
Gaining a testimony and spiritual knowledge, is not a passive thing. You can't expect to just absorb Christ's goodness without effort. Like the 5 foolish virgins, you cannot obtain light from someone else's efforts. Your testimony requires you to be actively and intentionally working for it. If you are waiting for the right time to start, START NOW! START TODAY! The only thing keeping your from a full knowledge of Christ is you. As you start the work of building please remember what Elder Brown said, "a testimony is not given for temporary use. This gift from our loving Heavenly Father is meant to be eternal because the giver is eternal."
Pres. Uchtdorf also gave us this encouragement, "We know that our efforts alone cannot make us celestial. But they can make us loyal and committed to Jesus the Christ, and he can make us celestial. Because of our beloved Savior, there is no such thing as a no-win scenario. If we place our hope and faith in Him, our victory is assured. He promises us access to His strength, His power, His abundant grace. Step by step, little by little, we will grow ever closer to that great and perfect day when we will live with Him and our loved ones in eternal glory. To get there, we must do our part today and every day. We are thankful for the steps we took yesterday, but we don't stop there. We know we still have a long way to go, but we don't let that discourage us."
Thankfully, at the time Joshua was teaching the Israelites to choose Christ they gave a joyful response. One that I choose to give as well. Joshua 24:24, "And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."
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