In one of Paul’s teachings to the Corinthians, he invited them to be his followers as he himself was a follower of Christ. This is a sincere and valid invitation from Paul’s time until today: to be a follower of Christ.
I began to reflect on what it means to become a follower of Christ. And more important, I began to ask, “In what way should I imitate Him?”
To be a follower of Christ is to strive to conform our actions, conduct, and lives to those of the Savior. It is to acquire virtues. It is to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
“In what way should I follow Him?” is a good question for us to ask ourselves at any time.
Four of His qualities that we should imitate
- Humility
- Let us live in humility because it brings peace.
- Courage
- Let us have the courage to do what is right even when it is unpopular—the courage to defend our faith and to act by faith.
- Forgiveness
- Forgiveness sets us free and makes us worthy to partake of the sacrament every Sunday.
- Sacrifice
- We need sacrifice to keep the covenants we have made with the Savior.
We served a full-time mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi Mission from 2016 to 2019. The way to travel in the mission from one zone to another was by road. A phenomenon had arisen in that area with bandits armed with bladed weapons breaking onto the road and disturbing the movement of travelers.
Five missionaries traveling from one zone to another as part of the transfer were victims of these disturbances. … I drew up a report, which I sent to the Area Presidency, and I expressed my feelings of fear about continuing to travel when the road was the only way to reach our missionaries.
In his reply, Elder Kevin Hamilton, who was our President of the Africa Southeast Area, wrote to me: “My counsel is to do the best you can. Be wise and be prayerful. Do not knowingly put yourselves or your missionaries in harm’s way, but at the same time go forward in faith. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.’”
My prayer is that by following Jesus Christ and drawing upon the blessings of His Atonement, we become more and more humble, we are more courageous, we forgive more and more, and we sacrifice more for His kingdom.
Leave a Reply