Be One with Christ

I missed what ancestors he had that he was warned against taking any pride or expectation based on his heritage.

The requirements for baptism, while profound, are decidedly simple.

Some take real but small differences and magnify them into chasms

Without moral agency we could not learn, progress, or choose to be one with Christ.

Striving to be the best we can be is consistent with the gospel. Efforts to diminish our denigrate others are contrary to the gospel.

Life often subjects us to circumstances over which we have little or no control but over matters of eternal direction we always have control.

When decisions about education are elevated above the family or being one with Christ adverse consequences will eventually follow.

The essence of truly belonging is to be one in Christ.

His great great grandfather was Heber C. Kimball.

Oneness is what Christ prayed for prior to His betrayal and Crucifixion. Oneness with Christ and our Heavenly Father can be obtained through the Savior’s Atonement.

The requirements for baptism, while profound, are uniquely simple. They primarily include humility before God, a broken heart and contrite spirit, repenting of all sins, taking upon us the name of Jesus Christ, enduring to the end, and showing by our works that we have received of the Spirit of Christ.

It is significant that all the qualifications for baptism are spiritual. No economic or social attainment is necessary. The poor and the rich have the same spiritual requirements.

One of the traits of the baptismal requirements is that anyone can meet them. They do not require anything that is out of reach of any person.

Given our “likeness” before God, it makes little sense to emphasize our differences. Some have wrongly encouraged us “to imagine people to be much more different from ourselves and from each other than they actually are. [Some] take real but small differences and magnify them into chasms.”

Magnifying small differences into large chasms helps to destroy unity.

In addition, some have wrongly assumed that because all people are invited to receive His goodness and eternal life, there are no conduct requirements.

However, the scriptures attest that all accountable persons are required to repent of sins and keep His commandments. The Lord makes it clear that all have moral agency and “are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, … and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life.” To receive the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement, we must affirmatively exercise our moral agency to choose Christ and obey His commandments.

What is the point of making a covenant if it is not followed by a change in behavior?

In this extremely competitive world, there is a constant effort to excel. Striving to be the best we can be is a righteous and worthwhile endeavor. It is consistent with the Lord’s doctrine. Efforts to diminish or deprecate others or create barriers to their success are contrary to the Lord’s doctrine. We cannot blame circumstances or others for a decision to act contrary to God’s commandments.

Improving ourselves: yes. Undermining others: no.

On matters of principle, conduct, religious observance, and righteous living, we are in control. Our faith in and worship of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is a choice that we make.

Please understand I am not advocating less interest in education or occupation. What I am saying is that when efforts relating to education and occupation are elevated above the family or being one with Christ, the unintended consequences can be significantly adverse.

“Significantly adverse”—getting our priorities out of what has profound consequences and we don’t always notice them immediately.