The Light Of Christ

During the Christmas season, we commemorate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is interesting that one of the symbols we use in our celebration are Christmas Lights. Each of these tiny lights, can help us to remember Jesus, who is the Light of the World.

The Light of Christ is defined in the scriptures as:

- “the Spirit [which] giveth light to every man that cometh into the world” (D&C 84:46)
- “the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed” (D&C 88:13; see also John 1:4–9; D&C 84:45–47;
D&C 88:6; D&C 93:9).

In the scriptures, the Light of Christ is also referred to in the following ways:

- “the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (D&C 84:45)
- “the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18; see also Mosiah 25:24)
- “the Spirit of truth” (D&C 93:26)
- “the light of truth” (D&C 88:6)
- “the Spirit of God” (D&C 46:17)
- and “the Holy Spirit” (D&C 45:57)

Some of these terms are also used to refer to the Holy Ghost.

A Gift to All Mankind

Speaking of the Light of Christ, we read:

46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. (D&C 84:46-47)

There is a lot of meaning is packed into these two verses:

1. The Light of Christ is given to every person that comes into the world.
It does not matter what their race, religion, wealth, or social class may be. It doesn’t matter if they live in a free country, or a country dominated by avowed atheist dictators. It eveb doesn’t matter what they believe. The light of Christ is given to all of God’s Children, everywhere on earth. This gift has been given to all mankind from the time of the Garden of Eden, down to our present time, and will continue as long as the earth shall stand. There has never been a time on the face of the earth, when the light of Christ was not present. The Light of Christ still remained present, even during the deepest, darkest times of apostasy, when the fullness of the Gospel was not found on the earth. God has never abandoned his Children on this earth, at any time. His light has ever shone forth.

The Light of Christ existed before we were born, and it will be with us for every moment of our lives, and it will continue after we have died. It is ever there.

2. Those who hearken (which means to listen, and to obey) to the light of Christ will be enlightened.
Inspiration and enlightenment comes to all those who will listen to the light of Christ. This enlightenment can come in many forms. It can come to the inventor, the scientist, the painter, the sculptor, the composer, the performer, the architect, and the author. The result of this enlightenment can produce great, and even inspired things for the blessing and good of all mankind.

Think of the advancements in science, medicine, communications, technology, and transportation that have come about in the last 100 years. Think of the great writers, composers, and artists who have been inspired by the Light of Christ to lift and inspire mankind to the glory of God. Think of the religious reformers who prepared the way for the restoration of the gospel. All of these have been inspired by the Light of Christ.

3. Those who continue to hearken to the Light of Christ, will be led back to our Heavenly Father.
As a person continues to listen and obey the Light of Christ, they will eventually be led back to the presence of the Father.

Think of 14-year-old Joseph Smith, who hearkened to the voice of the Spirit as he became interested in religion, and desired to know the will of God concerning which church to join. Remember as he was studying the scriptures how he was not only influence by the Light of Christ, but by his obedience to the light which he had already received, he was then moved upon by the power of the Holy Ghost – which in turn led him to the Sacred Grove where he would receive his miraculous First Vision. There he would behold the presence of God the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ, and was given the answers to his questions, and was further instructed by them.

The Light of Christ, is also known as the Spirit of Truth. Those who seek after that spirit, and cling to the truths that they learn, will eventually be led back to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

President Joseph F. Smith said it this way:

The Spirit of Christ “strives with … men, and will continue to strive with them [if they will resist the enticings of Satan], until it brings them to a knowledge of the truth and the possession of the greater light and testimony of the Holy Ghost.” (Gospel Doctrine, Deseret Book Co., 1973, pp. 67–68.)

Truth Vs. Error

The Light of Christ is not only given to us for enlightenment, and to draw us toward the Savior; but also is given to us to discern right from wrong.

Sometimes this manifestation of the Light of Christ is called a moral sense, or our conscience, The Light of Christ will always direct us to make good choices, and to avoid evil, unless we subdue it, or silence it.

Each person enters mortality to obtain a physical body, and to be tested. We are taught in that in order to be tested, there must be an opposition in the choices that we make. On the one hand we have the Light of Christ, which inspires us to do good; and on the other hand we have Satan and his followers, which tempt us to do evil. These two forces are set in opposition to one another. We are in the middle, between these to forces tugging at us in opposite directions. We have been given our moral agency are free to choose for ourselves which course we will follow.

Nephi said:

“Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; . . . And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27)

The choice is always ours. Agency, besides the gift of life itself, is one of the greatest gifts God has given his children. The Light of Christ is always there, calling and beckoning to us, we are free to respond to it by our own choice – never is it a compulsory force upon us.

Moroni describes how the Light of Christ helps us to judge good from evil:

16 “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; . . . “ wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; . . .” (Moroni 7:16-17)

Moroni reaffirms the truth that the Spirit, or Light of Christ is given to every man, without exception. What is the way we are to judge good from evil? Moroni teaches that those things which lead us to do good, and to believe in Christ are good, and those which would lead us away from doing good, or believing in Christ are of the devil, and should be avoided.

Each of us has this ability to distinguish good from evil, if we will listen to the Light of Christ.

No Excuses

After establishing the power of the Light of Christ – which shows us the way to truth and righteousness, and then giving man his moral agency to choose good or evil for himself – man then becomes an agent unto himself. Fully free, and fully accountable for his actions while in mortality.

31 Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light.
32 And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation. (D&C 93:31-32)

Those who choose not to receive and hearken to the Light of Christ will be under condemnation. When the time of judgment comes, men will have no excuse that they did not know right from wrong. They will be held accountable because the Light of Christ had shown them what was right, but they still chose to do evil, -- choosing to sin against the Light.

Teaching By the Light Of Christ

Knowing that each of us receives the Light of Christ provides an opportunity for us as teachers. All of us are teachers, in one respect or another. Missionaries teach. Parents teach. Some of us are called upon to teach classes or to speak in church. All of us teach by our examples too, as we interact each day with those who are around us.

When we teach the truths of the gospel, the light of Christ is there to witness to the truth of what we are saying. When others see us living in harmony with truth, the Light of Christ resonates within them. Our teachings will have a familiar ‘ring’ to those who are listening to the Light. That light will lead them to further search for truth, and eventually will be led to the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Losing The Light

If you were to close your eyes on a bright, sun-shiny day, you would not see the light. The sun, however, 1 continues to shine, as always. The only reason you cannot see it is that you have closed your eyes; and by so doing, you have shut down your ability to perceive it.

The same is true with the Light of Christ. It continues to shine on forever. In fact, the Lord has said that:

12 [The Light of Christ] . . . proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—. (D&C 88:12)

We couldn’t hide from the Light of Christ – even if we wanted to! We can, however choose to ignore what we see, or cloud our spiritual eyes and minds so much with disobedience and wickedness that we can no longer perceive the light.

A Spark In The Dark

Perhaps you know someone who has fallen into this condition of spiritual blindness. Perhaps it may even happened to you or me. It happens, even to the best of us, if we are not careful. We can lose the light we once had, and can fall into sin and transgression.

What if that has happened to you, or to someone you know. Be assured that the Light is still there. There is no depth so low, no darkness so deep that cannot be penetrated by the Light of Christ. God will never abandon us, no matter how far we may have fallen. The light, and life of his love is ever there. His arms are stretched out still. There is none that he will turn away, if we will but come unto him.

Those whose minds have become sufficiently darkened may find it hard to believe in Christ, and that he is trying to reach each one of us.

In a recent Ensign article, Elder Boyd K Packer gives the following example:

“Man himself, with all his limitations, can convey messages through fiber-optic cables. A single tiny fiber of glass, smaller than a human hair, can carry 40,000 messages at the same time. These can then be decoded and turned into sight and sound and color, even motion. Man can do that.

A laser beam, where there is no wire or fiber at all, can carry 100 billion bits of information in a second.

If man can do that, why should we marvel at the promise that the Light of Christ is in all of us and that the Holy Ghost can visit any of us?
It should not be difficult, therefore, to understand how revelation from God to His children on earth can come to all mankind through both the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost.” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Light of Christ,” Ensign, Apr. 2005, 8)

Even in our darkest hour, when we may feel so unworthy, and so unwanted – know that our Savior, and his light are still there for you. It is Satan, and not Christ that tells you that you are worthless, unwanted, and unredeemable. Do not listen to him. Believe in Christ, that he is, and that he can save you.

Know that his power is great. For he is mighty to save. He has taken upon him the sins and pains of the whole world. He has suffered these things for all -- that they might not suffer. He has broken the terrible bonds of death – that we may all live once more. He has triumphed over all things. And though each of us are weak and lowly, because of his love for us, he desires to draw all men unto him, that he may lift them up, and return them to the presence of the Father. And for this, all he asks is that we follow Him, and keep his commandments.

Conclusion

During this season of gift giving, let us remember the that the greatest Christmas gift ever given was when the Father sent his Only Begotten Son to be our Savior and Redeemer. In return, the greatest gift that we can ever give is to love and serve God, and our fellow-men – the two great commandments.

Healing During The Holidays

(Note: This was a talk that I originally gave in December of 2003)

When we received our December (2003) Ensign, our daughter, Amy, was exited to see the new “Joy to the World” video which came with the magazine. However, instead of pronouncing the title “Joy to the World”, she said instead, “Joy of the World”. This caused me to think for a moment, The Savior’s coming truly was a moment of joy to the world. However, for those who love and serve the Savior, He can truly become the Joy of the world as well.

This being the case, how do we answer the following question: Is the Savior the Joy of my world? For the next few minutes, I would like you to ponder that question in your own hearts.

At Christmas time, we celebrate the coming of the Savior into the world. The Prophet Alma describes the mortal mission of the savior in:

(Alma 7:10-13.)

10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

This scripture gives us a wonderful description of the purposes for which the Savior came into the world. He came and suffered all things that we might be called upon to suffer in this world: He suffered every pain, every sickness, every temptation. He took upon himself our sins. He suffered persecution and abuse, even to death. He overcame the grave, and was resurrected. He provided the way that we can be saved from our sufferings, both physically and spiritually, and one-day overcome the world, just as he has. And because he has suffered all these things himself, he also knows the pains and sufferings that we experience, AND, most importantly, he knows how to heal us.

Knowing this, we can be sure that the Savior has provided the cure for any heartache, disappointment, anguish, despair or torment that we may feel. He came into the world with “healing in his wings”, to bind up our wounds, and to make us whole again.


The Cause of Heartache and Disappointment

In each of our lives, we suffer from the wounds, heartaches and disappointments that are a part of mortal life.

Some of these wounds are those which we have brought upon ourselves through our own sins or poor decision making. The burden of sin inflicts the deepest wounds, and ladens us with the heaviest burdens we can carry in mortal life.

Some of our heartaches disappointments come simply as a result of what I call, “Random Acts of Mortality”. These are things of which we are called upon to endure through no fault of our own. These might include accidents, illnesses of both body and mind, or simply just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The agency of others sometimes causes us great pain and suffering. When others use their agency to inflict harm on us, we can suffer great loss.

Sometimes it may be one of our children or other loved ones, who use their agency to pursue forbidden paths outside the laws of the gospel. Our love for them causes us to have great anguish when they choose to be disobedient.

Some may feel a lack of purpose and meaning in their lives. Life seems to be hollow and empty, because they have chosen to fill their lives with that which cannot feed their souls, and bring joy to their hearts. They are seeking for happiness in all the wrong places. As Alma taught, “Wickedness never was Happiness”.

President James E. Faust once said: “One reason for the spiritual sickness of our society is that so many do not know or care about what is morally right and wrong. So many things are justified on the basis of expediency and the acquiring of money and goods. . . Those who persist in following after the evil things of the world cannot know the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”

President Faust Continued: Someway, somehow, we must find the healing influence that brings solace to the soul. Where is this balm? Where is the compensating relief so desperately needed to help us survive in the world’s pressures? . . . comfort in large measure can come through increased communion with the Spirit of God. This can bring spiritual healing.”
(Elder James E. Faust, April 1992 General Conference, “Spiritual Healing”.)

What are some ways in which we can receive the healing influence of the Savior in our lives? Each of us carries burdens, each of us bears the wounds and bruises of mortality. Each of us needs the healing balm that the Savior can provide. Hear are several ways in which we can apply the healing balm of the Savior to our lives:

1. Priesthood Blessings. Priesthood blessings can be a source of Spiritual Healing. Both blessings of comfort and counsel, as well as administering to the sick following an anointing with consecrated oil. Christ is the great Physician, . . while the Comforter is the agency of healing.”

2. Temple Worship. Temple Worship can be a source of the healing influence of the Lord. Temples provide a place where we may go to lay aside many of the cares and worries of the world. Temples are places where we can find a peaceful sanctuary from the world, and where the Lord can heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds.

3. Scripture Study. Studying the scriptures regularly allows the words of the Lord to directly enter our hearts and minds. These words have great power, if we will feast upon them and take them into our souls.
As we let the power of the scriptures have a greater influence on our lives, we will begin to crowd out those things that cause us heartache and disappointment. We will be motivated to repent and make changes in our lives which will bring us closer to the Lord, and increase our portion of joy in the world.

4. Invite the Spirit. Avoid those things which may cause the Spirit of the Lord to depart from us. The Word of Wisdom is perhaps more important for our Spiritual Health, than it is for our physical well being. While we know of the harmful effects of the substances proscribed by the word of wisdom, these same substances also harm our spirits, and interfere with the delicate communications from the Holy Ghost.
Physical well being is important, but the ability to receive the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost is perhaps even more important.

I might also add that anything that causes the Spirit of the Lord to withdraw from us is harmful to our spirits, just as breaking the word of wisdom harms our bodies. We cannot be healed by the Savior without the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost.

5. Prayer. Honest, sincere prayer is one of the best ways to draw closer to the Lord, and invite His healing power. Prayer is the “soul’s sincere desire”. When we call upon our Heavenly Father, in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and when our words are uttered by the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can become one with the Lord. We can know His mind and will for us. We can feel His love, and know that not only is he aware of us, but that he truly wants us to return into his presence. We can feel the healing balm of the Savior being applied to our wounds.

6. The Sacrament. Each week, as we attend sacrament meeting, we have the opportunity to worship the Lord, and to partake of the sacrament. As we repent, and come unto Christ, in meekness and lowliness of heart, we can feel the burdens of sin being lifted from our souls as we partake of the sacrament. As we are cleansed from or sins by the Savior, through this holy ordinance, we become more worthy vessels, and qualify to have a greater portion of the Spirit of the Lord with us. Through this process, we can be freed from the heaviest burden we can bear in this world, which is the burden of sin.

The spirit can also provide comfort to us for our pains and sorrows. Through the Spirit, we can gain insight and perspective regarding the trials and tribulations that we may be called upon to bear. We can come to understand more of God’s plan for us in our lives.

Some trials and tribulations may not go away anytime soon. In the case of illness or handicaps, they may last for the duration of our mortal lives. Sometimes we may not know why we are called upon to bear these challenges. But through the Spirit, we can be strengthened and enlarged to carry weight of those burdens, that they may become light unto us, until the purposes of the Lord have been fulfilled.

7. The fallacy of Inactivity. The opportunity of partaking of the sacrament, and receiving the associated blessings of the Spirit can only be ours if we attend our meetings. Too many of our members miss out on the spiritual renewal that is available to those who come and partake of the sacrament through attending sacrament meeting. Without regularly undergoing the repentance process and partaking of the sacrament, the burdens of sin become increasingly more heavy to bear. Our spiritual vision and perspective become clouded. We may become disaffected, or even blame God for our problems and disappointments. The Spirit of the Lord becomes less and less a part of our lives, until it can become only a distant memory.

When a person reaches this point, they are particularly vulnerable to succumbing to the philosophies and wisdom of the world, and the subtle whisperings of the adversary. If the Spirit of the Lord were more present in their lives, these philosophies and temptations could not stand the light of truth. However, without that light, they become murky shades of gray, and the truth is not so readily apparent. Those who think they can stay at home or participat in recreational activities on Sunday, instead of attending their meetings and partaking of the sacrament are missing out on great blessings, and are placing themselves in spiritual danger.

8. Giving Unselfish Service. When we provide unselfish service to others, we also can unlock blessings for ourselves.

After completing high school, I attended BYU for one year prior to leaving for my mission. During that freshman year, I felt very overwhelmed by the experience. I was keeping the commandments, and doing well at school, yet I still felt something lacking -- a kind of hollowness and emptiness inside. I remember attending a fireside in the Marriott Center, where a General Authority Spoke. I don’t remember now who the speaker was, but he challenged us that if we would give service to others, that we would find great solace to our souls as we forgot ourselves in the service of others.

My roommate and I decided to take him up on the challenge. We decided that we wanted our service to be in secret. So we invented a fictitious character named ”Bryan Bateman”. We came up with the name by using our two middle names: My middle name is Bryan, and Batman was my friend’s middle name. We then began to look about us in the dormitory in which we lived, and found that there were many, like ourselves who were also struggling. We would then write them letters of encouragement, signed by “Bryan Bateman”, and offer them small gifts and tokens of our appreciation. We also made it a point to spend time with and befriend these individuals under our real identities as well.

As we did this, we noticed that those to whom were the focus of our attention were improving. However, we also noticed that as we looked outside of ourselves, and forgot about our own problems and worries, and started to feel after the needs and concerns of our neighbors, that our own problems and worries seemed to be diminished, and we were healed. Many of the heartaches and disappointments that we had experienced had seemed to melt away.

It was at this time in my life that I discovered the 5th verse of the Hymn, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”. It Hymn Number 29 in our hymnbooks, and reads as follows:

Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
I found him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment--he was healed.
I had myself a wound concealed,
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.

As I read this verse, I received a manifestation of the Holy Ghost that this was what happened to me. It is a lesson that I have never forgotten.

Many years later, I would learn from one of those friends in college, that the efforts my roommate and I came at a most opportune time. This young man was severely depressed, and unbeknownst to us he was seriously thinking about taking his own life. One of the things, we later learned, that helped him through that time, in his most desperate hour, was one of our letters of encouragement. The love, concern and encouragement expressed in the letter were enough to help him through one of his darkest hours. Now he is a school teacher, and the father of eight children, and makes many contributions in his own ward and stake.

It was the Savior who taught, “He who seeketh to save his life shall lose it; and he who loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (JST Matthew 10:34.) I found this to be true, as my roommate and I forget ourselves, and began to server others, we seemed to lose our own problems. The wounds and heartaches of our souls were healed.

I still find this to be true today. I know that my family and I are blessed as we serve others. This can come in a myriad of different ways: It could be serving as a home or visiting teacher. It may be as we fulfill and magnify our callings in the church. It can come in the form of fulfilling welfare assignments, cleaning the church building, or simply reaching out to our neighbors, and lifting up the hands that hang down, and strengthening the feeble knees. In a way, the payment of our tithes and offerings is also a form of unselfish service, because of the effort required to earn the money that is donated. In other words, one-tenth of our labor in our employment is dedicated to the building up of the Lord’s kingdom on earth as we pay our tithing. Service may also include our efforts within the walls of our own home, as we unselfishly look to the needs of our family members. No matter what form it may take, our service to others must be with an eye single to the glory of God, not for our own glory or worrying about who gets the credit, or recognition. And when we do so, the Lord blesses our own lives in many ways – not the least of which is to help us solve our own problems and troubles.

I have a little saying that I say to myself: “I know that if I will take care of His business (meaning the Lord’s business), that he will help me take care of my business.”

Remember the call of the Savior to each one of us when he said:

(3 Nephi 9:13-14.)
13. “ . . . will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

So if you feel weighed down by the pressures and anxieties of life. If your heart is not right with the Lord. If the burdens you carry seem hard to bear – Come unto the Lord. For he has said, “Come unto me all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.” Draw near to the Lord, for he will draw near unto you. He will send you His Spirit, and you will be strengthened and comforted. Forget yourself in the service of others, and you will find your life – even a new life. A life filled with light and love, purpose and meaning, and hope and joy.

May you, with the angels, sing “Joy to the World”. And may you also know that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is also the Joy of the World.