Book of Mormon: Day 280: Sharing the Love of the Savior

Today’s Reading: 3 Nephi 11:21-41

41Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. 

There are few passages in the scriptures more touching than 3 Nephi 11.  As this chapter opens, we observe the people who have survived the destruction of the land and many of its people during the Crucifixion of the Savior.  The three-day darkness that covered them has dispersed, and they have ceased mourning, weeping, and wailing for their lost loved ones, at least for a time.   They are now gathered around the temple, “marveling and wondering” about the changes that have taken place in the land, and they are conversing about Jesus Christ.  It is then that the Father’s voice is heard:  “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name–hear ye him” (verse 7).

What follows is Jesus Christ’s beautiful descent to the earth.  Dressed in white, He introduces Himself as the light, the life, and the Savior of the world.  The people are so astonished that they fall to the ground, remembering what the prophets have told them about the coming of their Messiah.  What happens next is perhaps even more astonishing as the Savior invites each one of the survivors to come unto Him, one by one, to feel the marks of the Crucifixion in His side, in His hands, and in His feet.  This they do, each gaining their own personal witness that this Being is indeed their Redeemer who has been slain for the sins of the world.  Imagine the love and joy that filled their hearts!  Imagine their eagerness to stay with Jesus Christ and to learn everything that He chooses to teach them!

And what does He choose to teach them?  He teaches them to have faith, to repent, to be baptized, and to become humble, just as little children are humble. And, as the closing statement of His teaching to these survivors, Jesus tells them to go forth and share what they have just learned, even “unto the ends of the earth.”

Do we see the pattern here?  If we haven’t felt the love of the Savior yet, each of us has the opportunity to have our own personal experience with the Savior.  Each of us can study, pray, and ponder His life and His teachings until we come to  feel His immense and unending love for us.  Once we do, we will then naturally want to share what we have felt and learned with our brothers and sisters so that they, too, can feel the joy and hope of redemption.

It’s not complicated, yet there are few of us who actually do the “missionary work” that we have been commanded to do.  Elder Neil L. Andersen offered this encouragement in his latest Conference talk entitled “A Witness of God”:

I suggest that you stop feeling guilty about any insufficiency you think you have in sharing the gospel. Rather, pray, like Alma taught, for opportunities “to stand as [a witness] of God at all times and in all things, and in all places … that [others] may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, [and] have eternal life.” . . . .Be open about your faith in Christ. When the occasion presents itself, speak of His life, His teachings, and His incomparable gift to all mankind. Share His powerful truths from the Book of Mormon.[1]

Yes, there need not be any awkwardness nor hesitancy in sharing the gospel with others.  We simply need to remember the love of the Savior and then turn and share that love with others.

Please don’t see your efforts to share the love of the Savior with another as a pass/fail test with your grade determined by how positively your friends respond to your feelings or invitation to meet the missionaries.12With our mortal eyes, we cannot judge the effect of our efforts, nor can we establish the timetable.  When you share the love of the Savior with another, your grade is always an A+.[2]

 

 

 

 

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