Our Gift to Christ

"What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am," (3 Nephi 27:27)

As Christ was the only perfect man to ever walk the earth, His charge to be, "even as [He is]," is not an easy one, nor is it something we can do without His atonement. Even so, Christ continually beckons all of us to, "Come follow me."

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me," (Matt 16:24 see also Matt 6:24).

The truest way to follow Christ, to show that we accept Him as our Savior, and to give Him our heart wholeheartedly, is to try to be "even as [He is]." This Christmas season, let us celebrate Christ and worship Him by emulating Him.

This means that we should be...

• Charitable - Christ lived His life in the service of others. He never had any moment of self-indulgence or gratification. We read in the scriptures that, "the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister," (Matt 20:28). We should also strive to forget ourselves and our busy schedules to help others without reluctance.
  
• Patient - No man was, or is, more patient than Christ. He showed patience unto the children of men throughout His life, and He continues to show patience unto us when we stumble and sin along life's path. We are exhorted to be patient with the Lord and with all men. (see Alma 1:25, Alma 34:40, Heb 10:36)
  
• Humble - If any man had right to be proud, it was the Savior. Yet he lived His life in humility, giving all glory to His Father in heaven. Can we say the same for ourselves? Do we give ourselves credit for our successes, rather than giving gratitude to Him who gave us all? (see James 4:10, Alma 5:27)
  
• Forgiving - Christ shows mercy and gives forgiveness to all that come unto Him. As they nailed Him to a cross and crucified Him though an innocent man, He pleaded, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do," (Luke 23:34). Do we plead the same for those who wrong us? Or do we hold grudges and seek revenge? We should seek to emulate Christ's ability to forgive, (see Luke 6:37, 3 Nephi 13:14).
  
• Sinless - As Christ lived a sinless life, so should we seek to confess and forsake our sins so that we can be cleansed through His atonement.
  

This Christmas season, let us emulate the Savior and be more charitable, show more patience, live more humbly, forgive our enemies, and shed our sins. Through so doing, we will be heeding the Saviors charge to, "Come follow me," and our hearts will be full with gratitude for His ultimate gift to us.

True Discipleship Requires Sacrifice

"And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him," (Luke 5:11). "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple," (Luke 14:33).

From the beginning of time, true disciples of Christ have made sacrifices. In Moses's day, they offered up the firstlings of their flock in similitude of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Although this practice ended with Christ's eternal sacrifice, we are still required to come unto Him in humility and offer up the sacrifice of our hearts (see 3 Nephi 9:19-20).

A true disciple of Christ sacrifices and forsakes all that he hath. That means, we must sacrifice of our time, our energy, our substance, and our hearts if we want to be one of his followers. We are often lured into a sense of complacency and are unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to increase in faith and serve others. We often put ourselves first and are reluctant to change.

Let me give you a personal example. I've always wanted to study from the scriptures daily. I've tried to create a consistent pattern, but my efforts often fail. Why do they fail? Even though my intentions are good, I am often unwilling to truly sacrifice in order to bring my desire to fruition. Specifically, I treasure my morning sleep and find it hard to sacrifice that sleep in exchange for spiritual food. My reluctance has caused me to ask myself:

"Am I willing to forsake all to be a disciple of Christ?"

Many of us want God in our lives, but aren't willing to sacrifice our time and energy to have him there. We are just too busy. We are reluctant to give of our time to study the scriptures. We tire of giving our energy in selflessness. We withhold our substance if we feel it too big a sacrifice.

So I ask, are we willing to forsake all? Are we willing to give up our morning sleep or our favorite television show? Are we willing to give up that new car or gadget? Are we willing to visit those in need when we feel needy ourselves? Are we willing to offer up our hearts?

As we enter this Christmas season, take the time to consider what sacrifices you can make for your Savior, Jesus Christ. As we make put forth a diligent effort, our sacrifices will begin to feel like opportunities. And as we continue to embrace them, we will see that they aren't really sacrifices at all, but blessings from our Heavenly Father.