Additional Teachings From Christ

The following is a direct quote from Christ in its entirety. That might add more clarity to some of the topics discussed in this book. Some parts are blacked out because they do not apply to this topic and are not meant to be revealed at this time.

“When we were at supper together, I saw a vision of my Apostles, and knew one of them would betray me. My stomach began to turn and I felt like weeping. But we finished what we were there to do, and I retired to the garden where I often went to ponder and to feel the presence of my Father and my Soul. Upon arriving I sat down in a comfortable place where I usually sat to meditate. Almost immediately I began to see visions of things to come. I checked on my Apostles who were then, and even now often times, sleeping when I most needed their spiritual support. This hurt me and I felt abandoned. I felt I had been betrayed, I felt that they had not learned what I was trying to teach them. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– I saw all of this. I saw all that would happen in my name. To women, to nations. I saw that my love would be twisted into hate and that my work would be all but lost. And that until I could return again, like I have to you, that the world would be plunged into the darkness of barbarity. Then I began to quiver, I felt as though my bowels would spew out my mouth, and the pain of my body and spirit could not be contained! I was rent and broken. “If only they believed!” I cried out to the Father, My heavenly parents “these things would not be!” I felt betrayed as no one ever had before. It hurt, yes, it hurt. But I knelt and submitted to that which was to come.

I tried, and I still try to tell them “Whoso shall lose his life for My sake shall find it.” But they do not believe. They do not hear! I tell them that when you try to save your spiritual life you lose it in the trying. That only through loving each other, in doing unto them as you would have done to me will you truly be saved! Yet they hear me not!” – Jesus Christ

This is why Jesus taught saying,

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” – Matt. 25:31-46

The Hardest Sacrifice to Make

We are told that we must be willing to sacrifice all things to gain eternal life. Joseph Smith taught saying,

“a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” – Lectures on Faith, p. 58.

In doing so, man has attempted to sacrifice almost everything of value to them believing that this is what God required. What man hasn’t figured out yet is that the very thing we value the most is our eternal life. We are willing to sacrifice everything and everyone to gain eternal life. Objects, animals, virgins, babies and finally our own God. We are willing to sacrifice everything except that which is the most important. We are not willing to die rather than to kill. We are not willing to suffer for others rather than allow others to suffer for us.

The Struggle to Love

A True Story by An Elliaison Contributor

Once, while struggling to forgive someone who had caused what I felt was a great deal of harm to my family, the Lord told me the following:

“Love and forgiveness go hand in hand. You cannot forgive someone you do not love and you cannot love someone you have not forgiven.

Understanding and acceptance are the keys to both. As I have loved you and forgiven you, love and forgive one another.” – Jesus Christ

Another True Story

by An Elliaison Contributor

There was a woman who drove me insane. She was always arrogant, dominating, and condescending to me and everyone else. She only lived about three blocks away and we were in a ward committee together that required our ongoing interaction. Attempting to be friendly, she would ask about things going on in my life and then provide constant negative feedback, criticism and unsolicited advice. We were both also voice teachers and she would get upset when someone brought their kids to me rather than to her. The competition between us was fierce. But I was far more timid than she was. So I usually just went home and hurt in solitude or shared my frustrations with my husband.

I knew this feeling was bad energy and that I had to do something to resolve it. It was beginning to interfere with my relationship with the Lord, my family, and distracting me from the work of the Lord.

So one day when I was conversing with the Lord, I asked him about my troubles with her and if He had any suggestions for me. He said to me,

“Have I not told you before to Love your enemy?” – The Lord

When He said these words my heart changed and I intentionally looked… And saw in my mind’s eye every struggle, every heartache, every insecurity and every one of the challenges she was currently facing. I saw her insecurities about being a mom to so many small children, who ranged in ages from 9-2 years old.

I saw her despair from the personality conflicts she had with her oldest daughter. I also saw her agony at watching her ill husband’s health mysteriously deteriorate for no explainable reason. And for the first time… My heart began to soften toward her.

Through inspiration from the Holy Ghost, I had the idea to start telling her via secret notes, all of the good things I had observed about her. Right away I began looking for opportunities to do so. I paid attention to the things she would say and followed those clues to know what to write and when. And I listened to the spirit. Sometimes I would get a prompting at strange times, to quickly write a note and secretly deliver it to her.

One day, when she had asked me to come over and help her with something for Relief Society she confided in me that she had received some anonymous notes. One particular note she received touched her to tears. She told me how they had given her the strength she needed to carry on several times.

Some of the notes contained very personal observations of moments when I observed her being a cool headed and loving mom. Some contained messages that the Holy Ghost inspired me to say about things I didn’t even directly observe, but I wrote it just the same.

She told me all about how touched she was and how incredible it was that whoever was sending them knew personal things that only she and her husband had known. She said she initially thought it was him but he assured her that it wasn’t. Plus they were hand written and the handwriting did not match his.

She concluded that she was curious, but didn’t even care that she might never know who had sent them because of the impact they had on her life, on her self esteem and her strength to handle the challenges she was facing and she had been bolstered and upheld when she most needed it.

We wound up being very close. She grew to love me very deeply and I cared for her in ways that I never thought would have been possible when we had been such enemies to begin with.

At one point I gave her a small gift. Something that showed her her own beauty and apparently it reminded her of me. Fifteen years later I bumped into her at an event halfway across the country, and she told me that she still keeps this gift on her mantle and thinks of me often.

I don’t believe she ever knew it was me who wrote those notes. But changing my approach with someone who otherwise would have remained a person I carried great enmity towards, created a friend out of an enemy. It is and will always be to me a witness of the principles of the atonement as taught to me by Christ. And a shining example to me of what is possible when we truly show love and charity to those whom we deem to be our enemies.

The power of charity and acts of loving kindness are not to be underestimated in the hearts of men… And women. 🙂