Coming unto Christ

Hey everyone, it’s Derek. I decided to write a blog post about something that has been weighing on my mind for years I guess. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Throughout my time in the New York New York South Mission, I gained a greater appreciation for what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The scripture I used as a theme for my mission and as a guide for my life is found in 3 Nephi 5:13: “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.”

What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? We have all heard a hundred times that a disciple is a “follower.” So what does that mean? How can we follow Christ? Well, he showed us the way when he was baptized. “Follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do” (2 Nephi 31:12).

Christ was compassionate, so we should be compassionate. Christ was obedient, so we should be obedient. Christ was humble and meek, so we should be humble and meek. Christ filled his life with teaching others the path to God, so we should fill our lives with teaching others that same path. Christ submitted his will to that of the Father, ultimately culminating in his atoning sacrifice for mankind.

The same willing submission that Christ showed as he knelt in Gethsemane and said “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) also drove Paul to say “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) and Abinadi to say “O God, receive my soul” (Mosiah 17:20). These men and others throughout the scriptures provide a pattern of how to follow Christ’s example. Christ is the ultimate example of submitting his will to the Father’s, and if we are to truly become his disciples, we must be willing to do the same. As Neal A. Maxwell (an expert on the topic of discipleship, not only in his teachings from the pulpit, but as a faithful example) taught, “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.” That is the way to truly be a disciple of Christ: Follow his example of humbly submitting his will to that of the Father.

Being a true disciple of Christ is not easy. At times all the powers of earth and hell are combined against us. Satan would weaken us and destroy our faith. What can sustain us as we follow the path of discipleship? This thought may help. “When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jeffrey R. Holland). Thus Christ is not only our Exemplar, he is also the source of our strength and our commitment. Call upon Him and you will be given the power to do the will of the Father.

My conclusion echoes the words of Jeffrey R. Holland. It is a call to act on the promptings of the Spirit and to serve the Lord and His children. “In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before” (Jeffrey R. Holland).

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I have committed to follow Him. I believe in His power to save all mankind. He is the Light and the Life of the world.  My invitation is the same as Moroni's final plea to the readers of the Book of Mormon: "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him" (Moroni 10:32). I am a witness of the perfecting and enabling power of Christ. The grace of Christ is powerful enough to save all who are willing to accept Him as their Savior. This blog is for Kaylie and I to share what is important to us. We are trying our best to "come unto Christ." You come too!