Email to Family and Friends
This has been an amazing week. We are teaching a couple Kaloni and Jacob. Jacob is a less active and Kaloni isn't a member. Recently they had a baby who was born very prematurely. She had to get life flights to Salt Lake. They were there about a month, and why'll they were their they went to the temple almost everyday. Before this experience we have been trying to meet with them and they were not interested at ALL. But now through this experience they have been very very exited to meet with us!
"A New Commandment"
I know I have written about this topic a few times since I have been on my mission. But the Holy Spirit constrains me to speak of it another time. I feel that my previous emails on this subject have been lacking something. Well, we all know they all are lacking a lot haha. But I have just felt something was missing. And I hope and pray that my Father will guide and direct me to know what to say.
One of my favorite songs in Primary was a song titled "Love One Another" (1). You can find many versions on YouTube I would assume, and encourage you all to listen to it.
This song was based off of the scripture John 13:33-34 which says, " Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (2)
What I have felt was missing from the previous emails on love was a few questions. How can our love for others grow? How can we do that? When it comes to those who really annoy me, I can't just flip a switch and love them. How can I love someone, like Jesus loves me, if they just drive me bonkers?
Think for a moment about how much a mother loves her child, why dose she love him or her so much? Why is a mothers love so unconditional? One main reason is because of everything she has went through and suffers through for that child. She has been through amazing things for him or her.
Think of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. He cares about us more than we can even understand because he has experience everything we, in our personal lives, have experienced. Everything we are going through, He is going through with us.
When you serve someone your love for them increases! Looking back in my own life, those I have come to really love the most, are those I have served the most. They are those I have given my all to help them. I know you have similar experiences.
If you want to love someone more in your own life, serve them, listen to them, show them you care. Think of just one person in your life you you wish you could love even more. Please sit and ponder just one way you can serve them. And then try my words and you will see that your very soul will swell with love for him or her.
I know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can change. Our very natures can change and we can have "the pure love of Christ" in our very being and we can make it who we are. He lives! If there was no Christ we would forever be lost. We would never be able to experience forgiveness or true joy. I would like to end with the words of John the Beloved when he was told, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
" Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."
"...If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world."
"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world."
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
"We love him, because he first loved us."
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
"And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (3). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Elder Philip R. Bredsguard
Thermopolis, WY
Notes
1. Children's Songbook, 136
2. John 13:33-34
3. 1 John 4:7-21
