Lesson Seven: Finding Principles

1 John 2:22 Do not deny Christ.
1 John 3:18 Love in deed and in truth
1 John 4:7-21 Cherish and virtue; God will bless the pure in heart.
1 John 4:13-15 Bear testimony of Christ and He will be with you.
1 John 4:20 If I love God, then I will love my neighbor.  

Love in Deed and in Truth, and Cherish Virtue; God Will Bless the Pure in Heart

1 John 3:18 Love in deed and in truth
 I like this verse because it reminds me to be sincere. It can be so easy to say one thing and then do another. Thus, it is easy to be "fake" in word...but when it comes to our thoughts and actions...those are usually from the heart. So we need to be loving in our deeds and in truth. When we let love fill our hearts, we will witness a change in who we are and in the world around us. We need to fill our lives with good works, and see that we do those good works with a pure heart. This leads me to my next principle:

1 John 4:7-21 Cherish virtue; God will bless the pure in heart.
We know that charity is the pure love of Christ and that we are striving each day to live a life full of charity. But what about virtue? I learned yesterday in Sacrament meeting that our virtue is highly important. It was quoted that God would rather us give our lives and keep our virtue than keep our lives and loose our virtue. Wow. When I heard that, I immediately thought that God must truly want us to live a virtuous life if He would rather us give the life He so loving gave us in order to keep our virtue in tact. I love this line from the hymn Dearest Children, God is Near You, "Cherish Virtue! Cherish Virtue! God will bless the pure in heart." I think that sums it all up. We need to have charity. We need to have virtue, and cherish our virtue. We need to have pure intentions in all that we do and then God will pour down blessings upon us. Let us be true and faithful always.



1 John 4:20 If I love God, then I will love my neighbor.  
I love how it asks in this verse that if we don't love our neighbors, then how can we love God? I know of some people in my extended family that are so strong in the gospel, yet can't seem to forgive each other. (And the sad thing is in this case it was because of stupid money. The scriptures are yet again true when they say that money is the root of all evil.) Even though we read (and we hear all the time from modern day prophets and apostles of the importance of forgiveness) right here of how we NEED to love our neighbor just as we love God! For if we don't love our brothers and sisters, how then can we love God? It is so hard and frustrating, but it is not my place to judge or try to correct them; for I know I myself have many faults and areas of improvement, too (It is the carnal state of man that we are all in). I just hope that some day they will see the light and that their hearts will be softened towards one another. Until that day, I will continue to try and be a positive example and a loving family member towards them. And of course, I will continue to pray for them...always.


Classmates Thoughts and Responses:

God's commandments are not grievous but are for our benefit, and we have joy when those we love walk in the light of the Gospel. 

1. God's commandments are not grievous.  God gives us commandments for our benefit because he loves us.  Rules when they are righteously set in place are only for our benefit.  I don't think anyone has ever complained because they kept the word of wisdom.  Persecuted yes they might have been ridiculed by those whom they think are friends but when temptation confronts us and we are able to overcome that temptation we never find ourselves saying wow I wish we didn 't have that commandment to make things so hard!  Parents likewise give rules to children because they love them.  As I was a teenager I wasn't allowed to ride in a car with anyone under the age of 18.  It was my parents rule, car accidents are more prevalent for new teenagers they knew that, and set the rule because they loved me.  It isn't true in every case but it was only for my protection.  God loves us and he knows us better than we know ourselves, he has already passed through a life like ours has been exalted, he knows what we are going through and gives us commandments because he loves us.  1 John 5:3

We rejoice and receive joy when we see those we love walking in the Gospel light.  Some of the greatest joy I have had in my life has come when I have seen those I love walking in rightous paths.  My brothers receiving mission calls or excelling in school and sports I have loved watching them more than doing it myself.  Now as I am about to watch my future wife go through the temple in a couple weeks the joy I feel for her is greatly magnified even greater than when I went through for myself.  All of these things in mind I cannot imagine how I will feel when I see my children walking in that same light.  Ammon Aaron omni, himner and Alma were great missionaries.  After their conversion they separated and went to preach the gospel among the lamanites.  After several years they met up again and Ammon's joy of seeing his brethren still in the Lord was so great that he lost his strength.  He said that not just seeing them again brought him joy, but knowing they were still men of the Lord was what made him happiest.

           +My Response:

First of all, what scripture is your second principle from? I love it. I feel the exact same way. I think it is because there is joy in the truth. When we see our loved ones walking in righteousness, in truth, we can't help but feel over-joyous for them. It is something the Lord has blessed us with. One of my greatest experiences was when I went through the temple for my first time right before I got married. This was such a joyous time for me not only because of it being my first time and all, but because of how many members of my family and spouse's family that were there to support me. I will never forget the smiles that were held on each individuals face. I will never forget the warmth and love I felt seeing those I love most in one room, and not just any room, but a room in the House of the Lord. There is really no greater feeling than to know where your loved ones are and that you are in the Lord's watchful eyes and loving arms.

Principle One: The Lord will come. 2 Peter 3:10

I liked 2 Peter and how it was discussed that some will mock the second coming and say that it is not really 

going to happen or that the Lord won't follow through on His word.  I think that people say this because they 

are fearful of the day when it actually happens and so they try to mock it to make themselves feel better.  

The Lord will come and He will fulfill all that has been recorded in the scriptures.  There is no doubt in 

my mind that the Savior will come and will show Himself. Those who are fearful need to prepare themselves 

and spend their time getting their lives in order instead of mocking the second coming. We all need to prepare 

for when the Savior comes again. No one will be able to hide when the Savior comes.

Principle Two: Do everything faithfully. 3 John 1:5

We need to make sure that in all that we do we are faithful.  The Savior is ever mindful of us and knows what 

we are doing and what we are thinking.  When I think about that I realize that I need to be faithful in all that I

do and all that I think.  I try to do my very best to be faithful in my covenants and commandments but I know 

at times I could do better then I do.  There will always be room for improvement but I think that when the Lord 

knows we are striving to be faithful in all things, that He is merciful to us and understanding to our slip ups. 

Faith is what will carry us through our trials and lift us when we feel we can't go on.  When we have a strong 

faithful foundation, we will not falter easily and the temptations of the devil will have less effect on us.

          +My Response:

I love both your principles. I especially liked the second one because it caused me to think of how I fulfill my callings 

in the ward. I at times find myself complaining that I am not good enough, when in fact, the Lord saw this calling fit 

for me and thus I am capable of doing it and doing it well. Similarly, I can improve in my callings by not just doing

them each Sunday but faithfully doing them. I could spend more time and thought during the week. I could have a 

more joyous heart about my calling in general. There are various things I could do to be fulfilling my calling more faithfully.