This Come, Follow Me reading is so jammed with goodness, it was difficult to know what to expand on as one main thought for the week. Then I came to chapter 12 and I fell in love, probably because I am big on the having a purpose with our checklists. It is so easy to get caught up on checking off a list of things to do right, and forgetting why we do these things. This can happen in our spiritual journey, as well as in our personal lives. There was a young women who was absolutely amazing, she had finished her personal progress a couple times, and seemed to know all the right answers. We had a new girl move into the ward who needed a good friend. This new girl shared her hurt feelings of being all alone at school, passing by our young women Joyce (name change for story), and saying “hi”. Joyce would look at her and look away. I am not sure why. I do know that it left our new girl with extremely hurt feelings. I thought about this quite a bit. If we are doing everything we think we should be doing to follow the Lord, but we aren’t kind to others, then why are we doing any of it? Following Christ would be first and foremost to be kind and to love one another. He has repeatedly asked us, in every style possible, from straight forward lectures to parables of varying sorts, to NOT JUDGE, but to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.  

This same issue happens in home, and marriages. There is a unspoken social check list of how to be a good wife or husband. However, if doing the checklist doesn’t help one feel closer to their spouse and make them want to be kinder and filled with more genuine love, then the checklist is for nothing. The purpose of doing those things that make a good wife/husband on the outside is to create a good wife/husband on the inside. 

With all this said, I have experienced many sermons from all different denominations questioning the “do’s and do not’s”. This lack of gaining character improvement through our actions has led many to believe that works are unnecessary. I believe this is because the purpose of “works” is to bring us closer to God–to help us become more like Him in all that we do and say. Therefore, as we fall short, it is easy to wonder what the purpose is at all. There is,however, great purpose in works, which in turn develops lasting faith, so that we can live as a light to the rest of the world, and bring others to Christ by radiating the love that we develop to others. 

“The attributes of the Savior, as we perceive them, are not a script to be followed or list to be checked off. They are interwoven characteristics, added one to another, which develop in us in interactive ways. In other words, we cannot obtain one Christlike characteristic without also obtaining and influencing others. As one characteristic becomes strong, so do many more.”-Robert D. Hales

Here in Romans, we have an excellent check list, which I find impossible to “miss the mark”, if followed with the intent to love others, through our love for God. 

Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

If I was to make this into my own check list, it would look like this:

(Please review these points on your own, accompanied with prayer, and see what list you come up with)

1. Be diligent in magnifying the gifts that Heavenly Father has given to me, keep it simple and pure, and always be cheerful as I approach others. 
2. Love openly, to all. Give compliments, be kind, and accepting.
3. Live so that the Holy Ghost is a constant companion and can direct me to those things that are good, and help me stay away from those things that are evil. (We need the Holy Ghost to do this, because the world is twisting these values, what is good, is looking bad, and bad is appearing good.)
4. Respect others, try to understand where others are coming from, enjoy others. Love others!
5. Be honest in all my dealings.
6. Have a good attitude in life. Be patient and resilient. 
7. Pray always 
8. Keep Hope as my generator for knowing who I am and what my purpose is. 
9. Serve others. 
10. Don’t take offense. Be understanding. Have empathy.
11. Listen to others, and be humble. 
12. Be a peacemaker! 
13. Don’t hold grudges!
14. Don’t judge others.
15. Cling tight to all things that are good. 

If we could live our daily lives with these 15 things as our guide we would find that we could be “one”, just like Christ has asked us to. “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Romans 12:5) We could be one in our communities, one in our churches, one in our families, and one in our marriages. We would be able to follow the commandments which encompass the top two: “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:9-10) This is the “armour of God” that we all seek, and our directions of how to “cast off the works of darkness.” (Romans 13:12)

Romans 14:9 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

In the end we develop LOVE for ourselves, others, and ultimately we show LOVE to God, who gives us all His love every day through His infinite atonement, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2)  The end result is that we can live a life of peace. 

Romans 8:6….spiritually minded is life and peace.

Peace comes from knowing Christ’s love for us, through developing similar love for others. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Let’s make LOVE the leading factor in all of our check lists. So that as we serve the Lord, we develop the kind of love for others, that we ourselves desire from God. 

-Sherri Jorgensen