D&C 93:1

This verse has always been meaningful to me. Those who follow these steps will see Christ.
(Organizational numbers added)

"VERILY, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who

1. forsaketh his sins
2. and cometh unto me,
3. and calleth on my name,
4. and obeyeth my voice,
5. and keepeth my commandments,

* shall see my face and know that I am;"

(1-5) are the conditions
(*) is the promise

How does one forsake his sins?
• Through faith in the Atonement
• Repentance
• Seeking virtuous things(Article of Faith 13) to replace the unvirtuous things in our life

How does one come unto Christ?
• Studying his words
• Consistently striving to become like him

How does one call on Christ's name?
• Deep and thoughtful prayer

How do we obey Christ's voice?
• Obtain his voice through revelation
• Follow those feelings and thoughts consistently

How do we keep Christ's commandments?
• Learn the commandments through reading the scriptures to understand what they are
• Set goals to internalize the most personally difficult commandments


I will add to this list later...

Being Blind

Here's an entry in my note journal that I thought I would share from March 1st.

Scripture Study while @ work

Today, I've been reading in Matthew learning more about the Savior's life and ministry while he was on this earth. I've been reading for about 2 hours now, in between calls at work, yet nothing I've read today impacted me as strongly as this short miracle that Jesus performs for two blind men.

Matthew 20:32-34

^30. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

^31. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.

^32. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

^33. They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

^34. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him

Comparing this to other miracles that I had recently read about, (like Christ raising the dead) it seems odd, that this one stood out to me so strongly. The verses of 30 and 31 of this chapter, painted the scene so clearly: Two blind men sitting by the road, Jesus Christ and his followers passing by, the two men cry out, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David!", Christ's followers "rebuked them" ( Rebuke: to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand. -Dicitonary.com ), Yet, "Jesus stood still, and answered them."

I can't help but wonder about those two blind men. Who were they? How long had they been blind? Where were their families? What kind of hardships had they been through?

What did Jesus Christ see in them that others did not see?

What does Christ see in me?

(While typing this I noticed that it was Christ's followers that chastised the blind men for calling out to Christ, while weren't they themselves blind to the worth of these two men? I think, in a way, we are all blind, and, in contrast, it is Christ who is the one who can see all things.)

I am so grateful for my Savior. His compassion becomes more and more clear to me as I read of his life in Matthew. His compassion and mercy is my hope and security. I know he lives and I will follow him. I hope that as I follow Christ, I will not be blind as his followers were, but learn to see the value of everyone and everything.

-Tessa Dior