Real Leadership

            When looking for examples of supreme leadership I look to the Savior not as he led the masses but as he built individuals from what they were to what they could be. The scriptures clearly describe the process that goes into making leaders. Perfect examples include Moses who was turned from a jabbering disgraced prince of Egypt chasing sheep in the wilderness to a man that would truly lead Israel. See Exodus 3:15-20. Another example is Nephi and Lehi in the Book of Mormon. Consider how Nephi was all but giving up crying and yelling and altogether being miserable on his garden town where everyone could hear. Then the Lord teaches him a valuable lesson as he reveals the murderer of the chief judge and his power over all things. Then Nephi and Lehi convert the Lamanites and Nephite dissenters by the tens of thousands and change an entire nation. Some thing changed in-between his garden prayer and those miracles. A switch flipped.  See the book of Helaman.

            Consider Nephi, The youngest son that goes around bossing everyone including his father and mother to the point where his brothers are so ticked off that they try to kill him. Then the Lord rescues him…and he does it again…and he is rescued…and he ticks everyone off again…and the Lord rescues him. His brothers are estranged and his father dead. His family is split because he had completely failed to connect in a meaningfully way to his brothers. Then something changes and he starts writing differently. In the 4^th chapter of 2 Nephi something clicks. He starts talking about “my God,” “the Lord my God,” “my Savior.” He stops writing about his annoying brothers and how they always forgot what he was talking about. He stops wring history and how the Lord helped him. From then on he only writes about the Savior of Israel. In his awe for the scriptures he quotes Isaiah for chapters and chapters. Then he prophesies of the Savior coming, apostasy and restoration. His final words describe the Doctrine of Christ in intricate detail and feeling. He stops telling his story and starts teaching THE message.

            Peter the fisherman that sank in the water, cut off ears, failed to understand the priesthood, denied the Savior 3 times, tried to send people away when they had no food, doubted the Savior had been resurrected and went back to fishing after he met the resurrected Lord. But a late night encounter on the beach changed him and he became something through the true Leadership of the Savior. Something that nobody saw coming. Something that 1billion Catholics base their faith on. Something that rocked the world.

            Moroni complained that he wasn’t a good enough writer to complete the record. Joseph Smith lost ¼ of the Book of Mormon. Alma served wicked king Noah. Alma the younger sought to destroy the church. Enos did not believe his father. Lehi murmured. Job doubted. Moses struck a rock unnecessarily. Joseph bragged to his brothers and got himself sold to Egypt. Jonah got eaten by a fish after he ran from the Lord by trying to take a boat. Seriously how stupid was he? Did he really think he could hide from God by taking a boat in the opposite direction? Did he really think that would work? What a terrible idea. Compare the second chapter of Jonah and the 4^th chapter of 2 Nephi.

            Long story short we can read the scriptures and see what others have done wrong. That is in there. If it looks like that was a bad idea that probably means it was. What we must read in the scriptures is not watching perfect people doing great things. No, we must watch the Lord do marvelous things to make individuals true leaders. Being is not a prevalent theme in the scriptures but becoming is. This is a becoming gospel. From what we were to where we can go and what we can do for others when we have grown.

            I believe true leadership is not clearly demonstrated by prophets of old. They did marvelous things and organized great numbers of people. Fought battles and taught the gospel. That was all wonderful and necessary but the only true leadership was demonstrated as they grew under the tutelage of Christ. The scriptures don’t teach us how to lead, they teach us how to make leaders.

            Most of the time these leaders to be knew better than what they did. Heavens we know better than to go around telling everybody that “I had a dream where everyone bowed to me...” as Joseph of Egypt did. What made them leaders is acting courageously on what they were taught. True leadership is not getting people to do things that they need to do. It is not management. Management has bosses and schedules and stuff to do and people to call to repentance. Leadership cleanses us from our sins and enables others to do the same. Leadership enables the Plan of Salvation. Management would remove our agency and force us, even if it was for a good reason.

Pure in life

Of all the admonitions in the scriptures purity is one of the most heavily emphasized.

Some of my favorite references include.

Moroni7: 48 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Matthew 5:8

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Helaman 3:35

35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

If feel that that all too often we assume purity to be connected with the law of chastity. Keeping oneself pure and virtuous is just equated with that commandment. Then again we see pure as without sin. Clean and perfect through the atonement. I do believe that is true but only in a wider context in the scriptures. We must actually understand what the word pure is and then start throwing it around with understanding.

The dictionary puts it as “not mixed or adulterated with any other substance or material:”

The dictionary uses that word adulterated which means to add a substance of lesser quality. In reality a pure substance is, what it is meant to be. The creator of this substance has a specific design and use for it and when contaminants enter it then is its purity compromised. If we were to take, raisin bran for example. Raisin bran straight out of the box is pure raisin bran. Never the less it is a very distinct mixture of two items. Raisin and bran. But the creation is pure because it is what it was meant to be. If we add rice kipsies then it is not pure raisin bran because it is changed. Even pure raisin bran is not without variety. Pure raisin bran is a mixture.

          

           If we take this to our gospel perspective then pure does not mean a perfect lump of goo without blemish for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and God knows that and tells us not to worry about it. As we go through the process of purifying ourselves let us not attempt to perfect ourselves. That is the Savior’s job.

Let us take what we have been given and make it what it was meant to be. We have talents; lets magnify them to benefit others. We have been given trails and difficulties. Let us learn form them. We have been scriptures, let us read them. We have a Father in Heaven. Let us talk to him. We have a Savior, let us follow him. Let us take what we have been given and use them the way they are designed to be used.

            

         We are no exception. What were we meant to do? What is our purpose? The purpose of life is recited in every lesson and sacrament-meeting talk so lets actually fulfill the purpose. Lets do what we are supposed to do and not mix in anything more or less. “Lift where you stand” as president Uctdorf would say. “Way to be” as president Hinckley wrote. “Find the joy in the journey” as President Monson has asked. The Saviors purity was not primarily manifest through his sinless life. It was demonstrated as he perfectly executed his duty that had been assigned to him. He was assigned to be perfect but only within the wider theme of completion was his purity completely demonstrated.

James 4:8  

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Charity 3/3

The final installment regards charity, the greatest of all. I was never satisfied with the answer that charity is "the pure love of Christ," or perfect love or any of those answers. I wanted to know exactly what and how it works. What is so special about it and where does it come form? I believe I found answers. 

Moroni 7

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

I really like the breakdown of Moroni's logic here. You are nothing if you do not have charity. Or in other words if you have charity you are something. And why is charity the only substance that brings value? Because it is the only thing that does not fail. There are other concepts that do not fail but Mornoni believes that it all comes back to charity's flawless nature. Everything and Anything that ever exists will crumble through the eternities and relentless test of infinite time. Except the flawless charity that cannot fail for it is perfect. In a way, charity has beaten time itself. There is a fascinating tangent that just occurred to me but I will address it at a later time.

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Throughout this speech Mormon refers to charity as an it. One who has it one who seeks it those that doe not have it? Whatever it is, it endures forever and is the "pure love of Christ." Whatever the pure love of Christ is.

 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

This scripture is incredibly complex. I need to take it down backwards. 

To be pure as the Savior, we will have "this Hope" because we have "seen him as he is" for we are like him when we become "the son's of God" as we are "true followers" of Jesus Christ and have prayed "with all energy of heart" for charity. Phew. Lets put it forwards.

 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love…

A basic concept here to pray for charity that we may receive that love. Notice how it is not filled with love or filled with the love but filled with THIS love. Indicating that there are many forms of love and charity is only one of them.

…which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God;

THIS love is bestowed upon all the true followers of Christ by the Father, with the result of becoming a Son of God. A Son of God is an interesting term. All I could dig up is this scripture. Romans 8:14

 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

It works for me.

…that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is;

At the second coming the Son’s of God will be like him and will see him as he really is. Those that are not Sons of God will not see him as he is. Perhaps because their eyes will be burned out? JK I don’t know. In any event because our purity is like the Saviors we will be able to see him in his true form when he comes.

…that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

The semicolon is very important and I will work from the assumption that it is properly placed according to the wishes of Moroni. The first phrase is defined by the second. Reversing it and removing the semicolon helps.

We may be purified even as he is pure, we may have this hope

At the climax of charity is the hope that we can be as spotless as the Savior eventually.

I truly believe that just loving people is not the zenith of charity. There is something deeper and more personal. Do we have faith enough to make covenants? Do we believe that we can be as pure as the Savior? Do we really see that inside of ourselves? We need to see what it looks like in the first place to apply it. Our fallen state has forever banished us to death but the atonement solves that for us as a free gift. 

What is not free is the character we develop by our own choices. Our character is not a gift and therefore we can take credit for its development. Christ did not make me honest or humble, I did and Christ forgives mistakes because of my imperfection. Christ’s atonement covers our errors but he leaves our weaknesses for us to overcome.

 It is my agency and mine alone that decided to follow Christ. Do I believe that I can continue until I am as pure as the Savior? Not as clean as the Savior. His Grace and Mercy can make me as clean as him but can I become as perfect? I think that is the ultimate charity question. In the words of Neil A. Maxwell, "the true measure of our discipleship is weather we are willing to patiently turn our weaknesses."