Each of us has qualities that we are particularly good at; however, each of us has much room for improvement. There is always some way that we can work to better ourselves. We should be pursuing to be better each and every day. There is always progress to be made.
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 4:1-12, 5:1-22, and 2 Thessalonians 3:1-6, 11 give a large list of attributes and areas that each of us has room for improvement in. These qualities include:
- loving one another and all men
- having holy hearts, blameless before God
- walking with God
- abstaining from fornication
- keeping yourselves clean and pure
- never taking advantage of another
- despising no one
- endeavor earnestly to be in holy places
- work with your own hands
- be honest
- watch for the day of the Lord
- put on the breastplate of faith
- encourage yourselves
- edify one another as you edify yourself
- esteem other's highly
- be at peace among yourselves
- warn them that are unruly
- comfort the feebleminded
- support the weak
- be patient toward all men
- render evil unto no man
- follow that which is good
- rejoice evermore
- pray without ceasing
- in everything, give thanks
- quench not the Spirit
- despise not prophesying's
- examine all things and hold fast to that which is good
- abstain from all appearance of evil
- do the things which the Lord hath commanded of you
- direct your hearts into the love of God
- patiently wait for Christ
- withdraw yourselves from anyone that follows not in the ways of Christ
- don't be a busybody
3 of these attributes that I feel I could be better at would comprise of:
being patient toward all men, having a holy heart; blameless before God, and being honest.
Now it's not like I struggle immensely with these qualities, but I definitely feel like I could be better at them. I would like to go over each one.
Be Patient Toward ALL Men:
Sometimes people will do things that frustrate us, sometimes people can be slow or annoying, but we can't allow ourselves to get impatient. Elder Robert D. Hales says it wonderfully when he says,
"Too often we pray to have patience, but we want it right now."
We need to have patience. I will pray to have more patience, although I may not become the most patient person overnight, if I continue to work on being patient, I will slowly become a more patient person and capable of being patient with all men no matter what they may do. If I find myself getting frustrated and impatient, I will retrieve to a quiet place and pray for peace and help.
Have a Holy Heart, Blameless Before God:
God knows the thoughts and intents of our heart, so we must keep those intents pure and holy. I know at times I can desire for unnecessary and even extravagant things. I need to keep my desires pure and humble. My desires should pertain to holier things. Because God knows all, I need all of my notions to be pure so that I can be found blameless before Him. We must take advantage of the Atonement in order to have pure and holy hearts, because it is only through Christ Jesus that we can be made and found clean at the last day.
David A. Bednar shares another way for us to have a pure heart, saying,
"Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better."
I will strive to better myself every day and in any way that I can. I will strive to keep my thoughts pure and all the desires of my heart clean and humble. I will seek forgiveness for when I am weak and have unholy thoughts and intents, so that I can take advantage of the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ and be found holy and blameless before God.
Be Honest:
We as humans are weak and prone to making mistakes. However, we don't enjoy being viewed as weak, which can cause us to have dishonest behavior. There are times where I am dishonest with my money and spend more than I have. I desire a material matter now and because I feel like I can't wait, I make the excuse that I can pay it back later. And one dishonest behavior can lead to another. Because my husband knows our budget, he may ask me where I got a certain item and if that item is one that caused us to go over budget I may lie about the exact cost of that item or I may hide that item altogether, being the only one aware of its existence. These acts are unhealthy and can lead to more dishonest acts in the future so we must always strive to be honest in all matters.
"All of us can climb high[er] when we honor every form of truth."
-James E. Faust
There are multiple different forms of dishonesty, which is why we need to strive to be honest in all of our works, words, and endeavors. We need to be honest with ourselves and all of our fellow men. I will strive to be honest in every form. I won't speak a lie or act in a way that is dishonest to myself and my beliefs. If I find myself weak, I will pray to God for help and I will keep myself away from things that may entice me. I will let the Savior be my guide and follow after his perfect, honest example.
"People of integrity and honesty not only practice what they preach, they are what they preach. And the Savior stands as the finest example."
-David A. Bednar
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