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His Grace Is Sufficient

9/24/2013

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I wanted to quickly share a talk with you that a friend sent to me a few weeks back. It's one of my favorite talks that I've read and was doubly surprised when I found it featured in this month's edition of the Ensign. And then it was quoted in sacrament meeting on top of that. Perhaps God was trying to hit me over the head saying "LEARN THIS!". Either way, it means a lot to me and I thought that some of you could perhaps benefit from it's message as well. It's entitled "His Grace Is Sufficent" by Brad Wilcox and is absolutely amazing. His Grace Is Sufficient By Brad Wilcox

From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on July 12, 2011. For the full address, visit speeches.byu.edu.

How does God's grace really work? A young woman once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, “Of course. How can I help you?”

She said, “I just don’t get grace.”

I responded, “What is it that you don’t understand?”

She said, “I know I need to do my best, and then Jesus does the rest, but I can’t even do my best.”

I said, “The truth is, Jesus paid our debt in full. He didn’t pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished.”

She said, “Right! Like I don’t have to do anything?”

“Oh, no,” I said, “you have plenty to do, but it is not to pay that debt. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence to be judged. What is left to be determined by our obedience is how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and what degree of glory we plan on receiving.”

Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48; 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 3 Nephi 28:35).

Grace Transforms Us Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.

If the child sees Mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing (“Gosh, Mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other kids have to practice! I’m just going to be a professional baseball player anyway!”), perhaps it is because he doesn’t yet see with Mom’s eyes. He doesn’t see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane.

In the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, He can now turn to us and say: “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19); “Keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we see His requirements as being way too much to ask, maybe it is because we do not yet see through Christ’s eyes. We have not yet comprehended what He is trying to make of us.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change” (The Lord’s Way [1991], 223; emphasis in original). Let’s put that in terms of the child pianist: The child must practice the piano, but this practice has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change.

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but no unchanged thing will even want to.

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Heavenly Father and His Son did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If the Father and the Son did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with no access to His power. If Heavenly Father and His Son did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside us and becoming part of us—part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus didn’t require practice, then we would never become Saints.

Detail from Christ and the Rich Young Ruler, by Heinrich Hofmann, courtesy of C. Harrison Conroy Co.; background iStockphoto/Thinkstock

Grace Helps Us “But don’t you realize how hard it is to practice? I’m just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to get it right.” Now wait. Isn’t that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven?

Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the past, but they continually feel like they are just not good enough. They don’t understand grace.

There should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).

Grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now.

Grace Is Sufficient The grace of Christ is sufficient (see Ether 12:27; D&C 17:8)—sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us for as long as that transformation process takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). As we do, we do not discover—as some Christians believe—that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason He requires so much and find the strength to do all He asks (see Philippians 4:13). Grace is not the absence of God’s high expectations. Grace is the presence of God’s power (see Luke 1:37).

God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus’s grace is sufficient. It is enough. It is all we need. Don’t quit. Keep trying. Don’t look for escapes and excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don’t search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as you do, you will feel the enabling power and divine help we call His amazing grace.

Key Ideas
  • • We are saved through the grace of Christ, who paid the price of our sins.

  • • Our works, such as repentance and keeping the commandments, do not save us, but they are requirements set by the Savior to help transform us.

  • • God’s grace is divine power to help us with all of our shortcomings and is available to us at all times.

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Farewells and Reunions

9/24/2013

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This has been one of the most and least eventful weeks of my mission. Last week marked the end of Sister Meng's mission, and as a result there was a lot of prep work that had to be taken care of this week in order to help her get everything ready to head home. In addition to that, there was a huge clamour among the members in order to grab a chance to feed us this week. We had a dinner every night and a lunch on top of that. Needless to say, I'm still stuffed. Oh, and we have another lunch today as well. I've been joking with Sister Meng that I need to "kill" (the term we use for being the companion of a missionary who is heading home) my companions more often! However, despite all the farewell ado, we had one of our slowest weeks in terms of lessons, finding, etc. We'll be starting this new transfer working from scratch as far as investigators go, but I'm looking forward to it as an opportunity for huge miracles. Either way, lots of prayers. I probably ought to mention that I we received our call last night with my new assignment (area and companion). I'll be staying here in St.Cats this transfer and my MTC companion, Sister Willoughby, will be joining me! I love the people here in St.Cats and I'm happy to continue to serve with them and I'm so glad to be with another Mandarin speaking sister. Continuing to have the opportunity to have my Chinese improve after Sister Meng left has been something I've been praying really hard for, and it's comforting to see prayers answered. Sister Hsiung, the other Mandarin sister, will be staying in Bayview (the Mandarin ward in Toronto) training a new Mandarin speaking sister! It's good to know there are more of us coming.
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Prayers Are Answered!

9/17/2013

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If there has been one thing that has been demonstrated to me full force this week, it's that prayers really are answered! After over a transfers of prayers, and a second transfer of teaching appointments, Krystal, Evelyn, and Joe were baptized this past Friday. Earlier in the week, at the baptismal interviews, Evelyn surprised us by saying she no longer wanted to be baptized and that she wanted to wait until she was 11. We were so shocked and all Sister Meng and I could do was pray that it would all work out and that she would be able to be baptized with her mom and brother that Friday. After A LOT of prayer, we got a text from Krystal the next day saying that Evelyn had changed her mind and that the reason she hadn't wanted to get baptized was because she thought if she got baptized she wouldn't get to meet with us anymore (I don't think she realized that if she hadn't gotten baptized we would've had to drop her as an investigator and that she would have to stop meeting with us anyways...). It was wonderful to see that prayer answered as well. It seemed as if the whole ward showed up for the baptism, we had to move the service into the chapel because there was no way everyone would have fit in the Relief Society room where we usually hold the baptism programs. Yet again, another prayer answered. Then on Sunday, Housen was baptized. We've been praying for just as long that he would progress and be able to accept baptism. To see his growth as he came to believe God exists and strengthen his faith has been amazing. Right before the baptismal program was about to begin, Meng Jiemei and I were really worried since so few people were in attendence. We sped around the church trying to find people who weren't in meetings to attend (ward conference was keeping everyone busy), but we weren't having much luck. It was such a miracle when we ran out of the room to take pictures and when we came back the room had somehow filled with people. However, we were still really concerned because so little food had been brought and we really wanted Housen to feel welcomed to the ward. We decided it really wasn't that important and that there wasn't anything more that we could do, so we went in to start the program. After the program when we went to bring the food out, we were surprised to find that a member had popped into the kitchen during the program and had noticed how little food there was, ran home, and then brought the food that she had at her house in order to make it a warmer welcome to the ward for Housen. Prayer after prayer answered. I am so grateful for the love that God has for each of His children and how He cares about each of us enough to answer our individual prayers. All my love!
Sister Makena Bauss
包爱蕾姐妹
Bao Ailei Jiemei
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Things Be Gettin' Crazy

9/11/2013

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What with last P-day being on Wednesday, this week has flown by! It was a crazy week and it's been almost difficult to keep up with everything! After I wrote last week, my District and I all headed over to Niagara Falls for the day. Sister Meng really wanted to go one last time before she heads home and so we took the day to have fun and enjoy the sites. We had the chance to go behind the falls, something she had really been looking forward to, which was a cool experience. I'd recommend the Maid of the Mist boat ride though, it was better. That night we had a lesson with Krystal and were wonderfully surprised with the news that her son Joe wants to be baptized as well! We were on cloud 9 for the rest of the evening, despite last minute travel plan changes that had us having to drive nearly an hour away to stay at some other sisters' apartment in preparation for Zone Conference the next day. We ended up with six sisters in one apartment for the evening, Sis. Meng and I took the couches, and it was a nice chance to get a feel for how the work is going across the zone. Basically, it was one of those days where you appreciate just how wonderful life as a missionary is. Thursday we had Zone Conference which was amazing as expected. We got to hear from President Scott who gave a really wonderful instruction on the importance of stretching ourselves. If we're comfortable, we aren't growing. It's something I'm trying to put to heart. Every day we should try and find our own personal limits and find ways to extend them, to become even just a little better each day. And if in the process we fail miserably, at least we can tell ourselves that next time will be better and we can continue to push forward. Friday we spent a lot of time doing service, and shout out to my mother, but THANK YOU SO MUCH for being, as I used to say, "a neat freak". I will never say that in a derogatory way again! I'm learning more and more that cleanliness really is next to Godliness. Aren't you proud, mama? Things are going good, Krystal, Evelyn, and Joe will be baptized on Friday and Housen will be baptized on Sunday. Looking forward to a good week and will keep praying that it stays that way!
All my love!
Sister Makena Bauss
包爱蕾姐妹
Bao Ailei Jiemei
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In For The Long Haul

9/6/2013

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Wow, it's been a long week! Finally have made it around to P-day thanks to Labour Day and Zone Conferences. But we survived and miraculously there is still food on the shelves! (I really have got to start planning my food purchases out with more than one week in mind...) Last week, the District went out to Niagara-On-The-Lake, a beautiful town bordered by Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. While we were there a MASSIVE storm hit, and I swear I have never been that close to lightening in my life. In other words, it was awesome! The week went well, we found several new investigators and Krystal and Evelyn are set to be baptized this coming Sunday, with Housen's baptism the week after. It's so rewarding to see the "fruits of our labors" and to watch people's faith grow. We went over to Gilbert's (our recent convert) for dinner last night and the Millar's, another family in the ward, joined us. It's good to see him really getting settled in and feeling like a part of the ward. Fellowshipping is so important! I'm also super excited because Joanna, another recent convert, just got back from China. We haven't seen her yet, but I am so excited to get to see her again on Sunday. Sister Meng and I have missed her! Exciting event of the week, I accidentally set a rat trap off on my hand this week. Don't recommend. But, all's well, and no worries, our apartment doesn't have rats.Also, a man we contacted on the street in Brampton (I was on exchanges with Sister Tofa), was kind enough to inform us that we were crazy to go on missions because when we got back no one would want to marry us and our "ability to birth children would be gone". I think he maybe was getting 18 months confused with 18 years, but either way, at least I've been warned! Even if that was the case, I'd still say it was worth it. The mission is wonderful and even if things get hard at times and I'm stuck outside in the rain all day, there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now!  Keep strong!
Sister Makena Bauss
包爱蕾姐妹
Bao Ailei Jiemei
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    Author

    Makena Bauss is a student at Brigham Young University where she is studying Public Relations and Chinese. She is a returned missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in the Canada Toronto Mission speaking Mandarin Chinese. 

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