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Even as I Am
Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus gave the startling commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Then, after the triumph of the atonement and resurrection, when he had become fully perfected, Jesus Christ amended that proclamation to include "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." In a perceptive and moving exploration of the Savior's personality, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, takes up that challenge. He writes, "With the author's calling to the holy apostleship . . . and the conferring of the solemn duties that go with being a special witness of Jesus Christ. . . . I gladly give full attention to the task. . . . The time to try has come-the time to testify not only of Jesus' transcendent actuality, but also His resplendent personality." Even As I Am examines attribute by attribute the qualities of the Savior that lead us to perfection. "Having marked and shown the path, He, as our risen and tutoring Lord, waits for us lovingly and personally with open arms to usher us into the third estate," Elder Maxwell writes. Even As I Am is an outstanding portrait of Jesus Christ written for all who love the Savior and all who want to know him better.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
22 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Neal A. Maxwell
89 books154 followersNeal A. Maxwell was well known as an Apostle, author, administrator, and educator. A graduate of the University of Utah, he was the Commissioner of Education for the Church Educational System for six years. He also held a variety of administrative and teaching positions at the University of Utah, including that of executive vice-president.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
In 1974 Elder Maxwell was called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve. From 1976 to 1981 he served as member of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy, and in 1981 was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Elder Maxwell has written numerous books on Latter-day Saint themes, including "If Thou Endure It Well"; "Lord, Increase Our Faith"; "That Ye May Believe"; and "Not My Will, But Thine". He and his wife, Colleen Hinckley Maxwell, had four children.
Elder Maxwell died July 21, 2004.
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March 3, 2013
Whether you believe Mormons are nuts and wrong on all counts or believe that, as Christians, we might have some decent ideas about Jesus Christ; all Christians (or even all seekers who wish to know who He was) might benefit from this biblical study of the attributes of Christ.
From Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1926-2004. Served as Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1981-2004.
This book details attributes and characteristics of Jesus Christ, with the idea that if we understand more about our Savior we will be more likely to become more like Him. Below are the most important things I took from this book. As an endnote, my thoughts on it overall, what I learned, etc.
Chp 1: Who Christ Is*
(2) “The only real veneration of Jesus is emulation of Him.” **
(2) “The Greek rendering of the word perfect is finished, complete, fully developed.”
(2) “Striving for excellence (perfection) is not elective.”
(3) “Passive acknowledgement of an aimless and diluted deity does little to improve human condition.”
(6) “Modern revelation dissolves the doubts and distortions about His divinity.”
(7) “Those fed at the miracle of the loaves and fishes have long since gone to their reward, as have also the 10 lepers. However, the same Lord who fed and healed loves us no less, nor is He less powerful than He was 2,000 years ago.”
(9) “There can be no sense of purpose—no lasting purpose—for us that exists apart from His purposes.”
(11) “I find I can do nothing without Him. Yet, alas, how often He can do so little with me.”
Chp 2: Attributes of Christ
(13) “Striving to become like the Father & the Son is more than an optional objective.”
(13) Attributes of Christ:
Love—above all
Knowledge
Power
Justice
Judgment
Kindness
Mercy
Patience
Truth
Humility
Self-denial
Meekness
Submissiveness
Graciousness
Gentleness
Easiness to be entreated
(14) “To strive to be like Him means that we must be genuinely serious about developing these same specific qualities in our own lives: ‘The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his Master.’”
14/15) On perfection***. It will not happen ALL on earth, but because we are commanded to seek perfection, it is POSSIBLE, on earth, at least in our specific spheres (i.e. I can be perfect at brushing my teeth every day;). (but still not perfect as God is perfect.)
(16) “As we ponder having been commanded by Jesus to be like Him, we see that our present circumstance is one in which we are not necessarily wicked, but, rather, is one in which we are so half-hearted and so lacking in enthusiasm for His cause—which is our cause too! We extol but seldom emulate Him. So much power to do good lies within our present circumstances that, alas, goes unused; so many opportunities go ignored that could bring to pass much—not a little—righteousness.”
(17) –He waits for us lovingly, personally, with open arms
-He makes specific demands
-He is also concerned (not only with our sins) with things absent and unaccomplished.
(17) “Patience in tribulation will surely be a premiere virtue in the last days.
(18) LOVE—“He loves us enough to condescend to train us, to help us become what we have the power to become. ...He knows perfectly what we have the possibility to become.”
(18) He does not accept us as we are nor spare us His tough training because of this love.
(19) On how the rich young man refused & lacked…”We too may shrink from such confronting moments, but they will come, and what we lack will be made plainly and painfully clear. We will not be able to say we were not shown and reminded repeatedly.”
(20/21) “Meekness can be a great help to us all in coping with the injustices of life…” Think of how Christ was under pressure.
(22) “…The Lord’s commitment to agency is more than gentleness, and it is not indulgent kindness either. It bespeaks a love that recognizes the reality of how true individual growth actually occurs.”
(23) “Graciousness is a dimension of love.”
(24) “In striving to be more submissive, we must ponder the reality that while Jesus perfected the attribute of obedience, the process involved exquisite suffering.” If Him, why not us?
(24) “Can we-dare we-ask for immunity from the shaping of righteous suffering when there was none for Him? Or exemption from temptation? He will give us exceptional grace, but He will not make us exceptions to the required conditions of the second estate.”
(26) “He not only watches over His sheep today, but prepares them for the morrow.” He may forget our sins, but WE don’t so that we have the memory to shape us and help us redouble our efforts the next time.
(27) “It is one of the hallmarks of human vanity that we assume, because we cannot do something, that God cannot do it, either.”
(30) On His love for each of us: “He is not a passive God who merely watches lights on a cosmic computer screen and presses buttons to implement previously laid plans; He is a personal God who is just, merciful, and kind. His great desire is not to count His creations like so many coins, but to bind up the broken hearts of the inhabitants of each world: sanctification, not quantification, is His work. Has Christ not promised us that, sooner or later, every soul that forsakes sin shall see His face?”
(31) On His Obedience: “Can we, being infinitely less prepared and able, expect to learn obedience in some shortcut way without some suffering?”
(32) “There clearly are certain things to be learned by experience ‘according to the flesh,’ and our Tutor will not hesitate to immerse us in the needed experiences.”
(34/35) “The Lord’s great indignation is kindled when we refuse to keep the two great commandments, which tell us to follow Him & love one another. …because in lacking those attributes, we inflict so much misery upon ourselves and others.”
(36) Christ never leaves us alone. This not only in a strict sense, as in during trial, but also in our training. “He will insistently press upon us the promptings & thoughts and experiences that will be for our good.”
Chapter 3 “Divine Tutorials and/or Trials”
(42) He cares enough to stretch us, in what Elder Maxwell calls “Divine Tutorials,” although He will not stretch us farther than we can bear (but almost to the edge of it sometimes!). I like this description. It is more understandable than “chastening.”
(45) “Even star pupils [like Moses] need lessons.”
(45) The lesson of the warriors of Gideon. “Apparently it is necessary for us, on occasion, to be brought to a white-knuckles point of anxiety so as to be reminded when rescued, of WHO our RESCUER is!”
(46) “We could scarcely face the stern requirements of submissiveness were it not for our knowledge of God’s foreknowledge of our capacity to succeed.”
(49) “Trusting in the Lord is so vital! Yet it is seldom a quality that is fully in place in Jesus’s ‘friends’ at the very beginning.”
(50) “Discerning enough to know all our individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses, He is willing to train us in such a way that those weaknesses can be overcome or can even be made into strengths.”
(52) “We will not understand everything at once, nor all the truths we are taught. Our righteousness and our readiness are determining factors more often than we know as to what we understand.”
(53) “If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given?”
(55) His Grace is sufficient for us all. He understands completely. He will lead us along.
(57) “Our mistakes call forth the moments of reproof and correction that surely come to us, if we are humble enough to receive them.”
(59) “Such is the trust that we need in God’s omniscience, causing us to be entreated, freely into participating in His purposes—and without fretting.”
(62) “Surely, Jesus has given us the model of the leader-servant in which the pattern evokes, ‘How can I help?’ not ‘How can I help myself?’ The leader-servant is perfectly epitomized by Jesus, and if we are to become like Him, so it must be with us.”
(63) “In our personal development, the emery wheel of events can polish us, & the sandpaper of circumstance can smooth us. Too often, when worked upon, we grow fearful instead of being trusting and submissive.”
(66) “When the jarrings and the weariness come, or the sudden shocks, if we can maintain this perspective about tutoring, we can be seen through the difficulties of the moment. Nor should we be surprised if, having passed one test well, another seems to come so quickly.” Yikes.
Chapter 4, On Temptations
(70) The temptations of Christ gave Him the necessary experience to understand us & ours.
(71) Falling once makes falling a second time easier.
(73) “Brooding over temptations can produce self-pity and a false sense of nobility. Prolonged consideration of a temptation only increases the risks.”
(74) Like Christ, immediately reject temptation. Don’t consider it first.
(75) Often, after successfully rejecting temptation, angels come to minister to us.
(77) “We know that the tempter will be completely bound in the Millennium—but we can surely constrain him much sooner, so far as our lives are concerned.”
(78) “He knew & He knows the bearing capacity of His disciples.”
(82) “Divine disclosure matches people’s readiness to receive.”
(83) Fearlessness rests upon righteousness
(87) “With all of our imperfections, if we are humble and meek, we too can be used by Him.”
(89) The imperfections of great men and prophets help us have hope that we can also be of use to God despite ours.
(91) “Our only true peace really consists of that inner peace which comes from keeping His commandments and the assurances He has given us. In this world we are to have tribulation. Even so, He said, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!’ For the faithful there is short-term tribulation but long-term joy. Temptation and trial are part of our toughening trials—the only toughening, by the way, that is also a sweetening.”
(92) “Even in the midst of Enoch’s ‘bitterness of soul’ because of the wickedness of his brethren and their fate, he was told to ‘Be glad and look.’ What did he see which brought comfort? He saw the Son of Man coming ‘in the Meridian of time’ ‘to effect the Atonement.’ Thus, time and time again, we learn that the objective reality over which we are to be of good cheer consists of those fundamentals and basic blessings, such as the unmatched Atonement that are irrevocably in place. The disappointments of the day must not obscure the basic blessings of eternity!... So much of our capacity to ‘do likewise’ rests on our trust in God’s timing, since His love or us is not an issue.”
(93) “The issue for us is trusting God enough to also trust His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best?”
(94) “Jesus always honors those who honor Him.”
(95) “The Lord is near at hand in our hour of greatest need—sometimes dramatically, sometimes quietly.”
Chapter 5, “Be of Good Cheer”
(98) One day at a time.
(98) “God is in charge. God’s plan of happiness is underway; momentary tribulation does not set aside the universal resurrection, which is a reality; individual identity and personality are thereby assured; death has been defeated by Christ’s Atonement, and Satan and his misery-causing minions will finally be defeated.”
(99) “Thus we should not let the gray mists of the moment obscure the bright prospects and promises of eternity. Gospel gladness is a precious, precious perspective—essential to have if one is to keep attitudinal balance while traveling the straight and narrow way. The way is often no more than a path. It inclines sharply, and is strewn with loose rocks. Indeed, there are points along the way to be transversed only on one’s hands and knees.”
(101) “It remains for us…to be of good cheer even when…circumstances seem hopeless. In fact, seemingly sad circumstances may actually reflect implementation, not disintegration! Indeed, the unfolding of God’s purposes may require the collapse of other things. …How often is it necessary for dismantling to occur in order for something better to be put in place?”
(102) “We can hold out if we maintain our perspective and faith.” “He will not give us more than we can bear.”
(108) “If…the doctrines that have to do with our tutorial training seem wintry or bleak, it remains for us to come to understand that even these reflect the kindness and mercy of God.”
(108) “The stern sayings of the Savior, when applied, will bring us to an expanded personal perspective, deeper personal progress, and a very much enriched future. There will be an enlargement of our capacity to love and serve, a capacity that is an unending source of everlasting joy….It will be personal compliance with the difficult doctrines that one day will drench us in eternal joy.”
Chapter 6, A Testimony
(119) “We, who are so forgetful and even rebellious are never forgotten by Him. We are his ‘work’ and His ‘glory,’ and He is never distracted. We are the ‘people’ of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”
--
I promised myself that during the month and a half after the actual physical IV treatments for my breast cancer were finished and before I learned the results of our work to eradicate said cancer I would work on the emotional and spiritual side of my healing. It was very hard to learn that my body, which I take good care of, and which seemed healthy and hearty, was actually not. It took a fairly severe mental/emotional/spiritual toll. While I was undergoing treatment 3 times per week for 12 weeks and still trying to keep up with my reality, I felt I had no real time to sort things out on this side of the experience.
So, just after Christmas, 2012, I made myself a big pile of books that I felt strongly would help me regain my equilibrium and help me learn what God may be trying to teach me from this experience. My goal was to get through more of them than less during that month, but I find Elder Maxwell (and study from the scriptures on the side) so meaty that it has taken me forever to digest. I finished this book a while ago and am deep into another book of Maxwell’s: “All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience” but I haven’t had the time to enter my thoughts on computer.
Many times during the reading of this book I felt that the material was fairly stern and, as Elder Maxwell would say, the doctrine a bit wintry and bleak.
Despite the amazing quotes entered above I felt, especially during the hardest days of the healing process, that Elder Maxwell was telling me to be of good cheer even though this life held not a large possibility of happiness. That our joy should be in the fact that we will be happy hereafter. While it is true that faith in the sublime doctrines of the Gospel and truly believing that God loves me and is watching over me, this teaching didn’t sit right, I distrusted the idea that I may have to expect misery here and wait happiness after decease. It just didn’t seem like that could be all of it. I didn’t believe that happiness was a far-off object.
I realize now (well, I did even then) that it was much the malady talking; the misery of not fully-trusting in the Lord; the uncertainty of healing despite the assurances from the power of the priesthood; the hardship of actually living through the toughest experience of my life so far; the exhaustion of trying to keep home and family functioning and thriving whilst enduring feels of internal coming-apart.
As I’ve entered in these quotes, I can now see clearly that Elder Maxwell was not telling us to make the best of it and try not to be too miserable in our miserable lives and that we’d get our reward some far distant day. He is teaching that it IS hard sometimes and how to turn our hardships into true discipleship.
This is his first book after being called as an Apostle, his effort to testify of his gratitude and willingness to serve in that capacity. I found that he wasn’t always as good at his favorite literary device, alliteration, as he afterward became, sometimes it was rather stilted or convoluted in this book, and sometimes his thoughts seemed tangled. Not that I am any good judge against his far, far superior knowledge, faith, well, all of him as compared with me. Point is, his writing gets better and while never light, easier, perhaps, to follow in future books?
God’s greatest desire is that we should be happy. Of course not happy in sin. But happy in the great gift of life and of this education we’re being given, even when the material is very, very hard to understand and we feel we’ve just failed the exam. The message of this book is to see that in following the example of Christ our Savior we will be better able to be happy even under very trying circumstances. That we will be humble, accept, and learn from God’s divine tutorials.
*Chapter headings are mine, summarizing main theme.
** I can’t remember if the italics are mine or his. Sorry.
***No quotation marks mean my thoughts
From Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 1926-2004. Served as Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1981-2004.
This book details attributes and characteristics of Jesus Christ, with the idea that if we understand more about our Savior we will be more likely to become more like Him. Below are the most important things I took from this book. As an endnote, my thoughts on it overall, what I learned, etc.
Chp 1: Who Christ Is*
(2) “The only real veneration of Jesus is emulation of Him.” **
(2) “The Greek rendering of the word perfect is finished, complete, fully developed.”
(2) “Striving for excellence (perfection) is not elective.”
(3) “Passive acknowledgement of an aimless and diluted deity does little to improve human condition.”
(6) “Modern revelation dissolves the doubts and distortions about His divinity.”
(7) “Those fed at the miracle of the loaves and fishes have long since gone to their reward, as have also the 10 lepers. However, the same Lord who fed and healed loves us no less, nor is He less powerful than He was 2,000 years ago.”
(9) “There can be no sense of purpose—no lasting purpose—for us that exists apart from His purposes.”
(11) “I find I can do nothing without Him. Yet, alas, how often He can do so little with me.”
Chp 2: Attributes of Christ
(13) “Striving to become like the Father & the Son is more than an optional objective.”
(13) Attributes of Christ:
Love—above all
Knowledge
Power
Justice
Judgment
Kindness
Mercy
Patience
Truth
Humility
Self-denial
Meekness
Submissiveness
Graciousness
Gentleness
Easiness to be entreated
(14) “To strive to be like Him means that we must be genuinely serious about developing these same specific qualities in our own lives: ‘The disciple is not above his master: but everyone that is perfect shall be as his Master.’”
14/15) On perfection***. It will not happen ALL on earth, but because we are commanded to seek perfection, it is POSSIBLE, on earth, at least in our specific spheres (i.e. I can be perfect at brushing my teeth every day;). (but still not perfect as God is perfect.)
(16) “As we ponder having been commanded by Jesus to be like Him, we see that our present circumstance is one in which we are not necessarily wicked, but, rather, is one in which we are so half-hearted and so lacking in enthusiasm for His cause—which is our cause too! We extol but seldom emulate Him. So much power to do good lies within our present circumstances that, alas, goes unused; so many opportunities go ignored that could bring to pass much—not a little—righteousness.”
(17) –He waits for us lovingly, personally, with open arms
-He makes specific demands
-He is also concerned (not only with our sins) with things absent and unaccomplished.
(17) “Patience in tribulation will surely be a premiere virtue in the last days.
(18) LOVE—“He loves us enough to condescend to train us, to help us become what we have the power to become. ...He knows perfectly what we have the possibility to become.”
(18) He does not accept us as we are nor spare us His tough training because of this love.
(19) On how the rich young man refused & lacked…”We too may shrink from such confronting moments, but they will come, and what we lack will be made plainly and painfully clear. We will not be able to say we were not shown and reminded repeatedly.”
(20/21) “Meekness can be a great help to us all in coping with the injustices of life…” Think of how Christ was under pressure.
(22) “…The Lord’s commitment to agency is more than gentleness, and it is not indulgent kindness either. It bespeaks a love that recognizes the reality of how true individual growth actually occurs.”
(23) “Graciousness is a dimension of love.”
(24) “In striving to be more submissive, we must ponder the reality that while Jesus perfected the attribute of obedience, the process involved exquisite suffering.” If Him, why not us?
(24) “Can we-dare we-ask for immunity from the shaping of righteous suffering when there was none for Him? Or exemption from temptation? He will give us exceptional grace, but He will not make us exceptions to the required conditions of the second estate.”
(26) “He not only watches over His sheep today, but prepares them for the morrow.” He may forget our sins, but WE don’t so that we have the memory to shape us and help us redouble our efforts the next time.
(27) “It is one of the hallmarks of human vanity that we assume, because we cannot do something, that God cannot do it, either.”
(30) On His love for each of us: “He is not a passive God who merely watches lights on a cosmic computer screen and presses buttons to implement previously laid plans; He is a personal God who is just, merciful, and kind. His great desire is not to count His creations like so many coins, but to bind up the broken hearts of the inhabitants of each world: sanctification, not quantification, is His work. Has Christ not promised us that, sooner or later, every soul that forsakes sin shall see His face?”
(31) On His Obedience: “Can we, being infinitely less prepared and able, expect to learn obedience in some shortcut way without some suffering?”
(32) “There clearly are certain things to be learned by experience ‘according to the flesh,’ and our Tutor will not hesitate to immerse us in the needed experiences.”
(34/35) “The Lord’s great indignation is kindled when we refuse to keep the two great commandments, which tell us to follow Him & love one another. …because in lacking those attributes, we inflict so much misery upon ourselves and others.”
(36) Christ never leaves us alone. This not only in a strict sense, as in during trial, but also in our training. “He will insistently press upon us the promptings & thoughts and experiences that will be for our good.”
Chapter 3 “Divine Tutorials and/or Trials”
(42) He cares enough to stretch us, in what Elder Maxwell calls “Divine Tutorials,” although He will not stretch us farther than we can bear (but almost to the edge of it sometimes!). I like this description. It is more understandable than “chastening.”
(45) “Even star pupils [like Moses] need lessons.”
(45) The lesson of the warriors of Gideon. “Apparently it is necessary for us, on occasion, to be brought to a white-knuckles point of anxiety so as to be reminded when rescued, of WHO our RESCUER is!”
(46) “We could scarcely face the stern requirements of submissiveness were it not for our knowledge of God’s foreknowledge of our capacity to succeed.”
(49) “Trusting in the Lord is so vital! Yet it is seldom a quality that is fully in place in Jesus’s ‘friends’ at the very beginning.”
(50) “Discerning enough to know all our individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses, He is willing to train us in such a way that those weaknesses can be overcome or can even be made into strengths.”
(52) “We will not understand everything at once, nor all the truths we are taught. Our righteousness and our readiness are determining factors more often than we know as to what we understand.”
(53) “If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given?”
(55) His Grace is sufficient for us all. He understands completely. He will lead us along.
(57) “Our mistakes call forth the moments of reproof and correction that surely come to us, if we are humble enough to receive them.”
(59) “Such is the trust that we need in God’s omniscience, causing us to be entreated, freely into participating in His purposes—and without fretting.”
(62) “Surely, Jesus has given us the model of the leader-servant in which the pattern evokes, ‘How can I help?’ not ‘How can I help myself?’ The leader-servant is perfectly epitomized by Jesus, and if we are to become like Him, so it must be with us.”
(63) “In our personal development, the emery wheel of events can polish us, & the sandpaper of circumstance can smooth us. Too often, when worked upon, we grow fearful instead of being trusting and submissive.”
(66) “When the jarrings and the weariness come, or the sudden shocks, if we can maintain this perspective about tutoring, we can be seen through the difficulties of the moment. Nor should we be surprised if, having passed one test well, another seems to come so quickly.” Yikes.
Chapter 4, On Temptations
(70) The temptations of Christ gave Him the necessary experience to understand us & ours.
(71) Falling once makes falling a second time easier.
(73) “Brooding over temptations can produce self-pity and a false sense of nobility. Prolonged consideration of a temptation only increases the risks.”
(74) Like Christ, immediately reject temptation. Don’t consider it first.
(75) Often, after successfully rejecting temptation, angels come to minister to us.
(77) “We know that the tempter will be completely bound in the Millennium—but we can surely constrain him much sooner, so far as our lives are concerned.”
(78) “He knew & He knows the bearing capacity of His disciples.”
(82) “Divine disclosure matches people’s readiness to receive.”
(83) Fearlessness rests upon righteousness
(87) “With all of our imperfections, if we are humble and meek, we too can be used by Him.”
(89) The imperfections of great men and prophets help us have hope that we can also be of use to God despite ours.
(91) “Our only true peace really consists of that inner peace which comes from keeping His commandments and the assurances He has given us. In this world we are to have tribulation. Even so, He said, ‘Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!’ For the faithful there is short-term tribulation but long-term joy. Temptation and trial are part of our toughening trials—the only toughening, by the way, that is also a sweetening.”
(92) “Even in the midst of Enoch’s ‘bitterness of soul’ because of the wickedness of his brethren and their fate, he was told to ‘Be glad and look.’ What did he see which brought comfort? He saw the Son of Man coming ‘in the Meridian of time’ ‘to effect the Atonement.’ Thus, time and time again, we learn that the objective reality over which we are to be of good cheer consists of those fundamentals and basic blessings, such as the unmatched Atonement that are irrevocably in place. The disappointments of the day must not obscure the basic blessings of eternity!... So much of our capacity to ‘do likewise’ rests on our trust in God’s timing, since His love or us is not an issue.”
(93) “The issue for us is trusting God enough to also trust His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best?”
(94) “Jesus always honors those who honor Him.”
(95) “The Lord is near at hand in our hour of greatest need—sometimes dramatically, sometimes quietly.”
Chapter 5, “Be of Good Cheer”
(98) One day at a time.
(98) “God is in charge. God’s plan of happiness is underway; momentary tribulation does not set aside the universal resurrection, which is a reality; individual identity and personality are thereby assured; death has been defeated by Christ’s Atonement, and Satan and his misery-causing minions will finally be defeated.”
(99) “Thus we should not let the gray mists of the moment obscure the bright prospects and promises of eternity. Gospel gladness is a precious, precious perspective—essential to have if one is to keep attitudinal balance while traveling the straight and narrow way. The way is often no more than a path. It inclines sharply, and is strewn with loose rocks. Indeed, there are points along the way to be transversed only on one’s hands and knees.”
(101) “It remains for us…to be of good cheer even when…circumstances seem hopeless. In fact, seemingly sad circumstances may actually reflect implementation, not disintegration! Indeed, the unfolding of God’s purposes may require the collapse of other things. …How often is it necessary for dismantling to occur in order for something better to be put in place?”
(102) “We can hold out if we maintain our perspective and faith.” “He will not give us more than we can bear.”
(108) “If…the doctrines that have to do with our tutorial training seem wintry or bleak, it remains for us to come to understand that even these reflect the kindness and mercy of God.”
(108) “The stern sayings of the Savior, when applied, will bring us to an expanded personal perspective, deeper personal progress, and a very much enriched future. There will be an enlargement of our capacity to love and serve, a capacity that is an unending source of everlasting joy….It will be personal compliance with the difficult doctrines that one day will drench us in eternal joy.”
Chapter 6, A Testimony
(119) “We, who are so forgetful and even rebellious are never forgotten by Him. We are his ‘work’ and His ‘glory,’ and He is never distracted. We are the ‘people’ of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”
--
I promised myself that during the month and a half after the actual physical IV treatments for my breast cancer were finished and before I learned the results of our work to eradicate said cancer I would work on the emotional and spiritual side of my healing. It was very hard to learn that my body, which I take good care of, and which seemed healthy and hearty, was actually not. It took a fairly severe mental/emotional/spiritual toll. While I was undergoing treatment 3 times per week for 12 weeks and still trying to keep up with my reality, I felt I had no real time to sort things out on this side of the experience.
So, just after Christmas, 2012, I made myself a big pile of books that I felt strongly would help me regain my equilibrium and help me learn what God may be trying to teach me from this experience. My goal was to get through more of them than less during that month, but I find Elder Maxwell (and study from the scriptures on the side) so meaty that it has taken me forever to digest. I finished this book a while ago and am deep into another book of Maxwell’s: “All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience” but I haven’t had the time to enter my thoughts on computer.
Many times during the reading of this book I felt that the material was fairly stern and, as Elder Maxwell would say, the doctrine a bit wintry and bleak.
Despite the amazing quotes entered above I felt, especially during the hardest days of the healing process, that Elder Maxwell was telling me to be of good cheer even though this life held not a large possibility of happiness. That our joy should be in the fact that we will be happy hereafter. While it is true that faith in the sublime doctrines of the Gospel and truly believing that God loves me and is watching over me, this teaching didn’t sit right, I distrusted the idea that I may have to expect misery here and wait happiness after decease. It just didn’t seem like that could be all of it. I didn’t believe that happiness was a far-off object.
I realize now (well, I did even then) that it was much the malady talking; the misery of not fully-trusting in the Lord; the uncertainty of healing despite the assurances from the power of the priesthood; the hardship of actually living through the toughest experience of my life so far; the exhaustion of trying to keep home and family functioning and thriving whilst enduring feels of internal coming-apart.
As I’ve entered in these quotes, I can now see clearly that Elder Maxwell was not telling us to make the best of it and try not to be too miserable in our miserable lives and that we’d get our reward some far distant day. He is teaching that it IS hard sometimes and how to turn our hardships into true discipleship.
This is his first book after being called as an Apostle, his effort to testify of his gratitude and willingness to serve in that capacity. I found that he wasn’t always as good at his favorite literary device, alliteration, as he afterward became, sometimes it was rather stilted or convoluted in this book, and sometimes his thoughts seemed tangled. Not that I am any good judge against his far, far superior knowledge, faith, well, all of him as compared with me. Point is, his writing gets better and while never light, easier, perhaps, to follow in future books?
God’s greatest desire is that we should be happy. Of course not happy in sin. But happy in the great gift of life and of this education we’re being given, even when the material is very, very hard to understand and we feel we’ve just failed the exam. The message of this book is to see that in following the example of Christ our Savior we will be better able to be happy even under very trying circumstances. That we will be humble, accept, and learn from God’s divine tutorials.
*Chapter headings are mine, summarizing main theme.
** I can’t remember if the italics are mine or his. Sorry.
***No quotation marks mean my thoughts
July 17, 2015
I love reading Elder Maxwell’s words. This is a book of testimony and doctrine and encouragement and a reminder of the importance of knowing and becoming like Jesus Christ. For some reason my e-book froze up on the last few pages, so I'll have to find a paper copy to read the last part of Elder Maxwell's testimony of Christ. I'm grateful for his words. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
Preface
“Jesus clearly had the unique capacity of being able to respond truthfully to inquiries and circumstances in a manner that addressed the immediate audience as well as the needs of eventual audiences. On occasion, He said things that might have seemed stern, even harsh, at the moment in order to teach an eternal truth.”
Eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus
“In a permissive society that is increasingly unconcerned with virtue, it is even more unusual to testify in apostolic affirmation of the clear requirement that the Father and Jesus have undeniably laid upon us mortals; to strive, individually, to become like them.”
“Most of the message of the holy scriptures concerns the nature, character, and attributes of God and His Son, Jesus Christ: ‘I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.’”
“The only real veneration of Jesus is emulation of Him. Indeed, striving to become like Him is a special way of bearing and sharing our testimony of Him.”
“None of the divine data given to us about the Father and the Son are provided merely to give us an interesting theological backdrop for our mortal musings. The revelation of Jesus Christ is so much more relevant and demanding of us than that.”
“Striving for this excellence is not an elective....the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, ‘a correct idea of [God’s] character, perfections, and attributes’ is necessary to the development and exercise of true faith in God. Vagueness about the true nature of God—‘what’ we worship—has taken a terrible toll in the world. Such vagueness subtly feeds faithlessness and adds to the sense of purposelessness that needlessly permeates so many lives.”
“Sincere followership of the living God—who urges us to be like Him in love, justice, kindness, mercy, and purity—can redeem both the individual and mankind.”
“Christ operates not only through an organized church, but also through priesthood keys of authority, circumspectly honoring those who held certain keys in previous dispensations.”
“The Lord’s plan of salvation is not a set of floor plans for a new house that we as clients can modify or reject. The Architect is not our employee, but our Host, even the Lord of Hosts; He is not only our Landlord, He is also our Lord!”
“We are, nevertheless, at the center of God’s eternal purposes, for He has told us what His work and His glory consist of.”
“I find I can do nothing without Him.”
Even As I Am
“Like His Father, Jesus is perfect in love, knowledge, power, justice, judgment, kindness, mercy, patience, and truth.”
“The capacity to love is at the very center of the two great commandments.”
“To strive to be like Him means that we must be genuinely serious about developing these same specific qualities in our own lives....earnestly, seriously, and constantly seek to be like Jesus.”
“Being valiant in our testimony of Jesus actually means, therefore, striving to become like Him.”
“Likewise, as we examine Christ’s capacity to love, we observe the fact that He loves us enough to condescend to train us, to help us become what we have the power to become, which is so very much more than we now are.”
“Jesus’ love consists of active restraint as well as pressing encouragement.”
“Their love is a pressing love that seeks to correct our folly; it is a determined love that can create an uncomfortable and godly sorrow in us.”
“In that premortal council, when Jesus meekly volunteered, saying, ‘Here am I, send me,’ it was one of those significant moments when a few words are preferred to many. Never has one individual offered, in so few words, to do so much for so many as did Jesus when he meekly proffered Himself as ransom for all of us, billions and billions of us!”
“The Lord’s commitment to agency is more than gentleness, and it is not indulgent kindness either.”
“Jesus never doubted His power, but He was never confused about its source, either.”
“The straight and narrow path is neither a freeway nor an escalator. There can be no excellence without effort, and no true love without service.”
“He not only watches over His sheep today, but prepares them for the morrow.”
“We cannot possibly appreciate the majesty and the complexity of the ongoing duties of galactic governance that rest upon Jesus Christ; but as the Shepherd, He did not merely create other worlds and then abandon them. Even so, as the omniscient Creator, He does not rush to tell us things about these other worlds that we neither need to know nor could appreciate. Instead, what He tells us is what we need to know, including that which can reinforce us in our spiritual determination. As immensely important as the truths about the physical universe are, they are not now that which we most need to know. Nephi had the proper sense of proportion: ‘I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.’”
“At the gate to heaven, Christ, the King of kings, waits for us with open arms. He awaits not only to certify us, but also to bestow a Shepherd’s divine affection upon His sheep as we come Home. The reality that, if we are worthy, we should one day be so warmly received by the Lord of lords and King of kings is marvelous beyond comprehension! Yet He cannot fully receive us until we fully follow Him. His love for us is unconditional and perfect, but ours for Him is clearly not….He knows our weakness, but, mercifully, He also knows how to succor us as we seek to cope with them.”
“The conditions upon which true joy are based (joy such as He has) are fixed and cannot be altered. It is merely a question of whether or not we wish to come to terms with those conditions—now or later. It is a decision in which, in the justness of God, we are the sole determinants.”
“’Come unto Christ, and be perfect in him (Moroni 10:32).’”
Ye Are My Friends
“Jesus generously described His true followers as His friends…. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’”
“The manner in which Jesus gives us our individual training indicates He does this work in many ways in order to save and to improve people.”
“The most advanced disciples—far from being immune from further instruction—experience even deeper and more constant tutorials.”
“Submissiveness involves an invitation to come to grips with reality—to come into harmony with ‘things as they really are.’ Only then, proceeding from where one now is, can genuine spiritual progress be made.”
“Apparently it is necessary for us on occasion to be brought to a white-knuckles point of anxiety so as to be reminded, when rescued, of who our Rescuer is!”
“God’s love balances justice and mercy in divine due process.”
“We express our desires out of an imperfect perception, and upon learning the Father’s desires, we yield to His eternal perspective and purposes. It is the only surrender that is also a victory!”
“The Lord’s proven leaders, hav[e] ‘in process of time’ gained confidence in their capacity to do whatever the Lord asked them to do.”
“If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given, including patiently awaiting the data from our first estate that will illuminate the imponderables of our second estate?”
“Knowledge, in its fullness, will not only induce genuine effort to learn all we can about truth, especially saving truths while in this second estate, but must also wait upon the restoration of our premortal memories and such other bestowals as may accompany our resurrected status. But meanwhile, we cannot be disdainful of gaining more knowledge or be careless in our use of present power.”
“He will lead us along, giving us here a little, there a little. He knows perfectly our bearing capacity as well as our individual distances yet to be traveled. Jesus’ kindness and concern for His disciples can be noticed in His efforts to help them establish a wise pace even in their diligence. The wise use of time helps to fit us for eternity.”
“There are associational costs of discipleship.”
“Being now limited in our information and limited in our perception, it is a good time to trust God!”
“We can scarcely be expected to understand everything in the sculpting of our souls.”
“As one ponders attributes like meekness and humility, he cannot help but observe how much of our mortality is spent in rearranging the furniture of our relationships and in interminable organizational shufflings because of ego rather than for genuine improvement.”
“If we truly want the best for our sons and daughters, we would want for them—not status—but more meekness, mercy, love, patience, and submissiveness.”
“Can we expect to become like Him, given our imperfections, unless we can learn to accept and apply needed reproof and correction? How essential our capacity to receive correction and reproof is, for ‘he that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.’ Deserved self-esteem depends upon our meekness.”
“Too often we behave as if we were in massive competition with others for God’s love. But we have His love, unconditionally and universally; it is our love of Him that remains to be proven, such as through service to others. Magnanimity, after all, arises from meekness. We are often overly concerned, for instance, with our acquiring or holding turf, when in fact, we are urged instead to let go of the things of this world. Any possessiveness for the things of this world is a wasted effort, for it is obviously on a collision course with reality. One’s claims to turf will have no legal status in the kingdom of heaven anyway. It is, for example, our degree of attained meekness and patience—not our title to property or position—that will ‘rise with us in the resurrection’ and will live on.”
“God’s tutoring of us is relentless even in its gradualness.”
“While the Master repeatedly said that we are to follow in His footsteps, it is not as if we were headed toward some geographical destination but, rather, toward a developmental destination.”
Go, and Do Thou Likewise
“Becoming like Jesus Christ requires doing the things He did.”
“Just as personal goodness in mortality consists of accumulating service rather than a single act, so temptation is not a one-time thing either. The points of our personal vulnerability, as Satan cunningly observes them, will be exploited....Therefore, our challenge is to do as Jesus did—first, to resist temptation by giving it ‘no heed.’”
“Power and authority and position, as Jesus taught and showed us, are not to be misused by us for personal gain or self-gratification.”
“We know the tempter will be completely bound in the Millennium—but we can surely constrain him much sooner, so far as our lives our concerned.”
“Jesus knew the value of silence.”
“Jesus’ fearlessness rested upon His righteousness; therein lay His sole security. The powers of heaven were His only insofar as He remained as He did—righteous. It is the same with us.”
“There was divine determination in Him to do what He had been asked to do, and to do it fearlessly.”
“Jesus’ fearlessness, however, was accompanied by gentleness.”
“For the humble, knowing accurately what God is like facilitates genuine belief.”
“God’s generosity toward us is not to be expressed by the dilution of the demands of duty that He lays upon us. Where much is given, much is expected.”
“God’s mercy and generosity have to do with what happens as we fail, not with insuring the absence of failures simply because the demands made were too light. Besides, how could there be real sanctification without real consecration?”
“‘Give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.��”
“Our joy depends upon the degree to which we are like Him and serve as He did, even amid trial.”
“So much of our capacity to do ‘likewise’ rests on our trust in God’s timing.”
Be of Good Cheer
“God’s promises to us are so rich that even difficult tactical circumstances cannot conceal our causes for genuine cheerfulness: God is in charge; God’s plan of happiness is underway; momentary tribulation does not set aside the universal resurrection, which is a reality; individual identity and personality are thereby assured; death has been defeated by Christ’s atonement; and Satan and his misery-causing minions will finally be defeated.”
“Thus we should not let the gray mists of the moment obscure the bright promises and prospects of eternity. Gospel gladness is a precious, precious perspective—essential to have, if one is to keep his attitudinal balance while traveling the straight and narrow way...Indeed, there are points along the way to be traversed only on one’s hands and knees.”
“Jesus was of good cheer because then current conditions did not alter His sources of ultimate joy. Are not our fundamental sources of joy the same as His?”
“It remains for us, therefore, to be of good cheer even when, as was the case with the original Twelve, current circumstances seem hopeless. In fact, seemingly sad circumstances may actually reflect implementation, not disintegration. Indeed, the unfolding of God’s purposes may require the collapse of other things. How often is it necessary for dismantling to occur in order for something better to be put in place?”
“Yet, though surrounded by proximate sadness, Moroni knew those ultimate reasons he had for being of good cheer. So it was that he testified of Christ and maintained his spiritual poise to the very end.”
“The Lord’s cure for poverty is the only real cure available, but to be completely effective, it must be done in His own way....The scarcity lies not in material resources, but in the love of men toward their fellowmen and in our lack of justice and mercy.”
“The Lord takes no pleasure in poverty. Yet, without devotion to Him and His commandments, there will be poverty. Jesus foresaw how persistent poverty would be, and how long the poor would be with us.”
Preface
“Jesus clearly had the unique capacity of being able to respond truthfully to inquiries and circumstances in a manner that addressed the immediate audience as well as the needs of eventual audiences. On occasion, He said things that might have seemed stern, even harsh, at the moment in order to teach an eternal truth.”
Eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus
“In a permissive society that is increasingly unconcerned with virtue, it is even more unusual to testify in apostolic affirmation of the clear requirement that the Father and Jesus have undeniably laid upon us mortals; to strive, individually, to become like them.”
“Most of the message of the holy scriptures concerns the nature, character, and attributes of God and His Son, Jesus Christ: ‘I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.’”
“The only real veneration of Jesus is emulation of Him. Indeed, striving to become like Him is a special way of bearing and sharing our testimony of Him.”
“None of the divine data given to us about the Father and the Son are provided merely to give us an interesting theological backdrop for our mortal musings. The revelation of Jesus Christ is so much more relevant and demanding of us than that.”
“Striving for this excellence is not an elective....the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, ‘a correct idea of [God’s] character, perfections, and attributes’ is necessary to the development and exercise of true faith in God. Vagueness about the true nature of God—‘what’ we worship—has taken a terrible toll in the world. Such vagueness subtly feeds faithlessness and adds to the sense of purposelessness that needlessly permeates so many lives.”
“Sincere followership of the living God—who urges us to be like Him in love, justice, kindness, mercy, and purity—can redeem both the individual and mankind.”
“Christ operates not only through an organized church, but also through priesthood keys of authority, circumspectly honoring those who held certain keys in previous dispensations.”
“The Lord’s plan of salvation is not a set of floor plans for a new house that we as clients can modify or reject. The Architect is not our employee, but our Host, even the Lord of Hosts; He is not only our Landlord, He is also our Lord!”
“We are, nevertheless, at the center of God’s eternal purposes, for He has told us what His work and His glory consist of.”
“I find I can do nothing without Him.”
Even As I Am
“Like His Father, Jesus is perfect in love, knowledge, power, justice, judgment, kindness, mercy, patience, and truth.”
“The capacity to love is at the very center of the two great commandments.”
“To strive to be like Him means that we must be genuinely serious about developing these same specific qualities in our own lives....earnestly, seriously, and constantly seek to be like Jesus.”
“Being valiant in our testimony of Jesus actually means, therefore, striving to become like Him.”
“Likewise, as we examine Christ’s capacity to love, we observe the fact that He loves us enough to condescend to train us, to help us become what we have the power to become, which is so very much more than we now are.”
“Jesus’ love consists of active restraint as well as pressing encouragement.”
“Their love is a pressing love that seeks to correct our folly; it is a determined love that can create an uncomfortable and godly sorrow in us.”
“In that premortal council, when Jesus meekly volunteered, saying, ‘Here am I, send me,’ it was one of those significant moments when a few words are preferred to many. Never has one individual offered, in so few words, to do so much for so many as did Jesus when he meekly proffered Himself as ransom for all of us, billions and billions of us!”
“The Lord’s commitment to agency is more than gentleness, and it is not indulgent kindness either.”
“Jesus never doubted His power, but He was never confused about its source, either.”
“The straight and narrow path is neither a freeway nor an escalator. There can be no excellence without effort, and no true love without service.”
“He not only watches over His sheep today, but prepares them for the morrow.”
“We cannot possibly appreciate the majesty and the complexity of the ongoing duties of galactic governance that rest upon Jesus Christ; but as the Shepherd, He did not merely create other worlds and then abandon them. Even so, as the omniscient Creator, He does not rush to tell us things about these other worlds that we neither need to know nor could appreciate. Instead, what He tells us is what we need to know, including that which can reinforce us in our spiritual determination. As immensely important as the truths about the physical universe are, they are not now that which we most need to know. Nephi had the proper sense of proportion: ‘I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.’”
“At the gate to heaven, Christ, the King of kings, waits for us with open arms. He awaits not only to certify us, but also to bestow a Shepherd’s divine affection upon His sheep as we come Home. The reality that, if we are worthy, we should one day be so warmly received by the Lord of lords and King of kings is marvelous beyond comprehension! Yet He cannot fully receive us until we fully follow Him. His love for us is unconditional and perfect, but ours for Him is clearly not….He knows our weakness, but, mercifully, He also knows how to succor us as we seek to cope with them.”
“The conditions upon which true joy are based (joy such as He has) are fixed and cannot be altered. It is merely a question of whether or not we wish to come to terms with those conditions—now or later. It is a decision in which, in the justness of God, we are the sole determinants.”
“’Come unto Christ, and be perfect in him (Moroni 10:32).’”
Ye Are My Friends
“Jesus generously described His true followers as His friends…. ‘Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’”
“The manner in which Jesus gives us our individual training indicates He does this work in many ways in order to save and to improve people.”
“The most advanced disciples—far from being immune from further instruction—experience even deeper and more constant tutorials.”
“Submissiveness involves an invitation to come to grips with reality—to come into harmony with ‘things as they really are.’ Only then, proceeding from where one now is, can genuine spiritual progress be made.”
“Apparently it is necessary for us on occasion to be brought to a white-knuckles point of anxiety so as to be reminded, when rescued, of who our Rescuer is!”
“God’s love balances justice and mercy in divine due process.”
“We express our desires out of an imperfect perception, and upon learning the Father’s desires, we yield to His eternal perspective and purposes. It is the only surrender that is also a victory!”
“The Lord’s proven leaders, hav[e] ‘in process of time’ gained confidence in their capacity to do whatever the Lord asked them to do.”
“If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given, including patiently awaiting the data from our first estate that will illuminate the imponderables of our second estate?”
“Knowledge, in its fullness, will not only induce genuine effort to learn all we can about truth, especially saving truths while in this second estate, but must also wait upon the restoration of our premortal memories and such other bestowals as may accompany our resurrected status. But meanwhile, we cannot be disdainful of gaining more knowledge or be careless in our use of present power.”
“He will lead us along, giving us here a little, there a little. He knows perfectly our bearing capacity as well as our individual distances yet to be traveled. Jesus’ kindness and concern for His disciples can be noticed in His efforts to help them establish a wise pace even in their diligence. The wise use of time helps to fit us for eternity.”
“There are associational costs of discipleship.”
“Being now limited in our information and limited in our perception, it is a good time to trust God!”
“We can scarcely be expected to understand everything in the sculpting of our souls.”
“As one ponders attributes like meekness and humility, he cannot help but observe how much of our mortality is spent in rearranging the furniture of our relationships and in interminable organizational shufflings because of ego rather than for genuine improvement.”
“If we truly want the best for our sons and daughters, we would want for them—not status—but more meekness, mercy, love, patience, and submissiveness.”
“Can we expect to become like Him, given our imperfections, unless we can learn to accept and apply needed reproof and correction? How essential our capacity to receive correction and reproof is, for ‘he that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.’ Deserved self-esteem depends upon our meekness.”
“Too often we behave as if we were in massive competition with others for God’s love. But we have His love, unconditionally and universally; it is our love of Him that remains to be proven, such as through service to others. Magnanimity, after all, arises from meekness. We are often overly concerned, for instance, with our acquiring or holding turf, when in fact, we are urged instead to let go of the things of this world. Any possessiveness for the things of this world is a wasted effort, for it is obviously on a collision course with reality. One’s claims to turf will have no legal status in the kingdom of heaven anyway. It is, for example, our degree of attained meekness and patience—not our title to property or position—that will ‘rise with us in the resurrection’ and will live on.”
“God’s tutoring of us is relentless even in its gradualness.”
“While the Master repeatedly said that we are to follow in His footsteps, it is not as if we were headed toward some geographical destination but, rather, toward a developmental destination.”
Go, and Do Thou Likewise
“Becoming like Jesus Christ requires doing the things He did.”
“Just as personal goodness in mortality consists of accumulating service rather than a single act, so temptation is not a one-time thing either. The points of our personal vulnerability, as Satan cunningly observes them, will be exploited....Therefore, our challenge is to do as Jesus did—first, to resist temptation by giving it ‘no heed.’”
“Power and authority and position, as Jesus taught and showed us, are not to be misused by us for personal gain or self-gratification.”
“We know the tempter will be completely bound in the Millennium—but we can surely constrain him much sooner, so far as our lives our concerned.”
“Jesus knew the value of silence.”
“Jesus’ fearlessness rested upon His righteousness; therein lay His sole security. The powers of heaven were His only insofar as He remained as He did—righteous. It is the same with us.”
“There was divine determination in Him to do what He had been asked to do, and to do it fearlessly.”
“Jesus’ fearlessness, however, was accompanied by gentleness.”
“For the humble, knowing accurately what God is like facilitates genuine belief.”
“God’s generosity toward us is not to be expressed by the dilution of the demands of duty that He lays upon us. Where much is given, much is expected.”
“God’s mercy and generosity have to do with what happens as we fail, not with insuring the absence of failures simply because the demands made were too light. Besides, how could there be real sanctification without real consecration?”
“‘Give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.��”
“Our joy depends upon the degree to which we are like Him and serve as He did, even amid trial.”
“So much of our capacity to do ‘likewise’ rests on our trust in God’s timing.”
Be of Good Cheer
“God’s promises to us are so rich that even difficult tactical circumstances cannot conceal our causes for genuine cheerfulness: God is in charge; God’s plan of happiness is underway; momentary tribulation does not set aside the universal resurrection, which is a reality; individual identity and personality are thereby assured; death has been defeated by Christ’s atonement; and Satan and his misery-causing minions will finally be defeated.”
“Thus we should not let the gray mists of the moment obscure the bright promises and prospects of eternity. Gospel gladness is a precious, precious perspective—essential to have, if one is to keep his attitudinal balance while traveling the straight and narrow way...Indeed, there are points along the way to be traversed only on one’s hands and knees.”
“Jesus was of good cheer because then current conditions did not alter His sources of ultimate joy. Are not our fundamental sources of joy the same as His?”
“It remains for us, therefore, to be of good cheer even when, as was the case with the original Twelve, current circumstances seem hopeless. In fact, seemingly sad circumstances may actually reflect implementation, not disintegration. Indeed, the unfolding of God’s purposes may require the collapse of other things. How often is it necessary for dismantling to occur in order for something better to be put in place?”
“Yet, though surrounded by proximate sadness, Moroni knew those ultimate reasons he had for being of good cheer. So it was that he testified of Christ and maintained his spiritual poise to the very end.”
“The Lord’s cure for poverty is the only real cure available, but to be completely effective, it must be done in His own way....The scarcity lies not in material resources, but in the love of men toward their fellowmen and in our lack of justice and mercy.”
“The Lord takes no pleasure in poverty. Yet, without devotion to Him and His commandments, there will be poverty. Jesus foresaw how persistent poverty would be, and how long the poor would be with us.”
February 27, 2009
I think his books are just really hard to read in general. It was hard to get through it and it seemed to jump around a lot. If you can figure it out, I think he has a lot of great things to say, but it will take a lot of work it dicipher it.
June 26, 2008
One of my all-time, lifetime, bedrock favorite, favorite books. A wonderful testimony of Christ written in the poetic, beautiful style hallmark of Neal Maxwell. LOVE IT!
June 13, 2015
council that once again gave plenty to reflect on.
June 22, 2021
Like many other books by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, there are some really great gems of spiritual insight in this book, but as I read it I sometimes had a hard time following his train of through because to me the book doesn't feel like it flows very well. Each chapter feels sort of like a jumble of more or less loosely connected thoughts that are vaguely connected via the title of the chapter.
There are some great truths about Jesus Christ and his restored gospel to be mined in these relatively few pages, but the way Elder Maxwell writes requires a lot of mental effort from the reader to follow what he is saying and understand it. It is also hard to remember what you just read because as you read it seems like he is changing subjects frequently and hopping like a bird from one branch of thought to the next. You may need to refer to a dictionary to understand some words. As always, his testimony of the Savior was edifying.
There are some great truths about Jesus Christ and his restored gospel to be mined in these relatively few pages, but the way Elder Maxwell writes requires a lot of mental effort from the reader to follow what he is saying and understand it. It is also hard to remember what you just read because as you read it seems like he is changing subjects frequently and hopping like a bird from one branch of thought to the next. You may need to refer to a dictionary to understand some words. As always, his testimony of the Savior was edifying.
November 22, 2024
I’m not going to write a whole long review. One reason is how can I review the words of Maxwell? He is so deep and eloquent in his writing I wouldn’t do it justice. But I do like his style.
I just want to quote what he said on the very last page. The last chapter is his testimony outlining really who Christ is and all he feels about Him. He says “I witness that He lives—with all that those simple words imply—knowing that I will be held accountable for this testimony; but, as readers, you are now accountable for my witness…”
That is a sobering thought. One that we don’t think of until he mentions it after we have read the book. But we will also be held accountable for our own testimonies. Something to ponder.
I love the writing of Elder Maxwell and look forward to diving into another one of his books doctrine!
I just want to quote what he said on the very last page. The last chapter is his testimony outlining really who Christ is and all he feels about Him. He says “I witness that He lives—with all that those simple words imply—knowing that I will be held accountable for this testimony; but, as readers, you are now accountable for my witness…”
That is a sobering thought. One that we don’t think of until he mentions it after we have read the book. But we will also be held accountable for our own testimonies. Something to ponder.
I love the writing of Elder Maxwell and look forward to diving into another one of his books doctrine!
August 26, 2023
Another excellent book by Elder Maxwell. I often have to stop and re-read what he write. He has this ability to write in such a way that has incredible depth while making points accessible to all who are willing to ponder his words.
June 29, 2018
“Readers, you are now accountable for my witness.” - Neal A. Maxwell, last page. And such a weighty, beautiful, and inspiring witness!
September 18, 2018
I love Elder Maxwell’s language and description of Christ. This book is motivating and hopeful at the same time. It made me think of things in a new way.
December 25, 2020
An excellent testimony of the personality of Jesus Christ.
April 9, 2022
can't go wrong with the Maxwell lit - always strong content
July 11, 2024
Tough read, but worthwhile.
September 6, 2024
Maxwell is a personal favorite.
February 25, 2015
Maxwell's writing style always gives me a lot to think about. There were certain sentences and paragraphs I read repeatedly because they condensed so much thought into so few words. I loved this look at what Christ is saying when He commands us to perfect, even as He is. Although I won't reach a complete, whole, perfect state in this life, learning about the life of Christ and emulating it to the best of my ability is where I must start.
I have been particularly pondering the idea of being "of good cheer" despite, and within, the hardships of life, and so I was quite interested in that chapter in particular. "But as to other forms of pain [besides sin] that are common part and parcel of the human experience--from these there can be no full immunity. The cares of the world that, on occasion, can rob us of cheerfulness are certainly real cares, but they are not lasting care; they pass with the passing of this world. Like the pleasures of the world, the cares of the world are fleeting" (p 104). I've been thinking of how much being of good cheer is vastly different than putting on a happy face; being of good cheer is inseparably entwined with hope and faith.
The whole book was good, ending with a powerful testimony of Jesus as the Christ, our Savior, exemplar, and friend.
I have been particularly pondering the idea of being "of good cheer" despite, and within, the hardships of life, and so I was quite interested in that chapter in particular. "But as to other forms of pain [besides sin] that are common part and parcel of the human experience--from these there can be no full immunity. The cares of the world that, on occasion, can rob us of cheerfulness are certainly real cares, but they are not lasting care; they pass with the passing of this world. Like the pleasures of the world, the cares of the world are fleeting" (p 104). I've been thinking of how much being of good cheer is vastly different than putting on a happy face; being of good cheer is inseparably entwined with hope and faith.
The whole book was good, ending with a powerful testimony of Jesus as the Christ, our Savior, exemplar, and friend.
July 16, 2008
It was good, I mean, it's Neal A. Maxwell. I suppose I was expecting a bit more than it offered because it was described as Elder Maxwell's "Jesus the Christ." Which it certainly wasn't. But it did offer plenty of good insight and he bore a beautiful and powerful testimony at the end. There is no doubt that the man new Christ in this life and anyone will only benefit from reading his words.
A few of my favorite lines:
"Perhaps these divine tutorials carry such a high priority because the more we are fully developed here, the more chores and opportunities that, without growth through tutoring, simply could not be entrusted to us. Perhaps, too, what seems stern, even harsh, as a required experience is merely the necessary crust around the sweetbread of spiritual progress."
"If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given?"
"The unfolding of God's purposes may require the collapse of other things."
A few of my favorite lines:
"Perhaps these divine tutorials carry such a high priority because the more we are fully developed here, the more chores and opportunities that, without growth through tutoring, simply could not be entrusted to us. Perhaps, too, what seems stern, even harsh, as a required experience is merely the necessary crust around the sweetbread of spiritual progress."
"If we can trust the answers God has already given, why not the answers yet to be given?"
"The unfolding of God's purposes may require the collapse of other things."
March 27, 2015
Favorite quotes: "The Father and Son desire to lead us through love, for if we were merely driven where They wish us to go, we would not be worthy to be there, and surely we could not stay there. They are Shepherds, not Sheepherders."
"The most advanced disciples-far from being immune from further instruction-experience even deeper and more constant tutorials." "We should never use the imperfections of another as an excuse not to address our own imperfections." "The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best?" "Someday, when we look back on mortality, we will see that so many of the things that seemed to matter so much at the moment will be seen not to have mattered at all. And the eternal things will be seen to have mattered even more than the most faithful of the Saints imagined."
"The most advanced disciples-far from being immune from further instruction-experience even deeper and more constant tutorials." "We should never use the imperfections of another as an excuse not to address our own imperfections." "The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe He has our welfare at heart, may we not let His plans unfold as He thinks best?" "Someday, when we look back on mortality, we will see that so many of the things that seemed to matter so much at the moment will be seen not to have mattered at all. And the eternal things will be seen to have mattered even more than the most faithful of the Saints imagined."
April 10, 2013
Neal A. Maxwell makes a serious study of the Savior’s ministry based upon the Lord’s injunction that we mold ourselves in to disciples who are perfect, even as the Father is (Matthew 5:48) or as stated by the resurrected Lord, “Even as I am” (3 Nephi 27:27).
In his survey of the Lord’s characteristics, he ably probes to the pointed particulars of the Lord’s exemplary life while at the same time framing them in the midst of the expansive example of His eternal performance. All excuses are rendered impotent before the model given us in the Lord’s life.
While reading this gave me a heightened sense of the direction I should be moving, I feel that I need a second go through with paper and pencil to create an action list from which I can build a plan of progression.
In his survey of the Lord’s characteristics, he ably probes to the pointed particulars of the Lord’s exemplary life while at the same time framing them in the midst of the expansive example of His eternal performance. All excuses are rendered impotent before the model given us in the Lord’s life.
While reading this gave me a heightened sense of the direction I should be moving, I feel that I need a second go through with paper and pencil to create an action list from which I can build a plan of progression.
August 28, 2017
A typical deep Neal A. Maxwell writing, this time about Christ and how we should emulate him. As always an incredible reminder to keep things in proper perspective because this life in a brief stop in our existence. I especially enjoyed (and found instructive) those sections when he described Christ's relationship with us and the attributes that we can learn and seek to emulate from that. I found the sections when he spoke about the things Christ actually did premortally and mortally to be less interesting and instructive.
December 7, 2009
I really love Elder Maxwell's insights. This is a powerful testimony about the life and mission of Jesus Christ. I found it a slow read, however, because each sentence is so packed with inference, symbolism, and allusion. It is a great reference for anyone wanting to better understand the Savior, his atonement, and how we can become better disciples.
October 9, 2012
I love Elder Maxwell's command of the English language almost as much as I love his testimony and understanding of Jesus Christ. This is a wonderful book. You'll need to take your time in this one. It's a pondering book (plus you'll have to factor in the time you need to spend translating!) and I'm glad I took the time.
April 18, 2010
I love Elder Maxwell and his style of writing. This book is a wonderful way to get to know the Savior's life and attributes, thus allowing hope and guidance to become more like him. Hence the title...
June 19, 2008
Inspirational insights carefully crafted in typical Maxwellian prose throughout. The concluding chapter is one of the most moving witnesses of the Savior I've come across outside of holy writ.
September 4, 2008
Elder Maxwell made me think about the gospel and Christ's divine role in new and different ways. His rich use of the English language is a huge bonus.
August 31, 2008
i was currently reading this and i cannot find the book. i think it was stolen at church. how sad. but i did love what i read. i always loved elder maxwell and his talks in conference.
February 25, 2015
My favorite was the last chapter of testimony.
January 14, 2010
Excellent ... always enjoy reading (and listening to) Elder Maxwell.
September 19, 2011
This was a good book, although I liked These Things Shall Give Thee Experience better.
I am a better person, if I can read and apply the lessons here, from Elder Maxwell.
I am a better person, if I can read and apply the lessons here, from Elder Maxwell.
February 7, 2012
I liked this book a lot. It really got me thinking about a lot of things in different perspectives.
December 14, 2012
Elder Maxwell is a phenomenal writer. This is a fantastic book about the Savior and all he has done for us.
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