W02 Assignment_ Journal 9

Week 02 Notes:  Israel is God’s covenant people  Hebraic meanings of the word Israel: let God prevail  Family is central to God’s plan and it’s our duty to protect the children  Character is who we are at our core as individuals, whereas Personality can be altered more frequently by outside factors  Christ doesn’t want us to have His personality, He wants us to develop His character  Having different personalities is not a bad thing, as it can give us unique views and allow us to advocate for people of all walks of life  Strengths and weaknesses come from all personality traits, but having Christlike character can amplify our strengths and develop our weaknesses for the better  As advocates we are asked to judge ideas and messages, not people  To be effective followers of Christ we have to have a clear understanding of right and wrong  Doing good things is about more than just “going through the motions”  It is a natural desire to strive to be more than we are, however, we have to keep that desire in check, so it’s not corrupted by comparisons to others  Worth and usefulness are different  “Never check your religion at the door” – Elder Holland  We must deepen our understanding in the differences between God’s Love and God’s Laws  “Our compassion and our love—fundamental characteristics and requirements of our Christianity—must never be interpreted as compromising the commandments.” – Elder Holland  Following God’s Laws are easy when everyone around us is doing so too, but when we feel pulled in different directions by friends or loved ones, it gets more difficult to follow  Some people fear that loving others who sin means condoning the sin, but Christ didn’t believe so  "One of the greatest indicators of righteous character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us.” – Mosiah 3:19  Loving those around us unconditionally does not mean we are ignoring God’s Laws  One of the best ways that Christ was able to be a balanced advocate was by always seeking to please Heavenly Father  If we don’t put God first in all things, then our understanding and application of love can become distorted.  We have to be mindful of our reactions to things we may disagree with, as to not let pride or our own insecurities take over  We must continue to challenge ourselves to learn to love the way God loves, while also trusting His laws for us  Only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can love unconditionally – worldly love always has some level of condition attached to it  Remember the story of the woman taken in adultery – “let those without sin, cast the first stone” Week 02 Reflection: