In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, we learn about the laborers who were hired at different hours of the day. At the end of the day’s work, the Lord of the vineyard compensated each one equally with the same wage regardless of the number of hours they worked.

What does this parable teach us? The gift of eternal life is not about how long we have labored in the Lord’s vineyard or how much work we have done. Rather, it is about how our labors transformed us. Did our work help us to become more compassionate, forgiving, and considerate of others? Did our labors help us to become more Christ-like? Did we become better disciples of Jesus Christ? Did we become better people?

It is our state of being, after all our efforts to become like Him, by which we will be judged. If we do our best, the Spirit of God will be able to work “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we [will] have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”

Reaching this point does not happen overnight. It also does not have a standard timeline. Like the laborers in the vineyard, some may need a longer amount of time to reap the day’s reward than others. Time is not the yard stick by which we will be judged.  Newly baptized members may sometimes feel inadequate when they hear people say that they have been LDS members for many decades or they grew up in the LDS church. No one needs to feel that they are inadequate, too late, or have very little spiritual experience, because the most important thing is that we have started the journey and that our course is steady.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, one of the apostles of the LDS church, shared a story that further illustrates that the value that we get from our effort is more important than the effort itself.

Two men formed a partnership. They built a small shed beside a busy road. They obtained a truck and drove it to a farmer’s field, where they purchased a truckload of melons for a dollar a melon. They drove the loaded truck to their shed by the road, where they sold their melons for a dollar a melon. They drove back to the farmer’s field and bought another truckload of melons for a dollar a melon. Transporting them to the roadside, they again sold them for a dollar a melon. As they drove back toward the farmer’s field to get another load, one partner said to the other, “We’re not making much money on this business, are we?” “No, we’re not,” his partner replied. “Do you think we need a bigger truck?”

The efforts of these two men are remarkable. However, no matter how many truckloads of melons they might sell, it would be of no value to them. It is the same with our efforts to do good. No matter how much good we do, if it does not add value to us or help us to become better, our efforts will be useless.

As we strive to become like Jesus Christ, may we shift our focus from asking, “how much good have I done?” to “how much closer am I to Christ?”

The post It is Not About What We Have Done, It Is About What We Have Become appeared first on morefaith.ph.

The LDS church has many gospel principles and doctrines. Acquiring knowledge of these principles and doctrines is one thing, and gaining a testimony of each of them is another. Hence gaining a testimony of everything takes time and is an ongoing cycle of nourishing and growing, one that lasts even into the eternities.

One of the Lord’s patterns for gaining spiritual knowledge and testimony is described in 2^nd Nephi, “For I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little…” This declaration from the Lord implies that it is neither a sin nor a weakness to not have a full or perfect testimony of everything. We should not feel guilty about it or question our faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. We should also not feel spiritually inadequate because God certainly does not want us to feel so.

So what do we do?

While we strive to better understand the gospel, our time may be spent primarily on gaining a testimony of certain gospel principles we want to focus on. However, we must also continue embracing and nourishing the testimony that we currently have. We must recognize that, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it,” also applies to our testimonies. We must embrace and practice what we know to be true, while searching for other truths in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In one of Elder David Bednar’s talks, he used two examples to describe how we can receive a testimony. First, when we enter a dark room and we switch the light on, we receive a sudden illumination of light. Second, at the break of dawn light slowly increases until we can see what is there perfectly. The first example describes the moments when we gain a testimony through a single spiritual experience. The second example describes when we receive the truth we seek gradually and subtly. Answers can be received in little pieces over an expanded period of time. Understanding these patterns will help us recognize how the Lord works in our lives.

In our search for spiritual truths, we must also be meek and teachable in order to recognize the “still small voice” of the Holy Ghost testifying the truths of the gospel. Being meek also allows us to acknowledge that we do not know all things “[a]nd by the power of the Holy Ghost [we] may know the truth of all things.”

Lastly, in order for us to gain a testimony, we must live righteously. Elder Richard G. Scott once said, “a testimony is not emotion. It is the very essence of character woven from threads born of countless correct decisions.” Living righteously means consistently striving to obey the teaching of Jesus Christ and live like He did.

In search for truth and light, the Lord counseled, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day”. Gaining and retaining a testimony is the quest of a lifetime, so we need not feel spiritually unqualified at any point in our lives if we lack a testimony on certain gospel principles. The Lord will guide us as we earnestly seek for the truths of His gospel and share the truths we find with others.

The post What If You Don’t Have a Full Testimony of Every Gospel Principle? appeared first on morefaith.ph.