What Do You Do To Remember Jesus Christ?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Third Nephi 17-19 in a lesson titled “Behold, My Joy Is Full.” The lesson was introduced with this information. 

Jesus Christ had just spent the day ministering in the land of Bountiful, teaching His gospel, letting the people see and feel the marks in His resurrected body, and testifying that He was the promised Savior. Now it was time to leave. “My time is at hand,” He said (3 Nephi 17:1). He was about to return to His Father, and He knew that the people needed time to ponder what He had taught. So, promising to return the next day, He dismissed the multitude to their homes. But no one left. They didn’t say what they were feeling, but Jesus could sense it: they hoped He would “tarry a little longer with them” (3 Nephi 17:5). He had other important things to do, but showing compassion for God’s children is always a high priority to Him. So Jesus stayed a little longer. What followed was perhaps the most tender example of ministering recorded in scripture. Those who were present could only say it was indescribable (see 3 Nephi 17:16-17). Jesus Himself summed up the unplanned spiritual outpouring with these simple and powerful words: “Now behold, my joy is full” (3 Nephi 17:20).

There were several principles taught in this scripture block, including (1) The Savior is my perfect example of ministering (3 Nephi 17; 18:24-25, 28-32); (2) The Savior taught me how to pray (3 Nephi 17:13-22; 18:15-25; 19:6-9, 15-36); (3) I can “hold up” the light of Jesus Christ, and (4) Disciples of Jesus Christ seek the gift of the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 18:36-37; 19:6-22).

I feel prompted to discuss a fifth principle, “I can be filled with the Spirit as I take the sacrament” (3 Nephi 18:1-12). When we do something often, we can become casual with it or make it routine. In fact, we often do it without even thinking about it. The question for this discussion is, “How can you keep this from happening with the weekly ordinance of the sacrament?” Is it possible to be spiritually “filled” each and every time that we partake of the sacrament? Is the sacrament accomplishing in your life Christ’s purpose for instituting the ordinance of the sacrament? Why is the sacrament sacred to you?

Partaking of the sacrament is sacred to me because it is the way prepared Jesus Christ for me to renew my covenants with Heavenly Father. It is also an opportunity for me to review the life of Jesus Christ, particularly His prayer in Gethsemane, His death on Calvary, and His resurrection. I look forward to seeing His return to earth.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) taught that the most important word in the dictionary could be remember. He said that “our greatest need is to remember” our covenants because we made them with God.

After reminding us of the words of President Kimball, President Henry B. Eyring gave “three suggestions about what you could remember each week when you partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament.” Here are President Eyring’s suggestions: Always Remember Him (churchofjesuschrist.org)

Remember Jesus Christ.

First, remember the Savior. Remember who He was while on earth, how He spoke to others, and how He showed kindness in His acts. Remember whom He spent time with and what He taught. The Savior “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). He visited the sick. He was committed to doing His Father’s will.

Most of all, we can remember the great price He paid, out of His love for us, to remove the stain of our sins. As we remember Him, our desire to follow Him will grow. We will want to be a little kinder, more forgiving, and more willing to seek the will of God and do it.

Remember What You Need to Do Better

It’s hard to think of the Savior – His purity and perfection – without also thinking of how flawed and imperfect we are in comparison. We have made covenants to obey His commandments, yet we frequently fall short of his high standard. But the Savior knew this would happen, which is why He gave us the ordinance of the sacrament….

Remember the Progress You Are Making

As you examine your life during the ordinance of the sacrament, I hope your thoughts center not only on things you have done wrong but also on things you have done right – moments when you have felt that Heavenly Father and the Savior were pleased with you. You may even take a moment during the sacrament to ask God to help you see these things. If you do, I promise you will feel something. You will feel hope.

When I have done this, the Spirit has reassured me that while I’m still far from perfect, I’m better today than I was yesterday. And this gives me confidence that, because of the Savior, I can be even better tomorrow.

Always is a long time, and it implies a lot of focused effort. You know from experience how hard it is to think consciously of one thing all the time. But no matter how well you keep your promise to always remember Him, He always remembers you.

The Savior knows your challenges. He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press upon you. He knows how urgently you need the blessing that comes from always remembering Him and obeying Him – “that [you] may always have his Spirit to be with [you]” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77; emphasis added).

So He welcomes you back to the sacrament table each week, once again offering you the chance to witness before Him that you will always remember Him.

Here are some questions that you and I might ask ourselves: (1) What can I do to improve my worship during the sacrament and throughout the week? (2) What else can I do to worship more meaningfully? (3) Howe is the Savior’s sacrifice influencing my daily life? (4) What am I doing well as His disciple, and what can I improve?