Come & Receive His Love

“It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives.”

All of us will face personal problems and challenges in our lives and sometimes they may be tragedies and misfortunes that may cause us to suffer, grieve and be saddened. In reality it is part of our experience here in this life to learn and grow through such events in our lives.

In 2 Nephi 2:25 it reads “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

God hopes that through all these hardships and trials however, that we face that we may still find joy through the blessings of Christ and his Gospel. He says “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.”D&C 68:6


I am so confident that God is standing by us. His promised blessings of the future are amazing and as we press on through the dark clouds in life, the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and of Gods love will sustain us and bring us joy.

“Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.” 2 Nephi 31:20

"Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith" – Thomas S. Monson

I remember walking along the dark Brighton streets one night with my companion as we traveled home from a teaching appointment. The streets were lit, however a sense of uneasiness came over me as I thought of the many unpleasant things that have occurred in these streets.

 I saw a man coming towards me in rugged and tattered clothes, his head down and a facial expression that suggested he was distressed. I felt a sudden urge to stop him and as I looked into his eyes I could sense a lot of pain. Within seconds of talking with this full grown man, he literally broke down crying on the pavement in front of me. It broke my heart to see this man so hurt and upset. He told us how he had just run away that night from an abusive situation and was shaken up and unsure what to do and where to turn. I told him of God’s love for him, prayed with him and then directed him to where he could go to receive help. I also invited him to contact us in the morning so that we could meet up, because I knew that the message we share with people of Jesus Christ could help him gain the strength he needs in his life and find true peace.

He never did call us, but I remember that night very clearly and the feeling of love that Christ had for him. I remember wondering why someone in such a desperate situation wouldn't even bother trying to see if turning towards Christ could save them. I mean, he had nothing to lose. Perhaps while I was trying to empathize with him, he was thinking “You don’t understand what I am going through”, “How could you possibly understand how I’m feeling when you haven’t experienced it?” It’s true I could never understand. But Christ can.

In Alma 7:12 it reads “And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.”

Christ suffered for us not only to take away our pains but also so that he could truly understand how we feel. So that in the moments when we are at our lowest and feel completely alone, he could walk with us and even carry us if we allow him to. I know that this is true. 

The song for this blog is based on this experience and others that I have had while serving a mission and is taken from the perspective of our Savior.

Verse 1

You and me, we're not so far away you see, 

I'm everywhere around you I'll be

If you turn your head, I will light up your way

Just call my name

Verse 2

Looking down deep in an alley way 

I find you there huddled, you're cold and afraid

Why wont you just believe, so I can reach down

And pull you out

Chorus

I was betrayed I was tortured and scorned all for you

Both of my hands, they were nailed to a tree on a hill

So when everyone's left you a lone 

I could walk with you

Verse 3

Here you are, caught in lies and deceit

A web has taken hold of your feet

There's no way you can move from where you are now

So will you try and turn around

Chorus

Bridge

Ahhh x 2

[Wont you turn in my direction

So I can heal and protect you] x 2 

Ahhh x 4

Chorus

After being taught by Jesus Christ that we must love our neighbor as ourselves, a lawyer once asked the question “Who is my neighbour?” Indeed, that is a question we all should ask—“Who is my neighbor?” Jesus Christ, the perfect teacher, went on to provide a penetrating, unexpected answer to the lawyer. He taught him with a parable; the parable of the Good Samaritan.

An unfortunate victim traveling to Jericho fell among thieves. He was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. A priest, on his way to the temple, saw him and passed by. Likewise, a Levite, who in that day assisted the priests, passed him by. Later there came a Samaritan, and although they were despised by the Jews, he saw the suffering victim and had compassion on him. He went to him and bound up his wounds, and he cared for him (see Luke 10:29–35).

This parable delivers a clear message of how we must treat everyone of God’s children and Jesus Christ invites us all to “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:37).

There are many people who have exemplified what the Savior taught in his parable, as they have reached out to the poor and needy, sick and afflicted. I remember hearing from my mother of an experience her, my father and another kiwi family had while living in Australia, which demonstrated to me what it means to “love thy neighbor as thyself”.

“As we came into church one Sunday, we noticed a visitor in the congregation. He immediately stood out to us because no one was sitting next to him or behind him. I hate to say it, but it was because he smelt. His clothes hadn't been washed properly for who knows how long, his hair was unkempt and to those around him he appeared as though he were homeless. It was clear that majority of the members had made a first impression of him based on how he looked but we decided to introduce ourselves to him. We quickly discovered that he had been inactive for 13 years and that his wife had passed away years earlier. The missionaries came across him and invited him to come back to the ward.

We first invited him over for dinner and that soon became a regular weekly thing. I also invited him to join my choir and the night before he joined the choir, we had him stay the night with us. He bought a new white shirt, which he was so excited about, and he had a hot bath for the first time in months (he only had cold water running in his house). I cut his hair and cleaned his jacket.

Since his wife had passed away, he had let his house get on top of him. Our Bishop of the time (Bishop Heterake) and daddy were the ones who initially helped him to sort it out because he too embarrassed to have myself and Bishops wife see the state of the place. Once it got to a certain point we all then came together to get it looking nice. We had it re-carpeted and fixed the plumbing etc.

After helping him to get his life sorted out physically, we then helped him get spiritually ready to enter into the temple where he was able to be sealed to his wife. By now he was coming to our house twice a week and staying over occasionally. He had become like a grandfather to us and our kids. Meanwhile the ward members had come to know him and accepted him and realized how nice a guy he was.

What a transformation this man had made! He was now in the choir, sparkly clean with new clean white shirts, clean house which he maintained for months, active in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and very happy being sealed to his wife.” – Fiona Walmsley

So, who are our neighbors? They are all of our Father’s children. What a blessing we can be to them as we, show Christ-like love and compassion towards them and help them come closer to Christ through our words and deed.

May we all seek to do as the Savior said and “Go, and do thou likewise”.

Words by Elder Michael Pinegar  

Music by Jenna Walmsley