"...that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son..."

Tonight was the first time that I've been able to go to my missionary prep class at Institute for about 3 weeks, and what a blessing it was to be able to go. It's actually because of Institute that I have anything to write on here at all! Woohoo!! Our lesson tonight was about preparing investigators to be baptized. One of the scriptures we read really struck me because of one part that was in it. I don't know why this particular part struck me so strongly tonight, I guess it was just a big nudge from the Spirit that I needed to focus on this part right now. The scripture that we read that inspired my thinking was from D&C 20:37; "All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church" (italics added for emphasis).  That italicized part is such an important part, one that all Latter-day Saints who go to sacrament meetings will recognize as familiar. "...that they are willing to take upon them the name of they Son..." is in the blessing for the bread. But I wonder if we fully understand what this sentence means?

When we take the sacrament and agree to take upon us the name of the Savior, of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are basically agreeing to live like He does. We are agreeing to be like Christ. While it is not possible for us to be exactly like our Savior, that is exactly what we have been commanded to do, and that is exactly what we agree upon from the moment we are baptized. Think about that for just one second; we agree to live like Jesus. Not only is this commandment found in the Doctrine and Covenants, but it is also found in 3 Nephi, where Jesus, while speaking to the Nephites, says in verse 27, "...Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." Straight from the Savior. We are to be even as He is. I believe that this one commandment pretty much sums up all of the other commandments. Jesus Christ was the one and only perfect being to ever walk this earth. That means that he followed all of the commandments to a 't.' And we've been commanded to be like him. Dang. That may be a bit daunting to many, but it really is actually a blessing to be commanded that. When you are striving to be like Jesus, you will be blessed to have the Spirit constantly guiding you. You will want to read the scriptures, you will want to preach the gospel, you will want to follow all of the commandments, and you will be worthy of receiving all the blessings that our Father in heaven has in store for us. I dunno about you, but I am definitely down for that. I know for a fact that following in the footsteps of the Savior will guarantee us untold blessings for us and for our families. I know that Christ lives, and that if I follow Him I will be able to return to see my Heavenly Father someday. I know all of this beyond a shadow of a doubt, and I hope and pray that someday you will also be able to know these truths, if you don't know them already. I leave you these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ciao!