Ask, and it shall be given you

In my study of the Bible, and over my lifetime of going to church, I have heard many times the promise Christ makes , usually assumed to be about prayer: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Luke 11:9-10). I think it's about prayer, too, because who else are we going to ask for something we need? If I want something, I'm a lot smarter to ask for it from someone who has it than to ask someone I know doesn't have it. God has all, and has promised all, and so if He and His Son make this promise, They can back it up. After reading this verse yet again, I decided to try it, pure and simple. Of course, I'm always praying for these, requesting safety, etc., but this time, I decided to just outright ask for what I needed. It was something good, and something I knew He could give me. And guess what? So far I've gotten it. After Joseph Smith got his answer, which came in a way he hadn't realized it would, he still had a lot of responsibility, as we all do when we ask for something from God, and the receive it. But the testimony gained from receiving something I didn't have before, just by asking for it, helps with the added responsibility.

A Cup of Sugar

As I've been reading the Gospel of Luke, I have had new insights on scriptures I've read many times before. This one is pretty straightforward, but for some reason, I'd never noticed it before.
Luke 6:38 (Jesus speaking to his disciples) "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
I'd always just skipped to the end of the verse, thinking it to be another verse that said how you treat others is how you will be treated. But there's more to it, and that more part is really interesting. "Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over." That is what we receive, so what we should give. In my cooking experiences over my life, I have had many occasions to measure different materials. Some, like white sugar, are fairly easy to measure, and would be hard to mess up. But others, like brown sugar or butter, could be messed up, because they don't always fall into the measuring cup as easily. To get a proper measurement, some recipes specifically require that the brown sugar be packed down. I am sure in ancient times, as Jesus was living in, there were those who were very sloppy with their measurements in trading, buying, and selling. It would be easy to just pour in some flour haphazardly, and call it a full measurement, but a good man, a generous man, a Christlike man, would pack it down in, making sure there aren't any pockets of air, fill it to the very top, like as kids we all liked to do in filling up a cup of water (it's fun seeing the surface tension make the water dome over the top). My feeling on this verse is that Christ has already given us a full measure of blessings, even overflowing. Thus, we need to be generous (see previous post on generosity) and charitable, not just being honest in our dealings with our fellow men, but generous in our dealings with our fellow men, because Christ was generous to us first. Think of this next time you measure out a cup of sugar in your next milkshake.

Generosity

A lot of my mission companions and roommates have taught me about generosity. Many of them showed by their actions that material things really aren't quite as important as day-to-day life tends to get me thinking. This has always been something I've thought about for a long while, so it's interesting to see what Jesus says about it in the New Testament. In Luke, Christ delivers some of the same Sermon on the Mount material, quite trademark: "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again." (Luke 6:29-30).
So, give more than you're asked for, give willingly, and always be willing to possibly never see again things that you lend out. All of that is good--but what I really enjoy is what Joseph Smith says about it, in his translation, replacing an important tidbit:
"And unto him who smiteth thee on the cheek, offer also the other; or in other words, it is better to offer the other, than to revile again. And him who taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. For it is better that thou suffer thine enemy to take these things, than to contend with him. Verily I say unto you, Your heavenly Father who seeth in secret, shall bring that wicked one into judgment." (JST Luke 6:29-30). I like this rendering because it includes Christ's analysis of what the regular KJV says: "it is better that thou suffer thine enemy to take these things, than to contend with him." So, I gather that God looks on contention, and my part in it, more than if I am currently being treated justly. Justice, sure He will take care of it, but eventually. I need to ask myself, am I being contentious because I feel taken advantage of? Because if so, I'm forgetting God's ultimate, though often delayed, justice. Whether or not someone really deserves something is not up to me to judge: I should give freely and willingly. I am grateful for those who have been examples of this in my life.

Thanks for Remembering

So, maybe this is a bit random, but the other day as I was crossing the street between the JKB and the Tanner Building, a guy walking one direction said hello to one of his classmates crossing the other direction. The other classmate stopped, and said, "You're Jeff, right?" So far, this is not any different than the ordinary exchange between two people who barely know each other. But Jeff's response made me think. With a smile, he said, "Hey, thanks for remembering." All at once, I remembered that people really do appreciate being remembered, especially with specifics like names. Just last week I heard somewhere that using people's names when you talk to them or are teaching them helps them to feel more involved, apparently helping them to learn more and remember more, and all around have a more effective and enjoyable exchange. It's a technique we talked about in the mission field, how significant and powerful it was that God called Joseph Smith by name when appearing to him, and how using the names of the people we were teaching made them feel more involved. It also helped us to personalize our teaching of the gospel to them. It was difficult remember people's names, since I met so many each day, but for those names I did remember, more times than not it pleased them. It's as though forgetting a person's name erases the connections made in the last dialogue, but remembering that person's name, even if a lengthy time has passed, enables progress to continue from those connections made at the time of meeting. Sometimes on campus, I see someone I recognize by face, but not by name. Sometimes they call me by name. If I don't know their name when they call me by name, I feel bad (because I'm not famous yet), so when I remember someone's name, and they don't remember mine, I know how they feel. Names are important, and the first step to beginning a successful friendship, in my opinion. I'm grateful for Jeff, who reminded me how grateful I am when people remember my name, and how I should make a conscious effort to remember people's names better.