Finrock

In a follow up post, you stated your dilemma was:I am commanded to be perfect. I can't be perfect. But that's okay. All I need to do is my best, and the Atonement will make up for my lack. But in a span of more than a few hours at a time, I don't do my best. Ever. I doubt that I even can do my best on an ongoing basis. Perhaps the problem is you are accepting the statement "all I need to do is my best, and the Atonement will make up for my lack" and interpreting that to mean "only if I do my best will the atonement work and allow me to be saved" .
 
You must recognize that this is false.   Some good posts have already been shared about grace.  Grace is a topic worth repeatedly studying, including verses in the New Testament.  You must accept and rejoice in the fact that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).  If we feel humbled for not being perfect (i.e. doing our best), that's good.  After all, "none but the truly penitent are saved." (Alma 42:24)
 I think when people say "just do your best" we should take that as "don't be discouraged because you are not perfect.  Hang in there and keep trying." I hesitate to bring it up, but there are also passages of scripture that could compound the confusion.  Such as Moroni saying "come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ". (Moroni 10:32)  At first glance you could interpret the use of "all" and "then" to mean that you need to be perfect as a qualification to receive grace.  But that is not true in any way.  I think Moroni is encouraging us to try to totally dedicate ourselves to God; to not consciously hold anything back.  Our aim is to be a devoted disciple.  We need to be willing to give away all of our sins (Alma 22:18).  As we become converted to Christ we "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).  But, there's a difference between our well-rested and well-fed, no-crisis-is-happening-now disposition and when we are placed in extreme situations.  Although we can totally desire to do what's right, when we get placed in a difficult situation it's not as easy to walk the walk.  We saw what happened to Peter after proclaiming "I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee." (Matt 26:35)  Conversion is a process and takes time.  First we need to be able to behave ourselves in regular every-day situations.  Our hope is that eventually we handle harder situations, like Job.  I think what matters is being on the path and faced in the right direction.  I'm not the Judge, but I think if Peter had died the moment he uttered that statement he would have been saved and exalted.  We know that he lived, he slipped, and then he got back on the path and went on to do great things eventually dying for Christ. When we do fall short, if we love God our sins will really bother us.  We can learn from how Nephi felt and how he responded in 2 Nephi 4.  Like Nephi, when we slip we must try to see the good that Christ has done for us and rejoice in His goodness and turn from feeling like a "wretched man" to asking for forgiveness and rejoicing in the goodness and mercy of Christ.  We don't stay stuck in the "O wretched man" phase, because we rejoice in Christ's goodness and we get His help. One last point -- Satan tries to confuse some people concerning what it means to do your best.  He does this to discourage and to distract.  As someone else pointed out, being a CEO, a talented musician, or a marathon runner doesn't make you your "best".  In fact, if you are doing those things to the detriment of more important things then they would be bad.  There are lots of seemingly good things you could be doing, and you have to use "wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:27) and counsel with the Lord in all your doings (Alma 37:37) as you try to know what's best for you.  Choosing some good things will mean not choosing other good things.  Also, God recognizes that "it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength" (Mosiah 4:27).

On the flip side I see problems with ranking and sorting kids. I'm afraid it sends the wrong message. A message championed by Korihor the anti-Christ, who said:

In the larger scheme of things the problem with self-esteem is simply the focus on self. As long as we teach kids (and adults) to focus on themselves, whether it be in positive ways or negative ways we have missed the mark. The Master shared the true way when he said, "I can of mine own self do nothing:...I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30).

During World War 1, a strange scene unfolded again and again on the streets of England:  A young woman would approach a young man in civilian clothing, hand him a white feather, and walk silently away. 
 
England saw its participation in World War 1 as a moral obligation to assist the innocent Belgians, whose nation had been invaded without provocation for strategic reasons as part of Germany’s war mobilization against France.  A young man’s failure to enlist in the military and join in this heroic effort to liberate Belgium was seen as an abandonment of the highest ideals of English manhood—trust, valor, loyalty, and morality itself.  The white feather became known as a symbol of cowardice.
 
In July of 2015, the Boy Scouts of America announced—and then voted to ratify—a significant policy shift, allowing openly gay adults to serve as leaders at all levels.  BSA National President Robert Gates made no attempt to justify this change on moral grounds.  Instead, he said the change was necessary for the BSA to remain “relevant” in a broader society whose moral values no longer matched those traditionally held by the BSA.
 
This open abandonment of a perceived moral virtue for the sake of social, political, and financial convenience is without precedent in the history of Scouting.  While many noncombatant young Englishmen in World War 1 had legitimate reasons to stay home, there is no excusing the BSA’s open abandonment of principle in the name of expediency.
 
Not every Scout or Scouter who is disgusted with the BSA leadership is leaving the fold.  A number of us stay on as leaders, parents, or youth.  We do this for a variety of reasons; but several beliefs unite us:
That Scouting is now important in spite of, not because of, the moral example of our leadership; That the BSA leadership's quest for popularity and financial resources is likely to lead it to abandon other traditional Scouting values in the days ahead; That we must be prepared, and will prepare, for the day when we may find it necessary to walk away from the BSA permanently. In the meantime, no stranger needs to shame the BSA or its members with a white feather; for those who truly subscribe to the Scout Law are ashamed already.  In recognition of the BSA’s cowardice we voluntarily wear on our uniforms a white feather of our own, centered above the right breast pocket and immediately below the words “Boy Scouts of America”.  These feathers can be obtained from any council office, where they are sold as “Silver Eagle Palms”. But when worn as described above, they become “The Robert M. Gates White Feather”. 
 

We discern who and who is not a prophet by the Spirit. Having a testimony of Jesus means you are a prophet or prophetess. Anyone can fill this role.
 
 
 
 
To know who is speaking by the Spirit of prophecy or as is stated otherwise in the scriptures, the Spirit of truth, does not depend on who is speaking, where they are speaking, when they are speaking, how they are speaking, or even what they are saying. To know requires that one have the Spirit of prophecy or Spirit of truth themselves. So, the only way we can know when a prophet is speaking as a prophet is when we also have the Spirit of truth:
 
 
 
Prophets preach the word of truth by the Spirit of truth and if they don't preach it by the Spirit of truth, I don't care what it is, it is not of God! Conversely, those who receive the preaching must receive the preaching also by the Spirit of truth. If they don't receive it by the Spirit of truth, it is not of God, I don't care what it is!
 
-Finrock

We discern who and who is not a prophet by the Spirit. Having a testimony of Jesus means you are a prophet or prophetess. Anyone can fill this role.
 
 
 
 
To know who is speaking by the Spirit of prophecy or as is stated otherwise in the scriptures, the Spirit of truth, does not depend on who is speaking, where they are speaking, when they are speaking, how they are speaking, or even what they are saying. To know requires that one have the Spirit of prophecy or Spirit of truth themselves. So, the only way we can know when a prophet is speaking as a prophet is when we also have the Spirit of truth:
 
 
 
Prophets preach the word of truth by the Spirit of truth and if they don't preach it by the Spirit of truth, I don't care what it is, it is not of God! Conversely, those who receive the preaching must receive the preaching also by the Spirit of truth. If they don't receive it by the Spirit of truth, it is not of God, I don't care what it is!
 
-Finrock

Vort,
 
We've been asked to be perfect. We are incapable of doing what is required of us. Our efforts in mortality will never equal "the best". Being perfect requires loving your neighbor and your enemy.
 
Can't you see the futility of this for someone wicked and carnal?
 
God told me to love my neighbor. I prayed to God and told Him, I'm having trouble loving my neighbor. God then said, well, then love your enemy!
 
Part of the solution is recognizing the futility of the situation for us worthless and unprofitable servants.
 
-Finrock

Vort,
 
I've done some evil things. Probably a lot worse than you have ever done. I don't know, but I'm guessing that I have.
 
I've been here on the forum long enough that you know my history. I don't bring this up as some sort of trump card, badge, etc. I bring it up to demonstrate that I have had an impossibly hard time truly loving anybody, friend or foe! I didn't love myself. I lived in the world but felt quite apart from it and those around me.
 
Me not caring what other people think is not love.
 
It takes Jesus Christ, Vort. It takes His grace! Only He could save me. There is no other way. We must surrender ourselves, submit ourselves, to God and recognize our own nothingness, our unworthingness, and our futility before Him, and BEG Him to change our hearts! Take away my stony heart and replace it with a heart of flesh! Only God can do this. He takes our carnal, natural, wicked state, and He replaces with a heart that is holy, with dispositions to love God and others, and no more dispositions to do evil.
 
Jesus has worked a mighty miracle in my life. He is the only solution I know to the dilemma of perfection.
 
 
 
 
-Finrock
 
EDIT: Added quote from Ezekiel 36 because it teaches what I am saying.

Came across this tonight and thought it pertinent to this thread and wanted to share it:
 

 
-Finrock​
​

As I understand things from the limited scripture study I have done is that all of the promises made to Israel will be kept. All of God's words will be fulfilled.
 
In a coming time yet, which I feel is sooner than later, the Jews will recognize their Messiah and will worship Him, even Jesus Christ.
 
God has not forsaken His people Israel.
 
-Finrock

The more I allow myself to become like Christ, the more I feel like I am in the Celestial Kingdom already.
 
-Finrock

Thank you for your thoughtful answers. I have been trying to understand the spiritual struggles people have.  This fall, while my mother and I were visiting my aunt we came across a Mass card for my grandmother (my mom was raised Catholic).  The wording was so sad, like their was so much uncertainty of heaven.  It got me wondering how people of other denominations emotionally/spiritually deal with thoughts of the afterlife.
 
I am, of course, of the once saved always saved belief.  This is not a "cheap grace" as my salvation was very costly. Being free from worry about where I will spend eternity helps me adore God more than I ever did in the past. It frees me to become more like Christ because of my adoration of Him. 
 
I was wondering if uncertainty over eternity makes a person work (be good, serve, etc...) out of fear of "not making it" instead of working out of love. It seems there are a lot of different responses.  I do thank you for the insight you have given me.  I enjoy discussions where I can learn about others without the arguments that other web forums have.

The answer to your first question, for me, would be an astounding "YES." I would most certainly be disappointed and I definitely would have failed.  I would gnash my teeth.
 
I would honestly be shocked if there was one individual on this earth, knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who has not felt unsure, and must deal with this uncertainty -- despondency.  In my youth, and even now, I could say I have made some decisions that cause me grief.  This grief causes me to reflect upon my bodies intelligence (light and truth).  I remember speaking with a bishop of mine and asking this same question, as I would say, "I truly saw myself" (my carnal nature).
 
My bishop at this time asked me two questions, "When was the last time you received revelation?  When was the last time that the Spirit entered your body and provided you with enlightenment?"  At that time, I had been receiving what I would consider many revelations, and answered in kind.  He then said, "Then you have no need to worry.  The Spirit is part of the Godhead, and cannot dwell in a unclean temple. If you have have the Spirit enter your body, you have been cleaned (justified / sanctified) and where he can dwell you can dwell."  
 
At first my unspoken thought, "What a kind bishop, not sure if he is telling me the truth or just simply providing me comfort," and comfort it brought; although, I didn't quite fully accept what he said.  Until, one morning of personal scripture study I read this verse, Mosiah 4: 24, "And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy."
 
I had been calling for a remission of sins.  I had been begging.  How then do I know that my plea wasn't in vain?  He poured out his Spirit upon me and had caused that my heart was filled with joy through many revelations he had given me.  Even at that time, my heart ringed out and I praised God for his Son! I was forgiven.  Later, I discovered that my heart did not recognize 17 verses earlier in Mosiah 4:3, that a second witness was given, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon them...filled with joy...received a remission of sins...having a peace of conscience."  I received a peace of conscience...feeling like Nephi -- knowing in whom I have placed my trust, the anchor of the souls of men (Ether 12: 4).  Thus, faith, hope, and charity lead us all into good works, or simply unto Christ.  
 
How do I cope?  I simply ask, what revelation have I received, and did it cause my heart to rejoice leading to a peace of conscience knowing whom I trust?  If I can answer yes, then I know I am filled with Celestial light/intelligence.  If not, then I have need to repent, make changes, until I can receive the Spirit of the Lord and be filled with joy.  Joy does not equate with pleasure.

Simple, ask God if you will make it to the celestial kingdom and keep seeking until he tells you you will make it. 

So... I had to take a leave of absence because I was communicating poorly and it was on the edge of causing trouble. There's a lot to catch up on, and I haven't read all of the intervening comments, but I think I have something to add that might shed a new light on the topic. Let's hope I can explain it in a way that everyone can understand and appreciate.
 
Mormons are afraid to be sinners.
 
By which I mean that we are afraid to openly admit to or talk about our sins. I bet we're far more afraid to talk about sin than we are to commit sin.
 
But this is the true church of Christ, a hospital for the spiritually sick. "We come to church not to hide our problems but to heal them." It's meant to be a support group, where everyone can "bear one another’s burdens". Nobody can help you bear a burden that you don't share (as in talk about). I did read a few of the added comments and I saw someone who mentioned having been tempted by attraction to someone who wasn't their spouse. As an example (and not an accusation), when was the last time you talked about that in your priesthood quorum? I suspect you haven't, because none of us do. I think this lack of sharing is a problem because someone in our quorum or relief society might be facing the same struggles and our success can give them encouragement or advice that they need to overcome it!

One reason I think we're afraid to talk openly about our problems is because we're afraid of being judged, condemned, or, God forbid, "called to repentance". I put the repentance in quotes because so frequently such calls come without the prerequisite Christlike love, and as such are simply condemnations in a thin disguise.
 
I saw a question on why people would call others to repentance if not out of love. Well, here are a few ideas.
I'm a know it all, so I have to be right and make sure everyone knows I'm right.
I have a duty to declare repentance.
The righteous declare repentance and I am trying to be righteous.
I made a commitment to the missionaries to share the Gospel with someone.
I want other mormons to think I'm righteous.
This will make a great story to tell in Priesthood when they ask for a personal experience about repentance.
If I don't condemn this sin, then I'm not keeping my covenants.
If I don't condemn this sin, then I'm not standing firm for what is right.
If this person hasn't completely overcome this sin, then they aren't even trying because "repentance means change".
These are reasons why mormons frequently get the label of "self-righteous" or "holier than thou". 
 
As we've talked about before - there is a big difference between how repentance is declared and how that declaration is received. As Josiah said, if we take the time to ensure that we love the person and if we're really in-tune with the Spirit, then we can be instructed in how to declare repentance in a way that it will best be received. (Though maybe not heeded, as every missionary knows.)
 
So back to the topic at hand - in what way can we declare repentance so that those we meet and talk to will feel encouraged and loved and supported in their trials? So that they will feel like church is a safe place to talk about their trials and temptations and sins, knowing that there is a whole quorum or sisterhood who will do anything to help them rise above their challenges?

I agree. But several people seem to be missing the underlying  dilemma I am facing:
I am commanded to be perfect. I can't be perfect. But that's okay. All I need to do is my best, and the Atonement will make up for my lack. But in a span of more than a few hours at a time, I don't do my best. Ever. I doubt that I even can do my best on an ongoing basis. Therefore, saying that I need only "do my best" is functionally equivalent to saying I must "be perfect". I can't, or at least I won't, "do my best". The difference between "always doing my best" and "being perfect" is purely academic, but the outcome of failure is (apparently) identical.

I do not know how to be perfect.  The best I can do is speculate.  But I do think we must perform sort of a mini atonement to become perfect - that is a willingness to suffer because of the evil deeds of others and not desire any revenge or metering back of justice to those that caused our suffering.  We must be willing to forgive those that cause our suffering and sometimes that is ourselves.

I think your right.

How sad as I've read this thread. The scripture "after all we can do" has so often been misquoted and misused by those perfectionists in the church. My dh and I talked just last night about how the Puritan ideas got mingled into the gospel by early converts and has never really gotten out of it. THE REST OF the scripture, "We are saved by grace, after all we can do." More than one scriptorian has rendered this more to be, "We are saved by grace, in spite of all we can do," since no matter what our BEST is, it is never enough. If the cost of an item is $10B, and we have only 10 cents, or even if we have $10, we aren't going to be able to come close--only Christ's unlimited resources can purchase our salvation and exaltation. I never know what my "best" is. I do know that Bruce R. McConkie said that if we are living a faithful LDS life--we do what we can to serve, we pray, we read, we want to be like Christ, and we obtain our temple blessings, that's what is required for exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom.
 
I'm not willing to put in the effort to be the woman that a Sheri Dew is, or an athlete like the sister in my ward who runs marathons. I'm not putting in the hours and hours of practice to become a great musician. Does that mean I didn't do my best? No, it means that the Lord has shown me that my focus is supposed to be elsewhere. We are limited by time and opportunity in this life. The only thing that we are being tested on in this life is if we will follow Jesus Christ. Everything else is fluff. I'm confident that in the final judgment, I will not be judged on whether I gave 100% of my effort to every activity and agenda that I hear at church, only whether I consciously followed Jesus Christ daily. When I had a decision to make, did I do what I knew at that moment to be what Christ would have me do?
 
When I think of this, I remember many events in my life when I failed miserably. I grew up in a home with a lot of violence and conflict, and a poor relationship with my father. One consequence of this was an inability to make judgments about men and relationships. I had difficulty with morality. When I did marry, I chose 2 abusive men in a row--I was angry and abusive myself to them, and to our children. I KNEW I wasn't doing my best--I just didn't know how to do it differently. But Christ rescued me, and taught me HOW to do differently. I was able to eventually marry in the temple, put right the relationships with my children, and even parent my youngest two children with genuine love, patience, and long-suffering. So was I condemned for not doing my "best" when I was making all those mistakes? I don't feel I was. I feel that He knew that I wanted to do better, and that He came to my rescue when I was humble enough to admit I couldn't do it, even when I tried harder. His grace, His power--that's my best. 

The problem is how we define "perfect".  The ancient term use in revelation and scripture had a slightly different meaning than what we apply with modern thinking.  There are many ancient terms that were in essence synonymous.  There were whole, holy, sacred, complete and perfect.  It is my understand that these terms have nothing to do with man and man's effort or capabilities.  It is about becoming one (united) with G-d.
 
I cannot remember the movie but the setting is a guy and a girl arguing over what each is contributing.  The girl says something along the line - you need to do you share of the dishes.  The guy says - I do my share of the dishes.  Then the girl says but you do not like doing your share of the dishes.  The guy responds with "Why should I like doing my share of the dishes?  The question is - since we love enough to do that which we do not like - is that not enough.
 
The answer is NO!!! - it is not about loving G-d and doing what he tells us.  It is about learning to love doing what G-d and our fellow man needs done and loving the sacrifice.  Just doing it does not make the process sacred and holy - we must love doing it.  That is a very different problem.

Amen to the mental illness comments. As I mentioned, I grew up thinking that every troubled person could just pick themselves up by their bootstraps. Then my firstborn wonderchild who entered BYU on a full scholarship at 15 years old gets two years into college with straight A's and I receive a call from his roommates telling me something is wrong. We arrived at college to find a completely different person - adolescent onset depression entered my life through my son. I foolishly tried to talk him through getting his act together for almost two years growing increasingly frustrated with his "lazy" and "disingenuous" efforts to fix his problems. 
 
Then, one of my teenage nieces who was living with our family after having been on the streets, and whose behavior was a constant up and down from playful kid to wicked satan child, suddenly has a seizure. My older brother had epilepsy so I was very familiar with how to deal with this. We took her to the doctor the next week and he prescribed Lamictal for her seizures. She starts taking it daily and guess what happens?  Her behavior levels out like a perfect child. It turns out she is bi-polar. A light bulb went off in my head! Mental illness is very, very real. There are many forms of mental illness, but the common characteristic is that good information goes in, does not get processed properly, and undesirable behaviors and decisions result.
 
Since that time I have had to change my whole philosophy on how to work with God's children. The brain has many different channels for processing information. These channels can operate at the same time and is the source of much of our personal hypocrisy. When it comes to viewing human sexual behavior (most of which is fake acting) the brain's multiple channels are affected on many levels. One channel may sincerely desire to live a chaste life and to be faithful to one's spouse, while a different brain channel is relentlessly wanting to stimulate itself with pornography, and through it all hormones are inhibiting clear thinking as they are rightly designed to do.
 
The processes are simultaneous and result in tremendous guilt and shame since we have been taught that "good" people don't desire to view these images. Isn't this the typical situation for couples dealing with pornography?  One spouse feeling pain and frustration due to a pornography habit they can't shake, and the other spouse working hard every day to "make sure" that the offending spouse feels incredible pain and frustration for their sins. It's a recipe for failure all around - just as my two years of trying to change my son's depression was also a complete and utter failure.
 
My son is doing better now, but the real success story is how I've changed. How I've stopped wanting to be the judge of those around me and how I now love them no matter what their challenges have been. Personally I don't care about a person's sins anymore. I care about helping them reach a happier state and I adapt my work to their level. In the process I'm the one who benefits the most. I also see my own spouse in a much more loving way now. We see ourselves as a much more wonderful couple now - even with all of our personal flaws and weaknesses.
 
Is it possible to completely love a viewer of pornography as you work toward a solution? Of course it is. Just as it is possible to completely love somebody who recklessly participates in sexual relations outside of marriage. But it does take a whole new loving approach to the problem.

flygirl, I want to ask you some questions but I want to tell you a little about my experience so you don't think I've fallen off the spiritual cliff. I was one of six kids in an active LDS family. My dad was a mechanic and my mom stayed at home, but she was college educated and had taught college courses prior to having children. For some reason we had a multi-volume medical encyclopedia set in addition to many other good books in our home and so I grew up knowing more about anatomy, biology, and sexuality than most kids. My teachers had no idea how much I knew about bodies and I always found it condescending when they would try to "hide" knowledge from me. My very shy mother did not do this. She always answered my questions in a plain straightforward manner.
 
Over the years and having raised six kids of my own (two sons and four daughters) I have learned that truth conquers error, but sometimes you have to search very hard to find the truth as to why people actually behave in certain ways. Whether part of it is the God-given biology that people are endowed with, or one's upbringing or thought processes, we often need to look beyond the black-white good-bad analogies and find more meaningful and targeted solutions. I'm a nuclear engineer and physicist by trade so I believe that easy explanations for complex subjects like pornography will leave your search for answers very empty.
 
The extent of the pornography problem in society and even in the church, and the ineffectiveness of the simple "stop" solutions that we often turn to serves as evidence that simply feeling hurt and mad at your spouse is not the way. I have children with depression, I used to think people with depression could just think themselves out of the problem. They can't. They need non-judgmental love, understanding, and help. And they need it forever. I have a cousin who has struggled with substance (alcohol and drugs) abuse. I used to think addicts could just stop. Many can't. They need non-judgmental love, understanding, and help. And they need it forever. 
 
That being said, now let me ask - how many times have you sat down and just discussed with your husband in an exploratory and non-judgmental way what he finds interesting about human bodies and sexuality? No decisions to change, just learning about every thought process he goes through, why, when, and where. That is where I think you need to start.
 
Go back to day one. Instead of having your world collapse when you learned that your husband liked viewing pornography, what if you had simply said, "Oh, that is a challenging problem. I love you and want to help you in any way I can. Would you be willing to talk to me about this?"  and then sat and listened, for months or more if necessary. Would opening up those communication channels in a much broader way have helped lay a foundation of trust and love to deal with the issue rather than hurt and frustration? 
 
It's just some of my thoughts. I don't know if they help, but I pray for you both to find a way to put sexuality in it's proper context within your temple marriage. Feel free to ask more questions as you search for help and answers.

Our default position is to be empathetic, kind, gentle, understanding, encouraging, uplifting, loving, giving, etc. When we reprove it will be motivated by the aforementioned ideas and it will be because it is the right thing to do. It will not be to gratify our vanity or our pride. It is easy to justify abusive behavior in the name of religion or in the name of righteousness so I think it is wise to hold close to empathy and tenderness. Most of us, most of the time, want and desire and even need unconditional love. It is our job as sons and daugthers of God to be stern and firm in principle but to be kind, gentle, and loving in our conduct towards others. When we are living right we will know the time to be firm and sharp, showing always afterwards an increase in love towards those reproved.
 
-Finrock

The Light of Christ is in all living things, it is like attuning to a radio station all are capable of doing it. When one does you will be approached by the Father and aided directly. It is prideful and arrogant for people to place limitations on how God does his work, it was said God can turn a stone into a prophet. My source is the Spirit of truth, for all truth must come by and through the Spirit of truth.

Our default position is to be empathetic, kind, gentle, understanding, encouraging, uplifting, loving, giving, etc. When we reprove it will be motivated by the aforementioned ideas and it will be because it is the right thing to do. It will not be to gratify our vanity or our pride. It is easy to justify abusive behavior in the name of religion or in the name of righteousness so I think it is wise to hold close to empathy and tenderness. Most of us, most of the time, want and desire and even need unconditional love. It is our job as sons and daugthers of God to be stern and firm in principle but to be kind, gentle, and loving in our conduct towards others. When we are living right we will know the time to be firm and sharp, showing always afterwards an increase in love towards those reproved.
 
-Finrock

It is more Jacobean English and constructed as a sifting in words to reveal fruits inside people, that laws may be justified also as I give light unto those meant to receive.
 
Misuse by standards of mankind's minds is not misuse by spirit.