Spiderman and the Christian

Day six

The other day my family was going through our DVD collection deciding which to keep and which to donate.  When we came across a Spider-man DVD it was placed in the donate pile.  Don't take this to mean that we don't appreciate Spider-man, we do, we just weren't thrilled with the movie's take on him.  In fact, two of my favorite quotes come from the Spider-man series:

"With great power, comes great responsibility."  Uncle Ben

"Not everyone is meant to make a difference.  But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option." Spider-man

I like these quotes because I think they can be applied to Christians.  We should be asking ourselves questions like: What great power(s) do Christian's have?  And what is our responsibility to use them? Are we expected to save lives like a super hero?

As for the second quote, I think most Christians feel that the christian life is far from what the world deems ordinary.  And I have never agreed with the statement that "not everyone is meant to make a difference."  There is a purpose in all that God does and creates, including us.  The question to ask is, What difference am I supposed to make?
  
My prayers this morning were focused on being a better Christian.  As a youth, I received a blessing which  stated, "You are the only influence for Christ and good that some people will ever see in this life."  That one line has stood out to me over all these years.  I know that I have not always been a great example.  I have spent many prayers asking for forgiveness and for the blessings of wisdom and courage.

So off to the scriptures I went in search of the answers to my questions.  My studies yesterday took me through the first half of Doctrine and Covenants 76, so today I picked up with verse 50.  This half of the section covers the three degrees of glory visions which describe the Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial kingdoms.  I was pretty sure that the answers I was searching for I could find here. 

Question one:  What great power(s) do Christian's have?

Ultimately, we have the power to "receive all things from the Father" (vv. 55, 59); dwell forever in the presence of God and Christ (v. 62); and to become like them (v. 58).  These are the result of using our power(s) for good while here on earth, but what are the power(s) available to us here?

Here are some thoughts:

The power of a testimony of Jesus (v. 51)
The power in believing (v. 51)
The power of baptism (v. 51)
The power of receiving the Holy Ghost (v. 52)
The power of the atonement to have our sins washed away (v. 52)
The power of agency to choose to keep the commandments (v. 52)
The power to overcome by faith (v. 53) and to overcome all things (v. 60)
The power to become sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise (v 53)

I am sure there are many more, but I was beginning to see myself in a different light in just these few verses.  When I look at this list I start to see that there is a super hero inside me with some amazing powers!  Imagine what a person could do if they would only tap into these powers everyday, what a difference it could make not only in their lives, but in the lives of those around them. There lies the answer to our responsibility question:  I am supposed to use these powers to improve myself and those around me.  The phrase "those that received" is used throughout this section.  If I have already received these things shouldn't I be giving others the chance to receive them also?  The answer is YES!

This leads us to the next question:  Are we expected to save lives like a super hero?  The answer is obvious by now.  In reality it is not me or you that will save a person, that is left to the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ, but we are to share what we know and give them the opportunity to be saved.

And last, but not least, we come to our last question: What difference am I supposed to make?  For me these means that I will always remember that I am the only influence of Christ that some people might see in this life and I should live my life with that in mind.  Luckily, I have a Father who loves me, a Savior that has atoned for my sins, and the Holy Ghost to guide me as I try to be a better christian.  With a team like that there is no way that this super hero will fail!