The breadth of your knowledge of God is a measure of how many situations in which you have an idea of how he would be. Most Christians incorrectly think that the Lord only cares about certain portions of their lives. Do you think that the Father only cared about what Jesus did in certain portions of his life? Or, as Jesus said, did he
always do what pleased the Father?1 Though the segment a Christian thinks God cares about varies according to their denomination, nearly every Christian thinks the gospel is a list of rules, beyond which God has no opinion whatsoever. The truth is that every second of your life effects your situation here and hereafter. The example of Jesus wasn’t given just so you knew how to act at church. You should know how the Lord would think, feel, and act in every situation. Learn what God would do when your tire goes flat on your way to work, or you get Lyme’s disease, or your young child is scared. The problem is that nearly all Christians either don’t understand how to model Jesus’ character, don’t care to do the work required to do so or—unfortunately—quite enjoy the off-books areas of life given to them through their limited application of the Lord’s example.
To know God requires knowing how Jesus would think, feel, and act at all times and in all places, not just in the circumstances described by the rules taught by your church,2 and not just in situations described in the scriptures. God is bigger than any box into which man tries to stuff him. He cannot be contained in any building, day of the week, volume of books, or list of topics. Those who seek to limit the domain of God or who only look for him at certain times or certain places will forever limit how much of him they find. He is in and through all things, and you must look for him in and through all things if you ever hope to see more of him than you have while only looking for him in specific places or at specific times.
God’s wisdom touches every possible circumstance.3 There isn't anything that God can’t improve. There is no thing, no circumstance, no time or place where more information about or from God would not make it immeasurably better.4 All things different from God are less and worse than God and therefore would be greater and better by becoming more like him. God not only has something to say about all things at all times,5 but he has something better to say about all things at all times.6 The will of God is to make all things in earth just as they are in heaven.7 Jesus Christ is the great high priest,8 and he stands ready to improve everything9 that can be contemplated, done, or experienced up to and including making it just like it is in heaven.10 When properly understood and lived, the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively brings divine joy and meaning into even the most mundane elements of life. You don’t walk with God by avoiding normal life, but by bringing his glory into normal life through learning and living as he would in each aspect of it. Learning and living as Jesus would even in the most mundane-seeming situations provide you with the blessings of being in God’s presence even amidst the most temporal of situations and demonstrate his glory to those who would not observe it in a religious setting.
Limits in your breadth of knowledge of God become apparent whenever you find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what Jesus would think, feel, or do. The disciples showed the limit in the breadth of their knowledge of Jesus when he slept through a storm at sea so violent that they expected it would kill them.11 When he raised a dead girl back to life, “...they were astonished with a great astonishment.” (Mark 5:42) When Jesus walked on the water, “...they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” (Mark 6:51)
In order to expand the breadth of your model of Christ, identify situations where your current model does not provide sufficient information to know God’s will. “Search in the light of Christ” (see Moroni 7:19) by thinking,12 studying the scriptures,13 praying,14 and asking those whom you have reason to believe might know God better than you. Each observation you make through seeking God’s will in a new situation provides you with a clue to improve your model. The more examples across which you fit your model, the more correct that model will be.
Footnotes
- 1. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29) ↩
- 2. For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. (D&C 58:26) And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them. (Mosiah 4:29) ↩
- 3. I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad. (Psalms 119:96) ↩
- 4. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17) ↩
- 5. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come, and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. (Moses 1:38) ↩
- 6. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says Jehovah. But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. And as the rains and snows descend from the sky, and return not to it without watering the earth, to render it fertile and fruitful—providing seed for the sower and food for the eater—so is the word that leaves my mouth: it does not return to me empty; it accomplishes what I desire, achieves the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:8-11, Gileadi Translation) ↩
- 7. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) ↩
- 8. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (Hebrews 4:14) ↩
- 9. You are to offer them before the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the Lord (Ezekiel 43:24, NIV) ↩
- 10. For by the power of my Spirit created I them; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal—First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work. (D&C 29:31-32) And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15) ↩
- 11. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? (Mark 4:38) ↩
- 12. Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. (D&C 8:2-3) ↩
- 13. ...I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning. (1 Nephi 19:23) ↩
- 14. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. (Alma 34:24-25) And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. (Alma 7:23) ↩