Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 101:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 101:2
"I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."

This morning I was watching a video of Elder Bednar. He was explaining what the word "perfect" really means. I've pondered on that all day. I'm sure that is why this verse stood out to me tonight. Behave wisely in a more complete way, with a complete heart turned to God.

"In modern language we think "perfect' means "perform without errors". That's not what it means in scriptural context. Brothers and sisters we are delighted to be here with all of you tonight. Elder Gerard talked about the commandment to "be ye therefore perfect". This causes remarkable anxiety among the members of the Church. And it's a misinterpretation. In modern language we think the word "perfect" means "perform without errors." That's not what it means in the scriptural context. It means "be ye therefore [complete], as your Father in heaven..is [complete]."

Here's how I think about "complete" - if you look at an apple tree in the spring, it has blossoms, no apples. The blossom if there's sunlight and water and other nutrients, turns it into a little tiny bud and a little tiny apple during the course of the spring and summer will continue to grow and mature. In the fall it's now complete. And you pick the apple and you have a delicious fruit. But who's the gardener? The Father and the Son. And we're connect by covenant. That's the source of the nutrients. What are we to become? Like them. Never in this life. Never through our own works alone. Do we have to work at it? Absolutely. Is that enough? Never. And we stress out, thinking, "Oh, I'm never going to do that quite right. I'm never." No, you're not. Neither am I. None of us are. But with His grace and with His help, incrementally and gradually, there's very steady growth. Just like the bud that becomes an apple over time."

(Elder David A. Bednar, "What "Be Ye Therefore Perfect" Really Means", YSA Devotional, Berlin, Germany, Feb 14, 2025)

Day 3936