Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ takes more than a one-day-a-week commitment. It requires a desire and dedication to follow the Savior "at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9).
In his book, “Daily Discipleship: Becoming an Everyday Latter-day Saint” (Cedar Fort, $12.99), Chad P. Conrad discusses methods to more closely follow the Savior’s teachings on a daily basis. He offers specific tips for becoming a better disciple in five areas: the heart, the home, the church, the world and the temple.
The following are some of the tips he offers in each of these areas:
Heart:
• Offer one prayer a day expressing only gratitude.
• Begin the day by praying for instructions on who you can help throughout the day. Include silent listening.
• Every Sunday, write in a journal about one time during the week that you recognized the Lord’s help.
Home:
• Tell each member of your family one thing you appreciate about them every day.
• Leave notes of love and gratitude or just silliness for family members to find.
Church:
• Sit by someone different every week and get to know them a bit.
• Set a goal to smile at and greet as many people as you can at church. Pretend you are bishop for a day and don’t want a single person to feel excluded.
World:
• Pay at least one sincere compliment to someone every day.
• Try treating everyone you meet as if they were the most important person in the world.
Temple:
• Take a question with you every time you visit the temple.
• Find at least one deceased relative a year to do temple work for.
• Hang pictures of temples in your house — especially the bedrooms.
The author taught at Brigham Young University for seven years and has taught full time for seminaries and Institutes of Religion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 20 years. He lives with his wife Stacy and their eight children in Orem.
Sandra Nazar lives, writes and blogs in Oklahoma with her husband and five children. She blogs at www.sincerelysandra.net