W. Ian Thomas

There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian!  Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit.  In the absence of reality, they can only grasp at ritual, stubbornly defending the latter in the absence of the former, lest they be found with neither!  They are lamps without oil, cars without gas, pens without ink, baffled at their own impotence in the absence of all that alone can make man functional; for man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to His humanity.  Christ gave himself for us to give Himself to us!  His presence puts God back into the man! He came that we might have life - God's life!  There are those who have a life they never live.  They have come to Christ and thanked Him only for what He did, but do not live in the power of who He is.  Between the Jesus who 'was' and the Jesus who 'will be' they live in a spiritual vacuum, trying with no little zeal to live for Christ a life that only He can live in and through them, perpetually begging for what in Him they already have!

W. Ian Thomas, in Bob George Classic Christianity [Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1989], foreward

L. Lionel Kendrick

Christlike communications are expressed in tones of love rather than loudness. They are intended to be helpful rather than hurtful. They tend to bind us together rather than to drive us apart. They tend to build rather than to belittle.  Christlike communications are expressions of affection and not anger, truth and not fabrication, compassion and not contention, respect and not ridicule, counsel and not criticism, correction and not condemnation. They are spoken with clarity and not with confusion. They may be tender or they may be tough, but they must always be tempered.   The real challenge that we face in our communications with others is to condition our hearts to have Christlike feelings for all of Heavenly Father's children. When we develop this concern for the condition of others, we then will communicate with them as the Savior would. We will then warm the hearts of those who may be suffering in silence. As we meet people with special needs along life's way, we can then make their journey brighter by the things that we say.   Christlike communications will help us to develop righteous relationships and ultimately to return to our heavenly home safely. May we treasure the divine gift of communication, and may we use it wisely to build and to assist others on this marvelous journey through mortality. 

L. Lionel Kendrick "Christlike Communications," Ensign, Nov. 1988, 24

Ezra Taft Benson

Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible.  The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were...  Such astonishing examples of the power to change even those steeped in sin give confidence that the atonement can reach even those deepest in despair.  But we must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples.  Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule.  For every Paul, for every Enos, for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds of thousands of people who find the process of [changing] much more subtle, much more imperceptible.  Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life.  They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment… The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope.

Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2

Merrill J. Bateman

Few mortals share with Alma the Younger or Paul the Apostle the dramatic experiences that resulted in their spiritual rebirths over short periods of time. In fact, I believe those experiences are recorded in the scriptures not to define the time frame during which one may be reborn but to provide a vivid picture of what the accumulated, subtle changes are that take place in a faithful person over a lifetime.  For most of us, trying to be Christlike is a lifelong process and comes “line upon line, precept upon precept”. Most of us, if faithful, are baptized “with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites … were baptized … and they knew it not”. In other words, spiritual rebirth is a gradual process for most individuals. At any point in time the changes are almost imperceptible; indeed, many of us worry we are not becoming more Christlike even though we are.

Merrill J. Bateman, “Living a Christ-Centered Life,” Liahona, Dec 1999, 13

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Developing Christlike attributes can be a painful process. … Developing [these] attributes in our lives is not an easy task, especially when we move away from generalities and abstractions and begin to deal with real life. The test comes in practicing what we proclaim. The reality check comes when Christlike attributes need to become visible in our lives—as husband or wife, as father or mother, as son or daughter, in our friendships, in our employment, in our business, and in our recreation. We can recognize our growth, as can those around us, as we gradually increase our capacity to “act in all holiness before [Him]”. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Christlike Attributes—the Wind beneath Our Wings,” Ensign, Nov 2005, 100