Part-time Christian, Full-time Christian

Many of you probably have jobs. If you are a student, you would more likely to be a part-time employee. If you are an LDS, you might have served a full-time mission. I want you to think about the difference between a part-time (fill in the blank) and a full-time (fill in the blank) as you read this.

I wrote the following on Facebook as my status today:

"As I was reading an article about how psychologists, although said to be neutral, take out religion or God out of psychology, I realized that many people try to take God out of their daily lives such as careers or politics. To me, that's saying that you can separate God and the world but I do not believe that. You are either a Christian all the time or you are not a Christian at all."

And then I added this: "You can't be a part-time Christian."

I gave a talk few months ago based on Elder Robert D. Hales's talk called Being a More Christian Christian. I compared having a testimony to being converted and I believe that they are two different things. Just because you have a testimony or have knowledge that something is true, it does not mean that you are a different person. You become a different person when you act or when you change, convert. Conversion, according to the Bible Dictionary, "will change a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person—a new creature in Christ Jesus." We will have "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Italics added, Mosiah 5:2).

Even in the Sacrament prayer, we are commanded to "always remember Him" (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77). God never told us that we can sometimes remember Him or be a Christians when necessary or only on Sundays. He commanded us to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death" (Mosiah 18:9).

Do not be a part-time Christian. Wherever you might be, whatever the circumstance it might be, always be a (full-time) Christian. You cannot serve two masters. If you are a member of Christ's church, be a member of His church always and in everything you do.