The Elect

Prophets and Jesus Christ Himself have referred to the covenant people at times as "the elect".  I've written a bit about this before, but I had a particular thought about the word recently.  I saw this in Matthew 24:24 (with the same wording in Joseph Smith--Mathew 1:22).  For those of us who grew up in the Church, hearing the term "the elect" sounds pretty normal, though I think we often associate the wrong meaning with it, though.  I think that we (people in general) have often taken terms like "elect" or "chosen" to mean something like "special".  It's surely very possible for someone to take pride in belonging to "the elect"; sometimes the feeling is more overt, as with the Zoramites in Alma 31, but I think it is sometimes only felt rather subtly.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ could fall into the trap of thinking that being "the elect" means we have achieved a higher spiritual state and are somehow more or better than other people around us.  But that's not what "elect" means.

Where else do we hear the word "elect" being used?  Perhaps in a governmental election, such as a presidential election.  In this case the "president-elect" has indeed been chosen, but is explicitly *not* the president yet.

He isn't there yet.  And we, as the "elect" aren't either.

Being "the elect" is an indication of being something someday in the future.  Members of the Church have made a covenant with God to follow His Son, and thus, by faith in Him, repentance, and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel we can one day be exalted.  In the meanwhile, it's good to remember that we haven't reached our goal yet.  We've got a path to follow, and work to do, and only after we follow that path and finish our mortal course will we make a transition from elect to exalted.  That's why we have a warning from the Savior that even the elect can be deceived.

Last thoughts for now:
I hope I keep the right attitude about being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ--that I can keep the duties of my covenants in mind and never set myself above others.  I hope to avoid being deceived.  I hope that one day I will have fulfilled the role of the elect, and that one day the Lord will say to me the same thing spoken in the parable in Matthew 25:21 -- "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  Until then, I can keep trying to live in a way that will be accepted by Him.