King Benjamin gives a sure-fire formula for joy and happiness (Mosiah 4:11). As a matter of fact, the promises are 1). Always rejoice 2). Be filled with the love of God 3). Retain a remission of your sins 4). Grow in the knowledge of the glory of God. And there are lots of other promises that I'll discuss later.
Here is the formula. I should precede this by saying that Benjamin is talking to people who are full of joy, having just received a remission of their sins. So he's speaking to an educated and converted congregation. He tells them (and us) how to retain this conversion. He says:
- Remember and keep remembering the greatness of God. Remember your own nothingness. Remember His goodness and patience with you.
- Humble yourselves
- Call on the Lord daily
- Stand steadfast in the faith of Christ
That doesn't sound too hard, does it? It sounds simple. Just four little steps. Remembering looks to me like the key. If I remember God and how great He is, and my own insignificance, I might not get too puffed up with pride in my own achievements, so I would be humble. If I remember His goodness and patience with me, I would always want to call on the Lord frequently. If I remember God and his promises, I would have the strength to always stand steadfast in the faith of His Son. If I could just not get distracted and always remember.
How do I do that? How do I remember Him?
This is something I've thought about a lot. We covenant every Sunday that we will "always remember Him". How do we do that? I think part of the key is to avoid the things that drive away thoughts of Him, whether they be tv programs or people or situations or places that are not conducive to the Spirit. I think daily scripture study, reading Church magazines, constant prayer, and all the other things we are told to do help us remember.
ReplyDeleteOur mortal brains have a hard time holding any thought for a really long time, but to always remember Him, I think we have to actually change who we are and become His people.
I love your ideas! Those are all excellent suggestions.
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