3 Nephi 20:26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to abless you in bturning away every one of you from his iniquities;
Sometimes we get pre-conceived notions of what blessings look like. We visualize STUFF as being what we would like as blessings. Nice homes, or good food or clothes, cars. Money would also be acceptable. Sometimes we remember to notice our good health or happy families and think that they could be blessings.
One of the last things on our list of things we think of to ask for or be grateful for is the blessing of being taught and trained, tutored and instructed, disciplined so that we can become the people God would have us be. It's obvious when we think as parents that in order for our children to be happy, they must be taught. We toilet train our children for their good, as well as our convenience. We discipline them when they have accidents. We teach our children to get along with those around them. If they hit and fight, we give them "time out" so that they can learn the lessons we're teaching. If we fail to teach our children the vital lessons of life, they will lead lives of frustration, pain and unhappiness.
Our Father also has things He would teach us. So He gives us prophets and scriptures with words of instruction. Then when we forget His lessons, He gives us uncomfortable experiences to remind us of the lessons. If we open our hearts to His teachings and bend our will to His, we can have peace and joy in our lives. But if we insist in doing things our own way, we will suffer heartache, grief and pain.
That the Lord would turn us away from our iniquities is definitely a blessing to be grateful for.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Love Your Enemies
I am trying to understand the section in the Sermon on the Mount that talks about loving your enemies. I think it starts with the verse that says "resist not evil". That seems puzzling. Does it mean that we go along with evil? I'm sure that's not it. It's more like "don't assume a battle stance". It has more to do with the person than the evil itself. I'm not saying this very well because my thoughts are still fuzzy. But when we look at the instructions, a pattern emerges. He tells us to turn the other cheek; let him have our cloak; go the second mile; give to him that asks. Then there's this impossible instruction: love your aenemies, bless them that curse you, do bgood to them that hate you, and cpray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
Can anyone actually do these things? This was surely one of the most shocking and surprising of the Savior's teachings. The Telestial man doesn't love his enemies. He may feel fully justified in seeking revenge. The Terrestrial man may try to forgive his enemies and just avoid them. But Jesus wasn't asking us to only be better than the natural man. He was teaching us a higher law. He wants us to love our enemies. To pray for them. To do good to them. To be Celestial.
Can anyone actually do these things? This was surely one of the most shocking and surprising of the Savior's teachings. The Telestial man doesn't love his enemies. He may feel fully justified in seeking revenge. The Terrestrial man may try to forgive his enemies and just avoid them. But Jesus wasn't asking us to only be better than the natural man. He was teaching us a higher law. He wants us to love our enemies. To pray for them. To do good to them. To be Celestial.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Our Leaders
The Savior has been teaching and instructing the twelve who he called to be the leaders over the Nephites. Now He turns to the people and says:
dBlessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have echosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants;
Here we have instructions to the people as well as to the leaders. We are told to give heed to their words. We do this by paying attention when they speak and pondering how to incorporate their teachings into our lives. Our local leaders deserve our attention as well as the General Authorities. Our Stake Conference is coming up this weekend. It would be good if I would take a notebook and jot down things that touch my heart as they speak, then go home later and ponder on what things I need to change.
Also, we love General Conference, and look forward to receiving the Conference issue of the Ensign. But we need to spend time with each talk, studying, pondering, applying those things we learn. What use is it having living prophets if we don't know what they're saying to us and make changes where the Spirit tells they're needed?
The other instructions here are for the leaders. They are not called to be puffed up or to get glory or to "boss" people around. They are called to "minister" to us and to be our "servants". The Savior gave the example when He washed the disciples' feet. Anyone who holds a leadership position needs to pray constantly that they can bless those they serve and understand their needs and help succor them.
dBlessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have echosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants;
Here we have instructions to the people as well as to the leaders. We are told to give heed to their words. We do this by paying attention when they speak and pondering how to incorporate their teachings into our lives. Our local leaders deserve our attention as well as the General Authorities. Our Stake Conference is coming up this weekend. It would be good if I would take a notebook and jot down things that touch my heart as they speak, then go home later and ponder on what things I need to change.
Also, we love General Conference, and look forward to receiving the Conference issue of the Ensign. But we need to spend time with each talk, studying, pondering, applying those things we learn. What use is it having living prophets if we don't know what they're saying to us and make changes where the Spirit tells they're needed?
The other instructions here are for the leaders. They are not called to be puffed up or to get glory or to "boss" people around. They are called to "minister" to us and to be our "servants". The Savior gave the example when He washed the disciples' feet. Anyone who holds a leadership position needs to pray constantly that they can bless those they serve and understand their needs and help succor them.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Hosanna! Hosanna!
16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:
17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did aworship him.
The righteous people, after being able to see and feel and know of Jesus' reality, were overcome with reverence and gratitude. Can you imagine being there, one of the multitude who came "one by one" to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and His feet and thrust their hands into His side? I'm sure that I would also cry out "Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!" And I would surely fall down and worship Him.
In fact, I now declare: "Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!" I reverence Him and praise Him with all my heart. I proclaim that He lives! I pray to each day become more like Him. Hosanna!
Monday, November 22, 2010
See, Feel, Know, Testify
And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
The righteous Nephites who had survived the destruction fell at Jesus' feet when He appeared to them at the temple at Zarahemla. But He told them to arise and come forth and feel the nail holes in his hands and feet and the wound in his side. They went one by one, and some experts have calculated how many hours it would take 2500 people if they each spent just fifteen seconds each, and it was around 10 hours. This demonstrates the love Jesus has for each person, that he would give each of them a one-on-one experience, rather than showing them a video or some other experience that would teach them all at one time.
Then we are given some steps I'm calling the steps of conversion. The people did SEE, they did FEEL, they did KNOW, and then they did BEAR RECORD.
First we see or hear or experience something. But our physical senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, are not enough. We must KNOW, as the Spirit bears witness in our hearts. Two people can see and hear exactly the same thing, but one will remain unconvinced while the other will respond to the promptings of the Spirit and come to know.
But according to this record, we're not done when we have that testimony; when we know. There is another step. We must bear record. We must share that testimony with others. When we do this, we strengthen those around us, and we strengthen ourselves. For as we bear testimony, the Spirit witnesses to us again that what we are saying is true, and our testimony is made stronger.
The righteous Nephites who had survived the destruction fell at Jesus' feet when He appeared to them at the temple at Zarahemla. But He told them to arise and come forth and feel the nail holes in his hands and feet and the wound in his side. They went one by one, and some experts have calculated how many hours it would take 2500 people if they each spent just fifteen seconds each, and it was around 10 hours. This demonstrates the love Jesus has for each person, that he would give each of them a one-on-one experience, rather than showing them a video or some other experience that would teach them all at one time.
Then we are given some steps I'm calling the steps of conversion. The people did SEE, they did FEEL, they did KNOW, and then they did BEAR RECORD.
First we see or hear or experience something. But our physical senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, are not enough. We must KNOW, as the Spirit bears witness in our hearts. Two people can see and hear exactly the same thing, but one will remain unconvinced while the other will respond to the promptings of the Spirit and come to know.
But according to this record, we're not done when we have that testimony; when we know. There is another step. We must bear record. We must share that testimony with others. When we do this, we strengthen those around us, and we strengthen ourselves. For as we bear testimony, the Spirit witnesses to us again that what we are saying is true, and our testimony is made stronger.
Friday, October 29, 2010
He Gave Us Our Riches
Samuel the Lamanite is preaching to the Nephites, and tells them that one day soon they will say: "O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches. . ." (Helaman 13:33)
Our riches come from the Lord. He gives them to us as both a blessing and a test. He blesses us for our obedience, and He tests us to see if we will stay faithful to Him even though our lives are comfortable. But we must remember Him who gave us those riches, and use them to bless others and to do good, not for our own selfish desires.
Sometimes we are fond of saying that this scripture doesn't apply to us because we aren't rich. But we are! We are SO rich! We have enough to eat. We have homes with electricity and heat and air conditioning and comfortable furniture. We have cars to get us where we want to go. We have dear families who love us. And we have the Gospel which blesses our lives in ways we rarely begin to imagine! It's so easy to forget all of that and to pine for newer cars or bigger houses or more toys.
Counting our blessings is one way of remembering the Lord. We need to remember to LOOK for the blessings, to notice not only the material ones, but the spiritual ones. We all have so many riches!
Our riches come from the Lord. He gives them to us as both a blessing and a test. He blesses us for our obedience, and He tests us to see if we will stay faithful to Him even though our lives are comfortable. But we must remember Him who gave us those riches, and use them to bless others and to do good, not for our own selfish desires.
Sometimes we are fond of saying that this scripture doesn't apply to us because we aren't rich. But we are! We are SO rich! We have enough to eat. We have homes with electricity and heat and air conditioning and comfortable furniture. We have cars to get us where we want to go. We have dear families who love us. And we have the Gospel which blesses our lives in ways we rarely begin to imagine! It's so easy to forget all of that and to pine for newer cars or bigger houses or more toys.
Counting our blessings is one way of remembering the Lord. We need to remember to LOOK for the blessings, to notice not only the material ones, but the spiritual ones. We all have so many riches!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
He Loves Us
I'm currently reading in Daniel in the Old Testament. I loved this quote that the angel Gabriel said to Daniel: ". . . for thou art greatly beloved".
Daniel was pleading with the Lord for an understanding of the prophecy that said for 70 years would the Israelites be in captivity. The Lord sent Gabriel to answer the prayer, and in the process, in Daniel 9:23, the Lord affirmed His love for Daniel.
I don't think this love is reserved for prophets and great leaders. I believe that each of us is loved more than we ever realize. In a recent meeting in our stake, a brother related of a time he was playing with his toddler son, making him laugh, and he thought to the child, "You have no idea how much I love you". The thought came clearly to his mind, "You have no idea how much I love YOU"
I have had a sweet experience in the temple when I was praying earnestly for the Lord's counsel, pleading for it, and the feeling washed strongly over me of the Lord's love for me. I felt greatly beloved. I think we all can (and should) feel that love that He has for us.
Daniel was pleading with the Lord for an understanding of the prophecy that said for 70 years would the Israelites be in captivity. The Lord sent Gabriel to answer the prayer, and in the process, in Daniel 9:23, the Lord affirmed His love for Daniel.
I don't think this love is reserved for prophets and great leaders. I believe that each of us is loved more than we ever realize. In a recent meeting in our stake, a brother related of a time he was playing with his toddler son, making him laugh, and he thought to the child, "You have no idea how much I love you". The thought came clearly to his mind, "You have no idea how much I love YOU"
I have had a sweet experience in the temple when I was praying earnestly for the Lord's counsel, pleading for it, and the feeling washed strongly over me of the Lord's love for me. I felt greatly beloved. I think we all can (and should) feel that love that He has for us.
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