We had transfers not too long ago. I was nervous as I usually am on transfer day and even that night I was still getting used to the many changes that had suddenly occurred. I was praying and felt very down and lost. I simply asked for peace and for the Spirit to be with me. Immediately, the words of a song that I had sung just that afternoon at transfer meeting came into my head: "He is hope when a journey begins. He is strength in the wind. He is faith when my courage wears thin. He is rest when I'm wearied and worn. He's the place where I'm loved and I'm known. When I come unto Christ, I feel like I'm coming home." As these words whispered through my mind, calm gently fell over me and I felt at peace, just as I had asked.
One of the elders who was going home said, "Coming unto Christ IS like coming home. It's wonderful but it's really hard; it hurts. This whole week I've just had to keep thinking, 'Let it burn.'"
A favorite quote of mine (let's be honest: I have TONS of favorite quotes) says,"If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill."
Amen to that!
The times when I think and feel like I'm trying my hardest and the times when I feel like I should be the happiest because I'm being obedient are often the times that are the most trying and frustrating!
What happens?
Well, this is what happens: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..." (Revelations 3:19)
Also: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth...Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:6,11) Isn't that a glorious promise??
'Chasten' as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary is to, "have a restraining or moderating effect on..." So the Lord, when He chastens us and calls us to repentance, is simply "reining us in," so to speak. He is catching the "natural man" in us by the collar and inviting him to leave. (Mosiah 3:19) We can either focus on the pain that this causes or we can focus on the fact that our Heavenly Father loves us and is only doing this because He knows that what He has in store for us is better than what we have going on right now. ("The Will of God," https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-014-the-will-of-god?lang=eng)
As we accept the changes that our Father in Heaven is seeking to help us make, we will be happier. It's hard! It hurts! But you know what? "...afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness..." I don't know about you but I know that I want that result: "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" - all of the blessings that our Father in Heaven can and will give to those of His children who are obedient to the commandments and who "...seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33)
What'll it take to get us to that point?
Sanctification. Consecration. Holiness. A desire to turn to and rely on the Lord in all things.
In Doctrine and Covenants 101:5 it says, "For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified."
We cannot be sanctified, or made holy, without chastening. We cannot become consecrated missionaries, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or disciples of Jesus Christ without chastening, rebukes, true and sincere repentance, and changing our behavior, indeed, our very nature in order to bring our will and our being in line and in accordance with that of our Heavenly Father's. ("Becoming a Consecrated Missionary," Tad R. Callister, 2008)
There is always a higher purpose behind the things that the Lord does and behind the things which He allows us to go through. In the case of our chastening, the Lord is seeking to break us down that He may then build us up even higher and stronger and with a deeper and more abiding testimony and conviction of the love of our Father in Heaven and the Savior, for us.
As we become sanctified, made holy, consecrated and dedicated to the Lord and His work of salvation, we will find that we truly are coming home.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Faith and Grace
My dad coaches football and occasionally, when I was younger and my mom was busy running errands, my dad would take us to practice and we would sit on the sidelines while the boys were working out. I remember looking at these high school boys and think, "Oh my word, they are HUGE!" (I was pretty small and always looking up to these high school students.) Watching them work out though, it was very apparent that every single one of them, no matter how naturally athletic they were or how quickly they built muscle, had a large amount of work that was required for them to 1) reach the standard for whatever position they were playing and 2) to maintain their weight, strength, flexibility, stamina, and speed.
With the football players, the help and belief and desire that they had was good. But it was not until they applied themselves and pushed their desire to become action - involving weight-lifting, running, stretching, two- and three-a-days and listening to the coaches - that they were able to become what they wanted to become (amazing football players!) or overcome anything they were struggling with.
These young men had faith, in a sense. They believed that they could be good football players and they wanted to become great football players. They 'received grace', after a fashion: they were coached continuously along the way, they had the support of their family and friends and coaches, they were always receiving help. If that was all they had (grace and faith), that would never be enough to push them to become the football players that they needed to become.
Likewise, with only faith and grace, without any works, we would not become the people that our loving Heavenly Father has prepared us to be.
God gives more knowledge and understanding to those who seek it diligently and with real intent, which is the desire and willingness to act upon the answers which we receive from the Lord, and with faith in Christ, "[manifesting] by their works" that they will continually act upon the promptings of the Spirit that they receive. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)
Faith is a belief in Jesus Christ that leads us to act. Actions that come from true belief in our Savior and His ability to save will be in accordance with God's commandments.
Faith requires action. James said, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"
The answer is no.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
So, we are saved "by grace...through faith," not by faith.
What is 'grace' then?
"The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ."
The definition continues: "This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts...It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible." (Bible Dictionary, 'Grace' emphasis added)
We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ. If someone says that they are saved by grace, they are correct after a fashion. If someone says that they are saved because of their faith they too, are correct in some ways.
Yet, without works, "faith...is dead, being alone" and Christ's grace cannot be accessed for it takes work to reach or obtain anything. The Lord has said, "...when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21) As with everything else that God gives to us, continual desire and effort (obedience) are required.
Works, faith and grace must all go together.
Without true faith, we will never have a desire or motivation to act.
Without grace, which both enables us and also allows us to be cleansed from sin, we will have no chance of returning to live with our Heavenly Father for "no unclean thing can dwell...in His presence." (Moses 6:57)
Without works - obedience to the commandments, following the counsel of the prophet, and seeking to know the will of the Lord through prayer - our faith is not justified ("declared or made righteous in the sight of God" - New Oxford American Dictionary) - and we cannot access the power of the Atonement, given so graciously by our Heavenly Father through our Savior Jesus Christ. So, without works, our faith is for naught.
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how...by works was faith made perfect?...Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:17, 21, 22, 24)
When we allow our faith - our belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ - to lead us to action, we will come to know for ourselves that the Lord loves us personally, individually, and perfectly. We will come to know that it is by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can obtain eternal life and that as we work and act in order to seek His will and to become all that He wants us to become, we will someday hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:23)
With the football players, the help and belief and desire that they had was good. But it was not until they applied themselves and pushed their desire to become action - involving weight-lifting, running, stretching, two- and three-a-days and listening to the coaches - that they were able to become what they wanted to become (amazing football players!) or overcome anything they were struggling with.
These young men had faith, in a sense. They believed that they could be good football players and they wanted to become great football players. They 'received grace', after a fashion: they were coached continuously along the way, they had the support of their family and friends and coaches, they were always receiving help. If that was all they had (grace and faith), that would never be enough to push them to become the football players that they needed to become.
Likewise, with only faith and grace, without any works, we would not become the people that our loving Heavenly Father has prepared us to be.
God gives more knowledge and understanding to those who seek it diligently and with real intent, which is the desire and willingness to act upon the answers which we receive from the Lord, and with faith in Christ, "[manifesting] by their works" that they will continually act upon the promptings of the Spirit that they receive. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)
Faith is a belief in Jesus Christ that leads us to act. Actions that come from true belief in our Savior and His ability to save will be in accordance with God's commandments.
Faith requires action. James said, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"
The answer is no.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
So, we are saved "by grace...through faith," not by faith.
What is 'grace' then?
"The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ."
The definition continues: "This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts...It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible." (Bible Dictionary, 'Grace' emphasis added)
We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ. If someone says that they are saved by grace, they are correct after a fashion. If someone says that they are saved because of their faith they too, are correct in some ways.
Yet, without works, "faith...is dead, being alone" and Christ's grace cannot be accessed for it takes work to reach or obtain anything. The Lord has said, "...when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21) As with everything else that God gives to us, continual desire and effort (obedience) are required.
Works, faith and grace must all go together.
Without true faith, we will never have a desire or motivation to act.
Without grace, which both enables us and also allows us to be cleansed from sin, we will have no chance of returning to live with our Heavenly Father for "no unclean thing can dwell...in His presence." (Moses 6:57)
Without works - obedience to the commandments, following the counsel of the prophet, and seeking to know the will of the Lord through prayer - our faith is not justified ("declared or made righteous in the sight of God" - New Oxford American Dictionary) - and we cannot access the power of the Atonement, given so graciously by our Heavenly Father through our Savior Jesus Christ. So, without works, our faith is for naught.
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how...by works was faith made perfect?...Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:17, 21, 22, 24)
When we allow our faith - our belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ - to lead us to action, we will come to know for ourselves that the Lord loves us personally, individually, and perfectly. We will come to know that it is by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can obtain eternal life and that as we work and act in order to seek His will and to become all that He wants us to become, we will someday hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:23)
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Let Go and Let God
We were driving down the street yesterday and we saw a license plate that said, "LGO&LG."
My companion said something about what the license plate might stand for and I thought she said, "Let Go and Let God."
Good thought, huh?
Let go and let God.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, in a talk entitled "As Many As I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten" given in April 2011 said, "God uses another form of chastening or correction to guide us to a future we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us."
Sometimes we feel that things are out of our control. We feel lost and confused as we go through trials and tribulations - fires - that the Lord allows to continue even though our pleas may be otherwise. Yet we may come to know through these trials that the Lord is aware of us and our prayers. He does love us and that is the very reason He is allowing us to struggle and to learn to rely even more fully on Him.
'Francis Webster, a member of the Martin Company, stated, “Everyone of us came through [our trials] with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.”'
("A Priceless Heritage", http://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/07/a-priceless-heritage?lang=eng)
There was one night in particular when I felt completely and utterly lost and alone. I felt unneeded, unnecessary and like a complete failure. I was depressed, afraid, and wanted little more than to be encircled in the arms of my mom and dad. How many of us haven't felt that before?
I remember, very vividly, standing in front of the bathroom mirror while I was brushing my teeth, trying not to cry. I was praying fervently and earnestly for peace. That was all I wanted: peace. I had been praying all day long in my mind and heart and especially throughout that evening.
As I prayed, suddenly a line from a song swooped into my mind. The only piece of the song that I could remember was, "When through the deep waters I call thee to go..." I could hum the tune and sing the words but as soon as I got to the end of that line my mind went absolutely blank. It was like a black sheet had been dropped over the rest of the song. I couldn't remember anything about it except that it was a hymn.
That irked me like nobody's business but I was going to be late for bed if I stayed up to try and find it. So, singing that one line repeatedly and somewhat resigned to the fact that I was just going to have to wait to solve this mystery, I knelt down next to my bed and began to pray.
I had scarcely begun to pray when the Spirit came into my mind and the whispering thought that I had previously had, (to go and find the song who's line was running through my head), turned into a shout.
"Ok! Oh my word! Sorry!" I grumbled a bit about how I was going to be late to bed but I obeyed.
I booked it into the front room and stole my companion's hymn book which was sitting on her desk. I didn't really know what I was looking for but as I flipped open the hymn book, it opened to #85 "How Firm A Foundation." Immediately, the first line of the fourth verse caught my eye: "When through the deep waters I call thee to go..."
But it continued:
4. When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
5. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
I sat there on the cold hardwood floor and sobbed. The Lord had called me to go through these things but I would not be overwhelmed, He would be with me, my trials would be sanctified to me, and one of the reasons that I was being allowed to go through this was so that I would become sanctified and refined.
The scripture that I memorized yesterday is in the Book of Revelation 3:18,19.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire..."
The best gold, the gold (the people) that the Lord will use to build His kingdom has been and will be refined.
The verse continues, "...that thou mayst be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed...and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see.
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent."
The Lord will guide and strengthen us throughout our time on this earth. We need to let go of our fears, our pride, our desire to always be right, and allow Him to take our trials and tribulations and sanctify them to us.
As we continue through this mortal, probationary state, let us always remember that "[He] will be with [us, our] troubles to bless" for His grace is sufficient to all those who will humble themselves before Him.
My companion said something about what the license plate might stand for and I thought she said, "Let Go and Let God."
Good thought, huh?
Let go and let God.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, in a talk entitled "As Many As I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten" given in April 2011 said, "God uses another form of chastening or correction to guide us to a future we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us."
Sometimes we feel that things are out of our control. We feel lost and confused as we go through trials and tribulations - fires - that the Lord allows to continue even though our pleas may be otherwise. Yet we may come to know through these trials that the Lord is aware of us and our prayers. He does love us and that is the very reason He is allowing us to struggle and to learn to rely even more fully on Him.
'Francis Webster, a member of the Martin Company, stated, “Everyone of us came through [our trials] with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities.”'
("A Priceless Heritage", http://www.lds.org/ensign/2002/07/a-priceless-heritage?lang=eng)
There was one night in particular when I felt completely and utterly lost and alone. I felt unneeded, unnecessary and like a complete failure. I was depressed, afraid, and wanted little more than to be encircled in the arms of my mom and dad. How many of us haven't felt that before?
I remember, very vividly, standing in front of the bathroom mirror while I was brushing my teeth, trying not to cry. I was praying fervently and earnestly for peace. That was all I wanted: peace. I had been praying all day long in my mind and heart and especially throughout that evening.
As I prayed, suddenly a line from a song swooped into my mind. The only piece of the song that I could remember was, "When through the deep waters I call thee to go..." I could hum the tune and sing the words but as soon as I got to the end of that line my mind went absolutely blank. It was like a black sheet had been dropped over the rest of the song. I couldn't remember anything about it except that it was a hymn.
That irked me like nobody's business but I was going to be late for bed if I stayed up to try and find it. So, singing that one line repeatedly and somewhat resigned to the fact that I was just going to have to wait to solve this mystery, I knelt down next to my bed and began to pray.
I had scarcely begun to pray when the Spirit came into my mind and the whispering thought that I had previously had, (to go and find the song who's line was running through my head), turned into a shout.
"Ok! Oh my word! Sorry!" I grumbled a bit about how I was going to be late to bed but I obeyed.
I booked it into the front room and stole my companion's hymn book which was sitting on her desk. I didn't really know what I was looking for but as I flipped open the hymn book, it opened to #85 "How Firm A Foundation." Immediately, the first line of the fourth verse caught my eye: "When through the deep waters I call thee to go..."
But it continued:
4. When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
5. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
I sat there on the cold hardwood floor and sobbed. The Lord had called me to go through these things but I would not be overwhelmed, He would be with me, my trials would be sanctified to me, and one of the reasons that I was being allowed to go through this was so that I would become sanctified and refined.
The scripture that I memorized yesterday is in the Book of Revelation 3:18,19.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire..."
The best gold, the gold (the people) that the Lord will use to build His kingdom has been and will be refined.
The verse continues, "...that thou mayst be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed...and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see.
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent."
The Lord will guide and strengthen us throughout our time on this earth. We need to let go of our fears, our pride, our desire to always be right, and allow Him to take our trials and tribulations and sanctify them to us.
As we continue through this mortal, probationary state, let us always remember that "[He] will be with [us, our] troubles to bless" for His grace is sufficient to all those who will humble themselves before Him.
My 'Heart'
So, when our hearts are pure that means that not only are we thinking pure thoughts and saying pure things but we have pure, clean, righteous desires. Our intentions and motives are pure and without guile or deceit. Our affections are continually on the Lord and His plans and purposes. Last but most certainly not least, our attitudes are pure.
What does it mean to have a pure attitude?
Personally, I think a pure attitude is summed up in pretty clear terms by one of my all-time favorite quotes. (I have said this many, many, many times).
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." -Gilbert K. Chesterton
How are we considering the things around us? How are we reacting to the unexpected catastrophes that always seem to happen and the everyday mistakes that everyone makes - including ourselves?
Are we grumpy and frustrated? Pessimistic or easily irritable? Irked and ready to give up?
OR, are we optimistic? Cheerful? Happy and energetic? Eager to overcome challenges? Ready to face whatever the day may bring because we know that our hearts are in the right place and we are on the Lord's side? (If so, we know that, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31)
I will go so far as to say that if we have a bad attitude about something, our hearts are not in the right place nor are our hearts on and with the Lord in all things.
(Believe me, this is calling me to repentance!)
As I have studied this definition of the word 'heart', I have learned invaluable lessons, especially through the scriptures. If we "liken all scriptures unto [ourselves]" as Nephi suggested in Nephi 19:23, these are some of the glorious insights we get into the word 'heart' as given by Elder Bednar:
"Blessed are the pure in heart (desire, motive, intention, affection and attitude): for they shall see God."
Matthew 5:8
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart (desires, motives, intentions, affections, and attitudes) be also."
Matthew 6:21
"...this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts (desires, motives, intentions, affections and attitudes) far from me..."
2 Nephi 27:25
"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart (desires, motives, intentions, affections and attitudes), might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day."
D&C 4:2
See that you serve Him with all your desires, all your motives, all your intentions, all your affections, all your attitudes. Make sure that you serve Him in ALL that you do. No matter what, no matter when or where, serve The Lord our God.
One of my personal favorites is Jacob 3:1-2.
"But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart (desire, motive, intention, affection and attitude). Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.
O all ye that are pure in heart (desire, motive, intention, affection and attitude), lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."
Jacob 3:1-2
The scriptures are amazing! Goodness! I just love them so much!
How grateful I am for the blessing of having the restored Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth today. This is Christ's only true church upon the face of the earth and the people that He has called to lead His church are inspired. They are to lead us through these difficult and challenging times. However, it is completely up to us to take their advice and counsel.
Let us remember this simple definition of a simple word given by a servant of the Lord. As we do so, our hearts (!) will be softened, our wills become more aligned with God's, and our families more united in the common cause of coming unto Christ.
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