God Is Our Father

Matthew 5:48   Matthew 6:9   Acts 17:29   Romans 8:16   Ephesians 4:6   Hebrews 12:9

Matt 5:48 ^aBe ye therefore ^bperfect, even as your ^cFather which is in heaven is ^dperfect.

We are commanded to become perfect, like our Father.  That makes sense.  It is the nature of children to grow up to become like their parents.  And yet, what a daunting request.  How are we expected to do it?  I think of how parents teach their children.

Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he ^achasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

I read the word chasten to mean correct.  Verse 9 bears that out.

9 Furthermore we have had ^afathers of our flesh which ^bcorrected us, and we gave them ^creverence: shall we not much rather be in ^dsubjection unto the ^eFather of ^fspirits, and live?

Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth ^awitness with our ^bspirit, that we are the ^cchildren of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; ^aheirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we ^bsuffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

18 For I reckon that the ^asufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the ^bglory which shall be revealed ^cin us.

The correction comes through suffering, or rather trials in this life.  The trials of life, and how we endure them, are the refiner's fire, purging us of the imperfections that keep us from being like God.  The challenge during suffering is to be humble and always learning, always becoming.  

I love how that final verse puts everything into perspective.  This life is but a moment, and suffering a smaller portion of that.  Our sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, in the person God is leading us to become.

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Moroni 7

v. 12 Wherefore, all things which are ^agood cometh of God; and that which is ^bevil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to ^csin, and to do that which is evil continually.

v. 13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do ^agood continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and ^benticeth to do ^cgood, and to love God, and to serve him, is ^dinspired of God.

v. 14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is ^aevil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.

I love the simplicity of these verses, and the ones that follow.  How do you know what is good?  How do you recognize truth?  All things which are good come of God.  Everything which entices you to do good is inspired of God.

I think people are put off when they hear members of the Mormon church say "I know that this church is true."  It makes it sound like an exclusive country club, and that members only have access to the truth.  But that's not right.  Truth and godliness are all around us, everywhere, and can be found in the most unlikely of places.  Whenever I discuss faith or religion with anyone, I always look for common ground, for that shared light and truth that we have.  I find truth in the natural kindness of people, in the beauty of nature around me, in the order of science and the universe, and in the way sacred places make me feel.

That said, the reason I am a Mormon is because my religion to me is a never failing source of truth and goodness.  It is a place where I come and meet God and feel closer to Him and know Him better.  I have not yet run into a principle that has caused me to fight against God or entice me to sin.  My religion leads me to want to be a better person and to always do good continually.

v. 40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning ^ahope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?

v. 41 And what is it that ye shall ^ahope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have ^bhope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life ^ceternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

v. 42 Wherefore, if a man have ^afaith he ^bmust needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

v. 43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be ^ameek, and lowly of heart.

v. 44 If so, his ^afaith and hope is vain, for none is ^bacceptable before God, save the ^cmeek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and ^dconfesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

It seems that my studies have been so focused on faith lately that I've forgotten that faith is but one part of three important principles.  Faith, hope, and charity are necessary to each other, like three legs of a stool.  Hope is necessary before you can have faith.  Interesting, but hope seems easier than faith.  Yes, I hope to sit at the right hand of God.  Yes, I hope to be healed, in this life or the next.

v. 45 And ^acharity suffereth long, and is ^bkind, and ^cenvieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily ^dprovoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

This is a great checklist, a measuring stick if you will.  How am I doing?  The more I develop these qualities, the more charity I have and the more capacity I'll have to hope and to have faith.  If I feel my faith is lacking, then I can simply come here and see where I am weak.  Which leads me back to my studies yesterday -- I can humble myself and let God lead me to make my weaknesses strong.

v. 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

v.  47 But ^acharity is the pure ^blove of Christ, and it endureth ^cforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

v. 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall ^cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be ^dpurified even as he is pure. Amen.

Faith Is Things Which Are Hoped For And Not Seen

Ether 12

v.3 ...^dby ^efaith all things are fulfilled—

v. 4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with ^asurety ^bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which ^chope cometh of ^dfaith, maketh an ^eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in ^fgood works, being led to ^gglorify God.

The fruits of faith are hope for a better world.  All right, the burden of my chronic illness weighs heavily upon me right now, so I might think of a better world as one with better health.  A better world would also mean more peace and love in my home, more joy in my family, success and accomplishment through writing, deeper and more meaningful friendships, greater knowledge and understanding.  A better world is one where I have done something to make it better.

Faith maketh an anchor to the soul.  Anchoring, meaning grounding, keeping me in place.  Where would I wander?  In the valley of darkness and despair, away from my relationship with God and Christ.  

Sure:

1. free from doubt as to the reliability, character, action, etc., of something: to be sure of one's data.

2. confident, as of something expected: sure of success.

3. convinced, fully persuaded, or positive: to be sure of a person's guilt.

4. assured or certain beyond question: a sure victory.

5. worthy of confidence; reliable; stable: a sure messenger.

6. unfailing; never disappointing expectations: a sure cure.

7. unerring; never missing, slipping, etc.: a sure aim.

8. admitting of no doubt or question: sure proof.

9. destined; bound inevitably; certain: sure death.

10. Obsolete . secure; safe.

Steadfast:

1. fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.

2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.

3. unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.

4. firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.

5. firmly fixed in place or position.

Faith leads you to ALWAYS abounding in good works.   Which goes back to a better world, doesn't it?  If I am always trying to do good things, then I will be building a better world.

Finally, faith will lead me to glorify God.  I think this goes beyond praising him verbally, or even in my heart.  Glorifying God means to bring glory to Him.  I have faith in Him that He knows what is best for me, and that by submitting to His will, I am becoming what He knows I can become.  I am the work of His hands, and becoming what He is molding me into will bring Him glory.

v. 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.

I see a process here between these two verses.  God gives us a weakness.   We humble ourselves and have faith that He can help us overcome our weakness.  We have hope in our success, and then we work on it, sure and steadfast, always guided by our faith in Jesus Christ and our determination to keep our will in line with God.  He blesses us along the way, and we slowly see our weakness turned to strength.  The finished product brings glory to God.

Light in the Darkness

Ether 3

v. 1 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the ^amount, which they called the mount ^bShelem, because of its exceeding height, and did ^cmolten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent ^dglass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying:

v. 2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be ^aangry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are ^bunworthy before thee; because of the ^cfall our ^dnatures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.

v. 3 Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been ^amerciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these ^bthings which I have molten out of the rock.

v. 4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all ^apower, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy ^bfinger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have ^clight while we shall cross the sea.

v. 5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which ^alooks small unto the understanding of men.

Everybody passes through dark times, trials and tribulations.  That is the nature of this life. "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." Ecclesiastes 3:4  If you don't know bitter, you can't know the sweet.

So, I have to ask myself, have I done enough to prepare myself for this journey, for the storms that I knew would come?  And what am I doing now to provide light during these dark times?

I'm responsible for providing the light.  It's up to me to look for it and find it, and if I do, the Lord will bless it.  I suppose that's one of the lessons I am to learn from this. 

My lighted stones are:

My husband

My children

Prayer

Scripture study

My writing

My friends

Good music

The flowers in my garden

The birds that visit me

The abundant sunshine outside

My internet supportive community

Stories from General Conference online

Good books

These are the things that bring me joy every day, that make me smile and feel happy, that make my burdens seem much smaller and less significant.  These things outshine my suffering and push it into the background of a very happy life. 

The Winds Will Surely Come

3 Nephi 14
see also Matthew 7

v. 24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a ^arock—

v. 25 And the ^arain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it ^bfell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

v. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a ^afoolish man, who built his house upon the ^bsand—

v. 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

I have loved this scripture ever since I was old enough to know adversity.  There is a comfort to it, knowing that if you hold fast to your Savior, you will be given the strength to withstand any storm that may pass through your life.  

Well, the storms are raging, and I can testify that this scripture is true.  My Savior strengthens me, He comforts me, He blesses me, He compensates me for blessings lost.

I wonder, what is it about doing the words of Christ that gives you that protection?  What does He ask of us?  Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Judge not.  Ask for good gifts.  Serve others, "for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:40)

Can you not see the life you are building when you follow Him?  A life filled with love and loving relationships.  A life filled with people who care about you and will remember you in your time of greatest need.   And even if people fail you, you still have a personal relationship with Christ that will carry you through your great difficulties.

The storms will come, the winds will blow.  Nobody gets a free pass.  Life is hard, and it was meant to be, because it is only in overcoming the obstacles and withstanding the storms of life that we learn and grow and become better people.  But I know that when I hold fast to my Savior and His teachings, I can hear Him whisper, "Peace, be still," to my heart.

Rest

Enos 1

v. 27  And I soon go to the place of my ^arest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall ^brest. And I rejoice in the day when my ^cmortal shall put on ^dimmortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the ^emansions of my Father. Amen.  

I love how this chapter ends.  The chapter begins with Enos's  "wrestle" which he had before God.  He prayed all day and into the night for forgiveness of his sins, and then he heard a voice that told him his sins were forgiven.  Then he continued to pray first for his own people, and then for his enemies. 

After this great experience, he spent the rest of his days laboring for the Lord.  And it wasn't easy.   The people were quick to do evil, hard-hearted.  It took a lot of work, a lot of preaching and testifying to keep them turned to God.  He must have been weary after so many years.  His rest was well-deserved.

I know what it means to yearn for rest.  My illness has taken rest away from me.  I never feel rested, not after many hours of sleep at night, not after my nap during the day.  I wake up unrested, I pass my days unrested, a constant weariness is in my bones.  This is the nature of the disease.  And so this verse speaks deeply to my heart.  Rest.  It is my greatest desire.

But through my suffering, I do find rest in my Savior.  Not a physical rest, but a spiritual and emotional rest.  I love reading the scriptures in the morning.  It lifts me from my morning fog, it helps me over the despair of facing another difficult day.  My burdens do not weigh so heavily upon me.  I am lighter.  I feel loved.  I feel encouraged.

There are many labors, many fights we must fight in this life.  I'm grateful for Enos's testimony of what is waiting for us at the end of it all, if we fight the good fight and stay true. 

A Closer Look

2 Nephi 31:20  "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, with a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I've chosen this scripture for memorization this week, and for a deeper look.  The words I've highlighted are words that stick out to me, inviting me to look further and understand better.

Steadfastness -- The footnote references the topical guide topics commitment, dedication, perseverance, steadfastness, and walking with God.  It is interesting to me that waking with God was included.  That's a bit of imagery I want to think more about today.  Am I walking with God?  Or am I walking away from Him?  Again, the reminder to be guided by the Spirit plays an important part.

The dictionary defines steadfast as:

fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.

firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.

unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.

firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.

firmly fixed in place or position.

 

I like to think that I am a steadfast friend to the Lord.  That I am steadily directed.  I'm old enough to be firmly established; I've been a Mormon for 37 years now.  I ought to know what I'm doing by now, right?  I do not waver.

 

Perfect brightness of hope -- Again, it helps to turn to the dictionary.

Perfect:

conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type.

excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.

exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.

entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings

accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.

thorough; complete; utter.

pure or unmixed

unqualified; absolute.

expert; accomplished; proficient.

 

So, my brightness of hope is exactly fitting to my needs and purposes.   It is accurate, thorough, complete.  It is pure, not mixed with any hint of despair.

 

I must have a love of God and ALL men, not just the ones I get along with.

 

Feasting --   "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matt 5:6

 

Endure --  

to continue to exist; last.

to support adverse force or influence of any kind; suffer without yielding; suffer patiently.

 

So, I must first of all continue to exist, and I must outlast my adversary.  I must suffer patiently without yielding.

 

Eternal life --  "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John 17:3

 

Whew.  That's a lot for today.  Now back to more pondering.

Apply and Live

2 Nephi 31

Am I humble?
I have promised to be obedient to His commandments.  Am I?
I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Do I follow the promptings I receive?
Do I follow Christ with full purpose of heart?  Without hypocrisy?  With real intent?
Do I repent of my shortcomings?
Am I really willing to take His name upon me?  Do I honor His name by my thoughts and actions?
Am I effectively enduring to the end?
Am I pressing forward?  Or am I stagnant?
Am I steadfast?
Do I have a perfect brightness of hope?
Do I love God and my fellow man?  How do I show it?
Do I FEAST upon the word of Christ?

I can give an answer to each question, glibly perhaps, off the top of my head.  But I think I'll make this an exercise in pondering and prayer today.  Where am I weak?  How can I improve?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

2 Nephi 31:10-21  3 Nephi 11:31-41  3 Nephi 27:13-22

Just reading the title of this section in my study this morning had a very strong effect on me.  My heart was full, and tears came to my eyes, just like right now as I'm typing this.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love my Savior.  I love my relationship with Him as I have come unto Him, as I have learned of Him, as I have followed Him, as I have tried more and more to be like Him.  I have been blessed beyond measure as He has taken so much pain from my life -- and I have had so much pain in my life.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is very simple.  Come unto Christ.  Have faith in Him and His atonement.  Let that faith move you to want to be better, to be rid of the burdens you carry.  Repent.  Show your repentance by following Him into the waters of baptism.  Then He will purify you by the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost will be your companion, to show you how to continue the path to Christ, always following Him.

"These are not steps that [you] experience once in [your life]; rather, when repeated throughout life these principles become an increasingly rewarding pattern of living.

"Obedience to Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment.  Through exercising faith, repenting, being baptized and committing to serve Christ, and then receiving the Holy Ghost, we can experience healing, forgiveness of sins, and complete conversion to the Savior and His gospel."  (Preach My Gospel, p. 6)

My experience is that this is true.  He always stands with open arms, ready to receive you.  It is a warm and wonderful place to be.