Life has been rough, team. I've gone through quite a few challenges in the last few months and I'm still going through them. A lot of the challenges have been self-induced or have been consequences of my own choices, not things that have just happened to me. This week, in particular, was tough because I faced one of the challenges head on. It was not easy to confront my best friend, but things needed to be said from both our views. I don't know what the outcome of that will be, so the challenges continue.
And that's where the atonement kicks in. Really it should kick in well before that and all the time, but remember that part I said about consequences of my own choices? Yeah, it's a issue.
This week I was studying my scriptures, and did some serious studying and soul searching. I was looking for an answer, some band aid or duct tape to fix the bleeding. Alma 5. You should see all the red pen happening on these few pages. It is a long chapter, but one of the absolute prizes of the Book of Mormon.
Alma 5 is the conversion story of Alma, the younger, in his own words. He is so descriptive that you can actually feel his pain, but then also feel his utter joy as well. He talks about being "encircled about by the bands of death and the chains of hell"(Alma 5:7) and I compare that to the scripture in 2 Nephi 1:15, where Nephi talks about being "encircled in the arms of His love". I would much rather the latter. But then Alma talks about this mighty change of heart. Alma turned to the Lord. Yes, he was visited by an angel who chastised him for what he was doing, but Alma still had a choice. It wasn't a change just because an angel came or because his father prayed for him. Look at Laman and Lemuel. They had angels visit, and had their father, also a prophet, pray for them. But here's the difference. Alma chose. He chose the better way. He challenges us to do the same. "Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this might change in your hearts? Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?" (Alma 5:14-15) He then follows that up later in the chapter for those that maybe aren't in the middle of that repentance process, those who have already experienced that change of heart, "if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" (Alma 5:26) I would then follow that thought up with 'and if not, what are you doing to get it back?' I think so many times we get complacent or comfortable with where we are at. If we cannot feel that song of redeeming love, perhaps we are not where we thought we were. Throughout the end of the chapter, there are several times where Alma says "I know". Through the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we too can know for ourselves. As referenced in verse 37, the "shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you". He wants us to come unto Him and through Him, experience that mighty change of heart.
Have we spiritually been born of God? Have we received His image in our countenance? Can we feel to sing the song of redeeming love? Have we experienced that mighty change of heart?
Yes. Every day, yes. And working on being better.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Friday, October 9, 2015
Life is...becoming better
In doing some online schoolwork research, I watched a video clip of a talk from Elder Neal A. Maxwell entitled "Overcome...Even As I Also Overcame" given in April 1987. The clip was specifically about being better disciples and several of the things that he said lead me to reading his entire talk.
One of the things that struck me in particular, was that he said members give of our time, but we withhold ourselves, withhold truly being great, that we are present without giving of our presence. I have often been frustrated at times with others not being committed or not "showing up" to do what they know to be good. Then I look back at the times in my life and wonder, am I being my own frustration now? So many times we go through the motions of going to church, taking the sacrament and even participating in classes, but are we doing it because we are truly converted and committed to the gospel, or are we simply doing it because that's what you do? If it is the latter, it is, as Neal A. Maxwell describes, "not consecrated discipleship".
I reflect back so many times to the many lessons learned from the Tree of Life analogy. The Iron Rod has so many implications. Are we following near to the rod or do we do as the scriptures suggest and cling to it? Do we use it as a general guideline, as something we do, or do we strive to grasp it firmly? The word of God can be a comfort and that can be a good thing. But if we are only using it as a "warm fuzzy" to make us feel better about ourselves and not truly becoming converted through the power of the word and knowing and believing it, are we really even holding on? In the talk, Elder Maxwell points out that the apostles fought "the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith in one hand while holding to the rod of iron with the other." It takes commitment. It takes conviction. It takes both hands!
The overall feeling that I got from Elder Maxwell's talk is that there can be no fence-sitting. For if we are on the fence, we are really not on the Lord's side. There is no in between.It is black and white. It's amazing to me too, that this talk was given nearly 30 years ago, and how much more relevant is it now, when the world wants to have their cake and eat it too. The world is getting worse. What is good is now being perceived as bad and what is evil is being treated as good or as the socially accepted. There has never been a greater need to be a truly converted disciple of Christ, to make a stand, to pick a side, and to cling to the Iron Rod!
One of the things that struck me in particular, was that he said members give of our time, but we withhold ourselves, withhold truly being great, that we are present without giving of our presence. I have often been frustrated at times with others not being committed or not "showing up" to do what they know to be good. Then I look back at the times in my life and wonder, am I being my own frustration now? So many times we go through the motions of going to church, taking the sacrament and even participating in classes, but are we doing it because we are truly converted and committed to the gospel, or are we simply doing it because that's what you do? If it is the latter, it is, as Neal A. Maxwell describes, "not consecrated discipleship".
I reflect back so many times to the many lessons learned from the Tree of Life analogy. The Iron Rod has so many implications. Are we following near to the rod or do we do as the scriptures suggest and cling to it? Do we use it as a general guideline, as something we do, or do we strive to grasp it firmly? The word of God can be a comfort and that can be a good thing. But if we are only using it as a "warm fuzzy" to make us feel better about ourselves and not truly becoming converted through the power of the word and knowing and believing it, are we really even holding on? In the talk, Elder Maxwell points out that the apostles fought "the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith in one hand while holding to the rod of iron with the other." It takes commitment. It takes conviction. It takes both hands!
The overall feeling that I got from Elder Maxwell's talk is that there can be no fence-sitting. For if we are on the fence, we are really not on the Lord's side. There is no in between.It is black and white. It's amazing to me too, that this talk was given nearly 30 years ago, and how much more relevant is it now, when the world wants to have their cake and eat it too. The world is getting worse. What is good is now being perceived as bad and what is evil is being treated as good or as the socially accepted. There has never been a greater need to be a truly converted disciple of Christ, to make a stand, to pick a side, and to cling to the Iron Rod!
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