The Maze

This is an excerpt from a conversation that I hope to use to change me, to lift my thoughts to a higher plain.

"I know God is using these experiences, these weaknesses, as strengths to the world in a quiet unique way for each of His children. It is a marvelous work and wonder because He know the secret paths of our hearts and the roads we travel alone.  Life seems to be a maze to us with high walls and no outer view.  He not only sees our views but is in the walls, above the site, in front of us, behind us and within us.  He knows to whom He has given the light and asks us to hold it high as He guides us so that others who are looking up and trying to see above their walls will flock to the light.  Those who are looking down will soon see the feet of those God leads to them, and those who have their back to it will soon hear the footsteps behind them, because God is gathering His children and it is glorious and beautiful."

"I can overcome me...these thoughts encourage me to be brave and step up and face the weaknesses within me.  I can do hard things, I have done them and will continue to do them because it is the only way to be near to God."

All Things Will Work Together for Your Good

I recently got a new job. In fact, I just finished my first week.  Each morning as I exited the freeway, I saw a man standing on the corner in the cold.  He wore a light jacket and held a sign that said, "God bless you and have a good week!" He stood there, waving, holding his sign and smiling.

He is not the typical street corner sign holder.  Every time I saw him and read his sign, I smiled, a great big unreserved smile.

I am grateful for him.  I am glad that he has impacted my life for the better.  God does bless me and if I really look at all the good things that happen each day then I will see that I do have good weeks, great weeks.

 " ^aFear not to do ^bgood, my sons, for whatsoever ye ^csow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow ^dgood ye shall also reap good for your ^ereward." Doctrine and Covenants 6:33.

I find that when I do good things, however small, the greatest blessing I have is contentedness.  I find myself to be more joyful.  I am able to recognize the good things that others do, however small.  The good things they do bring gladness to my life, hope when thinking of my children's future, and opportunity to resolve to be a better me.

Don't be afraid to speak the kind thoughts.  Don't fear the kind gesture or good intent, the Lord will make everything alright.

• Doctrine and Covenants 100:15

  15 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church.

• Romans 8:28

  28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

• Doctrine and Covenants 105:40

  40 And make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good.

• Doctrine and Covenants 90:24

  24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

• Doctrine and Covenants 98:3

  3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.

Hard Work & Humility

http://bcove.me/peta63ul



My thoughts today are a reflection of my post yesterday and this week's Devotional from Brigham Young University-Idaho, the above link shares the video.

I have been asked about works vs. faith so many times in my life.  I believe I am coming to truly understand the significance of the question.  Without faith, work is dead.  It is not a question of whether or not a man is saved by his own works or by faith.  All human kind has been purchased and saved by Jesus Christ.  He alone has the power to wrought the mighty miracle of God's work here on the earth.  His work and glory is "...—to bring to pass the ^cimmortality and ^deternal ^elife of man." (Moses 1:39)

Christ has saved every person from physical death.  Without His Atonement no man would rise from the grave, body and spirit would be eternally separated.  However, that is not the full extent of His redeeming work.  There is another death that, though we all rise and reunite with our bodies, does not permit us to live in the presence of God again.  Spiritual death is sin, choosing to go against God's will and commandments. 

Physical death and Salvation from it come to every one, no matter how we choose to act in this life.  But Christ's mediation for us before the Father and His taking upon Him our sins is conditional upon repentance.  He has asked us to come unto Him.  John 3:16 is often quoted, but not in full.

"16 ¶For ^aGod so ^bloved the ^cworld, that he ^dgave his ^eonlybegotten ^fSon, that whosoever ^gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have ^heverlasting ⁱlife."

I would like to continue this citation further:

" 17 For God ^asent not his Son into the world to ^bcondemn the world; but that the world through him might be ^csaved.

 18 ¶He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that^abelieveth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the ^bname of the only begotten ^cSon of God.

 19 And this is the condemnation, that ^alight is come into the world, and men loved ^bdarkness rather than light, because their ^cdeedswere evil.

 20 For every one that doeth ^aevil ^bhateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

 21 But he that ^adoeth ^btruth cometh to the ^clight, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

These words to me are priceless.  The words do, deeds, come, believe; I believe are a part of repentance.  "...that his deeds may be made manifest" does not refer to works done for the world's acknowledgment or glory, rather as a way to understand constant change, constant turning toward God.

Ether 12:27 in The Book of Mormon says, "And if men come unto me I will show [or manifest] 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."

John 3:21 is the what and Ether 12:27 the how.  The Lord wants us to work through Him, by His Atonement are our changes/deeds wrought.  We would be unable to change by ourselves, Christ was given power to show us the greater way, the higher path.  He will teach us, as individuals, if we come to Him in humility and work hard in His ways, forever turning away from our natural, or fallen, ways.

Inclinations

Do you know that you don't have to do things you are inclined to do as a force of habit?

I am looking to improve my faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ as a mother.  Today I just feel tired of relying on and reverting to my habits as a mother, you know the bad ones.  I yell and get frustrated easily so I am looking to avoid these things by coming to a deeper appreciation/understanding of the power Christ has to teach me a better way.  His Atonement is all cleansing and enabling.  He can show us the higher ways, His ways.

Often I hear prayers with the words "help us to..."  I had a professor who would often laugh about the word help.  I never knew why until now.  As I am trying to overcome these worldly ways of motherhood, my prayers have been full of the word HELP!

However, I have been singing to my babies every night since they were in the womb.  One of the songs I sing is Teach Me to Walk in the Light.

Teach me to walk in the light of His love
Teach me to pray to my Father above
Teach me to know of the things that are right
Teach me, teach me to walk in the light

Come little child and together we'll learn
of His commandments that we may return
home to His presence to live in His sight
Always, always to walk in the light.

Father in Heaven we thank thee this day
for loving guidance to show us the way
Grateful we praise thee with songs of delight
Gladly, gladly we'll walk in the light.

This simple song has enlightened me.  Christ teaches us how to do things in a godly way, in a way that will evoke goodness and truth.  That knowledge is what enables us to practice until we get it right.  So my faith in Christ and His ability to lead me and take upon himself my errors is what will make the difference in the end.

I can change.  Because of Christ, I can turn my heart to God again and again and in the daily struggle one degree turn can make a world of difference for my family.

Modern Day Faith

A current question on the minds of some women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that of Priesthood equality.  There is a group called Ordain Women that is trying to bring their preparedness to light in the eyes of the leaders of the Church.  There are many opinions as to whether the group has faith or not, aside from the opinions about their actual quest.

The purpose of my post today is not to agree or disagree with their desire to hold/authorization to use the Priesthood, rather my intent is to discuss Faith.  I will not cite many stories or script today, though I plan to research stories of faith in the Canon of the Church: Continuing Revelation, The Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price; as well as personal experience.

I have come to know that true faith searches and asks, it looks for truth constantly, as it should.  I believe that faith must be founded in Jesus Christ and His ability to bring all hidden things to light.  I believe that The Father gives to those who ask in the name of Christ with 'a sincere heart and real intent.'  Those things are important because they tell us about ourselves and what we are willing to do.  For me real intent means that as I bring a question to the Lord in faith, I am willing to heed the answer.  I am willing to obey His answer.

Those who are against this group of women and what they seek, I ask myself, "If the Lord says yes and the faithful women of the Church were to be ordained to the offices of the priesthood, making a covenant with the Lord to live worthily of that ordination, do I have faith to act in accordance to that revelation?  Even without a revelation concerning this matter, do I have faith that He knows all and will let nothing frustrate His work?  Is that faith reflected in what I do and how I treat others?  Remember that to some it is given to have exceedingly great faith.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may ^aknow the ^btruth of all things.

 6 And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

 7 And ye may ^aknow that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, ^baccording to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

(Moroni 10:5-7)

 

I believe that the preface required to verse 5 is to study and bring all things before the Lord to know the truth of them.

 

Now, to those women who believe in ordaining women, that it is something worthy of their faith and attention, I ask, "Does my faith allow me to continue in all steadfastness and diligence in the kingdom of God if His answer is 'No.' or 'Not now.'" In scripture there are countless stories of peoples who had to wait upon the Lord for long periods of time.

 

The responses to this group's actions have intrigued me.  I see little faith and much anger, the two don't work very well together.  I hear belittlement and backbiting in the words of women on both sides of the issue.  In Acts 19 there is a townclerk who offers great words of wisdom, "ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing ^arashly." (verse 36)  I do believe that doing things rashly is much different than timeliness or doing things with much prayer and fasting.

 

Personally I will not disclose my opinion regarding women and the priesthood, as my opinion is not worthy of your attention nor will it persuade anyone to believe one way or another.  I will, however, try to persuade us to follow the counsel given in Romans 14:

 

 1 Him that is ^aweak in the faith receive ye, but not to ^bdoubtful ^cdisputations.

 2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth ^aherbs.

 3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not ^ajudge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

 4 Who art thou that ^ajudgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

 5 One man esteemeth one ^aday above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

 

I do not know exactly who the weak are but I do know that the Lord tends to use the weak as in Doctrine and Covenants 133:58, "To ^aprepare the ^bweak for those things which are coming on the earth, and for the Lord’s errand in the day when the weak shall ^cconfound the ^dwise, and the little one become a ^estrong ^fnation," and the Lord will make sure that "The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly." (Isaiah 32:4)

 

God Bless,

~Anna

It was time for a change.

This change to my blog has come due to scripture study.  I have acquired a new lifestyle quest.

"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." -Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Love to you all,
Anna