In my reading this week I read the well known story of Enos. The book of Enos is a short one, just one chapter, but a lot can be learned from him and from his experience.
One of the biggest things that I learned this week was that Enos was praying for a remission of his sins. Often we use the story of Enos to describe how one can get a testimony. However, Enos went to the forest to pray for a totally different reason. As he was hunting, he was thinking about all that he had learned from his father about eternal life. His soul hungered and he wanted to know if he could be forgiven of his sins.
His very, very long prayer is eventually met with an answer. Because of his faith in Christ, his sins are forgiven!
Something that I realized as I read this was that people that lived before Christ was born had to have faith in Him too. Can you imagine having faith in someone that hadn't even lived yet? Sure, it is hard for us to have faith and to rely on the Atonment, but we know it's already happened. Having faith in someone that hasn't even come to the earth yet to preform the great sacrifice sounds a whole lot harder to me. Enos truly showed some faith here.
I am grateful for this story because it taught me more about how I should pray. Also, if I expect to receive answers, I better be praying with some faith.
sábado, 25 de fevereiro de 2017
quinta-feira, 16 de fevereiro de 2017
We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ...
This week in class we finished up the last parts of Isaiah. We are moving quickly through the Book of Mormon! The two biggest parts of scripture that stuck out to me this week were 2 Nephi 25:26 (hence the title) and 2 Nephi 31. These are such powerful pieces of scripture!
We talked a bit about how everything in the gospel points to Christ. (It is His gospel). I remember sharing this specific scripture with people on my mission when we wanted to tell them more about the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This scripture is the perfect description of why Nephi and the other prophets were writing books of records/scripture in the first place. They wanted to help people understand better our purpose here on earth and how everything we do is centered on Christ.
Chapter 31 is one of my very favorite chapters. I have read it and reread it. It had a special meaning to while I was on my mission. This chapter is, in essence, the doctrine of Christ. Here Nephi outlines the basic parts of Christ's doctrine and how they apply in our lives. Repentance, baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost,...everything has its part. I loved that the professor pointed out that repentance is the gate by which we should enter. Repentance is the first step that needs to be taken to enter in so that one can walk the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life.
But for me the climax is in verse 20 of this chapter. It is beautifully written.
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and 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."
This verse gives me the hope I need to "press forward." May we all do our best to embody this verse as we make our way back to our Heavenly Father so that, one day, He shall say to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, ye shall have eternal life."
We talked a bit about how everything in the gospel points to Christ. (It is His gospel). I remember sharing this specific scripture with people on my mission when we wanted to tell them more about the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This scripture is the perfect description of why Nephi and the other prophets were writing books of records/scripture in the first place. They wanted to help people understand better our purpose here on earth and how everything we do is centered on Christ.
Chapter 31 is one of my very favorite chapters. I have read it and reread it. It had a special meaning to while I was on my mission. This chapter is, in essence, the doctrine of Christ. Here Nephi outlines the basic parts of Christ's doctrine and how they apply in our lives. Repentance, baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost,...everything has its part. I loved that the professor pointed out that repentance is the gate by which we should enter. Repentance is the first step that needs to be taken to enter in so that one can walk the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life.
But for me the climax is in verse 20 of this chapter. It is beautifully written.
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and 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."
This verse gives me the hope I need to "press forward." May we all do our best to embody this verse as we make our way back to our Heavenly Father so that, one day, He shall say to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, ye shall have eternal life."
sábado, 11 de fevereiro de 2017
Poetry and Isaiah
This week we had the amazing opportunity to go over what is considered some of the most difficult material in the Book of Mormon. Yes, I am talking about Isaiah. The writings of Isaiah are not like the rest of the Book of Mormon. A little more effort is needed to sort out what he is trying to say. This is because he is not writing in the typical story line style. Isaiah, in fact, was a Hebrew poet, and so his style of writing and the way he words the gospel is much different than we are used to.
Let's take for example one of Isaiah's most well known verses:
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
What does this scripture mean? It means that even though we have sinned, we can be forgiven. But why doesn't he just say that? Why does he word it like a metaphor?
This week I learned it was partially because it has more meaning this way. Isaiah, also, does not write with just one thought in mind. There are many ways that this scripture can be interpreted. This is the beauty of Isaiah's writing!
I am grateful for the opportunity we had this week to break down Isaiah's words so that we could understand them better. I feel more prepared to read through those difficult chapters. Jesus did say that we were to study the words of Isaiah, and if we have the tools to do so it can really be a very spiritual experience.
Let's take for example one of Isaiah's most well known verses:
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
What does this scripture mean? It means that even though we have sinned, we can be forgiven. But why doesn't he just say that? Why does he word it like a metaphor?
This week I learned it was partially because it has more meaning this way. Isaiah, also, does not write with just one thought in mind. There are many ways that this scripture can be interpreted. This is the beauty of Isaiah's writing!
I am grateful for the opportunity we had this week to break down Isaiah's words so that we could understand them better. I feel more prepared to read through those difficult chapters. Jesus did say that we were to study the words of Isaiah, and if we have the tools to do so it can really be a very spiritual experience.
sábado, 4 de fevereiro de 2017
The Infinite Atonement
I am grateful for quiet Saturday mornings. It is a special time to reflect on the past week and ponder on all that I have learned.
There were some powerful things said in my Book of Mormon class this week. I wish I could accurately express all that I felt as Brother Griffin taught us the deep beauty of the Infinite Atonement. The Spirit was strong.
In Chapter 9 of 2 Nephi there are some beautiful verses of scripture that help us understand better the Atonement. It was not a simple or easy thing. For many of us, we are comfortable with the idea that Jesus Christ died for our sins and if we take His name upon us, we can be forgiven and cleansed. However, the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes much deeper than this. First of all, it was infinite.
Without the Atonement being infinite, there would be no way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We would have no way of truly repenting of our sins. God is the perfect example of both mercy and justice. Justice requires that a price be paid for our sins, mercy gives us Jesus Christ, who could take that punishment for us. This does not give us a free ride to heaven! We must do our part and show our love to Him by keeping His commandments. It is, however, through grace that we are saved, even after all we can do.
I hope that we might always have that idea with us. We will do our very best, but nothing, nothing we do here on earth qualifies us for eternal life with Heavenly Father. Nothing. Grace is what will save us in the end. This is where gratitude comes in. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Christ's Atonement and grace. I am grateful for the love I feel as I strive every single day to be a little better.
There were some powerful things said in my Book of Mormon class this week. I wish I could accurately express all that I felt as Brother Griffin taught us the deep beauty of the Infinite Atonement. The Spirit was strong.
In Chapter 9 of 2 Nephi there are some beautiful verses of scripture that help us understand better the Atonement. It was not a simple or easy thing. For many of us, we are comfortable with the idea that Jesus Christ died for our sins and if we take His name upon us, we can be forgiven and cleansed. However, the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes much deeper than this. First of all, it was infinite.
Without the Atonement being infinite, there would be no way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We would have no way of truly repenting of our sins. God is the perfect example of both mercy and justice. Justice requires that a price be paid for our sins, mercy gives us Jesus Christ, who could take that punishment for us. This does not give us a free ride to heaven! We must do our part and show our love to Him by keeping His commandments. It is, however, through grace that we are saved, even after all we can do.
I hope that we might always have that idea with us. We will do our very best, but nothing, nothing we do here on earth qualifies us for eternal life with Heavenly Father. Nothing. Grace is what will save us in the end. This is where gratitude comes in. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Christ's Atonement and grace. I am grateful for the love I feel as I strive every single day to be a little better.
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