Moisah 5
Verse 2: The people of King Benjamin had recived a mighty change of heart and no longer had dispossition to do evil. I love how when we choose to make good choices and have a real desire to do good, we no longer want to to wrong. It can be a very long process to get to that point but it is amazing how you can truly change with the help of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When you have the opportunity to really go through the repentance process you come out with a new sense of purpose and direction. I love that I am at that point in my life right now. I am so far from perfect and still am not completely at the point where I have zero desire for the natural man, but I am getting there bit by bit, day by day and I am grateful for the motivation it gives me to keep going.
Verse 3: As we come to have this change and see the goodness of God, we are able to receive more personal revelation. In my Teachings of the Living Prophets class yesterday we talked about how the prophets receive revelation and we were talking about Spencer W. Kimball in partictular. A man had asked him how he could receive revelation. President Kimball told him that when he was building his relationship with the Lord he would keep a journal of every impression or prompting he would receive starting with the very small promptings and then to those that were bigger. He began to recognize what it felt like to receive promptings and to know where those promptings were coming from. We know that as a prophet he was blessed with the opportunity to receive the revelation that all worthy man, regardless of their race or skin color, could have the blessing of receiving the priesthood. If he hadn't started by recognizing the little promptings in his life, he wouldnt have been able to recieve this revelation. We discussed how we can learn to receive revelation as we act on the small and simple. When David was asked to go up agains Golieth he was able to trust in the Lord because he had already fought a lion and a bear. The Lord had helped in the "small" in preperation for the "giant". I thought that was a great analogy for how we can learn to receive personal revelation.
Verse 5: Because of the faith that the people had in the words of their King, they were willing to enter a covanent with Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the covenants that I have made in my life. I need to work hard are making sure that I am fully keeping my end of the covenant because Heavenly Father always holds up his end of the deal. In discussion with my bishop recently he pointed something out about the Sacrament prayers that I hadn't really thought of before. The prayer says, "and witness unto thee...that they are WILLING to take upon them the name of thy son and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given them." It doesn't say that they witness that they will be completely perfect and always keep every commandment and do everything they are asked perfectly. It says that they are WILLING. Heavenly Father knows the intent of our hearts. He knows our desires and our willingness to do his will. That being said, we need to do our best. We can't be willing to do these things and then live our lives completely contrary to the things we know to be true and right. Having this pointed out to me has really helped as I am working on improving and strengthening my covenants. I am willing and I am making my best effort to be worthy and obedient and that is what the Lord asks of me.
Verse 15: We are asked to be steadfast and immovable always abounding in good works. I need to make sure my foundation is set firmly on the Savior so that I can be steadfast and not be tossed with the storms of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment