Shortly before his death, Lehi delivers a doctrine-rich message to Jacob, his "firstborn in the days of [his] affliction in the wilderness" (2 Nephi 2:1). Lehi teaches that God consecrates--or “appropriates to sacred uses”--our afflictions for our gain ("consecrate," Websters Dictionary 1828).
Jesus Christ’s grace is free; redemption comes in and through Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and truth. Eternal law requires that sin be punished. Jesus Christ offers himself a sacrifice for sin on the condition that we have a broken heart and contrite (worn or bruised) spirit ("contrite," Websters Dictionary 1828). What does it mean to be broken. The word “broken” many definitions, including “subdued completely: crushed, sorrowful” ("broken," Merriam Webster). The word broken is also used to describe taming and training (breaking) a horse. A horsemanship trainer named Mike Daniels wrote “I like to say ‘We get to play God’s role with horses so we have an idea what God is up against when he deals with us.’ Whether it be God dealing with us, or us dealing with our horses, a broken spirit essentially means we have come to the point where we are finally ready to listen. (https://houstonherald.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/horse-sense-broken-spirit/). My goal this week is to align my will to that of my Trainer—to be ready to listen to his guidance.
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Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. Learning how to make choices and use agency righteously is a central purpose of this life. We receive a "reward" for making righteous choices and involving ourselves in good causes without being compelled to do so. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who rewards my efforts and my righteous desires. For me, this reward has included an increased capacity to love, enduring friendships, and a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ's restored gospel. We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day. Righteous character is a precious manifestation of what you are becoming. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. Every returned missionary at one time or another feels the heavy contrast between being a "fisher of men" and being a fisherman. Jesus called James and John to leave their fishing jobs and follow him. However, Jesus did not call Zebedee. Instead, Zebedee's work responsibilities increased because he no longer had the help of his sons. Zebedee was given different responsibilities than his sons, but he was still expected to 'increase the talents' he was given. Perhaps James and John would need financial support in their ministering, and Zebedee's fishing career would allow him to support his sons. At different times of our life, we have different mixes of responsibilities--family, work, church, civil, etc. God simply asks that we increase whatever talents we are given, during each stage of our lives. |
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For anyone interested, I have a professional blog titled The Instructional Designer's Toolkit where I share tools and inspiration for instructional designers and e-learning developers.
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