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.
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For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. What does it mean to be reconciled to God? Merriam Webster defines reconcile as "to restore to... harmony." It is only through the grace of Christ that we can be restored to harmony with God. While my singing may be out of tune, as I unite Christ's voice to my choir, the song of my soul can have perfect harmony.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Charles Ellicott notes that "No precept of divine wisdom has found so many echoes in the wisdom of the world. Epicurean self-indulgence, Stoic apathy, practical common-sense, have all preached the same lesson, and bidden men to cease their questionings about the future." (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/6-34.htm) However, Ellicott recognizes that the command to "take no thought for tomorrow" has an important difference from the traditional carpe diem charge.
How does "seizing the day" fit in with Christ's teachings? I believe Christ wants us to trust in Him. We should look forward to the future calmly, trusting that if we do our best to follow Jesus Christ's teaching, he will compensate for our inevitable shortcomings. Does Christ want us to skip goal setting and planning, and go with the flow each day? Of course not. I do believe, however, that he wants us to be at peace each day, looking forward to the future calmly, without fear. Watching the news recently, peace may seem like a far-flung, unreachable destination. Hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and the Isles of the Sea. Massive earthquake in Mexico. Fires across multiple states. The reverberations of bomb testings by North Korea. It seems like this year, there are more natural and man-made disasters than ever before. With all this mess, how can we experience peace? Jesus Christ taught, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14: 27). The source of Christ's peace is not--in fact, cannot--be our external circumstances. It comes from an eternal perspective and understand of Heavenly Father's plan, and how we fit into that plan. Perhaps President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's plea for us to be grateful "in our circumstances" was in anticipation of the many difficult circumstances we would soon experience. Said President Uchtdorf, My dear brothers and sisters, the choice is ours. We can choose to limit our gratitude, based on the blessings we feel we lack. Or we can choose to be like Nephi, whose grateful heart never faltered. When his brothers tied him up on the ship—which he had built to take them to the promised land—his ankles and wrists were so sore “they had swollen exceedingly,” and a violent storm threatened to swallow him up in the depths of the sea. “Nevertheless,” Nephi said, “I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.” I yearn to develop the ability to be grateful in my experiences. If I were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea, on Nephi's ship or as waves came rushing in to Houston or Miami, would I praise God? Would I put off the natural man's instinctual response of asking, "Why me?" I don't know that I would. And yet this is God's command. I believe that the more we can sincerely praise God in our trials, the more Christ-given peace we can experience in this life and the life to come. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Not using vain repetitions in my prayers is can be hard. I do not think that many of us use vain repetitions to impress others by our verbose language, as the heathens did. Rather, we use vain repetitions because we aren't willing to put in the time and effort required to truly commune with God.
As the Bible Dictionary states, "Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." (“Prayer.” Bible Dictionary. Emphasis added.) The more work I put into my prayers, the more I get out of them. The same is true with all of my relationships; the more attention, focus, and thought I devote to others, and to my conversations with others, the more I understand them and the stronger our relationships become. Two instances come to mind of times that I feel more naturally inclined to offer sincere prayers. The first is on Fast Sunday, when I plead to the Lord for something I am in need of. The second is in the temple, where I come to feel close to God. I realize, however, that I do not have to wait until Fast Sunday, or until I am in the House of the Lord, to have meaningful prayers. I truly believe that God, our Loving Father, is eager to hear and respond to our prayers. What can we learn from the Lord's prayer? What things aspects of Christ's prayer can we incorporate into our own prayers? Here are a few elements that stood out to me:
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11). Plants and seasons are symbolic of the trying tests of life. Before a plant yields fruit, it must grow and blossom. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Such ‘peaceable fruit’ comes only in the appointed season thereof, after the blossoms and the buds.” (Maxwell, Neal A. “Endure It Well.” April 1990 General Conference.) As anyone who has cared for a garden knows, reaching the point where your plants yield fruit can be a long, difficult process. When you buy seeds at the store, the seed packages indicate the best months to plant the seeds. The life cycle of plants is closely related to the seasons. A tree may yield fruit in the summer, but remain barren in the winter. Likewise, we experience times of trials and times of blessings throughout our lives. All things denote there is a God (Alma 30:44). But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Prayer is very personal. It is sacred communication with deity.
In a recent "Face to Face" broadcast with the youth of the Church, President Eyring and Elder Holland shared some thoughts about how to have more meaningful prayers. One of my friends recently wrote about some of Elder Holland's suggestions in a blog post. One suggestion was: "Picture yourself literally going before the throne of God. Remember who you're talking to! Really take prayer seriously. Take time once in a while to kneel in the middle of the room, not leaning up against a chair or bed, and just kneel there for a while before starting your prayer until you feel worthy to approach the throne of God" (https://thethingswecanlearn.wordpress.com/2017/03/07/making-the-time-on-your-knees-count/). What a powerful practice! When I pray, do I remember that I am kneeling before the God of the universe--a omniscient and omnipotent being? So far, I have tried this once since the broadcast. It reminded me of the importance of being reverent and listening for spiritual promptings. Another suggestion was to make sure our minds our clear and conscious when we pray. Elder Holland explained that he and Sister Holland used to set an earlier time in the evening to say their night time prayers as a couple, so they weren't as tired during the prayer. Both of Elder Holland's suggestions are ways that we can demonstrate to God that we take prayer and revelation seriously. My most sacred experiences with prayer have occurred when I really wanted an answer. Jesus explained that the first great commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). I believe that the most meaningful prayers occur when we pray with all our hearts, souls, and minds. (This is why fasting, which constantly reminds us of our dependency on God, is so powerful.) Enos wrestled before God in prayer (Enos 1:2). Alma the younger fasted and prayed for many days (Alma 5:36). Jesus went into the mountains, where he could be free from distractions and feel closer to God, to pray (Matthew 14:23). Making my prayers more meaningful is a lifelong process. My desire is that I can come to see God as he really is and be receptive to his personal direction for me. I hope to make meaningful prayer a central part of my life and the lives of my family. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Love my enemies? Bless people that curse men? Do good to people that hate me? Pray for people that despite me, use me, harass me, and victimize me? Those are not easy commandments! But that is what the Lord asks of us.
As always, Jesus Christ is the perfect example of his teachings. While hanging on the cross, as he beheld his malefactors casting lots on his clothing, Jesus humbly spoke the words, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And he completely meant it. If Christ can forgive those who crucified him, can I forgive those who wrong me? Can I forgive myself? I hope to look to Christ's example, acknowledge that we are all brothers and sisters, and freely and completely forgive. The Roman philosopher Seneca (4 BC to AD 65) once wrote, “If thou wouldst imitate God, do good even to the unthankful, for the sun rises even on the wicked, and the seas are open to pirates" (http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-45.htm). God is not a respecter of persons. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. God cares a lot about how honest and truthful I am in my communications with others. As an omniscient God, he knows every time we make even the smallest white lies.
In Jesus day, many forms of oaths were used, some more binding than others. This allowed people to make subtle, dishonest variations in their truthfulness (see http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/5-33.htm). God does not allow this. He requires honesty with exactness. I have two favorite quotes about honesty that I have pondered for many years. President Gordon B. Hinckley once taught, "Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives and the fabric of our society will disintegrate into ugliness and chaos" (https://www.lds.org/ensign/1990/10/we-believe-in-being-honest). Dishonesty has significant ramifications. (Which reminds me of a VeggieTales movie about an ever-enlarging fib monster. But that's a story for another day... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nydi62P7zHQ) My second favorite quote about honesty comes from the legendary Highland high school rugby coach Larry Gelwix, who taught, "The essence of a lie is not the words you choose, but the message you convey." In other words, being honest is more than just saying things that are technically truthful. It means conveying a truthful, accurate representation in everything you do and say. I am grateful for Jesus Christ's teachings about honesty and his perfect example of applying the principles of honesty and integrity. Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his [the prophet, Joseph Smith] words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me. For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth [see D&C 1:38], in all patience and faith. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory." God promises me amazing blessings on the condition that I follow the prophets:
1. The gates of hell shall not prevail against me. 2. The Lord will disperse the powers of darkness from before me. 3. The heavens will shake for my good, and for the good of the prophet. A friend recently asked me what it means to have the heavens shake for our good. The first thought that comes to mind is the scripture Malachi 3:8, where the Lord promises Malachi that if he will pay his tithes, the Lord will "open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Similarly, by following the prophet, I believe that the Lord will "shake" down a bounty of blessings upon us. In Psalms 68:8, we read that the "earth shook ... at the presence of God." Perhaps "shaking" is symbolic of the manifestation of deity. As we follow the prophet--the Lord's mouthpiece--we feel the Holy Ghost. Isaiah 13:13 speaks of God shaking the heavens as punishment on the evil, rather than for their good: "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." From this, we learn that the effect of the heaven and earth shaking (whether symbolically, or literally--as at Christ's death and before the Second Coming) depends on the person's righteousness. Isaiah 24:17 has a similar message, but specifically refers to the windows of heaven: "And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake." Joel 3:16 provides additional description of the heavens and earth shaking at the last days: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." Despite the turmoil of the last days, the Lord provides hope and strength. As we consciously strive to follow the prophet, we are protected from the adversary's latter-day attacks, and receive an outpouring of blessings, shaken from heaven for our good. |
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