Tuesday, December 24, 2013

2 Nephi 9

Posted by 2DI4 at 9:26 PM


17 O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.
20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.
 29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

 39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
44 O, my beloved brethren, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood.

 Verse 39 discusses how being carnally-minded is death and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal. I feel a significant difference. Carnally-minded individuals creep me out. They just feel wicked and evil and I don't like feeling that way. Spiritually-minded situations and people don't weigh me down. They give me a light and happy feeling. If I don't like how something feels that is my ultimate deal-breaker.

 I have a new aligner I put in earlier today and it is killing me. It overrides everything else. I try to distract myself but it is this ever present annoying pain that only goes away with time which should take a couple days. I wish there were some way to eliminate this but I know this is how it works. 

 I went to Fresh Market to get my oreos and they didn't ring up the way they were supposed to so I argued with the cashier who finally brought a manager who said there was a limit of 4. It ticked me off so much that I left. I went to Walmart to price-match

 Put Your Trust in the Lord - Russell M. Ballard
As has been quoted many times, the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that “after all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 330).
The scriptures are replete with commands and promises and calls and rewards for teaching the gospel. I use the wordcommand deliberately for it seems to be an insistent directive from which we, singly and collectively, cannot escape” (“When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, 4).

The words of President Kimball were ringing in my ears, especially when he said: “My brethren, I wonder if we are doing all we can. Are we complacent in our approach to teaching all the world? We have been proselyting now 144 years. Are we prepared to lengthen our stride? To enlarge our vision?” (Ensign, Oct. 1974, 5).
He also asked us to quicken our pace, working together to build up the Church and kingdom of God.
This past June President Thomas S. Monson echoed exactly the same message to members of the Church. The President said: “Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together … [and] labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him. He has prepared the means for us to share the gospel in a multitude of ways, and He will assist us in our labors if we will act in faith to fulfill His work” (“Faith in the Work of Salvation” [address given at a special broadcast, June 23, 2013];lds.org/broadcasts).

Brothers and sisters, fear will be replaced with faith and confidence when members and the full-time missionaries kneel in prayer and ask the Lord to bless them with missionary opportunities. Then, we must demonstrate our faith and watch for opportunities to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father’s children, and surely those opportunities will come. These opportunities will never require a forced or a contrived response. They will flow as a natural result of our love for our brothers and sisters. Just be positive, and those whom you speak with will feel your love. They will never forget that feeling, though the timing may not be right for them to embrace the gospel. That too may change in the future when their circumstances change.
It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best when we are on the Lord’s errand. While the outcome is a result of the exercise of one’s agency, sharing the gospel is our responsibility.
Talk with as many people as you can each day.
There is no greater joy in life than being anxiously engaged in the service of the Lord.
The key is that you be inspired of God, that you ask Him for direction and then go and do as the Spirit prompts you.
When they view it as an invitation to follow the Lord in bringing souls unto Him to be taught by the full-time elders and sisters, it is inspiring, invigorating, and uplifting.

We are not asking everyone to do everything. We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just “one” between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior.
Heed the promptings of the Spirit. Supplicate the Lord in mighty prayer. Become engaged in doing what you can in sharing the great message of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.



 

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