Endure to the End: 2 Nephi 31-33

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastnessin Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a loveof 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" (2 Nephi 31:20).
Life can seem really tough. It can be hard to understand the point of continuing, sometimes.

We must continue!

When life gets hard, we keep trekking along. We keep fighting. Why? Because God has told us to, and because He is here to help us do so. We are told to "pray always, and not faint" (2 Nephi 32:9). We are instructed to remain firm in our convictions and stand for the right, but also promised that if we pray always, and rely on the Lord always, then we will not faint. He will give us strength. He will help us to continue.

"No one has failed who keeps trying and keeps praying." --Jeffrey R. Holland

I, like Nephi, "cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry" (2 Nephi 33:3). I know that He listens every time and answers! If not for prayer, I would feel alone and inadequate. When I pray, however, I can feel His presence in my life and I receive his assistance and I am able to make it through every trial. Every time. 

Keep going, for "he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved" (2 Nephi 31:15).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Few Words on Trials

"There is 'undeserved' agony. There is 'unearned' anguish which is unrelated to error, and which the disciple will experience. Even so, the Christian knows he is in the hands of a merciful but tutoring God whose intent is that for developmental and salvational reasons, the disciple be 'added upon.'" -Neal A. Maxwell  It is common during trials for people to ask, "why me?" or "what have I done to deserve this?" when really sometimes we receive hard times because we are doing well and what's right. "There is no growth in the comfort zone" but, unfortunately, also "no comfort in the growth zone." Let's do our best to accept this discomfort with a positive, disciple-like attitude. I forget sometimes that not all hard things mean I'm doing something wrong. It is easy to assume that hardships are an indication of guilt. Trials are sometimes given for our benefit and in order to refine us and make us be...
Read more

Christ Has Borne Our Sorrows

"He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." Mosiah 16:9 We feel alone at times in life. We feel unloved and unwanted and we wonder...why? Surely we are doing what is right.  We forget that even Christ was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief...surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows...But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Mosiah 14:3-5). Christ went through the same pattern as us, too, on a much more intense level. We can find solace in the knowledge that Christ, too, a perfect being, was despised and rejected, alone, and persecuted. He was like us in the regard that "he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made in...
Read more

Come and Fear Not: Alma 5-10

"...come and fear not, and lay aside every sin which easily doth beset you..." (Alma 7:15) Alma 5, one of Alma's fierce and passionate speeches, is one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. He calls upon the wicked to repent, to return to the path of God, and to remember the truth. "...a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!" (Alma 5:37) Does this ever describe you? I know that sometimes I feel tempted to choose the easier way rather than the best way. Do we ever turn a deaf ear to the admonitions of the Lord? "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you." (Alma 5:33) All men. You, me, your friends, your family, the people you pass on the street. If any person will repent, He will receive him/her. Ask yourself: "Do you look forward with an eye of faith...?" (Alma 5:1...
Read more