Enter Into His Rest: Jacob 1-4

"Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest..." (Jacob 1:7)

 There are days when life is overwhelming. "Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction." (Jacob 3:1)

His love is available and open for all. Only "...lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever." (Jacob 3:2) Let us lift our heads in His direction always, receiving His guidance. We must always be "...pointing our souls to him..." (Jacob 4:5). Put His commandments and the things of Him first in our lives, before any worldly distractions, and we will find more hope, more compassion, more love, greater capacity, and more joy.

We have been given the scriptures for use as a tool and a source of hope and comfort. "Wherefore, we search the prophets...and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things" (Jacob 4:6-7). Through God, all is possible. Through Christ, we can do anything. I believe this for I know this for I have experienced it. And so can you!


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