Too weak to change and the fear of failure

President Thomas S. Monson gave the following words of comfort: “Should there be anyone who feels he is too weak to change the onward and downward course of his life; or should there be those who fail to resolve to do better because of the greatest of fears, the fear of failure, there is no more comforting assurance to be had than the words of the Lord; ‘My grace,’ said He, ‘is sufficient for  all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them’”  (Ensign, May 2000, 48)

“Grace is the enabling power from God that allows men and women to obtain blessings in this life and to gain eternal life and exaltation after they have exercised faith, repented, and given their best effort to keep the commandments.  Such divine help or strength is given through the mercy and love of God.” (Guide to the Scriptures)

“To be humble is to recognize gratefully your dependence on the Lord – to understand that you have constant need for His support.  Humility is an acknowledgement that your talents and abilities are gifts from God.  It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that you know where your  true strength lies.” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 86).

Reading, writing and grammar classes are important!

It's interesting that king Benjamin taught his sons all about the language of his fathers - he felt it was important that they learn how to read and understand the language so that they could become men of understanding.  It is a sad thing to watch people struggle to read and many times I have thought how hard it is for a person who can't read to ever succeed and prosper in general nor come to understand deeply the things of God.

King Benjamin understood how important it was to teach his sons to read and understand the language but he also knew it was important to teach them what they should read.  "And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God."  He goes on for several verses talking about how important the Plates of Brass are to them and then says "And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby . . . " (Mosiah 1:2-7)

What can we take from these verses?  I think one thing to take away is that knowing how to read and understand what we read is an important skill to learn and to teach our children.  And just as important as learning how to read is learning what to read.  Reading the scriptures regularly is crucial to developing and maintaining a testimony of the Savior and having it grow deep enough to sustain us.  It is often while reading the scriptures that the Spirit speaks to us and gives us the personal revelation we need to see things as they really are and so we won't be deceived. (Jacob 4:13)

". . . whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (1 Nephi 15:24)

Oh how I love the scriptures!!!!

Thankfully God cannot lie

I was reading Enos a couple of days ago.  In response to Enos' mighty prayer and supplication, when he had cried all the day long and into the night, a voice came to him and assured him that his sins were forgiven.  I am always struck by the next verse when he says "I knew that God could not lie; wherefore my guilt was swept away."

Knowing that God never lies and knowing that all that God speaks will come to pass and all of His promises are sure is the reason it is possible to have faith in Him.  We can confidently place our trust in all that He says and with certainty choose how to act because we know that He cannot and will not ever lie.

This is a  quality that we can and must develop as well.  It is part of our work in this life as we strive to develop Christlike qualities and strive to be like Him.  Can our words be trusted to be truthful?  Do we do what we say we will do? Can our friends and our children act in faith based on what we say?  This characteristic is one huge difference between God and Satan!

In the book of Omni we see evidence of this characteristic.  In verse 5 Amaron says that the more wicked part of the Nephites had been destroyed.  And in verse 6 he says "For the Lord would not suffer, . . . yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: 'Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.'"

Joseph Smith taught in Lectures on Faith 4:16 "And lastly, but not less important to the exercise of faith in God, is the idea of the existence of the attribute truth in him; for without the idea of the existence of this attribute the mind of man could have nothing upon which it could rest with certainty - all would be confusion and doubt.  But with the idea of the existence of this attribute in the Deity in the mind, all the teachings, instructions, promises, and blessings, become realities, and the mind is enabled to lay hold of them with certainty and confidence, believing that these things, and all that the Lord has said, shall be fulfilled in their time; and that all the cursings, denunciations, and judgments, pronounced upon the heads of the unrighteous, will also be executed in the due time of the Lord: and by reason of the truth and veracity of him, the mind beholds its deliverance and salvation as being certain."

Between You and God

According to Ken Alford this was reportedly found in Mother Teresa's home after her death:

BETWEEN YOU AND GOD

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.

The terrible one is brought to nought

"And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.  For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. . .

"They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. (Isaiah 29:18-21, 24)

Great scriptures about the days we are living in - the restoration of the Gospel and the Book of Mormon and the days that soon will come I hope - when the terrible one is brought to nought - when the scorner, the ones who make a man an offender for a word, who lay a snare for him that reproveth, who turn aside the just for a thing of nought are consumed and cut off.

There is none other name given ---

"Yea behold, I say unto you . . . as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved."

"And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out."

"But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution - behold, they are they which shall not perish."

These are some of the verses I loved in 2 Nephi 25 and 26 this morning.

Men should not . . .

"I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness."

And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in Vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another ; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.." "And he inviteth all and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female and . . . all are alike unto God., both Jew and Gentile." (2Nephi 26)

This is the way we can judge who are followers of Christ and which organizations and movements are right and good..  "every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by" him.  "Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil."  "See that ye do not judge wrongfully;"  "Search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil;" "lay hold upon every good thing . . ." And the way to lay hold upon every good thing is to exercise faith, hope and charity. (Moroni 7)