Tonight I read Helaman 4 which tells how within just the space of ten years the Nephites go from being strong in the faith to becoming lifted up in pride and consumed with their riches, which brings contention and dissension among them. The dissenters join the Lamanites and battle against the Nephites, taking over many of their lands. Verse 13 stood out to me which says that the Nephites boasted of their own strength, so the Lord left them to their own strength, which truly wasn't much after all and they ended up loosing possession of their lands. There were many different forms their wickedness took, such as oppressing the poor, not caring for the hungry and the naked, mocking sacred things and those who were humble, denying the Spirit, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, and committing adultery... but it all began as a result of pride in their hearts and that pride started because of their great riches.
I think we still experience these same pride cycles in our society today. Our country right now is in a state of economic depression and so there are not much riches to be proud over. Perhaps some of the best times of life are those when we are deprived of wealth because of how it helps us to remain humble and teachable. I, for one, am grateful for the important things I've learned as a result of our economic struggles and I really do feel that I've been able to use this time to draw closer to the Lord. I hope that I would not follow the Nephites' example, and that I would also use times of wealth and plenty to draw closer to the Lord as well. I trust that He knows my strengths and weaknesses well enough that if I am to be blessed with riches, I will be in a place emotionally and spiritually where I would not be distracted by them but would use them to bless the lives of others and help accomplish the Lord's work. That is my desire.
Showing posts with label humility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humility. Show all posts
January 3, 2011
Tonight I used the New Testament study guide, lesson 1. In John 1:1-13, it teaches that Jesus Christ is the word of God and that it was through Him that everything was created. He was and always has been completely obedient to every word spoken by God. I think His name/title of The Word is completely appropriate due to His perfect obedience in carrying out God's will. In verse 9 it says Christ is the light which "lighteth every man that cometh into the world." The Savior has given me life because of His gift of the resurrection and the Atonement. Because of the resurrection I have the hope of an immortal life. And because of the gift of the Atonement, the possibility of eternal life, or life with God, is a reality for me. He has shown me the way to go so I can obtain this eternal life. The hope that is a part of my life because of the resurrection and Atonement give meaning to my mortal day to day life. He has given me light as well through His example. It is a shining light to me of how to act, how to be obedient, submissive to the will of God and humble, and how to love and serve others. Following His light enriches my life immensely for how it helps me to strengthen relationships with the people I love and how it teaches me to be the best person I am capable of being. I am so thankful for the light and life of Jesus Christ, my Savior.
December 19, 2010
Tonight I read a Conference talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard. It is called O That Cunning Plan of the Evil One. He attests that "Lucifer is a clever and cunning intelligence. One of the main methods he uses against us is his ability to lie and deceive to convince us that evil is good and good is evil." He is successful at his attempts with those who do not have the Spirit as their constant companion to help them discern Satan's luring traps. In this particular talk, Elder Ballard talks of addiction. He says that, "any kind of addiction is to surrender to something, thus relinquishing agency and becoming dependent." He points out the obvious kinds of addictions such as drugs and pornography, but also points out some not so obvious ones such as video-gaming and texting. I thought that was really interesting. And even if one falls to addiction, because of the Atonement, there is always hope of recovery. And it begins, as he says, with "fervent prayer." It takes humility, gratitude, faith, prayer and a willingness to turn everything over to Him. With all of those ingredients, "your body, mind, and spirit can be transformed, cleansed, and made whole and you will be freed." I absolutely love the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the hope it offers. No matter what happens, or what choices I make, because of the Savior's Atonement, there is always hope of freedom. To me, that is the most wonderful thing in the world. It means so much to me and I'm so grateful for this knowledge, especially as I am studying sociology and preparing myself to help others. It comforts me to know there is always a path of hope, no matter what situation or experience I encounter.
December 18, 2010
I finished President Uchtdorf's talk on pride that I began last night. It was a wonderful talk. I love that this was my husband's favorite talk. There really is great wisdom in it. He says that "at its core, pride is a sin of comparison... [that] always seems to end with 'therefore, I am better than you.'" This reminds me so much of what I read in The Anatomy of Peace. In that book it explains our hearts can only be one of two ways: either we see others as equal to us, with hopes, dreams, feelings and fears as real to them as ours are to us (which is a heart at peace), or we see others as less than ourselves (which is a heart at war). President Uchtdorf highlights these same ideas by saying, "It could be said that every other sin is, in essence, a manifestation of pride," and "we must realize that all of God's children wear the same jersey." We really are all equal and should be treating each other as such. I know the opposite of pride is humility and I loved what President Uchtdorf said about it. He said, "We don't discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves." And another antidote to pride that he brings up is charity. He says, "It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity." I admit I struggle with pride on a daily basis, but I've found that being willing to admit my folly and to begin thinking of the other person, how they feel, how I can serve them, really does quickly pull me out of that self-centered, better-than state. I want to be out of that state as often as possible.
October 23, 2010
I read a few verses in Mosiah 2, verses 31, 34 and 41. I really love 41: "consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God." There is the "keep the commandments" theme again, and it's in verse 31 too. In verse 34 it says, "ye are eternally indebted to your Heavenly Father." I think that concept is an important one to remember, to help keep my pride in check.
October 18, 2010
I finished reading Alma 37 and came up with a question: how many times does it teach in the Book of Mormon to "keep the commandments?" I looked it up on lds.org and the search pulled up 36 references to it. I think there's a lot more. It would be a neat experience to read the Book of Mormon with that purpose of looking for just that teaching. I believe it is a foundational teaching.
In verse 32 I was struck by the power of one word. Alma says to Helaman to "teach [the people] an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity." The word "hatred" stood out to me because I have been taught to avoid using it because it such a powerful and destructive idea. Even now, I have a difficult time imagining hating something. I think there are a lot of people who attach their identities to "sin and iniquity" and would feel (and do feel) hated as a person by someone who claims to hate sin and iniquity. So what would a disciple of Christ who has a hatred against sin and iniquity do? How would their actions and words differ from someone who claims to dislike sin and iniquity? How would a hatred of sin and iniquity be a positive thing? The only thing I can think of is that it would cause that person to stay as far away as possible from committing sin and engaging in iniquity. This would keep them worthy of the companionship of the Spirit and help them to make righteous choices. I still don't feel comfortable feeling hatred towards anything. Perhaps I am lacking in spiritual understanding in this matter.
I really love verses 33-34: "Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."
And I love how Alma brings up the example of the liahona and says it wouldn't work when "they were slothful and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence." He compares following the liahona to heeding the word of Christ. He says that both are just as easy, so "let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way... the way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever." I want to always exercise my faith and diligence and look to God because I believe in His promises of eternal life if I do so.
In verse 32 I was struck by the power of one word. Alma says to Helaman to "teach [the people] an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity." The word "hatred" stood out to me because I have been taught to avoid using it because it such a powerful and destructive idea. Even now, I have a difficult time imagining hating something. I think there are a lot of people who attach their identities to "sin and iniquity" and would feel (and do feel) hated as a person by someone who claims to hate sin and iniquity. So what would a disciple of Christ who has a hatred against sin and iniquity do? How would their actions and words differ from someone who claims to dislike sin and iniquity? How would a hatred of sin and iniquity be a positive thing? The only thing I can think of is that it would cause that person to stay as far away as possible from committing sin and engaging in iniquity. This would keep them worthy of the companionship of the Spirit and help them to make righteous choices. I still don't feel comfortable feeling hatred towards anything. Perhaps I am lacking in spiritual understanding in this matter.
I really love verses 33-34: "Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls."
And I love how Alma brings up the example of the liahona and says it wouldn't work when "they were slothful and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence." He compares following the liahona to heeding the word of Christ. He says that both are just as easy, so "let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way... the way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever." I want to always exercise my faith and diligence and look to God because I believe in His promises of eternal life if I do so.
October 3, 2010
I read Alma 32:1-12. Alma is teaching and a group of people come to him who are very poor. Because of their poverty, they have been cast out of their synagogues. The scriptures say numerous times that they had been "truly humbled" as a result of their afflictions. This illustrates the necessity of humility prior to learning spiritual things. It also illustrates a way I can become humble: through my afflictions. Because they are humble, they are now capable of "learning wisdom." This, to me, shows how important humility is as a necessary first step in learning the things that matter most.
July 12, 2010
Tonight I read D&C 99 which is the calling issued to John Murdock of being a missionary. One thing, although not mentioned in the verses, that struck me was the importance of humility in serving the Lord and building up His kingdom. One must realize that it is not the individual with the power... it is only through the individual's diligent obedience that a power is authorized to be used.
June 18, 2010
Tonight I am surrounded by nature. We are camping with some friends. I brought my Ensign to read the First Presidency message for this month. It is called Canaries With Gray on Their Wings by Thomas S. Monson. My favorite part of it is this: "to live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility." And he suggests the way that we do that is "by gaining a true perspective of who we really are... [as] sons and daughters of a living God." I believe that is true. I feel confident in my capacity to have courage, cheerfulness and humility and I feel my confidence comes from my testimony of who I am and my role in Heavenly Father's plan of happiness. I am so grateful for the perspective my understanding provides me. It truly does help so much in times of trouble, disappointment and triumph.
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