There is a warning given in scripture: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." (Matthew 7:6). There is a tendency by those who have neither knowledge nor experience (with things of the Spirit) to discount and ridicule them out of hand, without seeking to experiment or validate for themselves whether they might be true. In this life, we are allowed to choose for ourselves so we can learn and grow from our experience.
There is a promise in the Book of Mormon: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever." (Moroni 10: 3-7).
If you have met with missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, they have likely extended this promise and invitation to you (as given in Moroni chapter 10).
If you have not reflected on it, I would invite you to ponder about what it means to ask God with "a sincere heart, with real intent". God respects our agency. He will reveal divine truths to us if it is something we truly want to know. God will force no man to heaven. If we are not sincere (meaning we do not really want to know the answer), God will respect our agency and wait for us to decide whether to pray with real intent. If we are stubborn in our self-sufficient pride, wanting to figure it out on our own (without His help), we may struggle for years unaided until we are ready to finally be humble enough that we actually want an answer.
According to legend, a man came to Socrates seeking knowledge. Socrates pushed this man's head under water until the man struggled for air. Socrates told this man that when he wanted knowledge as desperately as he wanted air, he would have knowledge. There is great power in consistent daily study of the Book of Mormon. Once we know the Book of Mormon is true, we also know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God because it was through God's power that Joseph was able to translate the book. If the Book of Mormon is true then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church authorized by God to perform baptism. If the Book of Mormon is true then Russell M. Nelson is God's prophet on the earth today.
The story in the Book of Enos (within the Book of Mormon) is very instructive. It is also important to remember what drove Enos to pray with such urgency that he cried unto the Lord. Enos cried all the day long unto the Lord and when the night came Enos still continued to cry. Enos wrestled and cried mightily unto the Lord because he needed remission of his sins. Enos needed forgiveness. When God answered the prayer of Enos, the guilt of Enos was swept away. It was such a miracle and a relief that Enos said, "Lord, how is it done?" It is true that bad things happen in the world but God already planned for them and prepared for us a Savior. We can be healed completely and made whole. The effects of evil need not be permanent. We can receive the joy experienced by Enos if that is what we truly want.
We are free to choose for ourselves what it is that we truly want. If we don't truly want to be happy, and are unwilling to let go of sin, God allows us to make the choice. He waits patiently for us and has provided the way for us to be healed. All of the effects of pain, anguish or anything that we can suffer can be overcome. When bad things happen, this is not a surprise to God. He planned for it from the beginning and provided the way for us to be healed. The Book of Mormon testifies of Christ and brings us to our Savior so that we can be healed and made completely whole.
Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior. It represents the death of our old life and the start of a new life as we allow ourselves to be healed. The purifying influence of the Holy Ghost is available to us according to God's plan which provides our Savior as a sacrifice for sin.
There are many things which people can and do suffer in this life. We can be healed and be made whole. The effects of anything that can be suffered can be completely overcome. Part of why we are here in mortality is to learn how to heal and how to allow ourselves to be healed. This is part of being born again - when we choose to be made whole instead of holding onto hurt and anger and pride. God is a tender loving parent who has provided the way for this to happen but never against our will. It is up to us to choose. We must decide what it is that we truly want. God has a plan for each of us to be as happy as we are willing to allow. We are His children. He is the Father of our spirit. We lived with Him before this life. God loves us very dearly. He hears and answers our sincere prayers.
No comments:
Post a Comment