Continuing on with yesterday's thoughts on how hope ties into commandments and promises:
"Hope is not knowledge,17 but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future.18 It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered."
I like how powerful that sounds "expecting" our prayers to be answered. Sometimes I am superstitious. In my mind, I know it is illogical, but my feelings reign sometimes (which, offhandedly, is a natural man trait). So, I think that if I expect something to happen, the opposite will happen just because I've already conceived an ending. I'll think to myself, 'wouldn't it be great if Joe came home early and surprised me?' but then I think, 'oh sad. Now that I thought it, it won't happen.' This ties into expecting things from the Lord. On my mission I would try not to let myself think that a certain investigator was going to make it because then I would be afraid I might jinx them. (I'm glad I'm writing about this because it sure doesn't make sense when I think it out). God wants me to expect things from Him, right? As an analogy, I want to take such good care of Elijah that he can expect me to pick him up as soon as he gets hurt. I guess that is a part of a loving relationship. So, I can expect from God that He will answer my prayer and that won't jinx anything. =)
I wonder if it is presumptuous of us to ever expect anything from God. And even when He does come through with His promises (which I know He always will) I hope my gratitude will never be shadowed by thinking I was entitled to that blessing. I just think of King Benjamin's great reminder of my relationship with my Heavenly Father:
"...I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken of by the mouth of the angel. And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true..." Mosiah 4:11
And once again, there is a promise with the commandment: always remember your standing in the eyes of God and then you will
1. always rejoice (paradoxically...you'd think reminding yourself of your lowly state would make you sad a depressed.)
2. filled with the love of God
3. always retain a remission of your sins
4. shall grow in the knowledge of God
The promises actually continue into verses 13-16 (won't have a mind to injure another, desire to live in peace, take care of children, succor all those who need it....)
And all of that, just from remembering our relationship to God.
"And what kind of existence can we hope for? Those who come unto Christ, repent of their sins, and live in faith will reside forever in peace. Think of the worth of this eternal gift. Surrounded by those we love, we will know the meaning of ultimate joy as we progress in knowledge and in happiness. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”26 (1 Corintians 1:9)"
---I think this is my favorite description of Heaven.
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Infinite Power of Hope- President Uchtdorf October 2008
"The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. )"
---That is exactly what I have felt the purpose of scriptures is! I read stories from people long ago and try to imagine their lives. Some are more real to me than others- but one thing that all the stories do is give me hope that all I believe in is true. It gives me an example of someone who prayed to know if God really loved him and his prayer was answered. And it shows how someone who was despondent who turned to the Lord was comforted...and reading all these experiences makes me more sure that I have had prayers answered and I have been comforted by the Spirit in hard times. As I read the scriptures, I feel my hope growing into faith---and eventually knowledge--that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. Last night I was reading 3 Nephi when the Savior is among the Nephites--He kneels with them and then as they are praying He prays for them. What would that be like to hear the Savior of the world praying for me by name? The experience happens three times (3 Nephi 19)--
1. Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, because they believe in Him and so that they can be one with Christ
2. Christ prays for them to be purified, because He chose them because of their faith and because they believe in His words
3. We are not told what Christ then prays for. This is what we find out "tougue can not speak the words which He prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed..." (v 32)
What is SO interesting, is that before Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, they already have! (v 13) and before He prays for them to be purified, they seem to have already gone through the proccess (v 25) I'm not sure why this is.
President Uchtdorf continues, "Hope is a gift of the Spirit." This truth is found in Moroni 8:26 "the Holy Ghost filleth with hope..."
---Once again, we can't wish ourselves to have hope. We must keep the commandments, be worthy of the Spirit and then pray for it. It is a gift from God.
"It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior.(Moroni 7:41) This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment,(Colossians 1:21-23) and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. "
--- Losing hope is a temptation? Of course that makes sense but it seems so much more powerful to me to look at it that way. God wants me to have hope, Satan wants me to despair. We are in fact commanded to have hope. I like that President Uchtdorf says that it is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, but it seems like these two are the same thing. Every commandment that God gives us has -not an equal-but a promise of something better attached to it. If I keep the word of wisdom, I will have health and treasures of knowledge (D&C 89:18-19) If I repent, I will be forgiven (Mosiah 26:23) If I do not harden my heart than I will be given the greater portion of the word (Alma 12:10). And what is so great about this method is what the Lord gives in return for me choosing to follow His will is ALWAYS much much much better than the small thing I 'sacrificed.' Thus, following the Lord never becomes a real sacrifice when our perspective is that of eternities. (Mosiah 2:24 "He doth require that ye should do as he thath commanded you for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted to him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; Therefore, of what have ye to boast?") Amen!
---That is exactly what I have felt the purpose of scriptures is! I read stories from people long ago and try to imagine their lives. Some are more real to me than others- but one thing that all the stories do is give me hope that all I believe in is true. It gives me an example of someone who prayed to know if God really loved him and his prayer was answered. And it shows how someone who was despondent who turned to the Lord was comforted...and reading all these experiences makes me more sure that I have had prayers answered and I have been comforted by the Spirit in hard times. As I read the scriptures, I feel my hope growing into faith---and eventually knowledge--that God lives and Jesus is the Christ. Last night I was reading 3 Nephi when the Savior is among the Nephites--He kneels with them and then as they are praying He prays for them. What would that be like to hear the Savior of the world praying for me by name? The experience happens three times (3 Nephi 19)--
1. Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, because they believe in Him and so that they can be one with Christ
2. Christ prays for them to be purified, because He chose them because of their faith and because they believe in His words
3. We are not told what Christ then prays for. This is what we find out "tougue can not speak the words which He prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed..." (v 32)
What is SO interesting, is that before Christ prays for them to receive the Holy Ghost, they already have! (v 13) and before He prays for them to be purified, they seem to have already gone through the proccess (v 25) I'm not sure why this is.
President Uchtdorf continues, "Hope is a gift of the Spirit." This truth is found in Moroni 8:26 "the Holy Ghost filleth with hope..."
---Once again, we can't wish ourselves to have hope. We must keep the commandments, be worthy of the Spirit and then pray for it. It is a gift from God.
"It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior.(Moroni 7:41) This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment,(Colossians 1:21-23) and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. "
--- Losing hope is a temptation? Of course that makes sense but it seems so much more powerful to me to look at it that way. God wants me to have hope, Satan wants me to despair. We are in fact commanded to have hope. I like that President Uchtdorf says that it is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, but it seems like these two are the same thing. Every commandment that God gives us has -not an equal-but a promise of something better attached to it. If I keep the word of wisdom, I will have health and treasures of knowledge (D&C 89:18-19) If I repent, I will be forgiven (Mosiah 26:23) If I do not harden my heart than I will be given the greater portion of the word (Alma 12:10). And what is so great about this method is what the Lord gives in return for me choosing to follow His will is ALWAYS much much much better than the small thing I 'sacrificed.' Thus, following the Lord never becomes a real sacrifice when our perspective is that of eternities. (Mosiah 2:24 "He doth require that ye should do as he thath commanded you for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted to him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; Therefore, of what have ye to boast?") Amen!
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