"There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah"
2 Nephi 2:8 (The Book of Mormon)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Day 2 --- "Wise Men Still Seek Him" part 2




Through the prophet Jeremiah, Christ invites, "... call upon me... and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you... Seek me, and ye shall find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

Today Lord, I commit my heart a little more fully to searching for Thee and I trust that I will find Thee!



Why does establishing or deepening my relationship with the Savior even matter???

The answer to this question lies in understanding a couple of simple truths; first, who He is and second who You are.  Today, let's seek deeper understanding of who You are.  As you prayerfully consider the following, listen for the new or deeper understanding God waits to bless you with. I trust that much of what you learn will not be written on this page!

Who am I?

Let's look at Romans 8:16-18.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
that we are the children of God:

And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, 
and joint-heirs with Christ; 
if so be that we suffer with Him, 
that we may be also glorified together.

For I reckon that the sufferings 
of this present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory 
which shall be revealed in us.

Understanding that each of us, along with Christ, are literally children of God helps us know how live in peace and joy.  Christ taught that "A house divided against itself cannot stand".  Divine beings need divine sustenance!  It is obvious that you wouldn't feed the shell of your soul, your body, poison... even in the smallest degrees!  Why then do we not recognize the destruction we do to the core of our soul, our spirit,  when we feed it the poison of vice and sin?  When we choose a steady diet of Godly pursuits, we live in harmony with our true self and our spirits become strengthened and enlarged!  It's a beautiful thing!

Understanding that we are literally here to become joint-heirs with our brother, Jesus Christ... glorified together, should fill each of us with a deep sense of divine identity and purpose.  

Understanding that the key to obtaining "all that the Father hath" is suffering with Christ as opposed to suffering without Christ, speaks comfort and peace to my soul.  Christ invites us to "Take my yoke upon you... and ye shall find rest for your souls." Matt 11:29 

I have absolutely experienced this in my life!  Inevitably, each of us will go through times of suffering.  As we choose to rely upon our brother, we will find not only our relationship with Him strengthened but also our own character refined and enlarged because of the blessed opportunity to struggle.  Exercising the faith to rely upon Him and then reaping the fruits of divine connection and power lead to greater assurance and peace in our future struggles.  We learn to trust in His purpose for our lives and to quit worrying so much about our limited vision.

Do I trust my Father's purpose for my life, or do I feel a sense of anxiety and frustration when He takes me places I hadn't anticipated?

So... back to the original question... "Why does establishing or deepening a relationship with the Savior even matter?"  Because every ounce of peace and joy (note that I didn't say pleasure) that we will achieve in this life time... as well as the life to come... hinges on our relationship with Him!  As we live in harmony with His teachings and His example... we live in harmony with our true self.  This creates a greater sense of inner peace,  a deeper love for our brothers and sisters, and an outlook of hope and joy.

What are the less than godly activities I need to purge from my life to live in greater harmony with my Savior as well as with my core?  (This could be as simple as negative thoughts/speaking of myself and/or others)



Is the faith, effort and discipline this endeavor will require worth it to draw nearer to Him and to have a greater sense of inner peace?

Remember... You aren't meant to do this alone!!!  Remember Christ's mission and trust that He has the power to heal you, liberate you, comfort you and transform you! Learn to identify the adversary as the source of hopelessness and frustration.  Don't give Him your power!  A good indication that you are working in the Savior will be a sense of peace with where you are at in your process and hope that with Him, you will get to where He has you going!  Learn to find joy in your journey with Him! 



4 comments:

  1. Carey, thank you for all that you have set out this week in your walk with the Savior. I feel like I have just been introduced to he power of his healing, the liberation I feel and more so is the comfort I feel. I am now in the journey of hope. I can't wait to see what's next. Thank you for your spiritual words that have made me recognize where I am in my process and journey.

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  2. "...every ounce of peace and joy (note that I didn't say pleasure) that we will achieve in this life time... as well as the life to come... hinges on our relationship with Him! As we live in harmony with His teachings and His example... we live in harmony with our true self. This creates a greater sense of inner peace, a deeper love for our brothers and sisters, and an outlook of hope and joy."

    Amen! I love that process of discovering my true self by learning more about my Heavenly Father and Savior, then striving to develop those qualities within my own self. Be-YOU-tiful!

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  3. We can limit the power of the Savior through our own "stinkin thinkin." I am daily learning to trust in his power. Where would I be without redemption? I am deeply grateful.

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