"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)

Monday, December 20, 2010

Day 3--- Receive the Gift!!!

Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, Christ teaches,
"For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?  
Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift."
D&C 88:33

Lord, today I ask thee to help me recognize the gifts which thou hast filled my life with.  Help me to live in praise and gratitude... thanking thee in all things!

Several years ago I was studying in the 31st chapter of 2nd Nephi when I came across the phrase, "relying wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save".  These words pierced me to my very core.  I thought, "What does relying wholly upon Him look like?" "What or who might compete with Him for my complete reliance?" and "How can I more fully rely upon Him?"  Since that night I have pondered on this principle regularly.  I have experienced healing and empowerment as I have learned to more fully embrace and rely upon His merits.

The primary person I identified that competes with the Savior for my full reliance was me.  I recognized that I was frequently weighted down with feelings of inadequacy, particularly in the roles that I had been called to by God himself.  I felt inadequate in my roles as a wife and mother, as well as in the church calling I held at the time.  When I would be asked to teach or speak, I would study, pray and prepare my heart out, give the lesson or talk and then be racked with regret of what I should have or could have said.  Learning to identify this pattern of thought as faithless reliance upon myself and my own merits has been key in opening the floodgates of Jesus Christ's grace, or enabling power, in my life.  Learning that what I thought was humility, is actually faithless ingratitude, has brought an overwhelming perspective of gratitude into my heart.  I feel incredibly blessed to have been given the specific set of gifts my Father endowed me with.  I recognize that He has called me to a specific time, place and group of people to play a specific role in building up His kingdom here on earth.  I recognize that I still have a long way to go in developing these gifts, but am confident that as I do my best and seek His grace, the Savior will make up the difference.
Paul gloried in his weakness because it allowed the grace of the Savior to more fully rest upon him; therefore, when he was weak, he was actually strong.  Do you feel the power in this principle?  Can you imagine the freedom that will come as you learn to shed the weight of inadequacy in your own life?  It is such a beautiful and exciting principle!

Please accept my heartfelt invitation to consider and ponder on this truth.  As you make it a matter of personal study and prayer the Holy Ghost will illuminate your mind and help you to identify places where you aren't relying wholly upon "He who is mighty to save" just yet.  What an incredible gift to give not only to yourself, but also to those with whom you serve and associate.  Think of the effect that an army of faith filled, righteous men and women, endowed with sufficiency in Christ, could have on their community.  Gone would be the days of training up our children to be inadequate themselves!  Wow!  What a gift!!!

"We then as workers together with Christ, 
beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain."
2 Corinthians 6:1

How do I talk about myself and the gifts my Father has given me?

What am I modeling for those I have been called to serve? 

Where can I more fully rely upon Jesus Christ? 

God's Reward At Christ's Expense

7 comments:

  1. What a powerful word - Receive! All are invited to the greatest of gifts from a loving Savior.

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  2. What a powerful lesson. I totally needed to hear this. Thanks!

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  3. I love you Sis Bailey. Every word that comes out of your mouth is encouraging. Taking the week with you has already been an uplifting experience. You are wodnerful.

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  4. Nice Message Carey. I need to work on remembering that where I fail so terribly "the Savior will make up the difference" After I do my best.
    I think about the youth I teach in Sunday School. I want them so badly to be taught the right words that THEY need to hear for their lives. If I prepare and teach by the spirit I should not doubt myself.

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  5. I love this verse in 1 Corinthians 14:12...one that's been being taught to me frequently over the last several weeks. "forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, see that ye may excel to the edifying of the church." I love the principle that recognizing and acting upon the gifts and talents I've been GIVEN (as opposed to creating within myself)is for the edification (building up) of the church (the kingdom of God), and not for my own glory and vanity. I also think of Daniel, Esther, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Joseph of Egypt...actually, the scriptures are filled with phenomenal examples of ordinary people given great gifts to allow them to complete their mission in life. Many of them kept their vision focused on God and gave the glory to him. Others, like Saul, David, and others, lost sight and trusted in their own strength, which led to individual catastrophe.
    I'm grateful for this opportunity to think about this! Love ya!

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  6. Love hearing your words Carey. It makes perfect sense, if only we could remember and live with those mindful thoughts all through the day......I know I would greatly benefit.

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  7. Carey, this is beautiful! I am really enjoying this walk with you & Christ. You have amazing insight and a deep love & commitment to our Savior. Thanks for sharing this!

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