Search, pray, believe, walk uprightly, and remember covenants....that sounds like pretty good advice for a new year. But just like everything the Lord does, He is just waiting to pour out blessings. In this case He promises something that is huge...ALL thing shall work together for your good! Not just big things, not just little things, not just the easy things, but ALL things. I think that also says that even the bad times will be made good. Enjoy the new year and ALL the blessings that will come with it. DAD
To me this scripture can be summarized by "Read, Pray, Do". If we are reading our scriptures regularly, praying, and applying them ("do") then we get the blessings. Sometimes they are just the blessings of not having to deal with the ways of the world because we have separated ourselves from it by not living that way.
The second part of this that kept sticking out to me is the covenant part. We have to remember our covenants, and remember our commitments to each other and the Lord because of them. I don't go to the temple often- partly because I get busy and lazy about it, or I wait until someone can or will go with me. I've decided I can't wait or be lazy anymore. I just need to make it a priority and go. That's where we are reminded of all the covenants we make and how the Lord will bless us for keeping them.
Maybe we should think more like missionaries. The first thing missionaries do when they get up is pray and have personal and companionship gospel study. They set the tone of their day by their studies. They also have faith that Heavenly Father will lead them to those who have open hearts to receive their message. I know it is hard for us because we live in the world but we need to have that spiritual boost everyday of scripture study and prayer. It is like putting on your spiritual armor so you can go out into the world, maybe not to fight but to wart off the temptations of Satan. I was also stuck by the word remember. I think that is one of the foremost commandments we receive from Heavenly Father. It is not by accident that we are told twice to remember in the sacrament prayers. Perhaps today you could think about the covenants you have made, not just your baptismal covenants, and search you heart to see if you are keeping them with all your heart, mind might and strength. We are a covenant making people. The covenants we make to Heavenly Father bind us to him on earth and also qualify us to enter his presence after this life.
I am still going back and catching up on the past posts that I missed. I'm not sure anyone will read this, but it has been an interesting experience to go back to Texas for a week and remember. The phrase, "All things shall work together for your good." It is amazing to me how critical our experiences were in Texas. Mom mentioned about her experience of telling us to go to Colorado, and then she would come later with a stranger. Dad in the bishopric. Jen leaving to go to USU. The list goes on, but there is one thing I can see woven through the experiences we had in Texas, "all things will work out for your good" because we did our best to follow God.
Search, pray, believe, walk uprightly, and remember covenants....that sounds like pretty good advice for a new year. But just like everything the Lord does, He is just waiting to pour out blessings. In this case He promises something that is huge...ALL thing shall work together for your good! Not just big things, not just little things, not just the easy things, but ALL things. I think that also says that even the bad times will be made good. Enjoy the new year and ALL the blessings that will come with it. DAD
ReplyDeleteTo me this scripture can be summarized by "Read, Pray, Do".
ReplyDeleteIf we are reading our scriptures regularly, praying, and applying them ("do") then we get the blessings. Sometimes they are just the blessings of not having to deal with the ways of the world because we have separated ourselves from it by not living that way.
The second part of this that kept sticking out to me is the covenant part. We have to remember our covenants, and remember our commitments to each other and the Lord because of them. I don't go to the temple often- partly because I get busy and lazy about it, or I wait until someone can or will go with me. I've decided I can't wait or be lazy anymore. I just need to make it a priority and go. That's where we are reminded of all the covenants we make and how the Lord will bless us for keeping them.
Maybe we should think more like missionaries. The first thing missionaries do when they get up is pray and have personal and companionship gospel study. They set the tone of their day by their studies. They also have faith that Heavenly Father will lead them to those who have open hearts to receive their message. I know it is hard for us because we live in the world but we need to have that spiritual boost everyday of scripture study and prayer. It is like putting on your spiritual armor so you can go out into the world, maybe not to fight but to wart off the temptations of Satan.
ReplyDeleteI was also stuck by the word remember. I think that is one of the foremost commandments we receive from Heavenly Father. It is not by accident that we are told twice to remember in the sacrament prayers. Perhaps today you could think about the covenants you have made, not just your baptismal covenants, and search you heart to see if you are keeping them with all your heart, mind might and strength. We are a covenant making people. The covenants we make to Heavenly Father bind us to him on earth and also qualify us to enter his presence after this life.
I am still going back and catching up on the past posts that I missed. I'm not sure anyone will read this, but it has been an interesting experience to go back to Texas for a week and remember. The phrase, "All things shall work together for your good." It is amazing to me how critical our experiences were in Texas. Mom mentioned about her experience of telling us to go to Colorado, and then she would come later with a stranger. Dad in the bishopric. Jen leaving to go to USU. The list goes on, but there is one thing I can see woven through the experiences we had in Texas, "all things will work out for your good" because we did our best to follow God.
ReplyDeleteI really like this scripture a lot and it applies to everybody in the church and this scripture makes me feel happy inside too !
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