3 Nephi 9

When we "come unto Christ", we are promised eternal life. It seems as if learning how to "come" should be a priority in our lives. In verse 3 Nephi 9:14 it says, "Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me" (3 Nephi 9:14). As I contemplate this scripture, my mind wonders what it means to "come unto Christ". Perhaps a formula for that is found in Moroni when he says, "Yea, come unto Christ and be perfected in him and deny yourselves of all ungodliness. And if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your heart, might, and mind, then is His grace sufficient for you. That by his grace, ye may be perfect in Christ"(Moroni 10:32). So, as we turn our hearts to God, and deny ourselves of things that are not "godly", we are "coming unto Christ". Further explanation of the meaning of "coming unto Christ" can be found in 3 Nephi 9 when it says, "Therefore, whoso repententh and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive..." (22). It further states, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost..." (20). 

Coming unto Christ is a process. It is something we must continually strive for and develop in our lives. It is accomplished by living the commandments day by day, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, and simply placing the things of God above the things of the world. As we do this, our hearts our changed, and we become "like a little child", and we "come unto Christ". I believe it is something we must strive to accomplish in the everyday moments of our lives. I believe that we must be diligent in our testimony of Christ. I believe that is part of enduring to the end to keep Christ in our focus. It is so easy to allow the world to infiltrate our hearts. We must seek him every day, and as we do, we become His.

Helaman 7 & 8

These two chapters give us counsel for our day. In chapter 7:21-22 it states, "O, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you? But behold, it is to get gain to be praised of men, yea, and that ye might get gold and silver. And ye have set your hearts upon the riches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity."

These verses are for our day. It is so easy to get caught up in the things of this world. It is so easy to forget God, and all that He has done for us if we are not keeping our focus set on Him. These scriptures explain that as we set our hearts on riches, and the vain pursuits of this world, we will forget our God, and find ourselves in iniquity.

This isn't something that happens over night. I think it happens in slow degrees. Satan cannot pull us down with one massive pull; however, he can lead us away little by little if we allow him to do so. If we stop saying our prayers, if we stop reading our scriptures, if we stop doing the "little things", I think it is then that we will find our hearts set on the things of the world rather than God.

In chapter 8 we are given more direction on this matter when Nephi compares their day to the days of Moses, which then can be compared to our day. Nephi explains that the people in Moses' day only had to look to a serpent and live; however, many did not, and they perished. He then says, "even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal" (verse 15).

And so it is with us. Are we looking to our Savior? It seems easy to focus on the Savior, and yet we don't.  The Lord declared, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3: 14-15). In Mosiah 3: 17 it states, "There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men."

Therefore, we must look to the Savior. We must make Him our focus. I think we do that by continuing with daily scripture study, and daily prayer. It seems so simple to keep our focus on Him through these two means. And yet, it can be so difficult. I pray that I will continue in the faith. I pray that I will not be deceived by Satan. I pray that I will be what the Lord needs me to be, and then when the day comes that I stand before Him, I pray that I will be ready.

Alma 5

Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected in HIM

I few days ago I posted all of the questions from Alma 5. I believe they are questions that I need to be constantly reviewing. It humbles me as I read these questions, because I realize how imperfect I am; however, I also realize the love of my Savior.

I like in Alma 5:34 it reads, "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely."

We have been taught that the fruit of the tree of life is the love of God, or in other words--eternal life. It is essential for us to continually seek after our Savior. As we come unto him, we are cleansed and purified. I keep telling my kids that we are not meant to be perfect here on this earth. There is no possible way for that to happen. We must do our best, and endure, and then we must allow Christ to make up the difference. The real test is if we can endure. We mustn't set our hearts on perfection, because none of us are going to be perfect; however, as we set our hearts on Christ, and enduring to the end--our perfection will come through Him.

I love in Moroni it says, "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

We are not perfect through our own merits, but we are perfected by God's grace and through Christ. As we turn our hearts to Christ, we can be purified in Him, and His grace is sufficient for us all.

As I read through these questions, I can see my own imperfections. This doesn't daunt me or discourage me. It causes me to renew my heart. It causes me to seek Christ more diligently. It gives me direction as to better myself in Christ. I am grateful for scriptures. I know that as I read them, I become more of what my Heavenly Father intended for me to become. The scriptures cause me to renew my heart in Christ on a daily basis, and they lead me in my enduring.