As I read today's reading assignment, the theme that stood out in my mind can best be summarized in the words of 1 Nephi 17:3 which read, "And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them. . ." [emphasis added by this author]
There is no way of getting around this important truth -- the commandments of God must be fulfilled. It is when we are faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord that we become recipients of the bounteous blessings that He has in store for us. As we obey His voice and do those things which He has commanded us to do we come to the realization as did the Apostle Paul of the New Testament, that we CAN do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Through faithful obedience we learn that nothing is impossible with God. He can do anything but fail us.
Oftentimes in life we try desperately to have our own way and to do things according to our own agendas. I have found in my own personal life that it is at those times that things normally tend to go wrong for me. It is at those times that I find myself more stressed, aggravated, distressed, depressed, and exhausted. During those times it becomes real easy for me to have a pity party and cry "O woe is me. Why doesn't anything ever work out the way that I want it to?" Or, the flip side of that coin is that things may work out in the end, but it takes a lot longer to get to the end result. Conversely, when I listen to the voice of the Lord and follow His instructions, I find that my life is so much more at peace.
I love the words found in 1 Nephi 17:13 which read, "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." I have written beside this verse in my Scriptures the words "He leadeth me". I can truly testify that all that I am, and all that I am able to do is because my Lord leads me and I do my best to be faithful and obedient to His commands and to follow the path that He has set before me.
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"I Stand All Amazed" has always been and will always be my favorite hymn. For truly I do stand amazed when I think about where I came from and how far the Lord has brought me through the years. I need Him every hour of my life. It is He who leads, guides, and sustains me. Apart from Him, I can do absolutely nothing. He is my Rock, my Lord, my Savior, the Pilot of my ship and the Captain of my soul. If He were to ask me, "Whom say ye that I am?" I would humbly reply, THOU ART THE CHRIST!
Last edited by KeithLBrown; 07-03-2009 at 11:07 PM.
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