As I studied the Book of Mormon this week, I thought about how important it is to seek the will of God and how we must reconcile ourselves with the Will of God.
In 2 Nephi 10:24 it says, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved."
How do we reconcile ourselves with the will of God?
In life we go to people who are learned in order to be taught. Many of us are born of goodly parents and learn many truths from them. We also go to schools and universities to gain knowledge.
God is omniscient. That means he knows absolutely everything, even down to the most minute detail. And He is truly our Father in Heaven. Therefore he loves us and his work and glory is to help us reach our potential. He wants to share his knowledge and wisdom with us and help us become like Him.
His work and his glory is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).
In our eternal quest to gain knowledge, intelligence, wisdom and light, we should all go to the source of all truth. The source of all truth is our Heavenly Father. "O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it." (2 Nephi 9:20).
In light of this knowledge, and knowing that "the natural man is an enemy to God," should we not "yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father?" (Mosiah 3:19).
We are all imperfect. We are all unclean and we also know that "The kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God." (1 Nephi 15:34).
That is why our Loving Heavenly father sent his Son, even Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Redeemer.
In the October 2015 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency taught some very important and inspiring principles in his talk entitled "The Gift of Grace".
He said, "Even if we were to serve God with our whole souls, it is not enough, for we would still be “unprofitable servants.” We cannot earn our way into heaven; the demands of justice stand as a barrier, which we are powerless to overcome on our own.
"Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. Thinking that we can trade our good works for salvation is like buying a plane ticket and then supposing we own the airline. Or thinking that after paying rent for our home, we now hold title to the entire planet earth.
These words really struck me. I realized that I often put too much trust in my own efforts, thinking that my effort is the main part of working out my salvation. Though I know that my efforts and my obedience and my broken heart and contrite spirit are an important component of becoming worthy of salvation, the larger part lies in the atonement and the gift of grace that God has given us. The power of his atonement truly is infinite.
President Uchtdorf said, "The grace of God is our great and everlasting hope.
"Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the plan of mercy appeases the demands of justice “and [brings] about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
"Our sins, though they may be as scarlet, can become white as snow. Because our beloved Savior “gave himself a ransom for all,” an entrance into His everlasting kingdom is provided unto us.
"The gate is unlocked!
"But the grace of God does not merely restore us to our previous innocent state. If salvation means only erasing our mistakes and sins, then salvation—as wonderful as it is—does not fulfill the Father’s aspirations for us. His aim is much higher: He wants His sons and daughters to become like Him.
"With the gift of God’s grace, the path of discipleship does not lead backward; it leads upward.
"It leads to heights we can scarcely comprehend! It leads to exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our Heavenly Father, where we, surrounded by our loved ones, receive “of his fullness, and of his glory."
"All things are ours, and we are Christ’s. Indeed, all that the Father hath shall be given unto us. To inherit this glory, we need more than an unlocked gate; we must enter through this gate with a heart’s desire to be changed—a change so dramatic that the scriptures describe it as being “born again; yea, born of God, changed from [our worldly] and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters.
And so we see that we are all saved through grace.
President Uchdorf asked, "If grace is a gift of God, why then is obedience to God’s commandments so important? Why bother with God’s commandments—or repentance, for that matter? Why not just admit we’re sinful and let God save us?
"Or, to put the question in Paul’s words, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul’s answer is simple and clear: “God forbid.”
"Brothers and sisters, we obey the commandments of God—out of love for Him!
Trying to understand God’s gift of grace with all our heart and mind gives us all the more reasons to love and obey our Heavenly Father with meekness and gratitude.
"As we walk the path of discipleship, it refines us, it improves us, it helps us to become more like Him, and it leads us back to His presence. “The Spirit of the Lord [our God]” brings about such “a mighty change in us, … that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
"Therefore, our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace. Virtue will garnish our thoughts unceasingly, and our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God.
"Dear brothers and sisters, living the gospel faithfully is not a burden. It is a joyful rehearsal—a preparation for inheriting the grand glory of the eternities. We seek to obey our Heavenly Father because our spirits will become more attuned to spiritual things. Vistas are opened that we never knew existed. Enlightenment and understanding come to us when we do the will of the Father.
"Grace is a gift of God, and our desire to be obedient to each of God’s commandments is the reaching out of our mortal hand to receive this sacred gift from our Heavenly Father."
In parting I share with you the words of Jacob, from the Book of Mormon:
"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." 2:Nephi 10:23)
I will seek daily to reconcile myself with the will of God and choose the way of eternal life, putting my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ, that I may be Saved by his Grace.
What will you choose?
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