Scripture Study Insights - week ten
Mosiah 9
Don’t be overzealous. Put your trust in God, not in man or even yourself.
Mosiah 10
We must guard ourselves from wickedness - send out spies and develop armor. Wicked men are angry, blame others, think they’ve been wronged, and don’t take responsibility.
Mosiah 11
One wicked person brings great suffering to all.
Mosiah 12
Abinadi is a good example of standing up for truth and righteousness; he “answered them boldly.” We need to apply our hearts to understanding; that's how we become wise. (See Jacob 6:12.)
Mosiah 13
Testify of the Savior and preach faith, repentance, and obedience to his commands. It’s that simple.
Mosiah 14
The Savor has already “bourne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Will we let him help us with our burdens? One of my favorite articles is "Believing Christ" by Stephen Robison. It's too long to put the whole thing here, and even this section of it is long, but it has helped me over and over for the last 15+ years. Maybe it will help someone else too.
Sometimes the demand for perfection drives us to despair. More than a decade ago, my wife and I were living in Pennsylvania. Things seemed to be going well. I’d been promoted in my work and was also serving in the bishopric. Janet had given birth to our fourth child, had graduated from college, had passed the CPA exam, and had been called to serve as Relief Society president. We were busy but happy, and I thought we were doing the right things.
Then my wife began to feel an overpowering sense of discouragement. She asked to be released from her callings, and try as I might, I could not get her to tell me what was wrong.
One night, after two weeks of being prodded by a sometimes insensitive but worried husband, she finally said, “All right. You want to know what’s wrong? I can’t do it anymore. I can’t get up at 5:30 in the morning to bake bread and help my kids with their homework and do my own homework. I can’t do my Relief Society stuff and get my genealogy done and sew and go to the PTA meetings and write the missionaries. …”
She added, “I don’t have the talent that Sister Morrell has. I can’t do what Sister Childs does. I try not to yell at the kids, but I do. I’m not perfect, and I’m never going to be perfect. I’m afraid I’m not going to make it to the celestial kingdom.”
I said, “Janet, I know you have a testimony. …”
“Of course I do! That’s what’s so terrible. I know the gospel’s true. I just can’t do it. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t do it all, all of the time.”
It was a long night. At last we came to understand what was wrong. We realized, after talking together, that Janet was trying to save herself. She knew that Jesus is an adviser and a teacher. She knew that he is an example, the head of the Church, our Elder Brother, and even God. She knew all that, but she did not understand His role as the Savior.
We all fail at living the full celestial level. That’s why we need a Savior. The Lord says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6.) We frequently misinterpret that verse. We think it means “Blessed are the righteous.” It does not. When are you hungry? When are you thirsty? When you don’t have the object of your desire. It is those who don’t have the righteousness that God has—but who hunger and thirst after it—who are blessed, for if that is the desire of their hearts, the Lord will help them achieve it.
Don’t be overzealous. Put your trust in God, not in man or even yourself.
Mosiah 10
We must guard ourselves from wickedness - send out spies and develop armor. Wicked men are angry, blame others, think they’ve been wronged, and don’t take responsibility.
Mosiah 11
One wicked person brings great suffering to all.
Mosiah 12
Abinadi is a good example of standing up for truth and righteousness; he “answered them boldly.” We need to apply our hearts to understanding; that's how we become wise. (See Jacob 6:12.)
Mosiah 13
Testify of the Savior and preach faith, repentance, and obedience to his commands. It’s that simple.
Mosiah 14
The Savor has already “bourne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Will we let him help us with our burdens? One of my favorite articles is "Believing Christ" by Stephen Robison. It's too long to put the whole thing here, and even this section of it is long, but it has helped me over and over for the last 15+ years. Maybe it will help someone else too.
Sometimes the demand for perfection drives us to despair. More than a decade ago, my wife and I were living in Pennsylvania. Things seemed to be going well. I’d been promoted in my work and was also serving in the bishopric. Janet had given birth to our fourth child, had graduated from college, had passed the CPA exam, and had been called to serve as Relief Society president. We were busy but happy, and I thought we were doing the right things.
Then my wife began to feel an overpowering sense of discouragement. She asked to be released from her callings, and try as I might, I could not get her to tell me what was wrong.
One night, after two weeks of being prodded by a sometimes insensitive but worried husband, she finally said, “All right. You want to know what’s wrong? I can’t do it anymore. I can’t get up at 5:30 in the morning to bake bread and help my kids with their homework and do my own homework. I can’t do my Relief Society stuff and get my genealogy done and sew and go to the PTA meetings and write the missionaries. …”
She added, “I don’t have the talent that Sister Morrell has. I can’t do what Sister Childs does. I try not to yell at the kids, but I do. I’m not perfect, and I’m never going to be perfect. I’m afraid I’m not going to make it to the celestial kingdom.”
I said, “Janet, I know you have a testimony. …”
“Of course I do! That’s what’s so terrible. I know the gospel’s true. I just can’t do it. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t do it all, all of the time.”
It was a long night. At last we came to understand what was wrong. We realized, after talking together, that Janet was trying to save herself. She knew that Jesus is an adviser and a teacher. She knew that he is an example, the head of the Church, our Elder Brother, and even God. She knew all that, but she did not understand His role as the Savior.
We all fail at living the full celestial level. That’s why we need a Savior. The Lord says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6.) We frequently misinterpret that verse. We think it means “Blessed are the righteous.” It does not. When are you hungry? When are you thirsty? When you don’t have the object of your desire. It is those who don’t have the righteousness that God has—but who hunger and thirst after it—who are blessed, for if that is the desire of their hearts, the Lord will help them achieve it.
Comments
Thank you I was thinking something along those lines, I hope you don't mind me quoting you.