Obedience and Truth

2 Ne. 31 gives the example of Christ's perfect obedience to the Father as demonstrated through being baptized although He had done no sin.  Baptism is a symbol of laying down our life, cleansed by Christ, and then being raised again with a newness of spirit.  It's not easy to lay down one's life, those things that we want to desperately hang on to, but we must follow the example of the Savior and be strictly obedient and surrender all.  Repentance is an opportunity to draw closer to God. I know that as we do this we can trust in a beautiful redemption.  This is the way to purification, sanctification, and holiness.  

When we do all these things, we will be blessed to speak with the "tongue of angels" (2 Ne. 31:13) Angels speak the words of Christ so feast on His words (2 Ne. 32:3) and you will be told "all things what you should do."  Pray always and not faint!!! (2 Ne. 32:9)

The other day on our ward Facebook Scripture Study Page, I shared something like this from what I learned in 2 Ne. 9 -

"We reap what we sow.  Where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.  Nothing this world has to offer could ever satisfy us, the only thing that can do that is truth.  But truth must be what we treasure or it will be the very thing that slays us."  

I thought about these words and related them to today's reading in 2 Ne. 33:6 "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth;  I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." I thought of how I have recently been tested in my integrity, to see if I would live according to truth and not to fear of what others think of me.  I'm grateful I chose "truth."  This is living up to my name.  Alicia means: Noble, Queenly, Truthful.  I hope to always live up to this.

I also love the way Nephi ends his writing "thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen."  - I add my own hearty AMEN to that!  Way to be, brother!

The Lord wants to make our lives BEAUTIFUL.  This is how it is meant to be and the way to do this is through having our hearts completely turned to Him, focused and centered, "willing to submit to all things the Lord seeth fit."  He will consecrate or "make holy" all our performances and all our afflictions.  I trust this!

-Alicia

Beautiful

by, Dan Bremnes

Lord, I want everything 

Everything You’ve got for me 

I won’t be satisfied 

Till I find the center of Your heart 

Lord, You know 

You opened my eyes 

You showed me things that I can’t see on my own 

You call me justified 

Free to find, everything you are 

And You changed me from what I used to be 

Opened my eyes, now I can see 

You’re makin’ this life so beautiful 

So beautiful… 

Lord, I give everything 

Everything You want from me 

Take my past and my future 

I lay it at Your feet 

Yeah, I’m after your heart 

You’ve stolen mine 

I give You my all cause you gave up Your life 

I’m not who I was simply because 

Oh, You set me free! 

Oh, You changed me from what I used to be 

Opened my eyes, now I can see 

You’re makin’ this life so beautiful So beautiful… 

Every day I rise 

I wake up to find 

You’re surrounding me 

With endless mercy 

You renew my mind 

You’re bringin’ me to life 

Oh, God Oh, You changed me from what I used to be 

Opened my eyes, now I can see 

You’re makin’ this life so beautiful 

So beautiful,so beautiful.