Come Follow Me (Helaman 1-6)
One of my very favorite scriptures - even when I'm not reading it - is Helaman 3:29-30. It explains the importance of exact obedience in God's math equation of getting us where He wants us to be - with Him:
"Yea, we see that whoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked -
"And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out." (Helaman 3:29-30)
I must confess: this scripture captured my attention when I first noticed three verbs next to each other in verse 29: 'will', 'may', and 'lay'. Apparently, once an English teacher, always an English teacher; my ever-present imaginary red pencil started twitching, certain this was some sort of grammatical error. Au contraire. Allow me to translate - with an ever-so-slight change in wording:
"... whoever wants to, may choose to lay hold..."
AHA. If I desire it, I can choose to grab hold of God's words - His rescuing gospel of Jesus Christ. It clearly reveals the deceptions of the destroyer. It changes me as I continue to practice higher and holier thought and behavior patterns. It teaches me repentance is simply repeating the process of change through practicing those higher and holier behaviors - even when they feel wholly unnatural to a natural girl at first.
If continued, grabbing hold of this eternal reality sets me on a trajectory which will carry me across a gulf of misery. Now you know why you had to lay hold - hang on! There's a trajectory that will send you sailing...
And eventually land you right next to God. Right where He lives - to live as He lives - and best part: "to go no more out." (v. 30)
Apparently, exact obedience creates a trajectory. God's done the math, and teaches us that exact obedience takes us to the grand destination of the celestial kingdom.
This is fabulous news, but on any given day, my natural self is limply lying next to my metaphorical handcart, completely girding for the next step; who can think about the wild ride of celestializing? (see https://www.laureensimper.com/post/just-lyin-in-the-snow-on-a-summer-s-day-lookin-up-at-jesus)
The ride wouldn't be possible, and our being changed by the ride wouldn't be possible, were it not for the cleansing, redeeming, enabling, transforming blood of Jesus Christ. He came so you can take the ride.
If you want to. No pressure. No one is forced; there isn't even a punishment for not taking the ride. The last two general conferences have had marvelous talks about three destinations - or landing spots - for God's children:
President Dallin H. Oaks, "Kingdoms of Glory," October 2023:
Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Testimony of Jesus," April 2024:
Our generous Father has prepared beautiful, unfathomable homes for all His children, save a very special few (see President Oaks' talk particularly). All will be perfectly suited for where they land, based on their level of obedience. Exact obedience lands us back with Him; casual obedience lands us in a realm ruled by Jesus Christ Himself; and even disobedience lands us in a realm ruled by the Holy Ghost. None are icky. There are just more privileges that come with more light, more obedience, and more learned and practiced ability to rule and reign... over yourself. (see D&C 76)
Of course, Father generously wants to give us the entire kingdom, which is why He sent His perfect Son to earn it for all who will receive it, since we were pretty much disqualified the minute we entered this fallen sphere. But if you don't want it all, He pleads to give you some inheritance. He will give you as much as you can abide (see D&C 88:16-40).
Father didn't randomly dream up rules for us, or penalties for breaking those rules. He enforces the rules of the universe; this is why He is God. Neal A. Maxwell wrote:
"It is important to understand that obedience is not simply a requirement of a capricious god who wants us to jump hurdles for him for the entertainment of the Royal Court. It is really the pleading of a loving Father to you and me to discover, as quickly as we can, what we will discover eventually, that there are key concepts and principles that make for happy survival in a planned but otherwise cold universe. Faith and obedience compensate for the shortfall that is true of each of us in terms of our limited experience and limited knowledge. We simply have to rely on these other things to carry us forward at times because our experience and our knowledge fall short. And that pleading from a loving Father, and His prophets here, is to spare us the kind of pain that we will feel if we will not listen." (Neal A. Maxwell, A Time to Choose, p. 13-14)
A final word to those of you who concuss as your trajectory lands you in hot water, a pile of mess, or against another brick wall, far less than glorious destinations, because holy smokes - you got it wrong. Again.
Jesus.
That's the final word. This whole practice of life is set up, from before the foundations of the world, for us to fail quite spectacularly on any given day, and not forever disqualify ourselves for this incredible ride back to the celestial kingdom. If your prayers are anything like mine, and you remonstrate to Father, "I can't do it!" - I most sincerely pray you can hear the voice of your Father - through His Holy Spirit - say to you:
"Of course you can't. That's the point. Won't you please let me help you? It's why I came."
Remember: no matter what the pathetic number in the equation that represents your ability,
x + infinity = infinity.
He came so you can practice. Not neurotically, yet not cavalierly. But with real intent. With full purpose of heart. He's ready to add to your teeny number and land you where you want to go - eventually soaring over all hot water, piles of mess, and hard brick walls.
He means to bring you home, to go no more out. It's why He came. He's done the math, we just have to keep working the equation.
コメント