Bound No Longer

If you're at all familiar with the Book of Mormon you've probably heard (read) the phrase "bound down by the chains of hell" and "dragged down speedily to hell". Now as I read these verses I've always been very certain that I didn't want these verses to apply to me and hopefully this isn't prideful, but I sort of never figured that they did apply to me. My young women's teachers would give the lesson about flaxen cords and illustrate it by showing giving us each a thread and telling us to break it. I always struggled a bit, but I still knew one string was much easier to break than a bundle of them. The take away was that we needed to repent of the small things so we never got bound down by the big things that were much more difficult to break. This is so very true, the more quickly we repent of the small things the easier it is to keep the Spirit and be protected from the influence of the adversary and avoid the chains of hell.

But that isn't what I really wanted to talk about tonight, I really wanted to talk about the ropes of hell, those ropes that anchor us away from the Savior even though we have worked to repent and become clean again. So if you'll follow me in this analogy, chains of hell are those sins or addictions that we actively seek, that for whatever reason we still think we need or deserve in our lives. On the other hand ropes of hell are past regrets, acts or addictions that we have sought to leave behind that still haunt us and Satan uses to shame us and guilt us away from Christ.

When we sin, going contrary to the commandments of God or simply a sin of omission we are bound to that sinful act with a flaxen cord, if we choose to repent Christ can sever that cord that goes to the sin through forgiveness, but we can still choose to hold on to that cord, we can use it to beat ourselves up and to keep going back thinking we aren't really clean and whole. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ means that once we have completed the repentance process and felt a confirmation from the Spirit we Need to let it go, we must release the rope and trust that Jesus Christ has made us clean and that we once more can stand before our Father and feel His love in our lives. When we doubt and hold on to that rope we allow Satan to tug on that rope, to keep taking us back to that sin or regret and living in that moment. We are anchored back to regret and pain and remove ourselves from the peace the Atonement brings into our lives.

Now this principle does not only apply to sin, it also applies to pain and sadness in our lives. Heavenly Father understands that this life can be painful, that even doing our very best won't always mean the sun shines, that things will go as planned and that we won't feel disappointment or sorrow. All of these emotions can bind us to a certain moment in time and can stop our development and growth. As we give these things to Christ and give him the rope we can move forward, we find peace and realize those moments were important for helping us become who Heavenly Father wants us to be. Sure the moment wasn't pleasant, but it was needed and we have become better for it. However if we keep hold of that rope the other end is flying loose and allows Satan the opportunity to yank the rope and anchor us to pain and haunting sadness. Please choose to forgive yourself, please give Christ the rope so that you can find peace and purpose in the life God has given us here in this mortal sphere.

He Employs No Other Gatekeeper There

When I was younger and Christmas time would roll around invariably there would be a lesson asking us what gift we would give to the baby Jesus. Now as a child in primary I loved writing it down and putting it in a box to place under the Christmas tree, but as I got older I didn't quite see why the baby Jesus would need something from me, He already received frankincense, gold and myrrh so being nice to my siblings didn't really seem like that big of a deal, or saying I'd be obedient to my parents seemed like a small given thing.

So now I want to ask an updated question, a question the spirit whispered to me yesterday as I thought of Christ as the gatekeeper to the thinness of the veil. At the end of our lives we will face the gate to the next life and as scripture tells us Christ is the gatekeeper and employs no other watcher at the gate. So when we reach the end of this life we will face Him as we enter the next. But I would possit the idea that He is also the gate keeper to the veil. Our access to the spirit world is as thick or thin as we choose for it to be. The more we invite Christ to walk our journey with us the thinner the veil becomes and the more familiar the gatekeeper becomes to us. There may even come the point we will walk to that gate together and He will simply take one step ahead, turn to face us and say "well done my good and faithful friend, having walked with you I know you are ready to enter the presence of my Father." But this is dependent on our request of His presence in our lives. We do this two ways, first by actually requesting for Him to walk with us daily, to tutor us in His way, to live His example in our own lives and second to live according to the direction He gives us, to be obedient to the Spirit and to seek to make the Spirit the priority in our lives.

So now you have the background here is the question: What would you give the adult, post Gethsemane Christ? If you were to enter a room one day and see Christ there, what would you offer to Him? As I've asked this question I've received many good answers, tears and a hug, ice cream (which makes total sense, we are asked to be child like, as a child we want to give him our favorite thing and I know I love ice cream) and us, we want to give Him us. All of these things are our offerings from the heart and show our love for Christ's offering to us. As I have pondered this question I related it to the gate keeper thought and knew I did want to give Him me, I want to walk with Him and have His presence in my life as we walk together. I also wondered what fears could I offer Him, what forgiveness could I offer to myself that I have been withholding because somehow I didn't think the Atonement could extend so far, what pain, confusion or anger could I give to Him that I just haven't given up yet because I wasn't ready to. Our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ walks each day with us, in the Garden He saw us and walked with us and still walks with us, but we have to acknowledge Him and we must prepare ourselves to walk in concert with Him. Laying those fears, concerns, hurt and anger at His feet free us, they allow us to remove the veil of sin and selfishness from before our face and allows the Spirit of the Lord to enter in.

What offering can you give Christ this day and every day? What gift can you offer Him for His gift to you and that will keep Him always near by?

God's Right hand Man

What does it take to be someone's right hand man? I would say that it requires us to be loyal, to be trustworthy, to be dependable, to be willing to sacrifice for the benefit of another, to be willing to do anything that is asked of us, to give up wealth and power if needed. Heavenly Father has asked us to be his right hand man (or woman), when we were baptized we took Christ's name upon us, we promised to always remember him and to become like him. In the temple we offer our lives for his kingdom and even harder for mortals we offer Him all that he has given us, we offer our stuff to Him. In the temple we promise that when the going gets tough we won't get going or run away, that we will stay firmly planted like a well placed screw, that no matter what comes we will stay true.

   Are we the right hand man or woman of the Lord ? Are we willing to give up all that he has given us if he asks? Are we willing to soften our heart, give up anger, frustration or fear and give it to the Lord so he can bear the burden? When   the going gets tough are we willing to stick it out and stand with the captain of our soul, even the Savior Jesus Christ? He is calling us to love to forgiveness to joy and relief, He is calling us to give and to serve, He is asking us to live for Him, He needs a generation of souls who will give all in His defense, are we that generation?  Will we give up us for something greater, at one purpose with our eternal Father and Savior Jesus Christ? They need our individual and unique gifts and talents and they need them given freely. 

   Our Heavenly Father understands we are mortals, perfection is the end commandment, and we are loved where we are. He has the most realistic expectations for us, He desires perfection for us because of the blessings but is overjoyed with each step nearer we make. Don't allow the adversary to take away or cloud the small victories for those are the victories that are cheered the most. each day find ways to be that sure person in the right place and the Lord will do wonders among you.

He loves us so much and will help us in becoming who we are to be.

Light to Offer

 Sometimes I wish like Alma that I were an angel, that I could trumpet the truth from the roof-tops, that I could give hell-fire and damnation speeches calling the world to repentance, that I would always know what to say and when to say it, that I could have words that instantly change lives. But like Alma I sin in my wish, for I am a woman and do sin in my wish to take too much upon myself. More often than not I forget that I am simply an instrument in the hands of the Lord. It is not my job to pass judgment or call to repentance, my role is to extend love, to extend the mercy of the Lord to all I meet and to be a light for Christ in a darkening world. We truly are lights on a hill. The Lord has sent us here to this world at this time to prepare for His coming. We are to be ambassadors, to be sharers of His light. This means we read our scriptures, we have quiet time to ponder the works of the Lord on the earth and that we diligently seek His spirit and direction so that we have light to offer. In a world of darkness, frustration and division ours is to offer love, joy, peace and light, we are the people to prepare to build Zion, what are we doing each day to prepare to live that law in that sacred land?