"Choose you this day whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Act In Doctrine- Book Review

I loved this book by Elder Bednar!  I learned lots about how I can be a better person.
He talks about the character of Christ, and how we would not have the atonement if it had not been for the righteous, humble, and obedient character of Christ.

About moral agency-it is not just an act of exercise in keeping or not keeping commandments and covenants; if we choose not to keep them, we are breaking God's laws and disobeying him.  It is a serious thing.

"Once we pledge our willingness to take upon us the Savior's name and to act in holiness, disobedience brings more serious and spiritually devastating consequences:  we offend God."

He walks us through a conversation for those who are not coming to church, to see why they are not coming, and to teach them how they are cutting themselves off from the blessings of having the gospel and priesthood and temple ordinances in their lives, and leaving barriers that will impede the spiritual growth of their children and for generations to come.

Then he talks about being offended.  No one can offend us, only we can choose to be offended, because we have that agency.  In the Book of Mormon, Pahoran chose not to be offended when falsely accused of not supporting the cause of freedom.

A test of our spiritual maturity is how we respond to other's weaknesses and potentially offensive actions.

Moral agency enables us to turn from ourselves to the Savior, and to bind ourselves to act faithfully in His doctrine.

Earnestly coming to Christ and giving our whole souls as an offering requires much more than knowing.
Our level of commitment and understanding will significantly affect the blessings we are privileged to receive.

Honoring and keeping our sacred covenants will help us set aside the weapons of rebellions in our lives.  Our capacity to live more in alignment with what we know will be enlarged.

The way we live affects generations and generations to come.

The best teachers refuse to give simple answers, but direct where to find it and challenge the learner to find THEIR answer.  The tuition of diligence and learning by faith must be paid to obtain and personally "own" such knowledge.

We are like fiber-optic cables which transmit light long distances-CHRIST is the source of LIGHT.
Discernment-seeing with spiritual eyes and feeling with the heart falsehoods of an idea, goodness in a person, how to help next, etc.

Be quick to observe.  :)



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