I think I'll call this the willingness chapter.
18 Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.
21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive.
26 And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed.
28 Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.
32 Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.It seems pretty clear that our relationship with God is not a matter of ability, nearly so much as it is a matter of willingness.
One of the greatest blessings of all this that Heavenly Father is also willing.
30 Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.Hallelujah!
3 comments:
One of my favorite scriptures contains the word "will". That scripture is Alma 22:18:
"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God, and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known to me and I will give away all my sins to know thee."
That is the "gift" the Lord asks of us, (since our sins truly belong to us -- and only to us.
Only that "gift" will bring us back to Him.
Oh, I love that one too!
Sometimes my willingness is pretty begrudging. I've just been called to teach seminary. Man I didn't want to do it. I was given time to decide and it was a miserable time as I battled the desire to say 'no'
Now I start teaching the Book of Mormon this week and they are on Alma 20. I wish that this reading were ahead of Alma 20, because I receive great insight from this posting.
My thoughts on Mosiah 26...
35 And whosoever repented of their sins and did aconfess them, them he did number among the people of the church;
I need….to confess….I want to be numbered. I leave confess (to others) and making amends ...out of my repentance. It is the 9th step in 12-Steps, and I faltered when I arrived there. Amens is a big pride-Pill to swallow. I need a dose of it.
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