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CHAPTER 64
BE THOU HUMBLE
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Mosiah 3:19
I want to tell you all about my friend Travis. I found him on Facebook a while ago, and we've been talking about God and my missionary experiences. One day this week I told him about my struggles to find people to teach. However, I will admit I wasn't really humble with what I said. I told him I was finding it difficult to teach religious people the truth, and that I'm looking for better ways to do so.
Thankfully, God, through this man Travis, humbled me! He told me...(I'm paraphrasing here...)
Why are you trying to find ways to teach people the Restored gospel? Isn't that God's job? And if you say you are teaching the truth to religious people, what makes you think you, as a religious person yourself, is living the truth?
He said: I think the people who open up the door to you know you better than you know yourself. If you had God's power, you wouldn't need to find better ways. Instead, you would find ways to bless other people's lives, instead of just getting people into a church. You should be asking God what you should do, instead of just advertising at doors.
His answer disturbed me. Because he was right for the most part! Why do I look for better ways to find people? Why not just bless others with the stream of Godly power available to me through His Priesthood? If I am not using the power given for me to use, then everything I do IS advertising.
Travis got me thinking HARD. And the Spirit spoke to me and told me to stop thinking I was better than everyone else. I know the Spirit humbled me. Travis even told me that I needed to admit that my works, my fancy clothing, and my church didn't earn me any respect from God. He told me if I was trying to get people to join a church, I was doing it ALL wrong, with no power from God at all.
So I repented. I even told Travis that I WAS in fact a Pharisee, and that many times I had fallen into that logic of original sin. I told him I have thought many times (maybe even subconsciously) that my salvation and my worthiness and power as a missionary is earned by MY works and MY good studies and MY good deeds and MY good lookingness and MY rule keeping.
Even the standards for disciples of Jesus Christ I have misused. I have followed that book by FEAR rather than love.
So I straight up said (paraphrasing again...)
God spoke through you, Travis. I need to do better. I have been a pharisee, and at times I HAVE thought that I'm earning salvation.
I've thought I could earn God's love and approval through how many doors I knocked or how many people I invited to church.
But God's love is always there. And you're right, there's a difference between getting people into a church...and helping people come unto Christ.
Don't get me wrong, His church is the vehicle by which spirituality is grown.
If we desire salvation, we must love God. Loving God requires keeping His commandments. God has commanded us to have faith, repent, be baptized into His fold, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.
There is SUCH A FINE LINE between doing things FOR salvation... and doing things BECAUSE of salvation. There's a difference between doing thing's to GET God's love, and doing things BECAUSE God loves me and wants the best for me.
So I told Travis I was thankful for his help.
This experience punched a hole in my gut! Because I was humbled.
Doc & Cov 95:1
"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you..."
This past stake conference, each day had a theme. Each theme delivered me from pride.
Day 1 was how to recognize the Spirit. Day 2 was the gift of charity.
Both topics were much needed for my soul, and also sources of grace from God for me.
I've also learned to not just speak the truth. I have to speak the truth in LOVE. Speaking truth without love is a form of hypocrisy.
In 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 we read (I'll just read a section here...)
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."
Oof! In other words, though I speak the truth, if I don't have charity...I am just an empty sound. An imitation of what is real instead of the thing itself.
Brigham Young says something similar:
"Do you think people will obey the truth because it is true, unless they love it? No they will not."
So. Good lesson. Be humble kids.
One thing I've learned about the Holy Ghost is that He will always always always give you the message you need to learn. You need not worry IF the Holy Ghost will speak. Will you obey Him? That is the challenge. And he'll make sure you know it's Him that's humbling you lol.
So far I have had NO baptisms. NO new people to teach. NO lessons with members, and NO sacrament attendances!
BUT... Although I am getting no outward increase in my area, my heart (the only area in the mission that really matters) is changing. He is the only reason for my change of heart. He is woeking through me to being about His eternal purposes. I'm doing all I can do. And what is all I can do?
All I can do is let Him do His work. All I can do is submit to Him, or reject Him. I can have a hard heart, or a soft one. All I can do is be reconciled to God through the Atonement of Christ.
2 Nephi 25:23)
(Jacob 4:11)
Lake pics
Me and Elder Kearl at a Christmas party
Singin' Salmon
