What Shall I do, That I May Inherit Eternal Life?

Loved my study today! I was asking myself why it's so hard for me to maintain the progress I've made and stick to the goals I have. I know that I have desires to be close to God and that there are specific commandments, counsel, and guidance from the spirit that I have received and that I know to be true- yet I still find myself falling short again and again.
So the biggest question I asked today was, what lack I yet? What am I missing that makes it so hard for me to feel like I am doing my best?
My answer came as I read in Alma 22 and Mark 10 this fine day: it all comes down to the condition of my heart.

Both of these chapters include characters that want to draw closer to Christ. In Alma chapter 22, we have King Lamoni's father, expressing his desire to "give away all [he] possesses in order to come closer to God and inherit eternal life. In Mark 10, we follow the story of the rich young ruler, who approaches Christ and asks what more he needs to do to also inherit eternal life. Although there are many similarities between the two, there are also many characteristics that set them apart and ultimately determine their decisions.

Similarities:

• Both have high social status/power in their societies
• Both are extremely well off, rich, taken care of
• Both express a desire to take action to come closer to Christ
• Both seek out a priesthood leader for counsel/guidance
• Rich ruler= Christ
• Lamoni's father= Aaron

Differences

• Lamoni grew up without the gospel/commandments
• Rich young ruler grew up living the gospel
• Lamoni offers his kingdom and possessions immediately
• Rich young ruler asks what he needs to do, but does not offer any solution
• And when given an answer, is unwilling to follow through
• Condition of the heart
• Rich ruler= unwilling to let go of his possessions in order to draw close to God
• Lamoni's dad= committed to changing his heart, giving away possessions

God and Christ didn't really want the young man's possessions in Mark 10. They already own everything anyway- they've given us this earth, all the objects and such found on it- but they do not own our agency, which includes our hearts. They will not control our actions or force us to do anything against our will. The deepest desire of their hearts is for us to willingly follow the example of Christ so we can return to our Father in Heaven. The young ruler was unable to follow Christ, not because he was rich, but because He was not willing to put God first. 

Contrast that with Lamoni's father, and we see a man that not only offers his physical possessions to know God, but is willing to fully humble himself and follow the direction of a priesthood leader and completely change his behavior.

What causes that desire to change behavior? True doctrine understood. Aaron teaches Lamoni's father the Plan of Salvation, and he understands that without the help of Christ, he has no way to return to God. He also realizes his need to change, or his need for repentance. Once he recognizes that his actions will no longer be acceptable if he wants to return to God's presence, he asks what he must do to change. I love that. And I love that he could start where he was. He didn't have to wait until someone else was ready. He didn't have to hide away or keep himself from Aaron out of shame- he was given the chance, by Christ, to change immediately, without penalty.

I know that I forget the bigger picture a lot, and I often find it difficult to remember why I do the things God asks of me. But I am so grateful for the reminders he sends me, through the spirit, scripture study, and  influence of those around me that He is there, He loves me, and He wants the very best for me. I know that's true for each one of us and I know that I have the power to do anything through Christ.

I love you and hope you have a great week!

Emily

I am not come to destroy but to fulfill

Acts 7. In this chapter, Stephen, a newly called disciple, is on trial for preaching about Christ. He is in quite a pickle, seeing his accusers hired false witnesses to convict him, claiming that he is tearing down Moses's credibility and trying to replace him with Christ. Stephen, knowing their true intentions, follows the spirit and shows them that Moses's role was to prepare the way for Christ by starting with Abraham, then expanding to Jacob, Joseph, and all the way down to Moses. 
From his examples, we learn:

• "For after much tribulation cometh the blessing." (D&C 103:12)
• Must experience darkness to comprehend light
• Joseph's trials in Egypt, being sold by brother, thrown into jail, then saves Egypt and family from famine
• Christ's suffering=allowed him to fulfill his role as savior=led to the resurrection
• "Must needs be an opposition in all things." (2 Nephi 2:11)
• Joseph's brothers, Potiphar's wife, being in prison= helped him become who God wanted him to be
• Moses= Not everyone wanted to listen to him, built a golden calf, would rather not listen to him
• "To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt." (Acts 7:39)
• Christ= rejected daily by his own people

I'm starting to see a pattern here. People have a really hard time accepting modern revelation through God's prophet(s). The people putting Stephen on trial kept using Moses as their justification as to the way they treated him. However, had they truly been studying Moses's story and his teachings like Stephen, they would recognize that Christ is a continuation, not a replacement for Moses and what he taught. Stephen points out that Joseph of Egypt was rejected by his brothers, that Moses was rejected by the children of Isreal, which means that God's chosen servants have always been rejected by the world. That sounds a lot like what goes on now. 
Many people dismiss specific revelation or counsel from modern prophets because they feel they are taking away from what Christ taught. When we take the time to find the answers for ourselves, we can learn that "I [God] will bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up." (D&C 10:52-54) Sound familiar? It's the same idea that Christ gave when he was not being accepted in Jerusalem: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17) God has always provided a way for us to know His will, individually, and collectively as His children while here in mortality. Sometimes it's hard to understand why their are certain limits, rules, and commandments given to us by his living prophet/apostles. I think the important thing to remember is that the reason we have them is because God loves us. He wants us to know what we need to do and more importantly, who we need to become to live the highest quality of life here on earth, and especially to prepare us to live with Him again.

I kind of feel like I was a little all over the place, but I hope my study made sense in some way. I feel like I was reminded about the importance of finding answers for myself- and I enjoyed that quite a lot.

Thanks and have a great week!
Emily