Ask, Seek, Knock

As I read from the New Testament the other day, I ran across some familiar verses that caused me to stop and think. Like most people, I have either read or heard them multiple times, but the implications of what the Savior is saying in them has never struck me with as much force as it did at this time. Indeed, I doubt if I ever stopped to think about or try to understand what the Savior was really teaching in the scripture. The words are simple, and not easily misunderstood, but I think the power of the promise behind the statement could be lost on most individuals... Or maybe its just me. Anyways, in Matthew I read, 

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Matthew 7:7-8

Now think about that for a second. Do you really believe that anything you ask for, you will recieve? For myself, I wasn't quiet sure.That is an incredible promise that holds a lot of weight! Is it true?!

After a brief internal debate, I decided that it certainly is. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think it is all just as easy as asking for something. If that were true, I would probably be a much cooler person then I am now... Hah no, there is definitely a process to receiving what ever it is that we ask for. In fact, I believe the Savior laid it out pretty clearly.  For the first time, I looked at the scripture not as three separate promises, but more of a whole process of receiving some great heavenly gift. Upon searching for more on the subject, I found an incredible talk by one of our beloved apostles, Russell M. Nelson. Elder Nelson says,

"Revelation need not all come at once. It may be incremental. “Saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.”  Patience and perseverance are part of our eternal progression."

Russell M. Nelson, "Ask, Seek, Knock"  

Nephi on the Boat to America

Think of the process of receiving what ever it is that you want as a journey. You have to first ask where you want to go, seek out how you are going to get there, and then go and do. The prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon, after seeing the vision of the destruction of Jerusalem and the promised land couldn't just up and be there. No, they had to journey out, endure hardship, build a boat and safely guide it to the Americas, all the while relying completely on the Lord. I believe the same process can be applied to anything we ask of the Lord. We can ask, and He will answer. I know that is true. After we get our answer though, we have to do something with it. It is not enough just to ask, we must also be ready to seek and knock.

When we are pursuing answers or revelation for the benefit of ourselves and others, we will always be more successful as we become more Christ-like. I this is true. Our Heavenly Father wants to bless us with everything we desire, so long as those desires are righteous. He loves us, and wants whats best for us. When we draw nearer to Christ, we are able to see more clearly what His will is for us, and can discern how we can arrive at the answers we desire. Elder Nelson also gives us great guidelines to find the answers we are looking and asking for. His advice is,

"For each of you to receive revelation unique to your own needs and responsibilities, certain guidelines prevail. The Lord asks you to develop “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God.” Then with your firm “faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, [and] diligence,” you may ask, and you will receive; you may knock, and it will be opened unto you."

Russell M. Nelson, "Ask, Seek, Knock"

He Knows You.

"Nothing will surprise us more than when we get to heaven and see the Father and realize how well we know Him and how familiar His face is to us." — Pres. Ezra Taft Benson

That quote has been resonating in my head for the last week. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. The implications are powerful! He knows us well, and wants us to live with Him. Will we regret anything from this life when we pass? Will we see Him, remember His face, feel His love, and be ashamed and sorry? Are we doing all we can to show how much we love Him?

I wish I could show people just how much their Father in Heaven loves them. His love is manifest to me as I do the small and simple things that He asks and keep His commandments. In return, He sends the Holy Ghost to gently nudge me in the right direction and give me comforting assurances that what I am doing is correct, and that He approves. From these feelings, we can know that we are engaged in what we need to be to be able to return to live again with Him. I have come to cherish and value these feelings.

Anyone who is searching for their Heavenly Father will find Him. He is not as far distant as we sometimes suppose. Indeed, Christ himself tells us that if we look for Him, we will find Him.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" Matthew 7:7

That promise is absolute. There is no, "maybe Ill find him," or "maybe He will answer me." He promises very plainly that He will manifest himself unto us. I know that is true. I know that he loves each and every one of us, and as we follow His son, Jesus Christ, and have faith, repent, and are baptized, we can be granted a spot alongside Him for eternity. Nephi says,

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

2 Nephi 31:20

I am so thankful for that promise.

Be Thou Humble...

A scripture has been running through my head for the past couple days, and with such came a question. Over and over I have been hearing, "Be thou ^ahumble; and the Lord thy God shall ^blead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers."Doctrine and Covenants 112:10

I love that scripture because it clearly states that the only real requirement for us to be led by our Father in Heaven is to be humble. My question was, "How can I become more humble?" and in an answer to my silent prayer, Heavenly Father blessed me with the opportunity to teach and learn from a very humble man. Yesterday, as we were walking to an appointment, we met Ted, who, when seeing the terrible weather and two missionaries walking around looking like drowned rats, invited us in. He was kind and loving, and we were able to share a message that has blessed our lives. As my companion and I shared truths that we know, he listened intently. In the middle of our very spiritual discussion, Ted shared an experience with us that taught me how I can better receive guidance from my Father in Heaven. We were all equal students of the Holy Ghost trying to help each other as best as possible, none was greater. Needless to say, we all came away from the meeting edified.

In the dictionary, humility is defined as, "marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful." It's not difficult to see why the Lord wants us to be humble. Really, if we aren't humble, He wont be able to show us anything, nor lead us anywhere. Christ gives a wonderful example of the power of a humble life when he says:

"Except ye be converted, and become as little ^achildren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall ^ahumble himself as this little ^bchild, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3-4

Little children are always the first to ask what and why. They want to learn, and know they can from any source. They are curious, and not haughty. They understand that wisdom can be found from anyone, and find joy in the learning. When we become like little children and humble ourselves, the Lord is able to teach us; to show us a better way. We are able to learn from others and see the beauty in all things. We are more open to the promptings of the spirit, and thus, are more easily led to become more Christ-like. I invite you all to work along side me as I try and humble myself. I know that although the voice of the Lord is still and small, it can be heard from anyone anywhere.

Change is the Only Constant!

Change is an essential part of life. It has been said that the only constant in life is change. What a wonderful and beautiful idea that is. Truly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is centered completely around change. Through it, Heavenly Father takes raw materials and shapes them to become what He wants for them. Someone recently gave me a C.S. Lewis quote that changed the way I looked at myself.

C.S. Lewis is the man!

 “Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don’t want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

That's powerful! C.S. Lewis understood well what change through Jesus Christ is all about. He understands that as we leave our old selves behind, God will change us, and shape us into what He wants us to be. As children of God, our eventual goal is to become just like Him. There is a beautiful analogy made in the Bible, it says...

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a ^aglass the ^bglory of the Lord, are changed into the same ^cimage from ^dglory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

I love the imagery of Paul! What a great gift, to give our will to the Lord, so that one day, we can stand in front of the mirror and see his image staring back. In fact the prophet Alma says this is a great way to tell if we are true disciples, followers of Him, when he says,

Christ being baptized

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye ^aspiritually been ^bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty ^cchange in your hearts?" Alma 5:14

As a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, I invite you to come unto Christ and be born of God, and experience this mighty change of heart spoken of by Alma. When we are reborn through Christ, or baptized, we become a new person. We promise to always repent, or change, to become more like Christ. I have personally witnessed that when you do, your countenance will change, and you will see yourself in a whole new light. You will begin to understand exactly who you are.

We Are All the One

Matthew 18:12-13

 "How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?

  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray."

I was reading this scripture as I was eating my breakfast this morning (gotta love those early morning cereal revelations) and it hit me. I think no matter where you are at in your life, at one point or another, we are all the one. In some way or another, we have all gone astray. For everyone it is something different... The one thing that is always consistent however is Christ. He will always been searching for us, always reaching out. As soon as we can turn from ourselves, and listen to His voice calling out, we will be able to find Him. He will guide us home.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is available to everyone. I have the unique opportunity to be his servant at this time in my life, and reach out to find those who might have lost their way.  I come in contact with tons of people everyday, searching for His sheep, because just as He said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27) You might have even felt the promptings in your own life... Like you are distant from your family, or you need a change in your life because you are unhappy. Christ and His gospel can really help us with a wide range of problems. Seriously, the gospel is for everyone, and God gave it to us to help us become happier!

I have such a testimony that the Lord rejoice when those that are lost are able to find their way back... That through the atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us who go astray can return back to the fold. We can be changed, and rejoice with the Lord when we are. When you make that effort to change your life and become better, it will enable Heavenly Father to bless you, and you will see the blessings.

If you feel like maybe your relationship with God could improve, or really just want someone to talk to about it, send me a message on facebook! My facebook should be right next to this post, on the right hand side of the page...