"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves--to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved."
2 Nephi 10:23-24
Everlasting death... eternal life... everlasting death... eternal life. Gee. It's like choosing what to have for dessert: pumpkin pie or a mud-splattered rock. What a hard choice. :) In reading these verses, the choice seems a lot clearer than it is when we're trying to talk ourselves into that everlasting death side. I think that, a lot of the time, in order to make those kind of choices, we mentally block out God (and probably a lot of our brains...). How else could we actually choose the horrible over the amazing, the bad over the good?
Things are SO clear when we have the spirit... it is like we have to drive it away in order to consider other choices. I think that is what the second verse is getting at... we have to reconcile ourselves to one side or the other. We have to talk ourselves into it, because we are torn... some part of us (natural man) wants that immediate part with the icky black consequences. Wants it now, and tries not to think about the icky black part. ... And part of us (spiritual man) wants God... always wants God, every day, every minute. So, in some very real ways, we want both. I guess part of life is realizing that no matter how hard we try, we *can't* have both. We have to choose God, or Not God. ... And that is a painful realization sometimes. Also a necessary one, in order to continue and actually do the reconciling. Part of us, no matter what, is going to be disappointed... at least temporarily. So Jacob, in this verse, urges us to make the right choice... reconcile yourselves to the will of God.
Even Christ had to do this. Part of him definitely wanted to avoid suffering and death and causing his family and friends pain. But he reconciled himself to the will of God... and so must we, in order to fulfil our individual purposes in this life, and in order to fulfil God's great plan of happiness. ... Which, incidentally, includes happiness for all parts of ourselves as well. :) ... Let's work on the reconciling today. It isn't always *immediately* fun... but it is always the best choice in the end. Rocks have the yuckiest aftertaste... ugh.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved."
2 Nephi 10:23-24
Everlasting death... eternal life... everlasting death... eternal life. Gee. It's like choosing what to have for dessert: pumpkin pie or a mud-splattered rock. What a hard choice. :) In reading these verses, the choice seems a lot clearer than it is when we're trying to talk ourselves into that everlasting death side. I think that, a lot of the time, in order to make those kind of choices, we mentally block out God (and probably a lot of our brains...). How else could we actually choose the horrible over the amazing, the bad over the good?
Things are SO clear when we have the spirit... it is like we have to drive it away in order to consider other choices. I think that is what the second verse is getting at... we have to reconcile ourselves to one side or the other. We have to talk ourselves into it, because we are torn... some part of us (natural man) wants that immediate part with the icky black consequences. Wants it now, and tries not to think about the icky black part. ... And part of us (spiritual man) wants God... always wants God, every day, every minute. So, in some very real ways, we want both. I guess part of life is realizing that no matter how hard we try, we *can't* have both. We have to choose God, or Not God. ... And that is a painful realization sometimes. Also a necessary one, in order to continue and actually do the reconciling. Part of us, no matter what, is going to be disappointed... at least temporarily. So Jacob, in this verse, urges us to make the right choice... reconcile yourselves to the will of God.
Even Christ had to do this. Part of him definitely wanted to avoid suffering and death and causing his family and friends pain. But he reconciled himself to the will of God... and so must we, in order to fulfil our individual purposes in this life, and in order to fulfil God's great plan of happiness. ... Which, incidentally, includes happiness for all parts of ourselves as well. :) ... Let's work on the reconciling today. It isn't always *immediately* fun... but it is always the best choice in the end. Rocks have the yuckiest aftertaste... ugh.
No comments:
Post a Comment