"And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?
Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God."
Alma 18:33-35
Sometimes when we read the scriptures it is hard to remember that the people in the scriptures were like us... people. They did these amazing things, and they seem bigger than life: superhuman, godlike. Lamoni heard of Ammon doing the impossible, with all of his servants as witness, and he was afraid, because surely this was more than a man. But as they talk, Ammon tells him that he isn't God, and here, he tells him that he really is a man, and the reason that he has such power. And I think this is a good reminder for us as well. We can't handle everything that is thrown at us in life alone, relying on our own power. But we *can* handle anything with God's help. To be able to access God's help though, we need to have the Spirit with us, and that first, means inviting God into our lives on a permanent basis. We can feel the spirit occasionally without the covenant and commitment of baptism, but we can't have it full-time. Even after that we have to constantly live worthy of its presence. If we do, then we will be able to draw on God's knowledge and power, and be able to do anything that God asks of us, no matter how difficult. We always wanted to know how to be superhuman. Now we know. :) Today, let's work on gaining the spirit as a constant companion. From wherever we are, let's make that covenant with God, and let's live true to it. Let's repent of things that are driving the spirit away. Let's be more than we are.
Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God."
Alma 18:33-35
Sometimes when we read the scriptures it is hard to remember that the people in the scriptures were like us... people. They did these amazing things, and they seem bigger than life: superhuman, godlike. Lamoni heard of Ammon doing the impossible, with all of his servants as witness, and he was afraid, because surely this was more than a man. But as they talk, Ammon tells him that he isn't God, and here, he tells him that he really is a man, and the reason that he has such power. And I think this is a good reminder for us as well. We can't handle everything that is thrown at us in life alone, relying on our own power. But we *can* handle anything with God's help. To be able to access God's help though, we need to have the Spirit with us, and that first, means inviting God into our lives on a permanent basis. We can feel the spirit occasionally without the covenant and commitment of baptism, but we can't have it full-time. Even after that we have to constantly live worthy of its presence. If we do, then we will be able to draw on God's knowledge and power, and be able to do anything that God asks of us, no matter how difficult. We always wanted to know how to be superhuman. Now we know. :) Today, let's work on gaining the spirit as a constant companion. From wherever we are, let's make that covenant with God, and let's live true to it. Let's repent of things that are driving the spirit away. Let's be more than we are.
No comments:
Post a Comment