"Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen."
1 Nephi 22:30-31
I like how Nephi sums up the scriptures (at least the ones they had at the time) by saying that they teach obedience to God. And the last verse here offers a similarly simple statement: If we are obedient and we endure, we will be saved.
I know, we're tempted to jump in and "complexify" everything at this point, right? "It isn't that simple..." but let's stop there and not go into the reasons why it isn't that simple. I'm not arguing the point, but instead, let's think about the ways that it IS that simple. There are just as many arguments for the simplicity, and bonus points for it being what God asks. :)
Today, let's not waste time arguing about how hard obedience is. Let's just make it a goal, and start learning it. God doesn't expect perfection to happen quickly. We have to grow into it over time. :) And that's what the endure to the end part is about. If we keep trying, we *will* get there. To the perfection, the happy ending, the perfect day. And everything will have been worth it... more than worth that. Let's rejoice in the simple formula today, and work to follow it.
Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen."
1 Nephi 22:30-31
I like how Nephi sums up the scriptures (at least the ones they had at the time) by saying that they teach obedience to God. And the last verse here offers a similarly simple statement: If we are obedient and we endure, we will be saved.
I know, we're tempted to jump in and "complexify" everything at this point, right? "It isn't that simple..." but let's stop there and not go into the reasons why it isn't that simple. I'm not arguing the point, but instead, let's think about the ways that it IS that simple. There are just as many arguments for the simplicity, and bonus points for it being what God asks. :)
Today, let's not waste time arguing about how hard obedience is. Let's just make it a goal, and start learning it. God doesn't expect perfection to happen quickly. We have to grow into it over time. :) And that's what the endure to the end part is about. If we keep trying, we *will* get there. To the perfection, the happy ending, the perfect day. And everything will have been worth it... more than worth that. Let's rejoice in the simple formula today, and work to follow it.
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