"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"
Titus 2:11-13
The first verse of the selection tells us that the grace of God has appeared to everyone, which is similar to several scriptures about the light of Christ or the Spirit of Christ that is given to everyone (D&C 93:2, John 1:9, Moroni 7:16). I think the idea here is that God touches us all and helps us know right from wrong. We sometimes call those feelings a conscience, but what it really seems to be is an inherent connection with the divine, connecting our souls to God and helping us know how to live. (And to be alive, because we also learn in D&C 88:13 that it giveth life to all things--so not only a conscience, but the actual spark from God that gives us life.) The word used for it here, grace, seems so true, because can you imagine trying to navigate this world without the fundamental guidance that God placed within us? It makes the difference so often in our lives when we feel that inherent warning that we are going the wrong direction, or that we need to stop and think about things a little bit more, or a positive feeling when we are choosing something good.
That connection to God teaches us many things, if we listen. It can be a reminder of our pre-mortal selves, granted to us by that connection, and it is the way that we can recognize the Holy Ghost, which uses that grace and light within us to bring us even stronger impressions and messages. That part of us connected to God gives us spiritual senses that can grow stronger and help us more and more as we progress in the gospel and in our relationship with God. Basically, the more we listen to and act on those impressions, the more we will recognize them and the more God can help us.
One challenge is that this "conscience" or divine connection that God gives us is not loud. God wants us to have free agency. We have his grace and light within us to help us recognize our inherent connection to divinity and our potential--as a guide, not a prod. If we choose to, we can desensitize ourselves to our spiritual impressions, and mask that Godly sense with our own feelings for "worldly lusts" ... or simply refuse to listen, trying to block it out with more exciting and immediate physical feelings. So, in order to use our spiritual senses, we have to take time and effort to listen, to tune in to that internal sensor and recognize what we are feeling from it. As we practice, we'll become able to recognize it more easily and it can help us more.
The goal of that Godly grace or light in our lives--that conscience or our spiritual senses--is to recognize God in our lives, and to bring us closer to Christ, and the "blessed hope" that he offers us. He offers us a better way and a more joyful life. Today, let's nurture our spiritual connection to God, actively learn to recognize and listen to those impressions and feelings, and use them to guide our lives.
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"
Titus 2:11-13
The first verse of the selection tells us that the grace of God has appeared to everyone, which is similar to several scriptures about the light of Christ or the Spirit of Christ that is given to everyone (D&C 93:2, John 1:9, Moroni 7:16). I think the idea here is that God touches us all and helps us know right from wrong. We sometimes call those feelings a conscience, but what it really seems to be is an inherent connection with the divine, connecting our souls to God and helping us know how to live. (And to be alive, because we also learn in D&C 88:13 that it giveth life to all things--so not only a conscience, but the actual spark from God that gives us life.) The word used for it here, grace, seems so true, because can you imagine trying to navigate this world without the fundamental guidance that God placed within us? It makes the difference so often in our lives when we feel that inherent warning that we are going the wrong direction, or that we need to stop and think about things a little bit more, or a positive feeling when we are choosing something good.
That connection to God teaches us many things, if we listen. It can be a reminder of our pre-mortal selves, granted to us by that connection, and it is the way that we can recognize the Holy Ghost, which uses that grace and light within us to bring us even stronger impressions and messages. That part of us connected to God gives us spiritual senses that can grow stronger and help us more and more as we progress in the gospel and in our relationship with God. Basically, the more we listen to and act on those impressions, the more we will recognize them and the more God can help us.
One challenge is that this "conscience" or divine connection that God gives us is not loud. God wants us to have free agency. We have his grace and light within us to help us recognize our inherent connection to divinity and our potential--as a guide, not a prod. If we choose to, we can desensitize ourselves to our spiritual impressions, and mask that Godly sense with our own feelings for "worldly lusts" ... or simply refuse to listen, trying to block it out with more exciting and immediate physical feelings. So, in order to use our spiritual senses, we have to take time and effort to listen, to tune in to that internal sensor and recognize what we are feeling from it. As we practice, we'll become able to recognize it more easily and it can help us more.
The goal of that Godly grace or light in our lives--that conscience or our spiritual senses--is to recognize God in our lives, and to bring us closer to Christ, and the "blessed hope" that he offers us. He offers us a better way and a more joyful life. Today, let's nurture our spiritual connection to God, actively learn to recognize and listen to those impressions and feelings, and use them to guide our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment