"For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."
Hebrews 4:2
I like the "mixed with faith" idea here, which helps us understand what is going on when the gospel is shared. Communication about the gospel is never one sided. We can hear it and never be able to use it or apply it in our lives, unless it is mixed with faith. In order for it to matter and affect us, we have to believe in it, and be willing to do something about it.
It's similar to taking a class. If we go to the class and listen and take notes and try to learn something, then we get something out of it, but if we just play solitaire the whole time, or talk to our friends, we're not going to just absorb much knowledge. :) As we see from Laman and Lemuel, this difference can be true even when the message is brought in a dramatic way, as from an angel. No matter how significant the communication, if we have a doubtful heart (D&C 58:29), it won't be able to impact us spiritually.
I think that we understand the truth of this in some areas. In sports, for instance, coaches often talk about the psychological game, making sure you believe in yourself and are thinking positively. This carries over into the workplace and other parts of our lives--we can lose confidence in ourselves and become unable to do our jobs or maintain our relationships, freezing up just like an athlete might when the pressure is on to succeed.
God has tried to help us with this for a long time. He knows that we need to believe in ourselves and what we are trying to accomplish in order to be successful, and he tries to help us grow in faith by teaching us little by little, and helping us gain confidence in him and in our own abilities to do as he asks and avoid pitfalls.
Today, let's make sure that we are mixing faith into the gospel, and really getting something out of it. Let's not just go through the motions, but actually invest in all that God offers us, trusting in it and working towards it.
Hebrews 4:2
I like the "mixed with faith" idea here, which helps us understand what is going on when the gospel is shared. Communication about the gospel is never one sided. We can hear it and never be able to use it or apply it in our lives, unless it is mixed with faith. In order for it to matter and affect us, we have to believe in it, and be willing to do something about it.
It's similar to taking a class. If we go to the class and listen and take notes and try to learn something, then we get something out of it, but if we just play solitaire the whole time, or talk to our friends, we're not going to just absorb much knowledge. :) As we see from Laman and Lemuel, this difference can be true even when the message is brought in a dramatic way, as from an angel. No matter how significant the communication, if we have a doubtful heart (D&C 58:29), it won't be able to impact us spiritually.
I think that we understand the truth of this in some areas. In sports, for instance, coaches often talk about the psychological game, making sure you believe in yourself and are thinking positively. This carries over into the workplace and other parts of our lives--we can lose confidence in ourselves and become unable to do our jobs or maintain our relationships, freezing up just like an athlete might when the pressure is on to succeed.
God has tried to help us with this for a long time. He knows that we need to believe in ourselves and what we are trying to accomplish in order to be successful, and he tries to help us grow in faith by teaching us little by little, and helping us gain confidence in him and in our own abilities to do as he asks and avoid pitfalls.
Today, let's make sure that we are mixing faith into the gospel, and really getting something out of it. Let's not just go through the motions, but actually invest in all that God offers us, trusting in it and working towards it.
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