Psalms 46:10 " Be still and Know that I am God."
When Mr. T. was lost last year, I knelt down and prayed to ask for help and heard this scripture in my head. Matt and I searched for Mr. T. for two hours. I finally decided to take the scripture quite literally. I sat down close to where Mr. T. had taken off (with some pizza as a lure) and waited for T. Within minutes T popped his head out into the clearing of the forest where I was stationed and gradually came to me. The reunion was sweet!
Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
When I was in the MTC, I felt unworthy to be there. One night when I was upset and unsure about my place in the "Lord's Army," I felt like I should look up the scripture Matthew 5:7, not knowing what the reference was. It was one of the first moments that I really felt like Jesus is our Savior.
Alma 20:4 "Now Lamoni said unto Ammon: I know in the strength of the Lord, thou canst do all things."
Another missionary scripture. In the MTC, I felt lonely. Although I liked my district and companion, I hardly received any mail from the people that I loved. When I struggled with my loneliness, I chanted to myself, "I know in the strength of the Lord, thou canst do all things."
1 Nephi 8:12 "And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit."
This is a scripture that is bitter-sweet to me. I want my family to feel the same joy that I have felt through the atonement. I love them and pray for them, hoping that in a small way I can contribute to their happiness.
All of Moroni 7
This is the scripture that I have read the most. It is the scripture that motivates me the most to be the best that I can. It also helps me to have more faith in Christ.
Moroni 7 was one I was going to put up when I get around to doing one of these. Particularly this (longish) passage:
ReplyDelete10 Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
11 For behold, a bitter afountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he bfollow Christ he cannot be a cservant of the devil.
12 Wherefore, all things which are agood cometh of God; and that which is bevil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to csin, and to do that which is evil continually.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do agood continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and benticeth to do cgood, and to love God, and to serve him, is dinspired of God.
14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is aevil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to ajudge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the aSpirit of Christ is given to every bman, that he may cknow good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do aevil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the alight by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same bjudgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the alight of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a bchild of Christ.
20 And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
I'm in the midst of starting what will be an awesome comic book about Moroni having cool adventures while wandering through post-Nephite-apocalyptic Americas, on his journey to bury the plates--sort of an apocryphal Book of Mormon adventure story. Anyways, as a result, I've been re-reading Mormon and especially Moroni a number of times. Thinking about the only Nephite left in the world, all of his friends and family dead, the sole survivor of genocide, people out trying to kill him, wandering through this barren wasteland--that context, for me, gave even greater depth to the last verse from that passage:
"And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?"
I love that. I love that it's written by the guy who has every reason to have given up on goodness, to see the world as a horrible, hellish place. And he's saying there's so much good, we can't even lay hold on all of it. That's profoundly moving, to me. I think it goes beyond the PR sort of attitude of "chin up and look on the bright side"--this is something much more powerful and much more fundamental; a way of seeing the world, of seeking out the good. For me, when I do that, I feel like asking the same question: "How is it possible [to] lay hold upon every good thing?" There's just too many.