Quote #1: "Christ knows better than all others that the trials of life can be very deep and we are not shallow people if we struggle with them." -- Elder Holland
Quote #2: "If we constantly focus only on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by the loving Father who outlined our journey. Each day can bring more joy than sorrow when our mortal and spiritual eyes are open to God’s goodness. Joy in the gospel is not something that begins only in the next life. It is our privilege now, this very day. We must never allow our burdens to obscure our blessings. There will always be more blessings than burdens—even if some days it doesn’t seem so. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”19 Enjoy those blessings right now. They are yours and always will be." -- Elder Holland
Now, I know those two quotes aren't necessarily contradictory (and it does help to read them both in context), but it certainly takes some thought to figure out exactly what is the "right" way to respond to life's trials, or even if there is a "right" way. The gospel is simple, but it sure does have some subtleties.
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3 comments:
I think the secret lies in struggling with life's difficulties without losing sight of that God who gave us life. We must step over the stones and acknowledge their difficulty and pain that accommpanies them. We must also remember that pain endures for a small moment, and the blessings and beauties of God are infinite.
Here’s a million dollar question – If you were to die right now, would you qualify for the celestial kingdom? If you’re like many Mormons, you’re not sure. You try hard to be as good as possible, but you still don’t know if you’ve done enough. If the Book of Mormon is really scripture, this hope will always elude you. Alma 11:37 says God cannot save you in your sins. Are all of your sins forgiven? Moroni 10:32 says you must be perfected in Christ, which can only be done by denying yourself of “all ungodliness”. Have you done that? Do you repent on a regular basis? Is so, then it is clear that you sin on a regular basis, since only those who break the commandments need to repent. 1 Nephi 3:7 states that you are able to keep His commandments. In fact according to D&C 25:15, you are required to keep them continually! Since you haven’t done this so far, why assume you will in the future? Of course, we should all try to be holy; but if you think that sinning less will qualify you to live in God’s presence, you are mistaken (Gal 3:1-11). The assumption that good works are required for forgiveness only cheapens Christ’s atonement, making it nothing more than a partial payment. God chooses to justify us by faith. Jesus alone does the “perfecting” (Heb 10:14). God gives peace to those who trust in Him alone. If you don’t have this peace, it’s probably because at least a part of you trusts in yourself. Questions? Visit us at www.gotforgiveness.com
Further the Kingdom,
I think your view of Mormon doctrine is not correct. We, as most Christians, believe that we can only be saved by the mercy of Christ. There are many passages in the Book of Mormon that support this
One example: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/3/17#17
But if you are going to pick passages out of context to try to make your point, how about this one from the New Testament:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/matt/5/48#48
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
How is that different that the Book of Mormon saying we should rid ourselves of all ungodliness? If you think there is a difference, then you are clearly just looking for evidence to support your pre-conceived impression of Mormonism, rather than trying to discover what Mormonism is all about objectively.
I guess this proves the point of my post. The gospel sometimes has some difficult questions, which on the surface seem like contradictions. Perhaps they are there to help us think deeper about the subtleties.
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