Skip to main content

Ponderize 2 Nephi 32:3-4 (20-26 Mar 2016)

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. 4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.    2 Nephi 32:3-4 

After pondering this scripture the thought came to me that the voice of angels, the voice of the Holy Ghost, and the voice of Christ all sound the same and can be accessed in the same way.  It is through the scriptures.  There are some who think that “knocking” only involves praying.  While that is certainly a part of it, this scripture seems clear that we must "feast upon the words of Christ”.  When we are asked to knock, he is asking us to read our scriptures. 

The “words of Christ” are the scriptures and include both the standard works as well as the words of the words of the living prophets (D&C 68:4).  The meaning of verse 4 becomes more clear when you read the story in 1 Nephi 15:2-10.  Laman and Lemuel could not understand the things that their father had told them.  Why?  First, they didn’t inquire of the Lord.  Second, their hearts were hard.  Third, they didn’t look to the Lord as they ought.   They seemed to expect an answer to their questions without following the pattern of revelation.  This pattern of revelation begins with one very important element.  That is faith.  You must have faith, or firmly believe that the last phrase of verse 3 is true.  That is, “the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do.”

When come to believe that the Holy Ghost has the power to tell us what we should do, and that we are entitled to the revelation within our stewardship, then we will be able to hear the words of Christ and we will know what we should do.  Many of our challenges with person revelation come because we do not understand the process.  Have faith, study the scriptures, pray, listen, and then act.    

Quote
     We need not live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do.     Christ promised that “the Father, [would send] another Comforter, … (John 14:16)     
     I fear this supernal gift is being obscured by programs and activities and schedules and so many meetings. There are so many places to go, so many things to do in this noisy world. We can be too busy to pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit. 
   The voice of the Spirit is a still, small voice—a voice that is felt rather than heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into your heart. (Boyd K. Packer, “The Cloven Tongues of Fire”, LDS General Conference April 2000)

Cross References
2 Nephi 9:51

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Marking Scriptures in Gospel Library

The other day as I was reading my scriptures and using a few of the available colors to do some highlights when I realized that I wasn't fully utilizing the entire pallet of colors. In the Gospel Library app there are 10 colors available.  Each of these colors can be used in the underline, highlight, or text color mode.  I asked extended family what they do and one of my niece's responded with this color code: Red- doctrine Orange- clarifications or explanations of doctrine Yellow- commandments and specific instructions Purple- promised blessings and how to attain them Grey- power phrases Blue- favorites Dark blue- ones with a deeper meaning (I always attach a note with a dark blue)  Pink- examples of Gods love/charity Brown-specific for our day Green - Not used This "Come, Follow Me" color code seems to be all over Pinterest.  I'm not sure where it came from, but it is based on the 12 colors in a small box of crayons. Here is a color coding ...

Bajio, Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida?

It is time for the showdown.  Which one is best: Bajio, Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida?  Or is it (as was my opinion) that they are all exactly the same? I decided to do a taste test.  Six people participated.  Three were salad testers and three were burrito testers.  None of the people who participated have any food judging experience although a couple of them have competed in cooking contests and have a couple of first place finishes to their name.   Each couple went to a different restaurant and picked up a Sweet Pork Salad and an Steak Burrito to go.  We ordered each salad with black beans and their creamy green dressing (whatever they happened to call it).  The steak burritos were ordered enchilada style with black beans. Then we all met at a central location and judged each dish on the following: Value Score = Weight (oz)/Cost($) Overall Appeal (visual appeal, aroma, garnish) Recipe (Cooking, ingredient combination, too m...

D&C 20:73 - Having Been Commissioned

As I listened to the baptismal prayer recently, a thought came to me.  What does it mean to be commissioned of Jesus Christ?   "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." (D&C 20:73).   Many years ago I received my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air force. I knew that my commission appointed me to my rank, gave me authority to perform certain duties, and officially charged me to function in that rank.  The Oath of Office is recited upon commissioning and is administered by a higher-ranking officer who will raise his or her right hand and recites the Oath of office aloud while the officer taking the oath repeats the words.  That oath states:   “I [state your full name], having been appointed a (rank) in the United States Air Force, do solemnly swear  that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enem...