Monday, March 26, 2012

Grace

I was reading in the Ensign today.  I guess I should have included that in my list of sources that I really like for studying the gospel, but the truth is, some months all I read is the visiting teaching message.  I tend to read some of the New Era and Friend too as I try to steer the kids toward articles that apply to them, but really I don't read as much of the church magazines as I'd like.

There is a wonderful article in the April 2012 issue by Elder Bednar called The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality.  It talks a lot about grace.  The concept of grace can be a hard one to fully comprehend and I need to study it more, but I smiled to myself when he said that whenever he reads the word "grace," in his mind he inserts "enabling and strengthening power."  I do something very similar except I use the Bible Dictionary definition (of sorts) and I substitute "divine help or strength."  It really helps me understand what the scripture is trying to say.  Elder Bednar goes on to make an awesome point about a story of Nephi.  He points out that when Nephi is bound by his brothers he does not pray just to get out of the situation, he says:
"O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound." 1 Nephi 7:17
Nephi was given the strength that he needed.  We can be given strength too.  I know we truly can.

1 comment:

  1. http://gregjonesorg.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/byu-devotional-his-grace-is-sufficient-brad-wilcox-july-12-2011/

    Here is a link to a talk I read a couple of weeks ago that did a fantastic job of explaining grace. Whenever I read my scriptures I also insert the words "God's strength" into it's place to better understand. In seeking the Lord's grace, it is important to be specific in what we ask for. I love that point by Elder Bednar. Thanks for sharing it. We know what our end goal/desire is, so we must figure out a plan and ask for execution in the specific steps of that plan.

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