It's another Catch-Up day!
Use your reading chart to find the chapters you still need to read to be caught up through: Alma 56
OR
If you are up-to-date with your reading, take time to study: Alma 42
To ponder:
What things does Alma teach about the plan of salvation? How can God be "a perfect, just God and a merciful God also"?
I enjoyed getting to go back and read Alma 42 today. It has increased my testimony of repentance, mercy, and justice. I think a lot of people falsely hope that repenting will mean they don't have to face the consequences of their sins. Unfortunately, what's done is done, and part of repentance is owning up to what you've done and accepting that you are responsible for your actions. This might mean jail time. It might mean destroying your spouse's trust in you. It might mean returning an item to the store. Or even just telling someone you're sorry. God's mercy can't rob justice. People deserve to be given the opportunity to have the wrongs against them justified and to have the opportunity to "forgive those who have trespassed against" them.
ReplyDeleteI was pondering, while reading verse 30, about humility. We must stop running from punishment. We must go forward with humility as we repent so that we can continue in this probabitionary state to serve God. I wonder if I'm doing enough. I think there are things I need to repent of. I need to kneel down in humility to my father in heaven for forgiveness for my misdeeds. Nothing serious, of course. But for perhaps not being serious enough about my callings. For not praying as often or as sincerely as I should. For not supporting my husband more fully. For losing my temper with my kids. Humility is the ability to recognize that we aren't perfect and that we do things wrong, and because of that we need to rely on the Lord for help. It means being willing to put aside our will for his and becoming the tools he needs to complete his work, even if we feel inadequate. As we trust in the Lord and let humility and repentance work in our lives we will feel his eternal love surround us. I'm so humbled to know how far his love extends for me.
Jenny, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts--and especially on humility. This is exactly what I needed to hear today. Your words remind me of President Monson's words at our last conference, where he reminded us to try to be a little bit better each day, to love a little more, to be a little kinder. We can do this a little bit at a time.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting what you notice when you go back and re-read! Alma 42:4 really stood out to me today, reminding me that we are truly in a probationary state--this is the time where we make mistakes (even without trying!), we repent and we serve God. I'm so very thankful that we have a Father in Heaven who is merciful and patient, and provides us with a plan to return to Him.
ReplyDeleteI love in verse 28, Alma says not to let things bother us, but only let our sins trouble us so that we will know to repent! So important! We have to be aware of those things we are doing wrong or we can't do better.
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