Guest Post - Scripture Challenge #10

 

"He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. "

~

Matthew 16:15-19

Last week I asked my sister Tanya if she would share her insights on the scripture challenge for the week. The first official "guest post." :) Fun, huh?! Among many of her talents, one neat thing her and her kids did this last Christmas is memorize the published testimony of modern prophets entitled "The Living Christ" found here. She's such a good example in so many ways. So without further ado - Tanya! 

So, Amanda called me on Monday asking if I would like to post on her blog.

I thought there was a weensie chance she was giving me a hint that she didn't want me blog-jacking any more ;) Turns out, she wanted me to "officially" guest-post for the Sunday Scripture Mastery... COOL! I checked out the scripture for the week and... drew a blank.

But as I searched more about this scripture, after memorizing it (on a super-cool, free app:), I discovered I'd been having a lot of related ponderings on the subject all week, and top that off with a very appropriately timed Sharing Time in Primary today (on the Plan of Salvation), and I couldn't stop writing about it! So, I was certainly thankful for the opportunity to purposely ponder on the scriptures, Manda. Thanks :)

Abraham 3:22-23

Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

There really is a lot of doctrine packed into these verses! First off, we had a premortal existence and lived in the presence of God. He stood among these "good" spirits, and (in this vision) told Abraham - face to face (verse 11) that he was called to be one of the rulers before he was even born. -- I LOVE knowing we lived with God before we came here. I LOVE knowing we were taught and prepared for this life. I LOVE knowing that we knew there were certain things we were *supposed* to do... that we *PROMISED* Heavenly Father we would do on earth... not excluding our freedom to CHOOSE to accomplish these things or not.

This chapter teaches that Satan rejected God's plan, and began the first war: over agency. We are here because we FOUGHT to have agency. To learn from our own choices how to become more like our Beloved Father in Heaven. --- It was not a haphazard, nonchalant decision to come to earth and get a body. --- Perhaps this is why our spirits can recognize when truth is shown to us. The Spirit confirms the truth that our spirits already know ... and what JOY we feel when we hear that truth!

Likewise, our spirits know how to recognize false teachings. We have each felt that dark, confused, or angry feeling when confronted with false teachings. --- I feel immense peace and comfort knowing I have this power - to discern truth from error. A gift that must be nourished and nurtured in order to be recognized above the attractions of the world.

It shows us we can be sure about those whom God has chosen to lead His church because "He stood in the midst of them" and "He saw that they were good."

What else did God declare was "good"? 

Oh, just every step of the creation of the world!

Which reminds me of one of my very favorite songs:

Firm as the mountains around us, 

Stalwart and brave we stand

On the rock our fathers planted

For us in this goodly land--

The rock of honor and virtue,

Of faith in the living God.

They raised His banner triumphant --

Over the desert sod.

And we hear the desert singing:

Carry on, carry on, carry on!

Hills and vales and mountains ringing:

Carry on, carry on, carry on!

Holding aloft our colors,

We march in the glorious dawn.

O youth of the noble birthright, 

Carry on, carry on, carry on!

President Ezra Taft Benson said this about us:

"Make no mistake about it -- you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short perioud of time."

"God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord."Our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah... but there is a major difference this time: It is that God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest children, who will help bear off the kingdom TRIUMPHANTLY.

A tall order, to be sure. But by simply being HERE, we know that WE are those valiant spirits God has held onto, to help our brethren come to Christ and build up His Kingdom so He can return once again. No matter what our circumstances are now, or how many mistakes we've made (and continue to make) ... There is no denying: We have an objective to accomplish, and by jingo, we can DO this!

Heaven knows how many times I fall flat on my FACE trying to pass the same hurdle, repenting, and trying again, with the same result. I am weak, I admit. But He will never give up on me, so why should I give up on myself? He is patient, loving, forgiving, and encouraging. So I learn to dust myself off, put my trust in Him, and try to do better. He blesses me with the determination to do so. --- I may fall flat on my face again (!) but only Satan wants me to throw in the towel and let frustration overcome me. With Him, I am STRONG.

We are of the Noble Birthright, so let's CARRY ON!

*Carry On: Hymn 255, by Ruth May Fox & Alfred Durham

**good heavens! Ruth Fox was 105 when she died! Way to carry on! :)

Thank you Tanya!!  It was wonderful to hear your insight and get to learn from you! PS - though it was harder this week, Derek & I both memorized it!:)

This is the Christ - Mormon Tabernacle Choir