![]() We will look in vain for a slit through which we can squeeze, an opening through which we can pass, an end around which we can travel. There are no end runs, no secret openings, no hidden passages. In such a circumstance, we have some limited room in which to move, but we are trapped. It is like being surrounded by a circular, impenetrable wall. If we then fail to confess, our spiritual horizons become limited. Some have honestly asked, “When should I confess?” When the sin is of such a serious magnitude that it may trigger a disciplinary proceeding or continues to linger in our minds so that we cannot have peace. If you also change your thoughts you have also changed your nature. ![]() If you speak good words but entertain bad thoughts, you have only changed your behavior. ![]() If you get up whether or not he does, you have changed your nature. ![]() If you only get up at 6:30 am because your companion does, you have merely changed your behavior. But if you change your nature you will go home a new man or woman, with the power and discipline to conquer your old Goliaths. If you only change your behavior, then you will be the same person you were when you left home, subject to the same problems that plagued you then. It is not what I want you to do, it should be what do you want to do?” There was a moment of silence and then he made this insightful observation: “You are not just asking me to change my behavior you are asking me to change my nature.” He was so right. One day in frustration he blurted out: “What then is it you want me to do?” I replied: “You have missed the point. When I first entered the field as a mission president, I met several times with a missionary who was struggling with obedience. May I discuss some of those, so that hopefully we too might become like Peter and leave our all on the altar of sacrifice. Peter, overhearing the conversation and understanding there could be no shortcuts to eternal life, no holding back, declared in contrast: “We have left all and followed thee” (Luke 18:18-28). Perhaps we have one or two things which we lack, that we hold back from the sacrificial altar, that prevent us from becoming a consecrated missionary. Sell all thou hast and distribute unto the poor…and come follow me.” But it was too much to ask, and he went away sorrowful, unwilling to put his all on the sacrificial altar. Then the Savior declared, “Yet lackest thou one thing. He had kept the commandments from his youth up. Sometimes good men, perhaps even great men, can’t quite bring themselves to put everything on the altar of sacrifice, and in the course lose their eternal lives. The consequence was devastating – they were struck dead (Acts 5:1-10). Under the law of consecration they were to turn over the entire sale proceeds to the church, but secretly they kept back part of the price. The scriptures tell us that they sold a piece of land. Such was the case with Ananias and Sapphira, his wife. Sometimes there is a temptation to withhold part of the offering. I have all eternity before me, in which to enjoy myself.” (Autobiography of Parley P. ![]() And when the Spirit of God is upon me, I think it matters but very little what I suffer, what I sacrificed–whether I secure the honor or dishonor of men, or where I die, if it so be that I can keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with joy. If it is the will of God that I should spend my days in proclaiming this Gospel and bearing testimony of these things, I shall think myself highly privileged and honored. On September 7, 1856, shortly after learning of his call by Brigham Young, he offered the following tender reflections and prophetic insights: “I have desired, after travelling for twenty-five or twenty-six years, mostly abroad, to stay at home and minister among the people of God, and take care of my family but God’s will be done, and not mine. Perhaps he thought, “Haven’t I given all that a mortal could be expected to give? Don’t I deserve to spend some time with my family and friends? Can’t I just relax for a while?” But Parley P. One can imagine the feelings that must have swelled up in Parley’s heart. President Brigham Young called him to serve yet another mission– this time in the eastern states. He was hopeful that he could now remain at home and enjoy his family, but such expectations were short lived. He had just returned from his latest mission in Chile. He had served as a missionary for more than 25 years of almost constant labors. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |