In this chaos, you will be given opportunities to act decisively. If you do not know how to react to the whisperings of the Spirit, you will be tossed on the waves of adversity and your ship may just capsize in the raging storm. For months, I have had an unsettled feeling about my situation and have finally been given some direction that I think I need to take. When considering what is coming, we need to surround ourselves with those who are capable of and who qualify to make it through into the next reality that surely will come upon us suddenly. Acting decisively is paramount.
Quoting Elder Jeffrey Holland,
"Sometimes we miss the opportunity of a lifetime when we do not act in the lifetime of the opportunity."
I love succinct quotes that pretty much nail a principle down. Here is a link to the BYU Devotional that I got this from. It was the perfect thing for me to listen to while my worknight winds down.
I love the servants of the Lord - and despise those meager of soul who criticize them and seek to counsel them instead of receiving counsel at their hands. When put side by side, you will find that one is never as magnanimous of spirit as those whom the Lord has qualified and set apart for the work. Like many of those who oppose this great work, I am constrained to ask, as Moses did; "Where is thy glory that I should worship thee?".
Great stuff. This is going on my blog as well, credits to you.
ReplyDeleteHey Eric,
ReplyDeleteYou totally hit the nail on the head... "If you do not know how to react to the whisperings of the Spirit, you will be tossed on the waves of adversity and your ship may just capsize in the raging storm."
Making the connection between:
1) Crossing the raging deep safely and
2) The whisperings of the spirit
... is absolutely critical in this life, especially when we're in this transitory state. Most members of the church (I believe) don't make that connection, unfortunately, and are and will be tossed like crazy.
When we make that connection, we can see the symbols in the book of mormon that expand and fortify that connection. For example, the Liahona. When Nephi's family obeyed the writings on the ball, they were led to safety and greener pastures. When they didn't, they were lost in the wilderness.
The symbols then change, but the lesson continues. When Nephi's brothers tied him up on the ship crossing the raging deep, the storm grew and they were about to die. When they finally untied him, the storm calmed down and they were able to continue their journey across the deep in safety.
Again, the symbols change, but the lesson continues. With the brother of Jared, he prepared 8 vessels to cross the raging deep. He also prepared 16 stones to put into the vessels (2 per vessel) so they could have light.
The only way the brother of Jared's vessels had light was from the 16 stones that the Lord touched.
The only way Nephi's family crossed safely was by untying God's servant.
The only way Nephi's family were not lost in the wilderness was by obeying the writing on the Liahona.
Anyway, I gotta jet! Thanks for the post.