“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever” (Matthew 6:13). How instructive it is that Jesus concluded this prayer by praising God again and expressing His reverence for and submission to the Father. When we truly believe that God rules His kingdom and that He has all power and all glory, we are recognizing that He really is in charge, that He loves us with a perfect love, and that He wants us to be happy. I have found that one of the secrets to a joyful life is to recognize that doing things the Lord’s way will make me happier than doing things my way.” -J. Devn Cornish
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
I fell in love with this scripture from the moment I read it. This sums up what the New Testament has been trying to tell us. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so much more than merely words–it is a divine plan, orchestrated by a loving Heavenly Father to direct the Kingdom of God here on earth, and to guide us back home, to live as families for time and all eternity. We must be actively involved in the gospel, not just in what we say, but in how we act, and react. Everything about the gospel requires action. In the pre-mortal existence, we were faced with opposing sides fighting for dominion over God’s children. This war was literal, not figurative–it was intense with words as well as with actions. We had to make the choice to follow Christ and our Heavenly Father. Apparently, it was not an easy choice, because 1/3 of the hosts of heaven chose to follow Satan. I am guessing from how Satan works here on earth that he was everyone’s best friend, deceiving them with false hopes of glory, and flattering them away with the lie that his plan would guarantee them a place back in heaven. Through his trickery, he was successful in binding 1 out 3 of our best friends to follow him. As we stood firm for Christ and followed our Heavenly Father, I guarantee we fought for our lost brother and sisters! I’m certain that we took action to save as many as possible, just like we are asked to do here on earth. Though our memory is no longer clear of these events, we can see exactly how deceiving Lucifer is, for his tricks are winning hearts every day with the flattery and empty promises. As we fight for our own victory over this body during our earth life, we must also fight for our other brothers and sisters as well, bringing home as many as will join in the crusade to follow Christ.
“There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most.” -Thomas S. Monson
The Lord gave us great tools to use here on earth; he gave us the scriptures and personal revelation, or open communication with Heavenly Father, through prayer. Then, to top it off, he gave us a member of the Godhead as a constant companion to help us avoid deception. All of these tools require our action. The idea that they are there, or merely talking about them, does not unlock the Power of God in our lives. In order to utilize the scriptures, we must read them and then apply them to our lives, striving to live the lessons fully. Then we must pray unceasingly to have the Lord’s love, protection, and guidance throughout our lives. Having the Holy Ghost with us requires action as well. We must live our life in accordance with the Lord through following the commandments, and being in places where the Holy Ghost can dwell, then doing that things that we feel prompted to do. All of these actions on our part unlock the power of God in our lives and help us to grow closer to him. Then, we may hope to understand the mysteries of heaven and to be able to return to our Heavenly Father some day.
1 Corinthians 4:21 What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?
The Power of God that we seek is not in the anger and darkness that is felt through the media. It is the power of love and meekness. Meekness encompasses all that the Savior was. Synonyms for meekness include: patience, long-suffering, forbearance, gentleness, mildness, softness, peacefulness, modesty, humility, unpretentiousness, and obedience. If we add love to this list, we will have great direction for how to follow in the footsteps of Christ. These qualifications are what will bring the spirit of God into our lives and our homes. Through striving to acquire these characteristics, we will be able to gather others to follow Christ as well. It is the fear of man that stops the work of the Lord. However, man alone has no glory, all glory comes from God and is ours to have if we choose. It’s a great battle to fight, man vs God, but we know “perfect love casteth our all fear.” (Moroni 8:16)
1 Corinthians1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1 Corinthians 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
As we move forward seeking the kingdom of God with determination, let us remember EXACTLY WHO WE ARE…literally, not figuratively. We are daughters and sons of the one and only loving Heavenly Father who sent his son to rescue us because of his PERFECT LOVE.
-Sherri Jorgensen
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