Mosiah 5:7 …For ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
Change is the key to growth and progression. The life of a butterfly is the best example of being willing to undergo “mighty change”. That is what the Lord wants to do with us, he wants to feed and nurture us with his goodness, then wrap his every warm embrace around us until we emerge into a beautiful-faithful butterfly of conviction ready to fly on our own, spreading the goodness of His gospel to the entire world. “The Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2) “Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works,” and “walk in the ways of the Lord”, with “no contention among” you. (Mosiah 5:15, 6:6,7)
This change takes place when “we believe all the words”, that the Lord speaks to us through the scriptures, prophets, and the Holy Ghost. This develops the change of faith, which ignited the willingness “to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us.” “Because of the covenant which [we] have made [we] shall be called the children of Christ.” (Mosiah 5: 2,5,7) Then we undergo a “mighty change” and we “take upon [us] the name of Christ”, committed to “be obedient unto the end of [our] lives.” (Mosiah 5:8) “The Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all.” (Mosiah 5:15)
Mosiah 4:15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.
It’s important to remember that change is never easy, whether at the beginning, middle or end, there seems to come a time when we feel overwhelmed or unworthy. The truth is anything worth having takes effort, “The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” (President Russell M. Nelson “An Especially Noble Calling” by Joy D. Jones 2020) So “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.” (Mosiah 4:9) Let Him be your strength, and “humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith.” (Mosiah 4:11) Be “filled with joy”, and “peace of conscience”. (Mosiah 4:3)
Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
The scriptures are full of extreme “mighty changes”—Paul and Alma are my two favorites. They both had a “Road to Damascus” experience, and then never looked back, but served the Lord with all the energy of their hearts and bodies. Those stories are truly inspiring, and give us all hope. However, it doesn’t have to be a “Road to Damascus” experience to give us that mighty change, and to allow us to never look back, and to serve the Lord with full energy of heart. More often, the mighty change happens ever so slowly as we give our commitment to the Lord and walk steadfastly forward at whatever pace we can at any given time in our life. I have found my pace to change depending on life’s circumstances or Satan’s distractions. But regardless of what life can dish out or Satan can throw at me, I have developed an unbreakable trust in the atonement to help me to pick up my speed through repentance and refocusing. Obstacles and stumbling blocks will always be on the path, but we don’t have to allow them to stop us, we just need to carry on and find the joy that awaits on the other side of the obstacle.
This week is a great time to dig a little deeper for what the Lord is prompting you to do, to make the. Ext change in your life, to grow closer to Him.
“This change is more than an intellectual acceptance of gospel teachings. It shapes our identity, transforms our understanding of life’s meaning, and leads to unchanging fidelity to God.” -(Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ By Elder Dale G. Renlund 2019)
Written by Sherri Jorgensen
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