Sunday Reflections: He doth immediately bless you

Okay, so tonight I read from the Book of Mormon a powerful address given by a king to his people.  King Benjamin.  What an awesome man he was and a righteous leader.   He was getting old and knew he would soon die and so he wished to address the people in his kingdom.   He talked about how he had labored with his own hands to serve his people and that he had not sought gold nor riches of them. He had ruled with equity and fairness and tried to teach his people to keep the commandments of God.   He said these things not to boast of himself but for them to learn that when they are in the service of their fellow beings they are in the service of their God. (Mosiah 2:17)  He talks about how indebted we are to God for giving us breath, and supporting us from one moment to another.

I'll quote Mosiah 2 vs. 23-24...

"23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

 24 And secondly, he doth ^arequire that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately ^bbless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever;..."

I found this statement "He doth immediately bless you" if we do as God commands interesting because as I look back in my life I have definitely seen how God has immediately blessed me in my life as I have tried to keep his commandments and do His will and not my own. 

Here is one example:  After I returned home from serving 18 months as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California I was 23 years old and was pretty clueless as to what I was to do next with my life.  Before my mission I had recieved an Associates degree in Arts and Sciences.  When I returned from the mission I had NO desire to go back to school whatsoever.  I wanted to find me a man, get married, and settle into family life....like everyone else in my family seemed to have done so easily.  I thought this was a pretty righteous desire.  However, I had the thought come to me and I know this thought came from Heavenly Father in answer to my prayers as to what to do with my life, that I would not get married until I finished school...meaning for me to finish 2 more years of school.  I was like, "What? No, no, no!!  I don't like school!  I'm not good at it.  I don't want to!  I can get married before I finish school.  I'm cute enough...I can find someone before I have to do that."  (Seriously, these were my thoughts...ha ha!)  The impression in my mind was very firm.  But, I'm a little stubborn.  Those of you who know me can vouch for that.  So, what did I do?  Enroll in school?  Nope.  I got me a job as a full time receptionist, went to a singles ward (a place where only single people in our church attend meetings), and thought for sure that would land me a man.  Well, two years later....nothing.....not even a serious boyfriend.  (just a bunch of weirdos!)  So, I finally come crawling with my head down and say, "Okay, Heavenly Father, you were right.  I'm not going to get married until I finish my degree.  I'll do it your way."  So, I enrolled in school...2 years later finish up my Bachelors in Behavioral Science....  Now here comes the "he doth immediately bless you" part....  The VERY day, repeat...the VERY day I graduated from college is the day I met Kary.  NO KIDDING!!!!!  After this experience I have really tried to trust in God and His plan for me.  It hasn't always been exactly what MY plan would have been.  But it is my testimony that He definitely knows best and He DOES immediately bless us when we do His will and keep His commandments. I try not to be stubborn anymore because I know He is all knowing and sees the big picture and knows what is best for me. I hope others can learn from my stubborness and not be too stubborn.  =)

Here is another example....we have been commanded to pay our tithing which is ten percent of our income to the Lord through His church.  I think I've told this one before, but after Kary and I had Colton we decided I should stay home and be with him.  So, I had quit my job and we relied only on Kary's income.  At the time, this was very hard on us financially.  We were always in the red at the end of the month.  We both had gained testimonies of paying our tithing before but this would really put us to the test.  Kary decided to get another job so that I could stay at home.  The very day that he was supposed to start his second job his boss from the 1st job found out about it and told Kary not to take this second job and gave Kary a very significant raise.  An immediate blessing from paying tithing.

These are just a couple examples of the many witnesses I have had of keeping God's commandments and doing His will and being blessed immediately.  I know it is God's will for us to experience our current situation.  I know he blesses us on a daily basis in so many ways.  I'm so grateful for Heavenly Father and that I can rely on Him.  What peace and comfort that knowledge brings to me. 

Just a final quote from King Benjamin in the same chapter..vs. 41 "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Sunday Reflections: September 4, 2011

Do we recognize the blessings of our loving Father in Heaven each day of our lives?  I think that we underestimate His hand in our lives sometimes.  Here are some of the things that show God's hand in our lives. We have food on our table enough to eat, a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, a place to rest our heads every night.  Every day we get to live is a blessing.  We never know when our time will end here on earth.  Every minute we get to spend with our children and loved ones is a direct blessing from God.  Being blessed with healthy, happy children is a blessing. God blesses us with wonderful friends and neighbors who are watchful and mindful of us. He blesses us with strength to carry out our duties each day.  He blesses us with strength to endure trials.  He blesses us with talents.  Really the list is endless.  Every moment, every second, every little thing in our lives from the food we eat to the air we breathe, to having money to provide for our families, to the people in our lives:  All direct blessings from our Father in Heaven.  

I wonder about my friends and family who have no desire to recognize God in their lives.   It's hard for me to fathom.  Is it pure pride and stubborness?  Is it the fact that they want to be independant and not rely on anyone...not even God.  Do they get satisfaction believing that they don't need God in their lives to succeed?  I just want to shake them and tell them how much greater life would be if they WOULD recognize God in their lives and let Him be a part of their lives.  Their lives are a gift from God.  He loves them and yet they rebel and turn away from their one true source of Happiness.  I wonder how they would feel (for those who are parents) if the child they gave life to turned away from them and wanted nothing to do with them. I wish they could understand that that is what they are doing to their Father in Heaven.  Turning from the one who gave them life and everything good in it.  He wants to bless them with everything He has to give.  All they are required to do is to believe in Him and to keep His Commandments.  Do they purposefully turn away from God because their friends and family so desperately desire them to turn to God and they would feel like they were giving in and not being strong and independant?  It's just SO FRUSTRATING to me.  Why do they have to be so stubborn?  Partly its because there are so many people of the world who tell them that they don't need God.  They think that they can be happy and successful without God.  Which in some degree is true but it does not last. True and everlasting peace and happiness will only be found by turning our lives to God, keeping His commandments, and recognizing His hand in our lives.