When pride enters into our hearts we stop seeing the right way to live. In Helaman 3:33-34 and 36 we read:
33 And in the fifty and first year of the reign of the judges there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to enter into the church—not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God—
34 And they were lifted up in pride, even to the persecution of many of their brethren. Now this was a great evil, which did cause the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction....
36 And it came to pass that the fifty and second year ended in peace also, save it were the exceedingly great pride which had gotten into the hearts of the people; and it was because of their exceedingly great riches and their prosperity in the land; and it did grow upon them from day to day.
Contentions among the people and dissensions in the church (Helaman 4:1) take away the peace the Nephites just months earlier. The rebellious group of Nephites are kicked out of the land. They go to the Lamanites and after a few years persuade the Lamanites to attack the Nephites. The faith of the Nephites has diminished so much due their pride that they no longer had the strength of the Lord. The Lamanite armies succeed in taking half of the Nephite land. The Nephites are slaughtered in those parts of the land.
Why did this happen?
In Helaman 4: 11-12 we read that loss ... the great slaughter... would not have happened had it not been for thier wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God.
So something is going on with members of the church as well as the non-members.
In verse 12 we read, And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamanites—
The first four things mentioned as reasons why the Nephites lost the strength of the Lord and were slaughtered are related to the helping poor. The fifth item seems to have something to do with continuing to participate unworthily in things that are sacred. As these members continue down this path of pride, they deny spiritual gifts and begin doing the general list of wicked things. But, isn't it interesting that choosing to not help the poor is the first four things mentioned. These members stopped following the order of the church established by Alma in giving their substance to the church for redistribution to the poor. They decided to withhold their substance from the poor and spend it on themselves.
My take on these verses is that the members started to get rich and decided not to give their surplus to the church. Pride had entered in and they want to keep their wealth for their own use. As the humble members of the church also got rich they chose to fast and pray becoming humbler and humbler, yielding themselves to the enticings of the holy spirit until they were sanctified. There apparently is a cross roads when a christian is tempted with riches. Does he stay humble and give abundantly to others or does he enjoy the comparison he is making noting that he has more than others. He thinks of all good things he can puchase as well as being able to provide the finer things of life to his children (education, skills, a start in life) and begins to justify the use of his riches to aggrandize himself (cars, home, liesure time, etc.) and his family. He, in a tacit sense, is mocking others by lifting himself and his family above the other members of his congregation. Since he can justify everything he does, he deceives himself into thinking it isn't pride. You see, he is thanking the Lord in his prayers night and day for great blessing bestowed on himself and his family. He is thanking the Lord of his great capacity to make money. He has done his part by thanking the Lord. He ceases to view substance as a gift from God to be freely shared. He continues participating in the church but he has lost a fundamental tenant of the gospel: love thy brother as yourself. In Alms'a church he may have been reprimanded and called to repentance. He now has another choice point: repent or continue believing that it isn't pride that has got a hold of him.
I would enjoy hearing counter positions for what I have just written. I have heard so many growing up in the church. I can accept a few: We are ignorant of the principle; the principle hasn't been freely taught us; we haven't been asked this principle fully yet.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Having a Just God on your Side - Alma 57:26,27
I am now reading the war chapters in Alma. It is 63 BC, still in the era of faith and righteousness among the Nephites. The stripling warriors are miraculously protected a second time where none of them are killed. (Alma 57:25) For the miracle to occur, the Lord orchestrated events so that the army guarding the Lamanite prisoners of war were able to return in the knick of time. The Nephites had lost there prisoners but the Lord answered the faith of believers. In verse 26 and 27 we read,
"And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."
One of the clearest messages in the Book of Mormon is that God fulfills is promises to people that firmly put their trust in Him. He is a just God. He wants us not to doubt but to be believing. I find that this level of steadiness is not an easy thing to maintain! Why do I end up slipping back into a state of unbelief? For me, it has something to do with my natural instincts. The seen world says something different than the unseen world. Maybe I just don't believe that believing, trusting and relying are so powerful. It's too simple! Like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, I don't understand the meaning of things. Moses put a serpent on a stick and all who looked at the serpent were healed. Alma 30:20 says,
"But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them. If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God... "
So, the key is to stay focused on Christ. Believe that believing in the Son of God will bring to pass miraculous results. Even if the all the Lamanite prisoners are lost, God will fulfill his promises unto those that believe firmly and steadfast in the Son of God.
You will never know what would have happened if you but had some faith!
"And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually."
One of the clearest messages in the Book of Mormon is that God fulfills is promises to people that firmly put their trust in Him. He is a just God. He wants us not to doubt but to be believing. I find that this level of steadiness is not an easy thing to maintain! Why do I end up slipping back into a state of unbelief? For me, it has something to do with my natural instincts. The seen world says something different than the unseen world. Maybe I just don't believe that believing, trusting and relying are so powerful. It's too simple! Like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, I don't understand the meaning of things. Moses put a serpent on a stick and all who looked at the serpent were healed. Alma 30:20 says,
"But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them. If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God... "
So, the key is to stay focused on Christ. Believe that believing in the Son of God will bring to pass miraculous results. Even if the all the Lamanite prisoners are lost, God will fulfill his promises unto those that believe firmly and steadfast in the Son of God.
You will never know what would have happened if you but had some faith!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Alma 48:12 - Being Grateful to Serve with Your Gifts
In speaking of Captain Moroni, the narrator says an interesting thing:
12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
As Moroni gave his service as the commander of the armies of the Nephites, he viewed his abilities as privileges and blessing that he could bestow upon his people. He willingly used his gifts and talents to help others. He was grateful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference.
Do our hearts swell with thanksgiving when we are priveliged and blessed by the Lord?
Is Captain Moroni charging for his services? If you have a gift from God, do you bless the lifes of others with it? Do you believe that it should be given freely for the benefit of all? Does this apply to temporal gifts as well as spiritual gifts? Whatever we are gifted in, we use that gift for the benefit and welfare of others. I think some of us draw the line between spiritual gifts and temporal gives. Spiritual gifts are used to benefit others but temporal gifts (the ability to make money or grow wealth) are used for our own benefit. This seems to be a faulty paradigm. Either we serve God or we serve mammon. You see, it's a paradigm shift. Instead of believing everything that I do temporally is mine and I can do with it as I please, we believe that all gifts both spiritual and temporal are gifts from God and it is a great privelege and blessing to bestow upon others so they can be rich like us. Now, that I believe is following Christ and a major tenant of the gospel.
12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
As Moroni gave his service as the commander of the armies of the Nephites, he viewed his abilities as privileges and blessing that he could bestow upon his people. He willingly used his gifts and talents to help others. He was grateful for the opportunity to serve and make a difference.
Do our hearts swell with thanksgiving when we are priveliged and blessed by the Lord?
Is Captain Moroni charging for his services? If you have a gift from God, do you bless the lifes of others with it? Do you believe that it should be given freely for the benefit of all? Does this apply to temporal gifts as well as spiritual gifts? Whatever we are gifted in, we use that gift for the benefit and welfare of others. I think some of us draw the line between spiritual gifts and temporal gives. Spiritual gifts are used to benefit others but temporal gifts (the ability to make money or grow wealth) are used for our own benefit. This seems to be a faulty paradigm. Either we serve God or we serve mammon. You see, it's a paradigm shift. Instead of believing everything that I do temporally is mine and I can do with it as I please, we believe that all gifts both spiritual and temporal are gifts from God and it is a great privelege and blessing to bestow upon others so they can be rich like us. Now, that I believe is following Christ and a major tenant of the gospel.
Alma 48:6-7 Preparing the hearts of the people
Humans are highly susceptible. What we listen to, read and watch molds our view of what we believe is right or wrong. If we want to develop the spiritual man within us, we put spiritual things into our minds. If we enjoy the baser things, we fill our minds with that kind of material. If we listen to contentious messages, we either turn it off our start agreeing with what is being said. Captain Moroni and Amalickiah were manipulating their peoples back in the Nephite times. In Alma 48:7 we read:
"Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God."
I agree with what Moroni is doing. We all need to have our minds prepared before the testing occurs. Once our minds are prepared to be faithful, when the trial occurs, enough faith can be mustered to meet the challenge. This is happening every time we read our scriptures. It happens when the prophets confer with us during General Conference.
On the other hand there are many deceiving voices out there trying to get us believe lies. There are base TV shows, music lyrics, talk show hosts, movies, etc. They can help us become more carnal, sensual and devilish. They can make feel contentious. In Alma 48:1 we read:
"And now it came to pass that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites."
The Lamanites were bombarded with war propaganda from towers erected to disseminate information. Previously they were scared of the power of the Nephites. Many had taken oaths never to come against Nephites again. But the constant bombardment from these towers, swayed the Lamanites into taking up arms again. Their towers are equivalent to our air ways.
We need to be careful not to get sucked into the negativity of the age. We need to be careful not watch movies and TV shows that bring out our baser selves. We are what we listen to. So, listen to and watch good, uplifting and wholesome things!
"Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God."
I agree with what Moroni is doing. We all need to have our minds prepared before the testing occurs. Once our minds are prepared to be faithful, when the trial occurs, enough faith can be mustered to meet the challenge. This is happening every time we read our scriptures. It happens when the prophets confer with us during General Conference.
On the other hand there are many deceiving voices out there trying to get us believe lies. There are base TV shows, music lyrics, talk show hosts, movies, etc. They can help us become more carnal, sensual and devilish. They can make feel contentious. In Alma 48:1 we read:
"And now it came to pass that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites."
The Lamanites were bombarded with war propaganda from towers erected to disseminate information. Previously they were scared of the power of the Nephites. Many had taken oaths never to come against Nephites again. But the constant bombardment from these towers, swayed the Lamanites into taking up arms again. Their towers are equivalent to our air ways.
We need to be careful not to get sucked into the negativity of the age. We need to be careful not watch movies and TV shows that bring out our baser selves. We are what we listen to. So, listen to and watch good, uplifting and wholesome things!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The easiness of the way
Sometimes as a Latter-Day Saint I think I have it all wrong. When I read verses like the one in Alma 37:40 I start to wonder if I am complicating matters. The verse says, 'For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.' I am not sure I completely understand this verse. I figure that compass represents word of God which comes in various forms: The Holy Ghost, the scriptures, the prophets, etc. It is as easy to give heed to the word of God now as it was for Lehi's family to give heed to the Liahona. Hum, I am still not getting it completely. In 1 Nephi 16:28 I read, 'And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.' Faith, diligence and heed. I first must believe and cast off my doubt. Then I must be diligent. Diligence is the earnest and persistent application to an undertaking; steady effort. It's the steadfast part of the faith. 2 Nephi 31:20 says, 'Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.' I think diligence is akin to being steadfast. So what is heed? Heed is to pay attention to; listen to and consider. Since the writing on the Liahona changed from time to time, so it is today that our instructions from the various sources changes from time to time. As I receive new instruction, I need pay attention to it, listen to it and consider it.
The word 'easy' still bothers me. In verse 46 it says, 'O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.'
Alma is either stating that the way is easy or that it is easy to get side tracked in a pursuit to living the gospel. If the way is truly easy, that would mean that once a person has a change in heart his path through life becomes significantly easier. He believes that he will be guided and directed and comforted as he travels through the vissitudes of life. He is at rest. He has burdens but they a swallowed up in Christ. Slothful means disinclined to work or exertion; lazy. Alma is exhorting his son to keep on working even though he in in the way. I think it is easy to get into the trap of enjoying the nice things of life and forgetting to get out there to do our duty. Serving isn't necesarily fun but it grows our spirits.
I hope to get to a place in my life where the living the gospel is easy. Even though it is easy, we should alway be found doing our next errand from the Lord.
The word 'easy' still bothers me. In verse 46 it says, 'O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.'
Alma is either stating that the way is easy or that it is easy to get side tracked in a pursuit to living the gospel. If the way is truly easy, that would mean that once a person has a change in heart his path through life becomes significantly easier. He believes that he will be guided and directed and comforted as he travels through the vissitudes of life. He is at rest. He has burdens but they a swallowed up in Christ. Slothful means disinclined to work or exertion; lazy. Alma is exhorting his son to keep on working even though he in in the way. I think it is easy to get into the trap of enjoying the nice things of life and forgetting to get out there to do our duty. Serving isn't necesarily fun but it grows our spirits.
I hope to get to a place in my life where the living the gospel is easy. Even though it is easy, we should alway be found doing our next errand from the Lord.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
How To Find Rest To Your Souls?
How does one find rest to their souls? Alma teaches his son that the way to rest is "... repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ". He then says that we should be "... humble ... [and] ...be meek and lowly in heart [and] to withstand every temptation of the devil, with [our] faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. "(Alma 37:33) What I see here is the need walk the low road, to have a certain attitude.
Alma than tells us to ..."never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls." (v.34) So, rest is found by those who do good works and are very humble. He then adds that we start doing these things at an early age.
How do I walk with meekness and lowliness of heart? This requires coming unto Christ on a daily basis. In verse 36 Alma says, "Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. " In order to walk with God, we must always remember Him in all that we do. Alma continues the same counsel in verse 37, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God". And, "if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. "
This is the gospel way of life in a nut shell. Alma explains it very clearly. There isn't any compartmentalization of parts of our life. In our business we act one way and in our home we act another way and at church we act another way. We act the same at all times and places. Nephi declared, "May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!" (2 Nephi 4:32)
Rest to our souls comes by walking the humble path of life, every increasing our reliance on the Lord. This approach to life is foolishness in the eyes of the world. The natural man in each us cries out NO WAY as we consider and contemplate these deep changes in our disicipleship.
Alma than tells us to ..."never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls." (v.34) So, rest is found by those who do good works and are very humble. He then adds that we start doing these things at an early age.
How do I walk with meekness and lowliness of heart? This requires coming unto Christ on a daily basis. In verse 36 Alma says, "Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. " In order to walk with God, we must always remember Him in all that we do. Alma continues the same counsel in verse 37, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God". And, "if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. "
This is the gospel way of life in a nut shell. Alma explains it very clearly. There isn't any compartmentalization of parts of our life. In our business we act one way and in our home we act another way and at church we act another way. We act the same at all times and places. Nephi declared, "May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!" (2 Nephi 4:32)
Rest to our souls comes by walking the humble path of life, every increasing our reliance on the Lord. This approach to life is foolishness in the eyes of the world. The natural man in each us cries out NO WAY as we consider and contemplate these deep changes in our disicipleship.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Singing the Song of Redeeming Love
I was reading in Alma 26 the other day. Ammon is talking about what it mean to be converted. He compares and contrasts the humble follower of Christ with the natural man using the converted Lamanites as examples. He starts out by saying that his Lamanite brethren "were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God!" (v.6)
Ammon goes on to say that the Lord has loosed these brethren "from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love..." (v.13) What will it take for me to sing redeeming love? I believe in the gospel. I have been a member for a long time. But, I don't think I have come unto Christ to same degree as the converted lamanites.
What does it mean to be "loosed our brethren from the chains of hell"?(v.14) "Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love..." (v.15)
I want to be in that amazing state of love and peace! I want to view life the way Ammon is describing it. Sure, you have your troubles, trials and afflictions. But with this foundation, the problems of life take on a different feel. You know that Christ is with you and you can rely on Him. You don't view adversity with any degree of trepidation. In Alma 27:28 we read that the people of Ammon "never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it."
Ammon then relates his own experience of God and His mercy. He says in verse 17, "Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?...why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?... Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls." Why did God snatch Ammon and his brethren? Maybe, the bottom line is that God is full of grace and mercy. Maybe He knew their souls and knew that they their immediate repentance and faith had the substance of permanency. For some of us the grace comes more slowly and in God own due time. Getting a perfect knowledge too early would only condemn us. Why? Because we would probably go back to our old ways. Some how our anchoring has to be sufficient for the snatching to occur.
There are only two ways to live our lives on this earth: the natural man way or the humble follower of Christ way. There is a struggle that everyman must have to cast off the natural man and come unto Christ. The process seems to be slow for me. I keep on dipping my toe in the water and pulling it out over and over again. I also get stuck at various half way houses along the way. I seem to think that a particular stage of arrivedness is all that their is. The level is comfortable. But, the natural man is still lurking underneath my outward facade. I am surprised when I my natural self makes a surprise appearance when I least expect it.
Anyways, Ammon is talking about a complete transformation away from the natural man when faith and repentance meet mercy, grace, cleansing and healing. Something might changes within us. In verses 21 and 22 we read, "And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent. Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God..." I believe the first great mystery if our own conversion. We are no longer walking in darkness. We have sung and are singing the song of redeeming love. When this happens in our hearts then great things begin to happen in our lives: "... yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. " We have become men and women of God. We life completely different than our old natural selfs. We are amazed at the new vistas that we see. We want everyone to come and partake of the same fruit. We are part of the ransomed host.
Ammon goes on to say that the Lord has loosed these brethren "from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love..." (v.13) What will it take for me to sing redeeming love? I believe in the gospel. I have been a member for a long time. But, I don't think I have come unto Christ to same degree as the converted lamanites.
What does it mean to be "loosed our brethren from the chains of hell"?(v.14) "Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love..." (v.15)
I want to be in that amazing state of love and peace! I want to view life the way Ammon is describing it. Sure, you have your troubles, trials and afflictions. But with this foundation, the problems of life take on a different feel. You know that Christ is with you and you can rely on Him. You don't view adversity with any degree of trepidation. In Alma 27:28 we read that the people of Ammon "never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it."
Ammon then relates his own experience of God and His mercy. He says in verse 17, "Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state?...why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?... Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls." Why did God snatch Ammon and his brethren? Maybe, the bottom line is that God is full of grace and mercy. Maybe He knew their souls and knew that they their immediate repentance and faith had the substance of permanency. For some of us the grace comes more slowly and in God own due time. Getting a perfect knowledge too early would only condemn us. Why? Because we would probably go back to our old ways. Some how our anchoring has to be sufficient for the snatching to occur.
There are only two ways to live our lives on this earth: the natural man way or the humble follower of Christ way. There is a struggle that everyman must have to cast off the natural man and come unto Christ. The process seems to be slow for me. I keep on dipping my toe in the water and pulling it out over and over again. I also get stuck at various half way houses along the way. I seem to think that a particular stage of arrivedness is all that their is. The level is comfortable. But, the natural man is still lurking underneath my outward facade. I am surprised when I my natural self makes a surprise appearance when I least expect it.
Anyways, Ammon is talking about a complete transformation away from the natural man when faith and repentance meet mercy, grace, cleansing and healing. Something might changes within us. In verses 21 and 22 we read, "And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent. Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God..." I believe the first great mystery if our own conversion. We are no longer walking in darkness. We have sung and are singing the song of redeeming love. When this happens in our hearts then great things begin to happen in our lives: "... yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. " We have become men and women of God. We life completely different than our old natural selfs. We are amazed at the new vistas that we see. We want everyone to come and partake of the same fruit. We are part of the ransomed host.
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