In my reading this week, two main ideas stuck out to me. First, is the idea that "all things denote there is a God" (Alma 30:44). As Korihor the Antichrist desires a sign of God's existence from the prophet Alma, Alma instead counters with his testimony. He points out that the testimonies of the prophets of old, the scriptures, the earth, all that is on it, the planets and their orbital motion -- in essence, everything -- shows that there must be a Supreme Creator and that we are not just on this earth by chance. Beautiful nature and creations that are around me, with complexities and intricate processes, denote the existence of God. The human body itself, with such harmonious systems and magnificent abilities, shows to me that we have a purpose on Earth. As Alma later states in Chapter 34:32, "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God" and become closer to a perfected state through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
The nature of faith and how to obtain it is also very important. "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Waiting to see physical and absolute proof is not having faith in something or someone. If we could know everything, there would be no reason to believe or hope for things. But of course, humans do not have the ability to know all. If we base our lives around Jesus Christ, we cultivate hope. If we have hope, we have a future and can learn from the mistakes of our past. Satan's plan is to start by knocking down the first domino -- belief and faith in Jesus Christ. Once he has accomplished this, hope falls away, and soon after we have no future. Faith in Jesus Christ is a choice, either you have it or you don't. But, it can be strengthened with time, experiences, and effort. Just like a tree must be constantly nourished or else it will die, so must faith in God and Jesus Christ be maintained. Once faith is acquired, it still must be nourished through prayer, study, and repentance. If we want happiness, faith is the first step towards it.
"Si monumentum requiris, circumspice."
ReplyDeleteGreat post, very insightful. Just thought I'd note, though, that faith is a principle of action. Certainly, it is one of the gospel trees in our gardens, but more often faith is manifest through the nourishing of the seed, while some other principle is the seed.
But really, love this blog. Hope you don't mind if I stalk it weekly.
Very true. I think of it as a give and take sort of process. You have to invest some faith and act upon it in order to increase in faith, and the cycle continues indefinitely. Thanks for your comments! And of course, feel free to "stalk" it! I love to hear other people's opinions on these kind of things.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! It is so important that people stop worrying about today's problems, and focus on all the many blessing Heavenly Father has given us. You are the best roommate ever! Keep be amazing :)
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