I DO ALWAYS THOSE THINGS WHICH PLEASE HIM

 

I reflected on something during this past Easter that has changed my life. It came to me this year because I was ready for it. 

 

It has been extremely difficult for me for many years to actually verbalise to God my ‘full’ submission to His will. I have had a desire to do it but the actual commitment always conjured up in my mind that God’s will would probably include pain; more than I have already suffered. Remember King Benjamin’s discourse on overcoming the natural man, part of which states that we need to be willing ‘to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict’ upon us (Mosiah 3:19)? “Inflict” is a hard word. The dictionary defines it as: to impose as something that must be borne or suffered; to impose anything unwelcome; to deal or deliver as a blow. Hence my fear….

What intrigued me this Easter was the Saviour’s complete willingness to suffer ‘the blow’. Before facing the agony of Gethsemane, Jesus said to His disciples that the hour was coming when they would be scattered and go their own way leaving Him alone and then He said: “….yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). On another occasion He clarified this by saying: “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). These statements indicate that He had confidence in Father’s assistance for the duration of his upcoming crucible because He was willing to do His will. Imagine His surprise when that assistance was withdrawn; when He became ‘sore amazed’ (Mark 14:33) to the point of asking: “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Did He have the power to come down from the cross when that question crossed His lips? Yes He did. But even when He felt abandoned, He pressed on submitting to Father’s will, no matter how gruesome the inflicted ‘blow. And then He was able to say prior to His last moment: “….Father it is finished, thy will is done….” (JST Matthew 27:50a)

 

Some years ago I had a priesthood blessing from my Bishop. In it he said that my life was planned for me in pre-existence and that I accepted that plan because of my great faith in Jesus Christ. Last year I had a very vivid memory of a moment in my pre-earth life. I was sitting with the Saviour and I heard Him say to me: “I will save you and I will make up for everything.” I understood then more fully why I had accepted that plan, which has included some painful ‘blows’. I remembered His promise to me this Easter and I knew I was ready to fully submit and I have wondered since I have done so why I had waited so long because so many of my fears and worries have fled and have been replaced by trust that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God’ (Romans 8:28). 

 

We might have to suffer some blows in this life. And we might have to suffer them alone. But fortunate for us Christ has suffered them all. By virtue of our discipleship, we have access to His  reservoir of endurance, strength and power that is offered to all the faithful. May we be able to say, without trepidation and fear: “I do always those things that please Him”, following the example of Him who submitted to it all that He might overcome all and make it possible for us to bear it all.

 

 

Cathryne Allen

(Art by Yongsung Kim)

IF YE ARE NOT ONE, YE ARE NOT MINE

 

The Sunday School lesson for this Sunday teaches us that God gathers his people into one, if for no other reason but simply because we are stronger as a whole. This can be seen through a very interesting story in the Old Testament.

In his farewell address, Moses admonished the children of Israel, repeatedly, to worship the one true and living God and that they should have no other gods before Him. This farewell constitutes the entire book of Deuteronomy with strong emphasis on dangers of worshipping false gods. Because the inhabitants of Canaan were ripe in iniquity and idol worship (1 Nephi 17:32-35) they presented a very real threat to the covenant people. For this reason Israel was commanded to cleanse the entire land before they took possession, which they failed to do miserably because of their disobedience. As they conquered cities before them, however, lands were appropriated to them for their settlement. The first to receive land were the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah. They settled in the land of Gilead which divided them from the rest of Israel by river Jordan (Joshua 22:9). After these three tribes assisted in further conquest of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming the altar was built for idol worship. They sent Phineas, the son of Eleazor the priest, with the heads of the tribes, to call the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah to repentance. In their defence, these two and a half tribes explained that the altar was not made for any worship but was meant to stand as a witness to the rest of Israel, for generations to come, that the tribe of Reuben and Gad and Mannesah were united with the rest of Israel in the worship of one true and living God (Joshua 22:34); that even though they were divided geographically from the rest of the House of Israel, they were still a link in the chain and that they would not be the downfall of Israel. They knew that if they turned to the worship of other gods, the ripple effect would be detrimental to the whole House of Israel.

So it is with us. We of modern day Israel are individual links in a great chain which binds the covenant people. How we live our lives and how we worship God has great impact upon not only us personally but upon the body of Christ collectively because "no one sins in isolation. We cannot say that our actions influence only ourselves for even if we do something sinful that is completely personal, our individual loss of spiritual power means a lessening of power for all mankind and contributes to the withdrawal of the Lord's spirit, and that is damaging to all......". (Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, p 243). We cannot afford to be the downfall of modern day Israel. We bear a grave responsibility for the gathering of God's people. Each link in the chain is important and contributes towards this goal through individual gifts, talents and personal power. When we worship the world instead of God we forfeit that power and cannot accomplish our collective purpose.

May each one of us erect personal altars in our lives as a witness to the rest that we will honour our commitment to the divine destiny of the House of Israel.

- Cathryne Allen

THE MISERY OF ISRAEL

 

Are you struggling with feelings of unworthiness, inadequacy, effects of abuse or struggle with unrelenting pull of weakness or sin? Do not despair, because for you, who are of the House of Israel and who love Him and want Him to be your God (1 Nephi 17:40), the Saviour’s grace and mercy is endless and ever possible. 

 

After the children of Israel settled into Canaan, they entered into a cycle of apostasy and repentance. When they served other gods, they fell into servitude to the heathen nations around them. Over and over they came to Jehovah to rescue them from their captivities and oppression and not to the altars of the heathen gods they worshipped. It says this for them, despite their state of weakness in apostasy, they believed that Jehovah was the true God and that only He had this power of deliverance. The astounding patience, tolerance and never ending mercy of the God of Israel was repeated over and over even though He knew the people would forsake Him and return to their sin after He delivered them. He did this because ‘his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel’….(Judges 10:16)

 

We are told The Atonement was performed for each person individually and not for God’s children collectively. I myself cannot fully comprehend that but I understand one thing. The Saviour is grieved for our misery and the healing effects of the Atonement are efficacious individually. These effects of the Atonement are already in your life, because they were put into place 2,000 years ago on the hill of Calvary. All that remains is for you to foster faith that it can heal you, empower you, and lift you out of our misery. Believe it, pray for it, and see it. He will come to those who believe He is the one true and living God who can sustain, empower and deliver. You have nothing to fear from the debilitating and crushing effects of mortality. You are meant for greater things. You are meant to be lifted and exalted. You are special. You are loved. You are counted on. You are the House of Israel. Be comforted and believe. 

- Cathryne Allen