Grace - 08/6/12

Grace. A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

There's a pattern amongst the Book of Mormon prophets in the following passages: 1 Nephi 7:17, Mosiah 24:14-15, Alma 14:26-28, Alma 31:31-33. They all prayed for strength to overcome their afflictions. They understood that we were created as agents to act for ourselves, not objects to be acted upon. Our ability to choose right from wrong and learn good from evil was a crucial part of God's plan. They understood that God gives us trials for the divine purpose of developing strength and maturity by stretching ourselves to overcome. And they understood that it is by grace we are saved, after all we can do. So they prayed for the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ to give them strength to overcome their afflictions, instead of asking for God to remove the afflictions.

 Alma 31:38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.
 
 This week, I learned a little bit about exercising faith. Some of our investigators fell by the wayside. At the time that we held our weekly planning session, it seemed that our investigator pool was shriveling up into nothing. All six of the potential investigators that we visited on Tuesday stiffed us. We spent several days confined to the apartment this week, too. Elder "AV" was struggling with a very pernicious stomach virus that would not let him proselyte, so we had to take a few sick days. In spite of all that, and the discouragement of having our dear investigators that were on date to be baptize disappear from our view, we still pressed forward and found the strength to move forward. God is surely watching over us.

In the days after weekly planning, we found several more potential investigators, through our relationships with the ward members, and from media referrals. The work is moving forward, and will continue to move forward, God willing. Till we meet again...

Elder Hansen