Mormon Direction

Some believe that all they need is their personal relationship with God as being sufficient for salvation. This of course, is not true.

A personal relationship is to maintain faith and focus to God, yet a personal relationship with God does not, in itself, establish sanctity and holiness just because a person declares it so. A relationship with God must include God as the partner. The head of the relationship is not you, it is God himself. This means he leads and declares what is required for this relationship to work. Thus, a relationship with God will require the fulfillment of important elements, else this relationship will fail.

Any relationship, even that of a marriage, requires both partners to contribute and do their parts into and for the relationship. This is exactly the same for a relationship with God. Without us doing our part, the relationship with God will fail, it will not be spiritual and cannot be sanctified and accepted.

Look into the Bible about the parable of the ten virgins ( Matthew 25:1–12 ). All of them declared a relationship with God as indicated in verse one where all ten were to meet with the bridegroom. This denotes that each believed they had or have a relationship with the bridegroom who is Jesus Christ. The bridegroom required the virgins to prepare themselves with oil in their lamps so they can prepare to meet him. Five did not fulfill this element or requirement of the relationship and because of this, their belief of having a relationship with the bridegroom failed and were called strangers who were shut out or excluded from the kingdom of the bridegroom.

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It was said by Brigham Young that we should endeavour to find truth where ever it is found. In that prophetic counsel, Brigham Young did not mean to blind discernment and judgement as to whether the information found is actually truth or not. Brigham Young gave that counsel to encourage us to seek truth, not grab anything we like, disregarding any discernment if the information is true and consistent with God’s teachings.

The words from Paul the Apostle should always prevail along side of Brigham Young’s counsel. Paul taught that we must “spiritually discern” matters of a spiritual concern, comparing spiritual with spiritual. Sadly to say that the majority of Christians have grossly twisted and undermined that divine counsel from Paul, misunderstanding the meaning of the word spiritual and “spiritual words” as declared by Jesus Christ in John 6:63. Failing to realize that there is a difference in worldly information versus spiritual information, and differences in spiritual information. If there were no differences, then Satan would have no tools to use to misinform and mislead.

Paul’s counsel was to teach us that we must learn the ability and power of spiritual discernment, a skill which will keep us from falling to false worldly information which affects our ability to exercise faith. Remember the words from Jesus Christ, where he said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21–23), this because they do works of iniquity despite their claim to believe in Christ. The importance to spiritually discern, especially in these last days, is imperative and crucial to our spiritual survival and our first defence against false information.

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Everyone deals with shortcomings about their self-esteem or self-image. How they perform at work, at home, in relationships, in their personal or public performances, whether they feel worthy or unworthy. At one time or another, if not repeatedly, everyone has some issue with their self-esteem, but in this struggle, has there been any concern about self-esteem versus faith?

When it comes to faith, it is a matter where each person must take account of themselves and evaluate the nature and degree of their self-esteem and then see how this affects their faith.

Faith is the expression and act of love, devotion and obedience to God and for him. It is the trust in his will and trust that he will help and bless. Faith is also the expression of oneself to God, the who and what we are. In this expression of oneself comes the value of oneself. This personal value is the gift that we, as sons and daughters of God, give to God.

IN the scriptures God speaks about the value of how we give a gift where he said, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (1 Cor 2.9:7). Gods speaks of the value of the heart and mind in things that we give to him and to others. Giving our faith grudgingly, is not faith at all. To exercise the commandments of God because you believe you have to, what value is this to God and his kingdom?

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The end goal. Is commitment all about the end goal? I found that commitment is not about end goals, I found that commitment always comes before the end goal, especially if faith is the a goal. If a person wants to have good faith in God, to establish a relationship with God that works and is faithful, then commitment to faith must occur first, else the end goal of faith cannot occur.

Commitment, in itself, does not automatically denote or become faith. Commitment is a “trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose” toward something or in something. Once the object (faith) is chosen to pursue and achieve, then commitment will be “the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action”. Once this is established, then faith, being “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  is exercised. The binding of oneself, intellectually and emotionally to the act of faith causes faith to be true and does not end up as just a word or lip service.

Let’s take a life example. A boss makes promises that he will do this or that, saying that to do those things are required and needed. Those things are good to hear, even if they are things that you had hoped for at work, but the results, or fruits of his labor proves otherwise. The things promised never manifest and in fact the old status quo remains or the things done were so inadequate, they proved as useful as doing nothing. The result for you is disappointment and discouragement. The problem with all the promises and things said, even if they were great to hear, was the absence of commitment. The failure to bind oneself to the course of action, to be sincere and steadfast.

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Wonder what must be done to develop a relationship with God, even his Son and Saviour Jesus Christ? Having trouble with this development such that you may feel or believe that it is not possible or is an impossible task because everything about it seems insurmountable? Another troubling question some may ask is “How can mere mortals, especially those who believe themselves to be completely inadequate to succeed in this task?”

Hopeless? …as it may seem to be.

Have I painted the right picture of how many have felt or believed, maybe even experienced? I hope so, because that is the first step toward a successful relationship with the Father in heaven.
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