Mosiah 4

I love starting the day by reading my scriptures, I could spend all day in them.  I have really felt the spirit more in my life this week, I have also found however that I am much more sensitive to things of the world this week as well. The division between the peace of the spirit and the worliness of the world has become more apparent.
Chapter 4 has some wonderful promises and covenants with the Lord, if we do things- he promises us certain other things. 

This is the means by where Salvation comes- IF WE WILL:

1- Believe and Trust in God and his knowledge
2- Repent of and forsake our sins
3- Remember and retain the goodness of God (the joy felt through the repentance process)
4- Humble ourselves
5- Call on God daily
6- Stand steadfast in the faith

Then the Lord will give us (vs 11):

1- Joy (we shall always rejoice)
2-Charity (be filled with the Love of God)
3- Forgiveness (retain a remission of your sins)
4- Testimony/Knowledge (ye shall grow in a knowledge of the glory of him that created you)
5-Peace (Ye will not have mind to injure one another, but live peaceable)
6- Honesty (Ye will render to man according to that which is due)
7- Our basic needs met (Ye will not suffer your children to go hungry, or naked)
8- He will bless our children.

I find verse 14 and 15 very comforting.  I have often wondered how do we know if we have done all we can with our children, and taught them the things the Lord wants them to know.  But, if we do the above things, and then we experience the promise of the Lord in our home, Verse 14 and 15 tells how our children WILL be blessed by these things, and that example will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness and it will teach them to love one another and to serve one another.  BY OUR EXAMPLE.  It doesn't mean they will necessarily follow, because they always have their agency- however I think this formula is a wonderful way to ensure that we have done all that we can do and is a covenant for a happy life.  We truly can be happy, with Joy, forgiveness, charity, peace, honesty, and knowledge and our basic needs met, our home can be a heaven on earth, as long as we keep our side of the covenant, the Lord is bound to keep his.

Salvation can only come though our Savior, and that is what we must remember in order to obtain Salvation.

A.C.T. I will write down the joy I felt when I recognized the goodness of God in forgiving us of our sins, so that I can always retain that in my remembrance. (#3 above)

RETURN AND REPORT:  When I was in the Hill Cumorah Pagent, when i was a senior in high school. I had an amazing experience that showed me what it was like to be unworthy to enter his kingdom.  The scene was the yearning scene in which the Savior descends to the stage in Book of Mormon time.  I played a "wicked Nephite" during this scene- The director asked us all to take a moment to respond to the "actors" descention as we would if the Savior was truly there.  I thought no problem, but as he descended, suddenly I was overcome with guilt (not that I was a bad kid, but for a split second I felt a recognition of everything bad I had done in my life)  I was overwhelmed and had to turn away.  I just sat and cried, because I so badly wanted to run to  him and hug his feet, but I knew I had no place there.  That year I did a lot of repenting, and introspection.  I did NOT want to be in that same place again.  A year later i returned to the same scene, but this time, the joy that filled my heart was overwhelming.  I could NOT describe the joy in my heart as tears streamed again for the second time but different reason.  I had felt the song of redeeming love, I had felt his redeeming hand in my life, and knew that I had received that remission of my sins.  I pray that I may continually be stirred up in remembrance of that love and peace and joy that I felt at that time.  That I may always retain that in my memory.  I continue to need to repent and readjust along the way, but that experience is one that I fall back on to remind me of how merciful God truly is.