With a new year, I find myself reflecting on years past and future. As I do so, I realize that the year immediately before me is the most important year of my life. This is so because the decisions I make this year will either help or hinder my goal to be a true follower of Christ.
As I look about me, and observe my fellow followers of Christ at church, and in the bloggernacle, I am both inspired and concerned. I am inspired by many who successfully navigate the challenges of mortality by taking the Holy Spirit as their guide. They hunger and thirst after righteousness and are blessed with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Others, cause me concern because their focus is to mingle the scriptures with the philosophies of men. The cost for this can be the loss of or the less frequent companionship of the Holy Ghost.
This isn’t a new phenomenon, the Book of Mormon describes this common condition among the Nephites saying:
And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith. Jarom 1:4
Those who attempt to mingle the precepts of men and the gospel of Christ are sooner or later going to be rewarded with bitter fruit, “for behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit…and deny…the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit…? I beseech of you in the words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of day, harden not your hearts.” Jacob 6
We have been taught that the Gentiles will ultimately deny Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the modern day prophets (2 Nephi 28:32 & D&C 45:28-29). While the Lord’s arm of mercy is extended to the Gentiles, I hope many will repent and come unto Him with full purpose of heart.
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