To gain faith, one must have a desire for it. Alma 32:27 states, "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." A wonderful scriptural example of someone having desire and gaining faith through that desire is that of Nephi. Nephi 2:16 says, "And it came to pass that I Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers." A significant difference between Nephi, and his brothers is Nephi's "great desires" to know if the things which his father had told him were true. And through Nephi's great desire and faith in Heavenly Father to provide him with an answer, Nephi was able to gain a testimony of things, which his father had told him. But Nephi might not have ever received this reassurance if it was not for his initial desire to know.
Ether 12:6 says, "...faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." This scripture tells us that in order to know with a surety and gain a testimony, one must first put forth their faith in order to receive sure knowledge, just as Nephi did when he asked Heavenly Father to let him know if his father's words were true. 1 Nephi 15:11 also counsels us. "Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said? If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made know unto you." If we obediently do what Heavenly Father has asked of us, and exercise faith by putting our trust in him, he will reassure us and bless us with a firm testimony of the gospel and its truths. In Stand a Little Taller, President Hinckley has said, "Faith is the basis of testimony. Faith underlies loyalty to the Church. Faith represents sacrifice, gladly given in moving forward the work of the Lord." Faith is of the utmost importance to possess because it is critical to our relationship in the church and with our Heavenly Father. Without faith, we cannot gain a testimony. Once we have faith and a testimony, we must constantly be strengthening them, and as President Hinckley counsels us, progressing in the Lord's work.
Nephi is a great example of continually and unfailingly progressing in the Lord's work, which in turns leads to blessings. In 1 Nephi 18, while Nephi and his family are on the ship sailing to the Promised Land, Laman and Lemuel become angry with Nephi and tie him up. As a result of this, the Liahona stops working and they are lost at sea in storms and tempests. Nephi is tied up for four days, until he is swollen and sore. Yet, in verse 16, Nephi says, "Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions." This scripture is a perfect and amazing example of Nephi's unshakable faith. Although Nephi is in obvious suffering and trouble, he does not complain of his afflictions, but displays his steadfast faith in the Lord. He knows and trusts that everything will be fine, according to the Lord's will. Instead of being angry or depressed because of his trials, he demonstrates his faith through his thankfulness to the Lord. By continually exercising our faith, we will be able to be more in tune with the spirit, and easily recognize the blessings that surround us.
One way of showing our gratitude to the Lord is to be working continually on building our faith, and in building our faith, we also strengthen our testimony. In James 2:20 we read, "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" It is of utmost importance to continually exercise our faith so that we do not lose or weaken our faith. In True to the Faith it says, "Faith and testimony are like the muscles of my arm. If I use those muscles and nourish them, they grow stronger. If I put my arm in a sling, and leave it there, it becomes weak and ineffective, and so it is with testimony." We need to consistently be doing things that keep us moving forward, not backward, such as studying the scriptures and praying. When we have a testimony and knowledge, we must then share our knowledge and testimony with others to help them to know the gospel is true. Through missionary work, kind deeds, and other types of service to others, we can continue to grow and progress and help others to grow and progress as well.
Works Cited:
1. The Scriptures (Alma 32:27; 1 Nephi 2:16, 15:11, 18:16; Ether 12:6; James 2:20).
2. Stand a Little Taller by Gordon B. Hinckley.
3. True to the Faith by the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
9 comments:
This piece has great flow. Good job! One way I think this piece could benefit is if you added an introduction and conclusion that outline your focus specifically.
You have put together a good web of scriptures on the topic of faith. I agree that you could select a focus for the introduction, outline the points you will cover, and then develop those ideas with the great scriptures you have cited.
Thank you for bringing up the point that building our faith shows gratitude to God. Truly, the only gift we can give to the Lord is of ourselves because everything else was his in the first place.
I like how you connected different gospel truths together to find the big picture. Good job Mogan :)
I really like at the end how you show that faith without works is dead. Could you just think of the disastrous of Nephi or Joseph Smith having faith but not doing anything about it. History would change and only God knows what could of happened. Works is an important part of faith.
I liked your quotes that showed different aspects of faith. Great blog overall!!
I'm glad you wrote about the necessity of having a desire to know and that was the difference between Nephi and his brothers. I thought that was a very good point
I like the connection made between faith and testimony and sacrifice from president Hinckley's book.
all the scriptures that you listed were great and really added to your topic!
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