Hello, friends of the Akron Ohio Stake. Scriptures are a wonderful blessing prepared and given to us by God for our present and everlasting benefit. We all tend to have our favorite scriptures that bring us peace and comfort and also point us in the right direction. I would like to share six scriptures that do exactly that for me.
Each morning, I sit down with a few minutes carved out as a quiet, contemplative time. I remind myself of the quote from God telling us what His all-consuming focus is: For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man(Moses1:39).
That is a wonderful and comforting truth about how much importance God places on us coming back to live with Him. I think it is wise to let that settle into my mind each morning. I think of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s great sacrifice to provide the gift of immortality as well as making eternal life possible. This next scripture is a clear manifestation of what needed to be done to make His “work and glory” available to us. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Thinking of God’s “work” and the sacrifice He made, I focus on what God has taught about what our “work” should be: Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength (D&C11:20, italic added).
One truth, of which the Holy Spirit has overwhelmingly convinced me, is that God has given us commandments because He loves us and knows that we will be happier if we keep them.
If my “work” is to keep the commandments, what is the most important one to focus on? It is the first and great commandment, namely to …love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:37, 39).
If I truly love God as the scriptures suggest, I now ask myself, “What will I do differently today?” Next, I remind myself of scriptures that tell us that …the love of God … is the most desirable of all things … and the most joyous to the soul (1 Nephi 11:22-23).
After establishing the wonderful effect God’s love has on us, I turn to the scripture that exhorts us to …pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which He hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ (Moroni 7:48).
Those six scriptures refresh my mind with important truths for a wonderful foundation for my thoughts, and hopefully, actions, throughout the day.
I invite you to use these scriptures, or your own favorites, to start each day by filling your mind with comforting peaceful truths about God, His love for you, and for the need for us to love Him.
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