Welcome to Day 13
If your just joining this series; this is a continuation of The Invitation, a previously posted blog challenge. Please feel free to read the other days and start at anytime! Incorporate this challenge to fit you! Weekly, monthly, daily however it will work for you! All material is original blog material written by Dixie. ( I just borrowed the idea ;) Scripture suggestions are from my personal study, all thoughts and challenges are from my personal history and my future as I too continue to strive for more closeness to Christ.
Thought for the day: I have been taught and believe that each individual that has ever been born into this world bears a special relationship to deity, and has been the actual spiritual son or daughter of God the Father in the pre-mortal world of spirits. This means that you are the offspring of Deity, literal descendants of a Divine Father, inheriting godly attributes and potential. Each individual has in them divine nature. What is the divine nature? It is the nature of God. It is the nature, perfection, personality, glory, power, and holiness not only of the Father but also of the Son, Jesus Christ, for he has partaken of the “fulness” and has become like the Father in every respect. We are promised that, since Christ has obtained this fulness, we, through obedience to him, may ultimately do so also. In another sense, however, because we have not yet fully become like Heavenly Father, divine nature is something we must “be partakers of,” The Apostle Peter gives us an understanding of what it means to “be partakers of Divine Nature”, it is escaping “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” To rise above the temporal and sensual and partake of the divine spirit of God. To walk as Jesus walks, to walk with him…..Peter specifies faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity these are not demonstrated in perfection by fallen mankind here below, but by the Father and Son who are above. Yet, we are to obtain these qualities too, somehow, and become perfect therein. As you learn about God and then strive to become like him, you can actually draw down the powers of heaven to help you act more like Jesus Christ here and now thus developing your divine nature.
“When through the Gospel, the Spirit in man has so subdued the flesh that he can live without wilful transgression, the Spirit of God unites with his spirit, they become congenial companions, and the mind and will of the Creator is thus transmitted to the creature.”- Brigham Young
Penny in the shoe: as you feel the penny in your shoe today remember that, YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD….literally…..he knows you personally, he knows what you go through, he knows of your pain, he is aware to your needs….
Challenge for the day: develope your divine nature, it is what brings you closer to Christ. But keep in mind as you do that we have the specific characteristics of the divine nature laid out in the scriptures; however, it is a lifelong matter of faith and diligence. But it is also a matter of divine assistance, involving a personal relationship with Christ; and a study of Peter will show you that, divine nature of the Father and the Son are well within your reach. The process is just as real and operable as you are willing for it to be in your life.
For the daily challenge consider these questions and find an area to begin work on, TODAY…..
Am I striving continually to control any undesirable thoughts that would have produced unrighteous action.
During this past week, have I read the scriptures.
Am I moderate with the things that I do, including eating, internet, video games, tv, and the like….it is not good to overdo anything and takes away from the spirit.
Am I able to forebear against retaliating by words or actions.
Am I sincerely striving to become like God in my speech and actions.
Does Love of Jesus Christ prevail in the way I speak and treat others
Suggested Scripture Study: (reading made easy click to view) 2 Peter 1:4–8 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Philippians 4:13. 2 Peter 1:5–7 Matthew 5:48
Journaling Thought: Can you remember a time when you felt the love of the Lord just for you, as your elder brother…..
If your just joining this series; this is a continuation of The Invitation, a previously posted blog challenge. Please feel free to read the other days and start at anytime! Incorporate this challenge to fit you! Weekly, monthly, daily however it will work for you! All material is original blog material written by Dixie. ( I just borrowed the idea ;) Scripture suggestions are from my personal study, all thoughts and challenges are from my personal history and my future as I too continue to strive for more closeness to Christ.
Thought for the day: I have been taught and believe that each individual that has ever been born into this world bears a special relationship to deity, and has been the actual spiritual son or daughter of God the Father in the pre-mortal world of spirits. This means that you are the offspring of Deity, literal descendants of a Divine Father, inheriting godly attributes and potential. Each individual has in them divine nature. What is the divine nature? It is the nature of God. It is the nature, perfection, personality, glory, power, and holiness not only of the Father but also of the Son, Jesus Christ, for he has partaken of the “fulness” and has become like the Father in every respect. We are promised that, since Christ has obtained this fulness, we, through obedience to him, may ultimately do so also. In another sense, however, because we have not yet fully become like Heavenly Father, divine nature is something we must “be partakers of,” The Apostle Peter gives us an understanding of what it means to “be partakers of Divine Nature”, it is escaping “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” To rise above the temporal and sensual and partake of the divine spirit of God. To walk as Jesus walks, to walk with him…..Peter specifies faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity these are not demonstrated in perfection by fallen mankind here below, but by the Father and Son who are above. Yet, we are to obtain these qualities too, somehow, and become perfect therein. As you learn about God and then strive to become like him, you can actually draw down the powers of heaven to help you act more like Jesus Christ here and now thus developing your divine nature.
“When through the Gospel, the Spirit in man has so subdued the flesh that he can live without wilful transgression, the Spirit of God unites with his spirit, they become congenial companions, and the mind and will of the Creator is thus transmitted to the creature.”- Brigham Young
Penny in the shoe: as you feel the penny in your shoe today remember that, YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD….literally…..he knows you personally, he knows what you go through, he knows of your pain, he is aware to your needs….
Challenge for the day: develope your divine nature, it is what brings you closer to Christ. But keep in mind as you do that we have the specific characteristics of the divine nature laid out in the scriptures; however, it is a lifelong matter of faith and diligence. But it is also a matter of divine assistance, involving a personal relationship with Christ; and a study of Peter will show you that, divine nature of the Father and the Son are well within your reach. The process is just as real and operable as you are willing for it to be in your life.
For the daily challenge consider these questions and find an area to begin work on, TODAY…..
Am I striving continually to control any undesirable thoughts that would have produced unrighteous action.
During this past week, have I read the scriptures.
Am I moderate with the things that I do, including eating, internet, video games, tv, and the like….it is not good to overdo anything and takes away from the spirit.
Am I able to forebear against retaliating by words or actions.
Am I sincerely striving to become like God in my speech and actions.
Does Love of Jesus Christ prevail in the way I speak and treat others
Suggested Scripture Study: (reading made easy click to view) 2 Peter 1:4–8 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Philippians 4:13. 2 Peter 1:5–7 Matthew 5:48
Journaling Thought: Can you remember a time when you felt the love of the Lord just for you, as your elder brother…..
“Remember Who You Are”
About the time I turned 14 years old, my mother
started talking in code. Just as I would run out the door for some new
adventure with my friends, she would call out, “Remember who you are!”
I wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that, but I
would pretend to understand and yell over my shoulder, “OK, Mom. Bye!”
At times I would think about her coded message. What was she trying to
say? I knew who I was. So what?
As I was growing up, life with my family
was not always pleasant. After one particularly bad night, I remember
staring at myself in the mirror, hardly recognizing the reflection
staring back at me because my face was red from my father’s repeated
slaps. I started crying, not knowing what to do or think. I thought
about running away. Even worse, ideas of ending my unhappy life came
into my confused mind.
At no other time—before or since—have I felt so
alone. I felt worn out, almost willing to let the surrounding darkness
take over. I looked into the mirror once more. I don’t even know myself, I cried inwardly. Then I heard my mother’s phrase repeated clearly and distinctly in my mind: Remember who you are! Remember who you are!
For the first time, I realized what my mother meant.
She wanted me to remember my divine heritage. A phrase from the Primary
song echoed in my mind: “I am a child of God” (Hymns,
number 301). That sudden reminder helped me fight Satan’s temptation to
do something foolish. The knowledge that my nature was divine would
help me endure; my mother understood that, and I know she hoped that
someday I would as well.
The Lord Jesus Christ
is the perfect example of one who understood His divine heritage. The
scriptures tell us that in His youth He “increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). The more His understanding grew, the better prepared He was to fulfill His role as the Savior of the world.
We will not be called upon to suffer as Jesus Christ
did. But to help us overcome our trials, Heavenly Father has given us
tools that can increase our understanding of our divine heritage. From
the scriptures, we learn how others have recognized their roles as sons
and daughters of God and have acted accordingly. From living prophets,
we learn of our divine nature
and potential. Through the priesthood, we can receive inspired
blessings that remind us of our relationship to Heavenly Father. In the
temple, we are instructed as we participate in sacred ordinances. And
through prayer, we can obtain the help we need when we forget who we
are.
The years following the night I figured out my mother’s code were difficult. But recognizing my divine nature
helped me view my challenges with an eternal perspective. This
knowledge eventually led me to marry in the temple and to work with my
husband to rear a family firmly grounded in the gospel.
I still think often about my mother’s words. At
times I have imagined a final moment with Heavenly Father before I
departed for earth. I like to picture Him embracing me and urging me on
with a few last words of advice: “Remember who you are!”
With Love from Dixie…..
