Friday, October 7, 2011

"Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father" -- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

This talk is all about refining ourselves in order to make our wills the same as the will of our Father in Heaven.  Elder Maxwell warns:

"Many of us thus have sufficient faith to avoid the major sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions."

It is a great thing to not be doing the bad things of the world.  But it is a greater thing to also be doing good things.  It is difficult, sometimes, to serve others; maybe even difficult to identify someone to serve, for as Elder Maxwell says:

"The hands which hang down and most need to be lifted up belong to those too discouraged even to reach out anymore."



So how DO we find them?  Here is another question: who is omnipotent and know everyone's needs?  Heavenly Father of course.  And how does Heavenly Father communicate with us here on the earth?  Through the Spirit.  I believe this "resource" of ours is too infrequently tapped, which is odd because it is the best "resource" we have by far.

Just like when you are looking into busying a red Jeep , you see red Jeeps everywhere -- when you pray for service opportunities, you see those in need everywhere.  But the other part, the IMPORTANT part, is not just seeing others needs, but meeting them.



This desire to serve others, and to be like Christ in every way, is called consecration.  Elder Maxwell says:

"consecration is not resignation or a mindless caving in.  Rather, it is a deliberate expanding outward, making us more honest when we sing, 'More used would I be.'  Consecration, likewise, is not shoulder-shrugging acceptance, but, instead, shoulder-squaring to better bear the yoke."

To be consecrated should be the goal of us all.  To perfectly align our wills to God's would result in pure joy and happiness.

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