From: paul gage
FASTING PRAYING STUDYING AND LIVING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD
MAY 20, 2021
Greetings to the lovely Saints around the world,
We pray the good Lord is blessing you and your families and the Saints in your area. It seems, in some areas, COVID 19 is still on the rampage, so maybe we, as a people, longing for Zion, need to step up our efforts. After all, Matthew 6:38 tells us to "...seek YE first to build up the kingdom of God and to establish His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." You can go back and read Matthew 5-6 to find out what things Jesus was talking about.
If we are to "build up the kingdom," it must already be here in some form. We might ask, "Where, How, Who...." We know Jesus is all righteousness, so how do we "establish" it?
Through our total response to the ministry and commandments of God.
We have a couple of scriptures that are very interesting: Genesis 7:23. Finish the sentence, "And the Lord called his people Zion, because..........." The other scripture is Acts 2:1. Finish the sentence, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, ....."
Do you feel that much is happening in your life, your branch/group, your area? If not, why? Has the virus waylaid our efforts to "build up" and "to establish?"
Fasting, praying and studying are outward activities. What effect do they have on us inwardly, that is spiritually? What do you pray for and how does your prayer impact your life? We can be "proud" of our efforts of fasting, praying and studying, but do we put into effect the things we discipline ourselves for? Do we really forgive as we want to be forgiven? Do we love our enemies? Do we truly love our own brothers and sisters, in the flesh and in the church?
Do we allow our emotions to carry us away and maybe even make null and void, our efforts of fasting, praying and studying? Are we guilty of holding others to standards that we ourselves do not hold to? Do we carry ill will, resentment? Do we gripe, complain, and gossip? Do you suppose that these things that hinder us physically also hinder us spiritually?
Arthur Oakman, in his lectures called "The Endowment Series" makes the following statements: "Do you know the worst sin Latter Day Saints commit? They achieve a standard of righteousness, and they draw a line. If you don't come up to their standard of righteousness, God pity you. Their righteousness becomes God's righteousness, and they condemn everyone else who doesn't conform to their way of thinking. This is sin to which Latter Day Saints are particularly subject. Let no man judge another, but let him examine his own life and his own heart and seek to function at the maximum capacity physically and spiritually."
This is how we live out in our lives, that is "building up" and "establishing" what we are fasting, praying, and studying for. As a part of our daily preparations, maybe we should read, Doctrine and Covenants 85:20.
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