Works of Righteousness

Paul concludes the epistle to the Hebrews with much needed counsel to the saints of old that apply so perfectly to us today, the latter days, that I wanted to share.

1. Remember those who are in bonds, as if we were in bonds ourselves.

2. Marriage is good for everybody 

I like what president Gordon B. Hinckley said: “First, it is imperative that you not neglect your families. Nothing you have is more precious. Your wives and your children are deserving of the attention of their husbands and fathers. When all is said and done, it is this family relationship which we will take with us into the life beyond. To paraphrase the words of scripture, ‘What shall it profit a man though he serve the Church faithfully and lose his own family?’ (see Mark 8:36)” (Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, June 21, 2003, 22). In the end, the Lord wants us to have families, and we will be blessed more than we can imagine when we do what He has asked us to do.

3. In the Savior we have everything we could ever need

4. The world may change, but our Savior does not change

5. Through His blood, Jesus sanctifies us
To be sanctified, means that the Savior (if we let Him) changes us. Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the Quorum of the Seventy beautifully compares our sanctification to land being reclaimed, in the same way that the Savior reclaims us from our carnal and fallen state to beauty and cleanliness. I don't always have a way with words, so I'll link a Mormon Message that puts it better than I ever could. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7V2ET7p5FA).

6. Praying for our leaders
Today in the world some people may say "marriage is not for me", but I say to that person, pity! Marriage is a good thing, even if it takes longer than we would like to get married. I say this from experience since I didn't get married until I was 29, which for some may be a long time, but for me it happened at exactly the right time. The Lord knows us and He knows what is best for us, and if we listen to him, we will be guided to the path that He knows is best for us, even when we become discouraged.

Prayer is a powerful tool that we have, and that unfortunately, I sometimes forget to use it as much as I should, but I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers, and He wants us to pray for our leaders who guide us in these last days.

Paul teaches us that instead of wasting our energies on covetousness, we should be grateful for what we do have, which is the Savior himself. What better gift could we ask for? Not only do we have the Savior to be our comforter and our mediator, but He also promised to send us the Holy Ghost to also comfort us in our times of need. He said:

I like the EFY song about the Northern Light because speaks beautifully of how steady and sure the Savior's guidance is in our lives, like the north star. President Hinckley spoke of his summer childhood when he would sit under the stars with his brother, and would think about how constant it is, and could always depend on. The Savior is the same way and can always be depended on for guidance and support, and He never changes, like the north star.

The Savior paid the ultimate price in order to ensure that we have the chance to return to the presence of the Father, and this He did with his blood. He died for us and for our sins.

Paul concluded his epistle asking the saints to pray for him, presumably so that the Lord would bless him to be able to accomplish his duty to preach the gospel. In our day we should do the same and pray for our leaders, who have the great responsibility to guide this great church. I read on the Ensign about an experience an Apostle had many years ago, and it reflects the need to pray for our leaders. The story goes that this apostle was sitting in a room, and a little boy sat next to him and they had this exchange: “Mister, I think I know who you are.” The Apostle said, “Who am I?” The boy said, “I think you are one of the Apostles of the Church. I think you are the one who travels all over the ocean on big boats and little boats and all kinds of airplanes—and you are the one who never gets sick or hurt in any wrecks.” The Apostle acknowledged that he was the one who was having those great experiences. The boy then said to him, “Do you know why it is you don’t ever get killed or get hurt?” The Apostle said, “No, why is that?” The little Primary boy said, “That’s because I pray for you.”

To me, this means that we have compassion upon those who are in prison, as the Savior taught in Matthew 25:34-40. This also reminds me of the council that King Benjamin gave to his people when he taught them to have compassion on he beggar. He taught the people that it is not our place to judge the beggar, but to have compassion and help. I feel that the same thing applies to those in prison, and that we should leave the judgement to the Lord, who is more righteous than us (Mosiah 4).

"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you...But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father wills send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:18, 26-27)

The time we sometimes spend wishing for better things should instead be spent in being grateful for, and striving to have the Holy Ghost with us so that we can remember what marvelous gift we have been given.