Little Gems

There are a few things that I love from the readings in the New Testament that we did this week. As I was reviewing the readings, I honestly was having a difficult time narrowing it down to just a few things that I absolutely loved. But as I looked back at the notes I took and what I highlighted in my scriptures, three distinct instances stood out to me.

O Jerusalem

The first of these is found in Luke 13:34 where the Lord exclaims, "Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!"

As I read this verse, I could sense the sadness and the anguish that Christ must have experienced at seeing the wickedness that was ever persisting in Jerusalem.

I sometimes get a small taste of His anguish as I watch those that I love and care about turn away from the things of God, and succumb to the temptations of the world. I have often gotten to the point where I feel the world couldn't possibly get more evil... only for something else to happen which shows me that things just keep getting worse.

But this scripture doesn't speak all "doom and gloom" to me. There is hope in the message that Christ is conveying. "How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings..." How beautiful is that? The Lord wants to help us, to heal us, to strengthen us. Just because the world seems to have turned their backs on Christ, that doesn't mean that Christ has turned His back on us. As we remain faithful and true to the things that we know, the Lord will be ever by our side, strengthening us and helping us. He will "gather [us] together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings" and we will be protected from the forces of the adversary.

To me, that is beautiful.

What Lack I Yet?

Elder Larry R. Lawrence gave a talk in the October 2015 General Conference that helps to shed some light on an account recorded in Matthew. Elder Lawrence said:

"Let's consider the New Testament account of the rich young ruler. He was a righteous young man who was already keeping the Ten Commandments, but he wanted to become better. His goal was

eternal life. When he met the Savior, he asked, 'What lack I yet?' Jesus answered immediately, giving counsel that was intended specifically for the rich young man. 'Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and ... come and follow me.' The young man was stunned; he had never considered such a sacrifice. He was humble enough to ask the Lord but not faithful enough to follow the divine counsel he was given. We must be willing to act when we receive an answer."

There are times when we all need to ask the Lord humbly, "What lack I yet?" This can be a difficult question to ask, especially when we are not sure that we want to hear the answer (and I know from personal experience that sometimes the answer is not what we were expecting). As Elder Lawrence said, it takes humility to come to the Lord with this question, but it takes great faith to follow the counsel that we receive as an answer to our question.

As we continue on in our lives, we will have need time and time again to approach the Lord with this question. I myself have asked similar things of the Lord more than once in my life. But we must always do so with the faith that it will take to do all that is asked of us. We probably will not be asked to sell all that we have like the man in the story was asked to do, but there are other things that we will be asked to do that may seem just as trying. As we are humble before the Lord, though, we will receive the answers to that great question, "What lack I yet?"

The Prodigal Son

I have always loved the story of the Prodigal Son. Not only does it speak of the love that a parent has for their child, but it speaks so strongly of repentance and forgiveness. We learn at the beginning of the chapter that "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10). As members of the Church we believe that we are literally the spirit sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. As such, we know that each and every one of us has great worth (D&C 18:10) to our Heavenly Father. Thus, why wouldn't He rejoice when one of His children repents and starts their journey back to Him?

Another thing that this story speaks about is humility. When the son in the story realizes that he has taken some wrong turns, he decides to return to his father. The son says, "I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants" (Luke 15:18-19).

How often have we felt unworthy to be a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father? I know I have experienced times when I felt unworthy even to pray to my Father in Heaven. But this is not the way the the Lord wants us to feel. He wants us to feel of His love and He wants us to turn to Him so that we can receive His help. And, as we do, He will respond in the same way that the father in the story of the Prodigal son did - "His father saw him, and had compassion ... For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:20, 24).

The gospel is a message of hope and peace; repentance and forgiveness. No matter what we have done or what we will do, we must never feel unworthy to ask our Father in Heaven for forgiveness and for His help. There will be rejoicing in Heaven and on Earth when we choose to forsake evil and turn towards the Lord.

Resources:

Larry R. Lawrence. What Lack I Yet? October 2015 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved from https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/what-lack-i-yet?lang=eng&_r=1