A Source of Unfailing Strength

In my Sunday church meetings today, the Bishop (the local leader of our congregation) addressed us and announced our ward's (or congregation's) theme for the year of 2014. He spoke of Paul's conversation with the Lord in 2 Corinthians 12 and the "thorn in the flesh" that he asked the Lord to remove, and how the Lord told Paul that His grace was sufficient and His power is made perfect in weakness.

The Bishop shared a Book of Mormon verse in which another servant of God, Moroni, is worried about his weaknesses and fears that his best will not be enough for the task at hand.

The Lord delivers these comforting words to Moroni:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

In the words of the Lord to both servants, I was struck by the phrase "my grace is sufficient." I decided to study it in more detail. I visited a website that allows side-by-side comparison of the Greek and English New Testament texts, along with detailed definitions and etymology of the Greek words. I would like to share what I learned.

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Arkei soi e charis mou

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'Arkei' generally means to suffice, or to be sufficient or enough. However, it can also mean "to possess unfailing strength."

What possesses this unfailing strength?

'Charis' means grace. Whose grace? 'Charis mou'. "My grace," the Savior tells us.

'Soi e' means "for you" (roughly).

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"My grace possesses unfailing strength for you."

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There is nothing that God cannot help us to overcome. If we put our whole trust in Him, we can overcome any Goliath.
Through the unfailing grace of God, our weaknesses - physical, mental, social, spiritual - can be turned into strengths.

Jesus Christ died so that we might live. He suffered all things so that He may lift us above all things.

His grace is sufficient.

I know it.

The Nature of Deity

This morning, I sought to better understand the nature of God. I made it the focus of my personal study in the word of God. Among other things, I read the words of Joseph Fielding Smith, a modern-day prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, found here.

As I read, I developed a statement of what the nature of Deity is to me. I would like to share this now, and invite the reader to carefully consider each point. The basis for this understanding of Deity is the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820, in which he saw the Father and the Son as two separate and distinct beings (see video below).



Here is my statement of personal belief:


God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct beings. God is our literal and personal Father, who knows us by name. We were literally created in His image. Jesus Christ, His Son, paid the price for our sins so that we can live with God again if we choose to obey God and repent. But, because God has given us agency to choose, He will not force us to follow Him, and if we do not, we will not be saved. God wants all of His children to return to Him and has provided a way for us to be like Him. He sends His servants, prophets, to show us the way and to help us be successful and happy in this life.