Mosiah and his message to me

In reading scripture today, there was a message for me. I write it here so that I can remember it later.

Mosiah 2:36-41

"36. And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved--"

I see this as the beginning of the message to me. I have truly seen and been taught the message. I am about to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost later today. If I should transgress and go contrary to that which I have learned, I would withdraw from the gift of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, I must be mindful of that.

"37. I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples."

It is the same to turn my back on that which I know is true as to call out to the world in open rebellion against God. I know of the evil spirit - unfortunately, it has a voice in my head whether I like it to or not. If I obey that evil spirit, the Lord has no place in me.

"38. Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever."

This is important as well. We should all know about the atonement. I do. I have read it. But for me, it is still a little difficult. I find myself sometimes thinking of the atonement as a way to just shirk the responsibility of walking the Righteous Path. It seems almost as though you could just do what you please and then "repent" and have it all washed away. I struggled with that.

But this verse teaches me more of the big picture - of the fullness of this plan. God knows if we repent sincerely. If our purpose is to commit sin with the intent of later "repenting" to make it "ok", then that isn't true repentence - it is premeditated sin. While I believe it IS possible to later TRULY repent for having taken that action - it can only happen out of true and sincere repentence, which of course involves being sorry for our action, trying to make amends, and taking what steps we can to truly prevent it from happening again.

But it is that much more clear what happens if you fail to do this - if you continue to walk the way of the devil without sincerely repenting, you will have a "lively sense of guilt". When I read of the end in the Book of Mormon, when I read of the last days, where every man and woman knows the actions of every other man and woman, that NOTHING is hidden anymore, I was struck by just how that would feel. That every transgression was known by every soul in existence. How much guilt would we surely feel then? And if we had failed to repent, how heavy the burden to look at making amends then?

We know we have a place after this life to sort things out, but it truly strikes me how important it is to get things right now, and not just for ourselves. How much work will there be to try to help all those souls that fell prey to the devil in this life? How many people will be filled in their breasts with "guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever."? How many friends and family members will we have to help?

"39. And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment."

I think this is pretty clear. I about it, and I shall change my actions where they need be changed.

"40. O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression."

I have seen and understood this message. I strive to remember the situation if I were to fall into transgression.

"41. And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of neverending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

I have read things such as this set of verses many times in my life. Deep in my heart I have known the truth of living a better life; indeed I have been blessed somehow to ALWAYS have known with some small vision of just how our good actions are rewarded. I have always been blessed with some way of understanding the impact of human nature on other people, and this has granted me the ability to see the myriad impacts of both a good act as well as a bad act.

I sit here just a few hours from my confirmation. This passage has spoken to me powerfully. I think I truly understand the covenant of my Baptism - my promises to the Lord, the result of transgression, and the blessings I will receive for following them.

I am extremely thankful and humbled.