Reee or yay!
Had an amazing week! I hope you all enjoy the letter. It contains:
- A miracle that happened.
- Also, an excerpt of something I've been trying to learn about grace,
We met someone amazing this week! Her name is Jimena and she told us that for her new years resolutions she wants to be baptized and eventually go on a mission like us! I am soooo excited for her! To hit two birds with one stone, we're having her teach a part of the lesson the next time we meet with her. It is going to be so fun
I've been doing some thinking about some things that I want to do better this year. I feel that I need to rely on my Savior. I'm the kind of person that thinks again and again that if I just work harder or do better I'll get what I deserve!.. haha. The only problem with that is that there is nothing we can do to buy the miracles that God wants to give us.
Try imagining this:
Us trying to purchase miracles from God by being a spiritual guy, would be like trying to go into the BYU creamery and asking to barter for an ice-cream cone... the only problem is that you're using an action figure as your bartering chip. (I've seen it as it goes down, and it's unsuccessful, just in case you were planning on it).
One time while Jesus was preaching, some Pharisees came up and did their usual Pharisee stuff. Go figure.
Jesus responded pretty succinctly:
Matthew 21: 27: Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28 ¶ But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
This was pretty cool(!!) because Jesus was pretty easily able to discern what the deep-rooted problem was for them and he breezed past the fluff to help them with what they needed and honestly not many people do that but they just have their prepared speech and they just GO FOR it regardless of whether or not the audience actually needs it yet (but don't mind me fan-girling over Him!)
I personally believe that "working a day in the vineyard," could mean doing what is neccesary to reach the Kingdom of Heaven(relying on a Savior, or perfectly abiding by God's commandments). A pharisee of that time believed -and prided themself- that they had to abide by an exceedingly complex set of 613 commandments in order to reach Heaven. By their own understanding, they could work themselves to heaven. By putting this task upon themselves, they were saying, "I go sir," but due to the impossibility of the task of perfect obedience, they would be unable to achieve it short of a miracle ;). I believe that it cut them to their cores when he mentioned those seemingly unworthy sinners as the primary recipients of that miracle of salvation.
In order to deepen our understanding of the point I'm trying to make, lets check out a portion of Luke 18:
the Pharisee “trusted in [himself] that [he was] righteous” (Luke 18:9). He recited all his goodness: he fasted twice a week and paid tithing. In his pride he felt he had nothing left to work on.
“God, I thank thee,” he said, “that I am not as other men are” (Luke 18:11).
“Standing afar off” was a publican—a tax collector who was much despised in that day. Unlike the self-congratulatory Pharisee, the publican “smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Which one received Jesus’s approval?
Contrasting the two attitudes, Jesus said, “I tell you, this man [the publican] went down to his house justified rather than the other.” Then the Savior added, “For every one that exalteth himself [like the Pharisee] shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself [like the publican] shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
God's miracles function in those willing to admit their faults: "lord, I go not," but are then willing to actually go forth, relying on His grace to provide a way to accomplish what He has commanded. It can work, and it does work. This I know, in the name of Jesus Christ, the miracle-giver, Amen.
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