Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 3:23-24

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 3:23-24
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:"

How grateful I am for the plan of redemption. That through the grace of Christ I can be redeemed from my sins.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
(Isaiah 1:18)

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified of the absolute necessity of divine grace in order to be justified:
“Just as death would doom us and render our agency meaningless but for the redemption of Christ, even so, without His grace, our sins and bad choices would leave us forever lost. There would be no way of fully recovering from our mistakes, and being unclean, we could never live again in the presence of the ‘Man of Holiness’
“We cannot look to the law to save us when we have broken the law.. We need a Savior, a Mediator who can overcome the effects of our sins and errors so that they are not necessarily fatal. It is because of the Atonement of Christ that we can recover from bad choices and be justified under the law as if we had not sinned” (“Moral Agency,” Ensign, June 2009, 50).
(New Testament Student Manual, Chapter 35: Romans 1-3)

Day 4173

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 2:3

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 2:3
"And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

Such a good question I need to ask myself when I wish to judge another. How do I know so well their sins? Because more than likely I have the same weakness. When you point one finger at another there are three pointing back at you.

Day 4172

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 1:11

Today's Favorite Verse: Romans 1:11
"For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;"

I pondered on the times I have seen and listened to a prophet and apostle of God in person. How the spirit would testify of the truthfulness of their words. It would strengthen my faith and anchor it. I imagine for the saints being able to hear Paul would be the same. How blessed I am for the day I live in. With the internet I can hear their words right in my home. I don't have to wait for an apostle to come to my area. I know the great apostasy happened with the early saints, and now with the restoration of the gospel the church as a whole will never fall into apostasy again. I think being able to hear the words of the prophet and apostles so frequently is one of the ways that is possible. We are continually being nourished. It's up to us to feast on it.

Day 4171

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 28:27

Today's Favorite Verse: Acts 28:27
"For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Why would anyone want to not see, hear and known and be converted? Do you intentionally do this? As I pondered on this and thought of people I knew that have done this. I thought yes, it is intentional for them. They don't want to see truth because that would mean they need to change. Pride is another reason they do not want to see, especially when they have openly persecuted the church. Thinking about this made me read 4 Nephi and how they did not dwindle in unbelief, but willfully rebel against the gospel of Christ. Yes, their hearts had waxed gross. It is my constant prayer that this never happens to me. I know how precious it is to have eyes that see and ears that hear, and know and understand.

Day 4170