"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24)
In this world, things don't simply stay static. We are either moving forwards or backwards. We are either gaining light or losing light. We are growing or decaying. The default state is entropy.
How do we gain additional light?
"He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." (D&C 93:28) "And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers." (D&C 93:39)
We gain light through obedience and lose it through disobedience and false traditions. We can study these first principles and ordinances of the gospel--faith, repentance, baptism, etc.--and we can understand them intellectually or in theory, but we don't truly understand them until we actually do them. As Christ says if we DO his will we shall KNOW of the doctrine (John 7:17). Obediently doing precedes fully understanding.
In the last days, the wheat and the tares are allowed to grow together (Matthew 13:37-43). You are either gaining light and becoming "wheat" or you are losing light and becoming a "tare". The default position is that we gradually lose light, hence the need to repent.
Repentance isn't just for "sinners". It is required of all of us. As we are more obedient, we learn more. Our light increases. We must then change to reflect what we have gained. To repent is to change. It is a lifelong process of becoming more like our Savior--of doing as He would have us do; saying as He would have us say; and thinking as He would have us think.
I like this post, and it's so true. I think that many of us believe we're doing just fine, but really if we're not moving forward we're moving backward. That's why the little things like reading our scriptures and saying our prayers are so important!
ReplyDelete