Today’s Reading: Mosiah 2:38-3:5
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 never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
I have a set of scriptures that I used all through my high school seminary classes and sometimes I like to read through them to see what I wrote and how I interpreted things when I was a teenager. I love how as I look back, I can see how the Spirit has taught me in teeny tiny baby steps; a little precept here, a little knowledge there. As I was preparing for this post, I decided to go to the seminary scriptures to see what knowledge my teenage self gleaned from this passage of scriptures. When I opened up to page 151 (Mosiah 2:41) a gigantic smiley face jumped right off the pages at me. I had also written the words “Happy=Commandments.”
What a smart teenager I was.
I learned the lesson then and continue to have faith in it now…we are truly happy when we choose to keep the commandments of God. And I am not just talking about the kind of happiness that you get when you have a whole pan of brownies all to yourself. No, I am talking about the kind of happiness that will last throughout the eternities (although, having a pan of brownies all to myself does sound like heaven to me.)
In this passage of scriptures King Benjamin is trying to teach his people that if they want to be blessed spiritually AND temporally, they need to keep the commandments. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? And it is simple until we hit one of those times when we say to ourselves, “Hmm, I’m not sure what I think about that commandment. Is that really something that God expects me to do (or not to do?) How can that really be right?” This is where King Benjamin gives us the key.
..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 never-ending happiness…
There’s that word again…FAITH. We’ve got to have faith. There is no other way around it. We can’t see what God sees. We can’t know what He knows. And we don’t need to. Sometimes our brains tell us that we need to, but we really do not need to know the “why” of every little thing. Heavenly Father expects us, or rather, encourages us to exercise faith in Him and in His plan. If we can do that, if we can truly hold out faithful until the end, then we are promised that we will dwell with God in never-ending happiness. Never-ending happiness, people! Doesn’t that sound a-mazing? And I’ll bet that God’s never-ending happiness plan includes things that are WAY better than a whole pan of delicious chocolately brownies. Better than brownies?!? Sign me up for that plan.
We have no cause to really worry. Live the gospel, keep the commandments. Attend to your prayers night and morning in your home. Maintain the standards of the Church. Try and live calmly and cheerfully…Happiness must be earned from day to day. But it is worth the effort.
Ezra T. Benson [i]
I grew up the oldest of 5 children in the blazing heat of Southern Utah. After high school and some college experience I met and married Mark Ogden and we are the parents of four children. I have owned and operated my own home-based preschool for more than a dozen years, and I consider myself an accidental author as well. When I am not in my minivan transporting children from one activity to the next, I enjoy playing the piano, blogging, speaking about my life’s experiences, and feeding my insatiable crafting disease.