context ~ 2 years ago I left on mormon mission to wisconsin, & in January met an individual who really caused me to think & feel a lot of things. This is an excerpt from my journal the week that we met her.
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first of all, there is room for EVERYONE in Christ's gospel. "He layeth down His own life that He may draw ALL men unto Him. wherefore, He commandeth NONE that they shall not partake of His salvation." (2 ne 26:24) Jesus stands with open arms to receive ALL those who will come unto Him and be saved. that's a fact. there is room for EVERYBODY in God's family.
Second... God allows us to be born into a fallen world because He knows that only through our struggles can we learn and become like Him. The "natural man" is an enemy to God. "for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God." none of us can just "be ourselves" and return to live with God again...
We are imperfect beings in an imperfect world, but we serve a perfect God whose perfect Son wrought a perfect Atonement so that we could be changed and return to live with Them :)
the whole idea of life is choosing God's will above our own and becoming TRANSFORMED through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. "Bringing our lives in line with God's will through repentance is a central purpose of our lives." (PMG).
The fact is, God accepts us and loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us this way. none of us are perfect, but through the grace of God we ALL can become perfected. He will make us into MORE than we are - if we'll let him!
So come. Come to church in your pants. Come as you are, but please don't leave as you were. Come unto Christ, & be perfected in Him. deny yourselves of all ungodliness.
"Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive, and blessed are those who come unto me."
"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee."
"Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin which doth easily beset you... come, and go forth, and show unto God that we are willing to repent."
"Remember that the Lord surely should come to redeem His people, but that He should not come to redeem them IN their sins, but to redeem them FROM their sins. & He hath power to redeem them from their sins because of REPENTANCE."
THAT is why repentance is a central purpose of our lives. God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. THANK GOD. and thankfully His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts."
"Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive, and blessed are those who come unto me."
"Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee."
"Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin which doth easily beset you... come, and go forth, and show unto God that we are willing to repent."
"Remember that the Lord surely should come to redeem His people, but that He should not come to redeem them IN their sins, but to redeem them FROM their sins. & He hath power to redeem them from their sins because of REPENTANCE."
THAT is why repentance is a central purpose of our lives. God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. THANK GOD. and thankfully His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts."
"as we change, we recognize that we are children of God and that we need not continue making the same mistakes over and over." as elder kanahele (from new zealand) would say, "so true. so true." :)
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