Day 63 Isaiah's Shortcomings and the Gift of Repentance

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth and, in the same sentence, offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life, and ultimately, you and I can be savory salt.

Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from. Thank you for joining me, and know that I'm cheering for your every success. Welcome to Day 63.

I am loving these Isaiah chapters. I am excited to share this one with you today. It's got me thinking a little bit about some interesting perspectives on a few of the gospel principles.

Today, on our 365-day journey together reading the Book of Mormon, we're going to read all of 2 Nephi 16 and we're going to read 2 Nephi 17, verses 1-15. So we're going to get a little bit of a chunky reading here with the Nephi-Isaiah chapters. Today we're going to get straight into the verse for today.

It comes from 2 Nephi 16. If you remember one of the verses we shared on Savory Salt a couple episodes ago—I guess it's been several episodes now—Nephi talked about why he shared the Isaiah chapters with us. And in it, he explained that he had seen the Lord and that Jacob, his brother, had seen the Lord.

And he also mentioned that Isaiah had seen the Lord as well. And Chapter 16 here gives us a little bit of insight into Isaiah's experience with the Lord and with the angels. Verse 5 in Chapter 16 is going to be our verse for the day, and then we're going to talk about that on the backside.

This is in the middle of an experience that he's having with a seraphim, right? With, like, an angelic being of sorts. And verse 5 says this: "The Lord of Hosts." Look, the Lord knows that He's not working with perfect people.

If you're trying to be one of those perfect people, it's okay. The Lord knows that you're going to have shortcomings. Isaiah has them, Nephi has them, and it's okay for us to have them as well.

One of the things I love about this verse, and actually the verses around it, is that it shows us that repentance is an opportunity for everyone to change our hearts and to draw closer to the Lord. Isaiah had seen the Lord and knew very well his own shortcomings and saw himself as undone, right? He was like, "Oh my goodness, but I make mistakes!" The Lord knows that.

He's absolutely willing to work with us, knowing that we are going to be a flawed and undone people. I think awareness of shortcomings is not something for us to get down about. It's not something to discourage us.

It's an opportunity for us to see ways that we can better invite the Lord into our lives and take steps to have Him with us more often, to be able to enjoy the feelings of the Spirit more often. On the off chance that I'm the only one that ever felt like I made mistakes here, I share with you an opportunity to embrace the power of repentance in your life. See what repentance can do for you.

Don't see it as a beating. Don't see it as a downside to the gospel. Don't see it as a shaming.

That's not what the Lord wants you to do as you approach repentance. It's an opportunity for you to change your heart, to change whatever actions or thoughts need to be repented of, and to take steps to draw closer to the Lord in your own life. That's worth digging into a little bit today.

I hope you're enjoying the Isaiah chapters. We've only got a few more left. I think we've got maybe a week left of Isaiah chapters, and then it'll be gone and we'll say, "Oh my goodness, where did they go?" What can we do in our lives without them?

That's right. You can always come back to Savory Salt episode here. And today, I got caught rambling a little bit.

So, I will tell you that's all I have for today, my friends. Remember that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Like repentance.

Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow. Hope you are too.