2.105 According to the Truth Which is in Christ

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth, a bold reminder that our lives are meant to carry his flavor, his truth, and his love to the world. Join me each day to explore one verse of scripture and one thought, striving to stay full of savor and truly live as savory salt. Hello, my friends, great to have you with me.

Today let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. Welcome to the Holy Week as we continue rolling through our study of Easter, as well as sneaking in a few of the Book of Mormon verses from our reading this week. We're going to have one more from last week in the Book of Enos, but remember this week you're going to be reading Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, and Mosiah chapters 1 and 2 inside of your Easter studies.

That is, if you're just keeping pace with the Book of Mormon through the Year reading. I've also attached, I hope you've noticed inside of the podcast episodes, a link if you would like to follow the Church's suggested study for Easter. There's a link there to the manual.

You can look at that as well. But today I want to make sure that as we're doing the Book of Mormon readings along the way, I've tried to see it through the lens also of what it could mean for the Living Christ, and for a testimony for each one of us and a reminder for each one of us of the power that Christ's Atonement plays in our lives. And Enos is a great place to go for that.

So we're going to look at Enos 1:26 as our verse for today. It says: "And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world." Now I love that because here Enos is wrapping up his pretty short record, and yet from the front of the Book of Enos, we know that Enos struggled with his own testimony in seeking repentance and seeking to know Jesus Christ.

And then when he received forgiveness and felt of that love of his Savior, he spent the rest of his days preaching through the power of God, prophesying unto the people, declaring the word which is in Christ, and he declared it all of his days. Friends, I think you and I could learn something from that. I know I can especially, and that is that when we receive a fulness of joy through repentance and through forgiveness, we have an opportunity to share that with others.

And it got me thinking about a poem that was recently shared in sacrament meeting with a sister that's about to go on her mission. She shared it with us. She was from another ward, actually.

I can't even reference who she is, but I know this poem, and it was written by a gentleman by the name of S. L. Lewis, and he wrote it with some elders from his mission.

But I wanted to just share this with you today as well. It's called "Holes," and it says this: "I had been in that hole for a very long time, in the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime. The shaft was above me, I could see it quite clear, but there's no way I ever could reach it from here.

Nor could I remember the world way up there, so I lost all my hope and gave in to despair. I knew nothing but darkness, the floor and the walls. Then off in the distance I heard someone call, 'Get up!

Get ready! There's nothing the matter. Take rocks and old sticks and build up a fine ladder.' This had never occurred to me, had not crossed my mind, but I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal. For one way or another, I'd get out of that hole. So I soon had a ladder that was sturdy and tall, and I thought I'll soon leave this place once and for all.

I climbed up my ladder. It was no easy chore, for from lifting these boulders my shoulders were sore. I climbed on up the ladder, but soon had to stop, for my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.

I climbed back down my ladder and started to cry. I'd done all I could do. I gave my best try.

And in spite of my work in this hole, I must die. And all I could do was to sit and to think, why? Was my ladder too short?

Or my hole much too deep? Then from way upon high came a voice, 'Do not weep.' And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest, as the voice said to me that I'd done my best. He said, 'You've worked very hard and your labor's been rough, but the ladder you've built is at least tall enough.

Do not despair, you have reason to hope. Just climb up your ladder, I'll throw down my rope.' I climbed up the ladder, then climbed up the cord. When I got to the top, there stood the Lord.

I couldn't be happier; my struggle was done. I blinked in the brightness that came from the sun. I fell to the ground, his feet did I kiss.

I cried, 'What can I do to repay Thee for this?' Then he looked all about him, there were holes in the ground. They had people inside, and were seen all around. There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark, and deep.

Then the Lord turned to me and He said, 'Feed my sheep.' Then He went on His way to help other lost souls. And I got right to work, calling down to the holes, 'Get up, get ready, there's nothing the matter. Take rocks and old sticks and build up a fine ladder.' It now was my turn to spread the good word, the most glorious message that man ever heard, that there's one who is willing to save one and all.

And we've got to be ready when he gives the call. He'll pull us all out of the hole that we're in and save all our souls from death and from sin. So do not lose faith.

There is reason to hope. Just build up your ladder. He'll throw down his rope." That's all for today, my friends.

Lift up your hearts and rejoice. Cleave unto the covenants you have made, and together we will be savory salt. For more information, visit us at www.fema.org.