2.282 An Effectual Door Shall Be Opened Unto You

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, it's great to have you with me.

Today let's be anxiously engaged in a good cause and bring to pass much righteousness. Have you ever had an opportunity to bear your testimony that you didn't see coming? We're reading this week Doctrine and Covenants section 111 through 114 as well as 3 Nephi chapters 6 through 10 and we're going to continue inside of Section 112.

We started that yesterday. This counsel to Thomas B. Marsh.

The Lord gives these men counsel to go and become missionaries in foreign countries and to start spreading the work beyond the towns that they live in especially at a time with so in the world in several hours. Back then, you're talking about months and years to get to these locations, and hear the Lord telling them to go out and spread the word. I just, I love it.

I love it. But let's talk about bearing your testimony when you didn't see it coming. I think there's an answer here to that.

Let's look at Doctrine and Covenants, Section 112, verse 19. It says this: Wherefore, whithersoever they shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you. And in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name, an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word.

Now the phrase in there that really caught my mind, I saw this and I thought, wow, I want to spend some time in this, is effectual door. And I thought, what in the world, what an interesting term to use, effectual door. I did kind of some personal kind of reflection.

I spent some time doing some research and I like to look at the early dictionaries, right? From around the 1828 to 30 range. And I love this idea of what effectual.

Primary, like the primary idea of effectual, is this: able or capable of reducing a desired effect. It's powerful. It's efficacious.

It's sufficient to achieve its intended purpose, right? There's power behind the term. And so I love the Lord using that because I think about times in my life where I've gone forward.

I talked to you about how I love to travel. And as I think about this, I've gone forward wherever, right? Wherever I going, whatsoever place you shall proclaim my name and effectual door shall be opened.

I can tell you that doors have opened for me to bear my testimony on planes, on trains, in automobiles to keep the phrase going. I've done it in foreign countries. I've done it in Europe, in Asia, in Africa.

I've done it over the Pacific Ocean, over the Atlantic Ocean. These opportunities. Now, I don't share that with you to say, you know, yay for Allen and bearing his testimony in all these places.

I share it with you to testify: The Lord opens doors for us to bear testimony. And whether the people hear it and automatically want the missionaries and want a Book of Mormon in their lives, that's not the point. We have an opportunity to bear testimony of a living, loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

We have an opportunity to bear testimony of a restored gospel of His Church on the earth today, of living apostles and prophets. And as you take the opportunity to let people know about that through bearing your testimony, the Lord will open doors for you to do so. I've had conversations with foreign exchange students who were living in Beijing and going back to New York and we talked for 11 of the 13 hours and she just kept asking questions about the gospel.

I think back on these opportunities to share, and I am grateful that the Lord puts inside of me a desire to share and effectually opens doors to do so. My friends, that opportunity is available to all of us if we will take it. Doors will be opened.

That's all for today my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice. Cleave to the covenants you have made and together we will be savory salt.