2.315 Irrevocable Law

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. In this episode, the secret to all blessings. And I mean that.

It's actually here. Inside of our readings this week, we're reading this week Doctrine and Covenants Sections 129 through 132, as well as 3 Nephi 29 through Mormon 2. It's one of those rare times where it feels like we're reading three different books inside the Book of Mormon, even though 4 Nephi is just one chapter.

All right, let's get into our verse for today. I'm actually going to continue a little bit from yesterday with this idea of intelligence, although it's different, it's kind of a continuation of that idea. And to bridge those, I've got to share with you, I think I've, well, I don't know if I've shared this before, but it's something that with these verses just stands out to me.

I don't know if my girls will appreciate me sharing this or not, but it's been a number of years ago. My girls came home and they were explaining that they were, or at least one of my girls, had been called certain names, and that other people in their class were called these names as well. And I asked what names had been called, you know, by whoever in the room.

And it was a new one for me; I'd never heard this one before. They were called "try-hards." And supposedly if you were called a "try-hard" you were someone that was basically trying hard to be good and to excel and to be awesome. And it was supposed to be like a—I'm going to read—a derogatory comment.

It was supposed to be something like, you know, "I can't believe you're such a try-hard." Like, can you even imagine like trying hard to do good? And so the reason I laugh at that and the reason I bring this in is because our verse for today connects with our verse yesterday in terms of our gaining of intelligence and taking with us. My friends, I hope you and I are "try-hards," and I hope other people in the world that are insulting us for being "try-hards." I hope at some point in their life they realize the gaining of knowledge and the seeking of blessings to be an advantage in their life as well.

I hope that that light turns on at some point. We're going to break a rule a little bit here with Savory Salt. I don't do this very often.

I think I've only done it once before on Savory Salt. But today we're going to put an entire sentence together, even though it continues between two verses. I know, I know, I'm sorry, but we've got to connect these two.

And this is a pivotal lesson for all of us, especially when it comes to being a little more savory salt. Our verse for today is Doctrine and Covenants Section 130, verse 20, and we'll say quietly, "21." It's one sentence, two verses, but this is why it's so important. Listen to this: "There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world upon which all blessings are predicated." I told you at the beginning of this episode, here's the secret to all blessings.

It's right here. This law is irrevocable. Verse 21: "And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is—it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." My friends, this boils down to something so insanely simple and yet so seemingly invisible for many of us at different times in our lives.

If you want the blessing, live the law. Following the laws the Lord has decreed forcibly brings the blessings upon us. It is irrevocable.

You can't deny it. You can't break it. The Lord can't stop it from happening.

He has attached blessings to following the law. And you and I can receive those blessings by following whichever law the blessing is predicated. So I have seen in my life, times where I have sought to increase my obedience in order to seek the blessing or the miracle from the Lord.

I know it is true. I know it is real. It is universal law.

It is irrevocable. I hope and I pray that you, that me, that our families can all "try-hard." I hope we can all be "try-hards" in our lives. I hope that we can seek to understand that the blessings the Lord can give us are associated directly with our obedience to the Lord.

The Laws. That's such a vital lesson, especially in the verses and Sections of Doctrine and Covenants this week. As we get into the difficult times of plural marriage and trying to understand that historical context and why did it happen and why doesn't it happen and how come it's not now and how come it was back in the day and all those questions that come.

My friends, at the end of the day, obedience brings blessings. That I can tell you. Testify.

And I'll leave you with that idea to stew on for yourselves. That's all for today, my friends. Lift up your hearts and rejoice.

Cleave unto the covenants you have made. The blessings come. And together we will be savory salt. For more information, visit us at www.fema.org.