2.365 Deny Not the Gifts of God (Yes, that means 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. I think it's appropriate we end this season and this year talking about gifts. As we wrap up inside of Moroni chapter 9 and 10, we're going to look at a section in Moroni 10 that I think is fascinating that Moroni decided to include.

The front end of Moroni 10 has Moroni's promise and challenge. The back end has a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and his Atonement in perfecting all of us. What does the middle have?

The middle has this incredible section where Moroni exhorts, if you haven't remembered that one, listen to yesterday. Exhorts that we deny not the gifts of God. Let's take a look at the verse and then let's talk about it.

Moroni chapter 10, verse 8. We'll finish out season 2 of Savory Salt. And again I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God.

For they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them. Then begins the list.

It's a very similar list to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. And both of those lists are also very similar to Doctrine and Covenants section 46. But be mindful that you don't consider those all-inclusive lists.

You may remember just recently here, Elder Uchtdorf in October 25 gave a talk talking about gifts and having us do our part with all our heart. And he says this about the gifts of you and I. He says, "But Elder Uchtdorf, you might say, I don't have any gifts or talents, at least none that are that valuable.

Perhaps you look at others whose gifts are obvious and impressive and you feel pretty ordinary by comparison. You might suppose that in the premortal existence on the day of the great gift and talent smorgasbord, your plate seemed woefully sparse, especially compared to the stacked and overflowing plates of others." And then he says this. I love this. "Oh, how I wish I could embrace you and help you understand this great truth: You are a blessed being of light, the spirit child of an infinite God, and you bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine!" He says, "Your origin story is divine and so is your destiny.

You left heaven to come here, but heaven has never left you. You are anything but ordinary!" I love that. Now I want to finish this episode with just a little bit of an example that I use in my professional work when talking to individuals who find themselves maybe a little too ordinary in their own lens.

If you were to ask five people that you know to give you a list of 15 characteristics about you, and they return that list, you would have 75 characteristics. Now maybe some of those characteristics are duplicated, but that doesn't matter in this scenario. And maybe you're saying, whoa, asking five people to give me 15 characteristics, that's a lot.

Well, you could reverse it and ask 15 people to give you five characteristics about yourself. Ultimately, the number of people you go poll isn't what's at play here. It's getting this list compiled.

Do you know, I sat down and ran the odds here with Chat. Several weeks ago, I sat down and ran the odds. I said, "Look, if I asked 15 random people that I knew to give me five characteristics about me, what are the chances that anyone else on Earth would get the same list that I got?

Just 75 characteristics!" Do you know those odds, my friends? Those odds are so small that you would have to win the Powerball lottery 8 consecutive times to even come close to the beginning of the odds of getting the same list of your unique characteristics. My friends, the Lord knows exactly who you are and the gifts that He has given you are uniquely yours.

May you and I take time to lean into our gifts and know that those gifts come from God. May we take the big gifts and the small gifts and use all of them to serve, to build, to uplift, and to strengthen. That way we truly do become savory salt.

My friends, I'm so excited for season three and I'm grateful for you joining me through this adventure on season two. So for one last time in this season, 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.allenroberds.com.