How are you living up to your full potential to make the most of everything God has blessed you with?
"20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;" (Alma 9: 20)
"14 Now I would that ye should remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God, they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord. Now we see that the word of the Lord has been verified in this thing, and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of their transgressions in the land.
15 Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.
16 For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land.
17 And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.
18 But behold, I say unto you that if ye persist in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord.
19 For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;
20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;
21 Having been visited by the Spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation;
22 Yea, and after having been delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things—
23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them." (Alma 9: 14-23)
"24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (Doctrine and Covenants 50: 24)
"3 For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation." (Doctrine and Covenants 82: 3)
"39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers." (Doctrine and Covenants 93: 39)
And here's the commentary entitled: "God’s blessings come with great responsibility.":
"When reading about the way the Nephites in Ammonihah treated the Lord’s servants, it is easy to forget that they once lived the gospel and were a “highly favored people of the Lord” (Alma 9:20). As you read about the great blessings God gave the people of Nephi (see especially Alma 9:14–23), ponder the great blessings He has given you. What responsibilities come with these blessings? What are you doing to stay true to these responsibilities?
See also Doctrine and Covenants 50:24; 82:3; 93:39."
Everything has a purpose under God's eternal plan. The blessings God had given, He has given, He is still giving and will be giving me all have purpose. It's my personal responsibility to fulfill that purpose. God has blessed me with a second life on this earth for about three decades now since I survived typhoid fever. There is a purpose why God has continually been lending me breath from one moment to another after this breath became fleeting while my body was battling such a serious disease. If I was more focused on accomplishing my mission in this earthly life, I would have a lot more accomplishments during the past three decades. And yet there were a lot of times I was morre preoccupied with my own personal concerns instead of spending more time making contributions to make a difference in other people's lives. I'm grateful for the privilege I've been given to continue to learn and grow to become my better version and to realize that I have the power and the responsibility to make the most of the blessings God has been and is showering me. I'm so grateful for the second chance God has given me to prove to Him that I am keeping my promise to do His will. And I will keep doing His will up until my last day here on earth to show Him that I am staying true to my responsibilities.
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