How have you been blessed by choosing to "lay hold upon every good thing"?
"3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven." (Moroni 7: 3)
"5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.
19 And they have become strong in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written." (Moroni 9: 5,19)
"19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." (Moroni 7: 19)
"25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever." (Moroni 9: 25)
And here's the introductory commentary for this week's reading assignment: December 9–15: “May Christ Lift Thee Up” Moroni 7–9
"Before Moroni concluded the record we know today as the Book of Mormon with his own final words, he shared three messages from his father, Mormon: an address to “the peaceable followers of Christ” (Moroni 7:3) and two letters that Mormon had written to Moroni. Perhaps Moroni included these messages in the Book of Mormon because he foresaw similarities between the perils of his day and ours. When these words were written, the Nephite people were turning away from the Savior. Many of them had “lost their love, one towards another” and delighted in “everything save that which is good” (Moroni 9:5, 19). And yet Mormon still found cause for hope, teaching us that hope does not mean ignoring or being naive about the world’s problems. Hope means having faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, whose power is greater and more everlasting than these problems. It means “lay[ing] hold upon every good thing” (Moroni 7:19). It means letting the Atonement of Jesus Christ “and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind” (Moroni 9:25)."
Whenever I choose to lay hold upon every good thing, I've been truly blessed with peace and joy whatever situation I find myself in. I'm grateful for my natural tendency to look at the bright side of things. When I am able to focus more on things that matter most--every good thing, life gets easier indeed because I feel more grateful for everything as I feel that I'm truly not alone because God is with me. I'm seeing His hand in everything. Everything happens for a purpose indeed. And everything is happening for my own good. The problems I'm facing get me to take initiative, figure out what to do, and rely on the Lord for help. And every problem does have a solution. I know I have the power to rise above every problem or challenge I'm facing in this earthly existence because God is empowering me so I am able to measure up. And as I strive to measure up I am becoming my better version, even more like my Savior Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
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