Read Mark9:17-27
The journey:
Take time to identify and write down an area in which you feel you are not enough.This could include challenges that are physical,temporal,spiritual,or emotional.
Take it to the Lord.Plead your case in prayer.
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Day 36
Read Mark 10:17-22 and Mark 12:41-44
The journey:
Think of someone you know who had given all in service to the Lord. What can you learn from that person?How can you be more like him or her?
Commit today to give all you have in your service to the Lord.Choose one area where you feel you could give more.What changes will thus require in your daily routines?
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Day 37
Read Ether 12
The journey:
Remember grace comes after all you can do Take time to analyze a trying time in your life.Place it at the feet of the Lord.Keep a written record of the greater things and unspeakable gifts that will come as He leads you to the promise.
Ether 6:3 The Lord touched the stones and made them shine.How can this apply to our life?
As I though more about this application into my life,I realized that stones have come to mean a lot in my life.There are 5 analogies for rocks that have helped me come closer to Christ.
1.Symbol of miracles and light in the darkness.He is always there.He will not leave us alone.He will not leave us in the dark.There are times in our life when we need to do all we can do first,before he can answer our prayers.
2.prioritizing
In the following jar of rocks story,we are guided to look at our priorities first.Do the important things first(big rocks) and then the rest will fall into place.If we read scriptures,pray,teach,spend time with family,and keep our house in order these can be the big rocks.Plus we still have time and room for more!
~Jar of Rocks story~
In his book First Things First, Dr. Stephen Covey relates the following story:
One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
3.Build upon a sure foundation,our "rock" Jesus Christ
Jesus as part of his Sermon on the Mount, he gave this counsel: “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24–27.)
4.Finding the right balance in our life.It is truly an art to find the right balance between,family,work,play,spiritual and many other "rocks".
5.Seeing things in perspective.If you take a rock and put it up to your eye.What do you see?Your view is blocked by the rock.This can be like any situation in our lives.If we look at a problem it can seem too big for us to handle. If we can look at it differently and take the pebble from our eye we see it is not so big and scary and we can find a way to handle it!There are many points in my life where a tiny pebble looked like a boulder simply because I was so overwhelmed and thought so negatively!
Richard G. Scott-"A pebble held close to the eye appears to be a gigantic obstacle. Cast on the ground, it is seen in perspective. Likewise, problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness."(General Conference April 1996)
I want each of you to find a rock big or small and put it somewhere where you can see it daily.Look at it and see how tiny it is.Think of peace,light,balance,perspective and what your foundation for your life it s.Ask yourself if there is anything not in harmony with what you want, and cast it from your mind and your life.
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