laronius

This is exactly what I'm doing right now. I have found that I need to become much more conscientious in everything I do in terms of how blessed I truly am. It's too easy to just got about our day doing whatever and totally miss the divine influences that surround us at all times.

Following the apostasy, or should I say during it, one of the very first doctrines of Christ that Satan attacked was man's understanding of who God is. Why? Because as Joseph Smith pointed out, if we do not comprehend God we cannot comprehend ourselves. That isn't to say we know everything there is to know about God but we do understand who he is and knowing who he is tells us who we are. The result of the post-apostasy skewed idea of God is a belief that cheapens and degrades all of mankind. We are majestic beings with so much potential we can scarcely even begin to comprehend what awaits us in the eternities if we stick to the path God has laid out for us. Raise your view of who you are and can be and the majesty of God our Father takes on epic proportions.

This is an interesting discussion. I'll add my 2 cents. In response to the idea of whether there was a plan A and B, I submit that there was only ever one plan as presented by the Father in the premortal council. It could be argued that Satan put forth a plan B but it frankly wasn't much of a plan. The need for a Savior was identified as a critical part of God's plan and so it is reasonable to assume that the fall was also an intended part of the plan. And as we consider the fall in light of the big picture it becomes more clear as to why the fall was intended from the beginning. The fall obviously resulted in many consequences, some negative, some positive. Negative Consequences include: Death – non glorified body, Injury, sickness, and disease, Thistles, briars, and weeds, Earth not produce in its fullness, Enmity between man and beasts, Satan's temptations, and Separation from God. Positive Consequences include: Death – glorified body (after Resurrection), Gain mortal bodies to learn with, Able to bear and rear children, Able to gain and learn from experiences, Know good from evil, Become more holy than before, and the possibility of returning to live in God's presence. But when the Millennium comes, when the earth is returned to it's Edenic state, notice that ALL of the negative consequences of the fall are done away with while ALL of the positive consequences remain. So why the difference between the first Eden and the last? The last Eden can only be enjoyed by those who are holy enough to experience such a state and as Adam and Eve quickly found out, many of their children could not inhabit such a place. A fallen world needed to exist so ALL of God's children could come to earth and experience an earthly life. For those who are righteous, or seek to become so, living in a fallen world merely hastens their progression.

The OP reminded me of the second verse of a hymn I like "Come Let Us Anew:" Our life as a dream, our time as a stream Glide swiftly away,And the fugitive moment refuses to stay;For the arrow is flown and the moments are gone.The millennial yearPresses on to our view, and eternity's here,Presses on to our view, and eternity's here. And at the risk of sounding cheesy this song from the beloved "My Turn on Earth" <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cmR3DNBRrzo?list=PL356341B9A336EB7D" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

When Jesus told the demonic spirits to "Go" I don't know if we know exactly what was meant, whether he was giving assent to their request or if he was simply saying "You are free to try" because apparently even the swine sought some way to rid themselves of their presence by casting themselves into the sea. If it were easy for demons to possess animal bodies we would probably hear a lot more about Cujo animals. It can't be good to be an evil spirit when even the mostly lowly animal in the world knows (and is able) to reject you.

I want to go a little more in depth with where I think thoughts was heading here. At the very end of the BofM and immediately after Moroni expounded on some of the many gifts of the Spirit he commands us to "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." (Moroni 10:30). I see this as a commandment to seek these gifts. But as thoughts points out these gifts aren't to be sought for simply to have. One of the first gifts we have experience with is the gift of the Holy Ghost. During confirmation we are indeed commanded to receive this gift. We then learn in the sacramental prayers what it takes to actually receive it: take upon us the name of Christ, remember Him, keep his commandments, etc. At the Waters of Mormon Alma interprets this as "bearing one another's burdens," mourning "with those that mourn," comforting "those that stand in need of comfort," standing "as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places," or in other words "that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you." (Mosiah 18:9-10) So the question arises: why do these things in particular bring about a reception of the Holy Ghost? I believe it's because when we choose to act in these righteous ways we NEED the Spirit to help us be successful and in order to fill that need God sends, by virture of the enabling power of grace, His Spirit to us thus helping us to fulfill his commands he has given us. There is an incredibly important lesson here. God grants His grace, in the form of spiritual gifts, when we are actively engaged in those activities that require them to be successful in fulfilling his commands to us. Charity offers another example. In Moroni 7 we are commanded to pray for the gift of charity. Why prayer? Because in prayer (true prayer) our will is brought into submission to the will of the Father. When we do this we then go do what he would have us do. While this "doing" takes many forms, ultimately the result is our seeking to bless the lives of those around us. But in order to magnify our Heavenly Father's will in blessing his children he grants us the gift of charity, once again enabling us to serve in a way we could not otherwise. So I guess what it comes down to IMHO, is that if there is a gift you would like to develop engage yourself in those activities that will require it's presence to be successful. The Lord qualifies those who he calls and we each have been called to do a great, many things. He only awaits for us to act.