"The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—" 3Ne 20:26

Guess what!!


I officially finished el LIbro de Mormon yesterday!! In Spanish, claro. Reading out loud for the first part of my language study time. WABAM! I am officially fluent now. ;-) Reading the Book of Mormon out loud in a different language really grewmy testimony. Because sentence structure is a little bit different I had to pay really close attention to every word I was reading. It's amazing how much more you understand and how things that you never noticed before in the way it's worded because you're not really paying attention to the little filler words. I remember when I read 2Ne 9 out loud. I was just about bawling my eyes out because of how much more it hit me while reading it.


Yep the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. The more we read it, the more we learn about Him, the more we come to know who He is and what He expects of us. I love this book. With my whole heart.


Learned some legit things today in personal study. I'm studying covenants again... =) Because they're awesome. And I wanted a page with all my thoughts observations and the references on it. I realized something that I think I've realized before, but not in this magnitude. We as children of the covenant receive His blessing and help to turn away from our iniquities, just as the scripture in the subject says.


So how does He help us turn from our iniquities? Chastening, afflictions, trials, etc.


BUT


He says He's been sent to BLESS us in turning us away from our iniquities. So often we look at trials as an awful thing we have to get through, not as a blessing to help us turn from our iniquities. And He comes to us, He chastens us because we're children of the covenant. He's covenanted to do all that He can without taking away our agency to help us turn away from all iniquity. And Jesus Christ, well, He's a covenant keeper.


Also in D&C 101:4-5 it says,


"they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.


"For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified."


We have to accept chastening whether from our leaders, from God, from the scriptures. We have to because without chastening how can we know where we need to improve?


And before in verse 3 it says, "Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels."


How much pressure and heat does it take to form a precious jewel? Lots. So how much will it take to form a sanctified daughter of God who has infinite worth?


And that's the very very simplified version. =)


Love you!


Que tengan una buena semana
Hna Scott