Love, Chastened, Growth.

"For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation." D&C 82:3

"For whom the Lord loveth he ^achasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Hebrews 12:6

"And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning." 1 Ne 19:23

These three scriptures have always made an impact on me, ever since I was little. When I was thinking what to write about today, all three scriptures came to mind. So the highlighted words are what I am focusing on. :)

The Lord is a wonderful God. He is almighty, all knowing, all powerful, and he LOVES us. Why? Because we are his children. His creation. His divinity. And he SEES our potential...to be as he is. Through his love for us. BUT...that cannot happen without much trial and tribulation. Many people do not understand, and cannot fathom if the Lord loves us, why would he allow bad things to happen to us, especially if we are doing "whats right". Heres the written word--proof. First, where much is given, much is required. If he believes we are divine potential, and knows are capability to become something magnificent, he is going to give us more, to help us become that person. He has a great plan for each one of his children, there for, much is required on our end. We must acknowledge Gods trust in us to fulfill his plan for us--unique to each one of us. Second, he chastens those who he loves. If your life went perfectly, you always got everything you ever wanted, nothing went wrong...would you need God? No. Never. You would never need a reason to turn to him, rely on him, focus on HIM. The times we turn to him most, is when? When were suffering. We also would not acknowledge his goodness and blessings towards us because we wouldn't see them as that. We only learn to appreciate GOOD from experiencing BAD. Learning opposition in all things. Thats where the third scripture applies. It is ALL for OUR profit and learning. Just like all the prophets and apostles of old, who did nothing but preach Gods word...look at all they endured? Just like likening the scriptures to our lives--helps us grow. Using the every day experiences we have, good or bad, and using the scriptures to help us through that life experience. Everything we go through is for OUR learning, OUR growth. We become stronger, better, brighter, happier as we learn to allow Gods hand in our lives, and through his written words. He loves us. He wants us to be happy. He allows negative things to happen to help us GROW and become one step closer to being like him--the all knowing God and Savior of the world. He is our example. We cant become sanctified and Christlike without cleansing, without needing a reason to be renewed, forgiven and receive a helping hand. It just isn't done. Feel encouraged, that the Lord loves you. He is there for you to lift you up when you feel small, to carry your burdens when you cant handle them anymore, to lighten your load, and to make you feel exactly how you should. A son/daughter of God. Divine. Accepted. Loved. Appreciated. Adored. Can it get any more magnificent than that? I believe not.