Obey With Exactness

 Alma 57:21 21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them;


The other day I was thinking about a sacrifice I could make to add to and show my faith to Father in Heaven because of a blessing I was seeking. I decided to drive the EXACT speed limit and wear my seatbelt EVERY time I was in the car. (Yeah...I grew up in the era of no seat belts and that's been a hard one for me, especially when I'm just going around the block...)

So, my first time out I was going on a 2 1/2 hour trip. To my surprise it only added 6 minutes to my normal drive. This helped a lot to know this for when I had shorter distances to go but was in a hurry or felt I'd be late.

One time I was headed home during rush hour to meet someone at my house at a specific time. I rationalized that "just this once" it would be ok to go a little faster so I didn't make them have to wait or worry I wasn't coming. Turns out they were sick and didn't even come. The Spirit said, "You can trust me. If you make a promise to me I will help you keep it. You don't have to worry. Just trust me."

This led me to think about the difference between promises and covenants. Promises we sometimes don't keep. Covenants we should never break. When we trust the Lord enough to keep his commandments "with exactness" which takes great faith, then He can start to bring miracles into our lives. 

It is my faith that when we actually trust the Lord enough to keep His commandments with exactness, that He will not only help us keep those covenants, but will He will baptize us with His Spirit and we will be Born Again and lose the desire to rationalize our sins. I'm still learning about this, but I'm pondering whether the words "baptized by fire" before the words and the Holy Ghost refers to the testing of our faith before we receive that mighty change. 

       

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