The Will Of The Father

In Matthew 26:39, Christ begins to perform the Atonement. The verse isn't long, but is one of my favorites in the entire Bible. The reason for this is that we get a look at the character of Christ. We all know that Christ was perfect as he ministered and completed his Earthly mission, but this verse takes it a step further. The verse reads-

"39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and ^aprayed, saying, O my ^bFather, if it be possible, let this ^ccup pass from me: nevertheless not as I ^dwill, but as ^ethou ^fwilt."

This scripture humanizes Christ a bit for me, which I like a lot. At times, it can be hard to have a relationship with Christ or God because we feel they are so superior to us. This verse shows me that, even Christ Himself, saw how difficult and painful the Atonement was going to be and asked to not do it unless it was the will of the Father.

As we go throughout our lives, we will encounter many situations where we must react in a similar way. There will be temptations that may seem enticing to us, but they are not the will of the Father, thus we must put aside our own pride and desires to do the right thing. I think a good example of this is confessing of a sin. To sit down with a leader and confess to wrongdoing is extremely difficult. No one likes to admit that they are wrong, or have made a mistake. But, we know that true repentance can only take place as we share those things with a Priesthood leader with the authority to help us. In this way, we are doing as Christ did as He performed the Atonement. We know that confession, and the resulting process of repentance will be painful, but being truly forgiven is worth so much more than our pride.

Which is greater? The gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

This week we were told to read in Matthew. I was especially struck by Matthew 23:17 which says the following:

 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

I gave this verse a lot of thought as I think it pertains to me especially at this time in my life. This week was crazy because I heard back from a job that I applied for a couple of months ago. I found out that I got the job, which is great! I'll be making a great deal more money than any other point in my life, which will allow me to provide for my family. I'm extremely blessed to get this job right out of college.

So, when I read the above referenced verse, it hit me quite hard. I need to be very careful to not let financial gain take too much of a place in my life. God should always be first, followed by everything else. This is the pattern due to the fact that because of God, we are able to have everything else. Without God, there is no temple, no gold, no great post-college jobs.

I think the formula for keeping our priorities in life in check isn't that complex. Love God, Love our neighbor, and constantly be improving. I'm grateful for this next chapter of my life, and also excited for all the good that I can do with increased financial prosperity.