My Relationship with God

I've had a strong desire lately to enrich my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. As I pondered what to study in the scriptures in order to facilitate a deepening and strengthening of that relationship I was led by a couple of thoughts:

• I can learn of God by reading His words
• I can study His attributes and characteristics
• I can emulate Him
• I can make my prayers deeper and more meaningful
• I can make an effort to reduce the "noise" in my life to better hear Him
• I can serve my fellow men

The list actually goes on and on. There are so many ways that I can come closer to God. It's actually a beautiful thing that He has provided so many ways for us to get to know Him. How I come to know God may be different than my friends and family. How I come to know God right now in my life will be different than how I knew Him in my past or how I will know Him in the future. 

In the October 2016 General Conference President Uchtdorf said: 

"In our efforts to help our loved ones experience the voice of the Spirit and the vast, eternal, and profound beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ, telling them to “listen harder” may not be the most helpful way. Perhaps better advice—for anyone who wants to increase faith—is to listen differently." (October 2016)

I think for me right now the injunction is not to listen in a specific way, but just make more effort to listen in the first place. 

In 3rd Nephi 11, the Nephites heard the voice of the Lord three times, finally understanding Him the third time. The Lord is very accustomed to repeating Himself when He speaks to us and often it's not until we make an effort to hear that we finally understand what He's saying.

Lastly, this scripture in Ether always strikes a chord in me.

"... Jesus showed himself unto [the brother of Jared] in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites. And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this that this man might know that he was God..." (Ether 3:17-18, emphasis added)

Christ ministered to a large multitude of the Nephites one by one over the course of several days. He did the same for the brother of Jared. Why did He do this? His purpose, according to Mormon, was "that this man might know that he was God." That's absolutely beautiful. God wants us to get to know Him. To know Him for who and what He is. 

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." (John 3:17)

Keep Pushing On

Andrew