Saturday, January 7, 2012

Your Personal Scripture - Your Patriarchal Blessing

Search Your Personal Scripture Diligently

SCRIPTURE: “Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.” –Alma 17:2
            If our Patriarchal Blessing is our personal scripture from God, I guess we’d best be diligent in it’s study that we might know the word of God for us. When I was 24 and read my blessing the first time it was boring to me. Yes, you heard me, boring! I set it aside, even lost it and had to reorder it for Church headquarters. Quite frankly, I had not remembered it correctly at all. Over the years, I repented and began a serious approach to studying it.

Make a Plan of Study

Make a specific plan to be diligent in studying your patriarchal blessing. In the recent July 2011 Ensign there was a wonderful story about the “Islands of Faith: A story of Diligence” that illustrated the life saving principle of diligence. It is here that I found President Henry B. Eyring saying, “However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly.”
            “…Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies.”
            In your own blessing are there words like diligent or phrases such as, “if you are faithful…?” Included in my own blessing are phrases and words such as “..determination in your heart,”  and “…have a firm conviction,” “unwavering,” “diligently,” and “…shall not rest.” Find these words in your blessing and ponder the subject or topic where they are used. Perhaps this is where the Lord is telling you to focus you attention; where it will bring you the most reward and insight.

QUOTE: “Into the ‘university” of earth comes a totally unique individual, one with certain gifts, certain abilities, and a particular foreordination, an outline of purpose that is probably specific and direct but is hidden behind the veil of mortality.”
            “We have, in the restored Church, access to personal scripture, direct from God, relative to our callings and foreordination in life. The scripture is our patriarchal blessing. At it’s least, this blessing provides the recipient with indication as to the potentials he should perfect, the priorities he should practice, the paths he should pursue.”
            “At best, it gives him direct information about the callings and expectations that God has for his life.”
            “A patriarchal blessing often seems to be a puzzle – and in a way, it is meant to be so. Insight too easily gained is knowledge too seldom used. A blessing will yield its true meaning and specific interpretation only “line upon line, precept upon precept’ and only to one who looks and thinks and asks, with real intent, and with persistence and with faith.”
--- “Life Planning” by Richard M Eyre & Paul H. Dunn, 1979,
 Bookcraft, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, p 49-50

Discover Your Potential and the Road You Must Travel

If you will write down your impressions from the study of the words of diligence found in your patriarchal blessing into your journal, you will see the road you must travel. Sometimes we get buried in the dust of life’s daily battles. Shake off the dust and be firm in your conviction to do what you should be doing, right now at this moment in your life. Set aside the uncertainty of an unknown future, the excitement of  upcoming plans for vacation or travel, the depression over finances, the despair over straying loved ones, and decide now to put in your time with the Lord to understand his will for you.
            I testify that if you are willing to do this, the Lord will bless you with quiet direction and inspiration and your every need will be answered.

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