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Faithful Answers, Informed Response

  1. 5H AGO

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    A Passover Question For You by Autumn Dickson For my last post this week, we talked about some specifics of Passover in order to better reflect on our free status because of Christ. I really love the Passover. My sister does a Passover meal for Easter each year, and there are so many beautiful traditions associated with it that can teach us about Christ if we choose to explore the symbolism. So I want to talk about a different aspect of Passover. In Exodus, the Lord teaches His people to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover) in Canaan. Exodus 13:8 ¶ And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. The Israelites were commanded to teach their children about their deliverance. Some of the traditions that formed as a part of this commandment are wonderful. As the Jews do their Passover meal, they begin with strange ways that are different than any other day. This is meant to provoke curiosity in children. As they move through a couple of these strange steps, there is a ritual called Ma Nishtana. For this ritual, the youngest child would say: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” On all other nights we eat leavened and unleavened; tonight only unleavened. On all other nights we eat all vegetables; tonight bitter herbs. On all other nights we don’t dip even once; tonight twice. On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining; tonight we all recline. This would begin the story telling of how the Israelites were freed from Egypt. Like with the Israelites on Passover, we, as Latter-day Saints, do things in a peculiar way. We live differently because of what we believe. And when our children (or anyone, for that matter) ask why, how do we answer them? Because the answer should always connect back to Christ and His deliverance. Whenever we can connect it back to Christ, we should. Why do we keep the Word of Wisdom? Because it keeps our bodies healthy and strong and better able to hear Christ. Why do we go to the temple? To try and feel Christ more closely and to receive power from Him. Why do we go to church every single week? Why do we keep the Sabbath Day Holy? Why are we so careful about our entertainment? Why do we keep the Law of Chastity? Why do we do Family Home Evening and Come Follow Me? Why are we making our lives harder and different? These are peculiar traditions that were meant to put our lives in order so that we can better feel Christ and serve Him. It is always about Christ because in Christ, we find joy and peace. When we try to do the gospel without Christ, it’s merely an extra burden. When we utilize the gospel to draw closer to Christ, that’s when it’s life-changing. Whenever I start to feel like the gospel or church is a burden, I have learned that the problem is forgetting Christ. Let’s talk about it with a direct example. I try to go to the temple once a month. I used to be so intense about it because I’m often intense about everything. I never missed a month, which is awesome except for the fact that it didn’t bring me closer to Christ. It just gave me a little rush of dopamine to cross it off my list and a weird sense of pride and martyrdom. Because I’m often intense about things like this, it can get really easy for me to overwhelm myself and reach the point where I want to give up entirely. Everything changes when I switch my perspective to see tools and layers of bringing Christ into my life. This makes two great changes in my life. The first is that I can utilize wisdom to know what to prioritize and to let go when things don’t come together. For example, I travelled a ton last month, and it was really difficult to go to the temple. We were gone for a little over half the month, and I have limited windows in which I can run over and participate in the temple. I had lined everything up one afternoon to go while my babies slept and my other kids were in school and Conner was downstairs working. I planned it all without the knowledge that Conner wasn’t actually going to be home to be with the babies while they napped. What normally would have been an absolutely unreasonable irritation gave way to peace. I couldn’t go to the temple to find Christ, but that didn’t mean I needed to banish Him from my heart in anger. The temple is a tool and if something prevents me from picking up that tool, I have a myriad of tools at my disposal to draw myself closer to Him. The second way that it has changed my life is probably even more important. The things that used to overwhelm me are now the things that relax me. The temple used to be a rushed thing that took up some of my time. Now I see it for the worthwhile activity that it is. I calm my heart and utilize it rather than completing it. I can go to church with 5-8 kids (depending on whether my kids bring their friends) and I can simply be grateful for the opportunity to be there and show my devotion to Christ. I can be grateful for the opportunity for my children to also practice drawing closer to Christ even if it’s a rather imperfect effort. When I keep the Word of Wisdom, it’s because I want to nourish my body so that it stands ready to hear and serve Christ. When I keep the Law of Chastity, I am removing unnecessary drama and heartache that are distracting from Christ. The gospel and commandments and church all become exactly what they were meant to become when we tie it back to Christ. In Christ, we find our ultimate joy and peace and hope. He lightens everything He touches. His yoke and burden are light because the yoke and “burden” are the very things that tie us to Him. I am grateful for Christ in my life. He truly has changed my life. I look at my life and find all sorts of reasons to rejoice and hope for better days. I have also learned how to be grateful for the yoke and burden He gives me because I see it for what it is.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

    10 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

    21 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson

    Reclined. Redeemed. by Autumn Dickson This week we celebrate Easter, and with it, the ability of the Savior to redeem us. Because we are studying the Old Testament this year, I’d like to look at the predecessor to the holiday of Easter: Passover. There is a lot of symbolism that comes with the Passover; let’s talk about some of it. Here is a verse that talks about one specific part of the first Passover that happened in Egypt. Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. On the first night of Passover, the Lord commanded the Israelites to eat in haste. They were going to need to leave Egypt quickly once the Pharaoh said they could go. This commandment to eat in haste was just for the first night though. Throughout time, it changed to the opposite. The Israelites ate unleavened bread to remember the haste in which their ancestors had to flee, but rather than eat their own Passover in haste, the Israelites started a new tradition. They ate their Passover reclining. Though it was not commanded, there was symbolism here. Free, wealthy people eat reclining and relaxed. They eat leisurely and enjoy themselves. Slaves eat on their feet, rushing. The Israelites ate reclining to show that they were no longer slaves. Traditions can be really beautiful as long as we don’t turn them into commandments to show off our own righteousness. The Israelites sometimes had a problem with that. However, I love this specific tradition. I think it’s beautiful. I think one of the reasons I enjoy this specific tradition so much is because I often put myself in a hurry. I get really caught up in trying to get everything done so that I can relax. Here is a tradition that caused the Israelites to pause their daily lives, take a meal, and rejoice and relax. They wore festive clothes, and they specifically took the time to eat like the liberated people they were. How often do you take the time to realize that you are free? Do you go about your daily life knowing you are liberated? Do you fulfill your daily work in a manner that reflects your redeemed status? When you deeply know what you are, it reflects in how you live your life. That’s why slaves eat on their feet and rich, wealthy people eat relaxed and reclining. I appreciate the symbolism even more because both parties are doing necessary daily tasks; they just go about their daily tasks very differently. Everybody has to eat, but they are eating differently. The rich and free people went about their meal with peace of mind. They enjoyed the companionship of the family and friends they were surrounded by. They got to enjoy what they were bringing into their lives and eating, to be grateful for it. In our own lives, “eating relaxed and reclined” may not look so literal. The really important part here is your heart. Like the rich and free, we go about our daily tasks with peace of mind. We take enough time to turn to those around us and enjoy the companionship of our family and friends. It means we take enough time to think about what we are bringing into your life while we’re “eating,” to be grateful for it and enjoy it. Whatever necessary tasks we’re doing in our lives, we are doing it with purpose and understanding. This can reflect in so many different ways in our life; one of those ways is in how we take the sacrament. Sundays are not as restful as they used to be before I was a mother. I’ve got my five kids, ages 8-1, and every other week, they bring their friends to church with us. On any given Sunday, my husband and I have 5-8 children scattered between us. Sometimes, because of my husband’s work schedule, I have 8 kids to take care of on my own. Trying to help all of the kids stay reverent during the sacrament is a task, especially when they’re sitting with their friends. Trying to help them all take the sacrament in a manner where they’re not touching everyone else’s bread and water is also quite the task. There are many times that I’m eating in a rush so I can pull tiny, grabbing hands away from trays. The rest of sacrament meeting isn’t necessarily better. My one year old is a wanderer and often finds herself frustrated to be stuck in the pew. My two year old wants my lap. My four year old also wants my lap, and my other kids want to giggle with their friends or fight with each other. I can’t sit between all of them. Some of the time, I can’t even sit with them at all because the baby is screaming about wanting to explore. It is easy to frame this as frustrating. It’s easy to feel like, “Wo is me,” especially when I’m already tired or overstimulated. It’s easy to feel angry when I desire to be spiritually uplifted, but I have no choice but to be Martha unless I leave my kids at home. Eating the sacrament in an outwardly relaxed manner isn’t always a choice, but there is always my attitude. I can always relax inwardly even if I’m surrounded by chaos that I’m in charge of. I can look down the aisle at the kids and feel tons of pressure, or I can look down at the aisle of kids and rejoice that I have my family with me at church (even if they’re not perfect). I can rejoice that my kids want to bring their friends to church. I can rejoice that there isn’t any test about whether my kids were perfectly reverent. I can rejoice that my kids get regular practice on how to be reverent so that over the course of their young lives, they will have opportunities to invite Christ into their own lives to save them in ways that I can’t. I can rejoice knowing that my Savior is just happy they’re there. I can rejoice and relax even as I referee, balance, juggle, and interfere. The sacrament reminds me that the Savior has redeemed me. I’m happy to be there even if it’s chaos. I testify that we are free and wealthy. I testify that because of Christ, we have every reason to rejoice. Or, at the very least, we have every reason to hope alongside our darkest despair. We can rejoice even when our efforts are imperfect or rushed. We are free, and if we take the time to truly know that, it changes how we do the necessary tasks we’ve been given each day.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

    9 min

  4. MAR 27

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    Seeing Through Anguish of Spirit by Autumn Dickson In our last post, we talked about how Moses turned to the Lord in despair. He had done what the Lord asked and told Pharaoh to free the Israelites. In response, Pharaoh gave them more work. Moses blamed himself and asked the Lord why He had been so cruel to His own people. In chapter 6, we get to read the Lord’s response to Moses. He comforts Moses with assurances. He tells Moses that it’s not over; Pharaoh will relent, and the Israelites will yet be free. The Lord then tells Moses to go and share this with the Israelites. Moses does so, and this is how the Israelites respond. Exodus 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. The Israelites were suffering so much that they had a difficult time believing that Moses would deliver them. There is a lot of depth here. Let’s cover the first beautiful principle: The Lord saved them anyway. The Lord still kept sending Moses back. He kept sending miracles. He kept reaching out to those in bondage. He kept shining a light on them. Despite their lack of belief (which disbelief continues on even after the miracle of parting the Red Sea), the Lord kept reaching. He kept moving forward in saving them. There are two parallels here. Parallel one: The Savior suffered for all of us, not just the people He knew would accept His atonement. He didn’t look at each of us ahead of time and decide to only suffer for the people who were going to accept the saving. He suffered for everyone. Even those who did not or would not believe. Parallel two: The Lord doesn’t wash His hands of us. Even when we wash our hands of Him (which is rather ironic), He doesn’t throw us over. When He steps back, it’s not due to annoyance or giving up. Stepping back is also one of the ways He reaches for us and tries to get us to see the truth of things. The Israelites get a pretty bad rap throughout the Old Testament. They turn from the Lord frequently. They get distracted. They get the doctrine wrong and miss the mark. They were also slaves. Their “cruel bondage” led to “anguish of spirit.” I’m not sure I would have fared much better had I been placed in their shoes. I think that’s partially why the Lord didn’t throw them off with the golden calf incident after showing them an incredible miracle with the Red Sea. The Lord knew what they were facing and what they were truly capable of. As a society, the Israelites didn’t know who they were anymore. They didn’t know the Lord or His goodness. Because of what they had been through, they didn’t have any sense that there was an all-powerful Being who might care for them and care about where they ended up. They had a long way to go, and it started right here. They couldn’t find it within themselves to hope for deliverance through Moses, and so it started with the Lord sending miracles anyway. Here is the second beautiful principle. Their salvation was standing right in front of them even if they couldn’t see it. They were so broken that they couldn’t see their salvation. No judgment. I’m sure I would have been in a similar place had I been a slave. And yet, there is an implication for us here. At what point have we reached “salvation?” When do we get to say, “I’m here. I’ve arrived. I’m saved.”? I’m not sure there is a definitive level where you get to state that you’re saved. I think there are varying levels of salvation. Let’s talk about some of those different points of salvation. Salvation 1: The Savior promised He was coming. The people don’t know it. This is where we’re at in the Old Testament. Moses, their deliverer, is standing in front of them. He has been foreordained to save them, but they don’t know it. They’re too lost to feel it. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that Moses technically hasn’t saved them yet, it’s as good as done when it comes to the Lord. If He has promised it, it’s as good as if it’s done, and so yes, this is a type of salvation. The Israelites are saved! Moses is here! Even if they don’t see it, they’re saved. Salvation 2: The Savior promised He was coming, and there are people who do know it. This is the next level, and we see this in The Book of Mormon. The Savior promised He was coming and would save; there are people who believed that so thoroughly that they acted as though He had already come. They believed so thoroughly in His ability to fulfill His promises, that it was as good as done, and they rejoiced. Salvation 3: The Savior came and did His work, but the people don’t know it yet. We see this all the time. This is as if Moses had opened the gates of Egypt, and there were people too busy slaving away for masters who no longer stood over them that they missed it. The Savior has come, but there are many who don’t know it. This happens in the church and out of it. Even when we’ve been baptized and follow the commandments, sometimes we still don’t understand that we’ve been saved. Salvation 4: The Savior came and did His work, and the people know it. This one is self-explanatory. The Lord won, and we know it. This is the ultimate form of salvation. I bring this up because there are two sides to the coin of salvation. There is the portion with Christ. There was a period of time before He came where His salvation was still a promise. That promise was as good as though it had already been done. When it comes to this side of the coin, we were always saved. But then there is the other side of the coin. Is salvation really salvation if we can’t enjoy it? Have we truly been saved if we’re still miserable because we don’t trust Him or because or our actions? It takes a long time for the Israelites to truly be saved. They make it out of Egypt, but they have not yet reached joy. They don’t know that the Lord is going to take care of them and lead them to that promised land. In that sense, salvation is a spectrum. And let’s bring that full circle. The Israelites didn’t yet believe. They were in so much despair that they couldn’t bring themselves to believe. The Savior was going to keep sending miracles until they could see it. He paid for the salvation, and then He continues to reach out on top of it. He reaches and reaches until we finally see that the gates have been unlocked. Where are you on the spectrum of salvation? The Savior has saved you. Do you see it? Do you see Him ready to lead you out of Egypt? Let Him heal the brokeness from the slavery. Let Him provide for you in the wilderness. Believe in His salvation so much that it’s as if you’re already in the promised land. I testify that the Savior’s promises are solid. They are coming. We don’t have to live in despair even now because we have been taught what comes next. Even in our darkest moments (because dark moments aren’t evil), there is hope to temper it. We can rejoice. And if we’re still getting run over by life and can’t seem to lift up our heads and believe it, then hang tight. The Lord is sending miracles anyway until we do see it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

    11 min

  5. MAR 24

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

    19 min

  6. MAR 23

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson

    Did God Send Me Here to Fail? by Autumn Dickson Moses was a prophet who delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He was such a good prophet that the Jews held him up as a standard for a long time. He is still revered as a great prophet. And yet, despite his righteousness, his closeness with God, his foreordained role, Moses didn’t know everything. Moses was incredibly nervous to approach Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites, and the first time he approached Pharaoh, it didn’t go so well. Pharaoh did not release the Israelites. In fact, Pharaoh gave all of the Israelites more work to accomplish than they previously had. This led to the Israelites getting frustrated with Moses, and in turn, Moses turned to God. Exodus 5:22-23 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Moses asks the Lord a few questions and makes some points that I think all of us have made at one point or another. “Why did you send me? I just made it worse. You said You would deliver them, but they’re still in bondage and Pharaoh has made things harder on them.” There is a lot we could unpack there. Moses’ insecurity about his ability to do the job would be a good place to start. We could discuss the fact that Moses could only see his own limitations rather than the Lord’s plan in motion. However, I want to take a slightly different angle that I mentioned earlier. Moses, despite his calling and the big job ahead of him, didn’t see the end from the beginning. He saw enough that he was willing to begin, but the Lord left out quite a few details about this long road that Moses would travel before he could be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in freeing the covenant people. The Lord loves to leave out details. Why? If the Lord has made a decision in relation to how He works with His children on earth, there are solid reasons behind that decision. Why does the Lord choose to leave out details? Why does He allow us to sometimes think we’ve failed? What purpose does it serve to push us to wait for the next step? What reasons do you see? One of the reasons is because we would probably get confused and lost and disillusioned anyway. The Savior tried telling His disciples that He was going to die and live again. He said it quite clearly, more than once, but they were still so surprised when it happened. If the Lord had told Moses more of the details, would he have grasped the plan? I think a more important reason is the fact that it forces us to cling to Him. If Heavenly Father had given Moses a play-by-play of what would happen in Egypt, how much would Moses have connected his success back to the Lord? How often would Moses have turned back to the Lord? It is very difficult to see the Lord’s hand when we are not turning to Him over and over and over. When it comes to the Lord, it’s never just about the task that’s been given. The task always has a double purpose of drawing us closer to Him. One of the most effective ways of drawing us closer to Him, is to force us to keep coming back to Him, to work closely with Him. This brings great comfort when we look at our own efforts and tasks. Like Moses, it’s easy for us to decide that we’re the weak link. We’re not strong enough or smart enough or persuasive enough. We’re the reason everything failed. Moses is not the reason the task failed. Moses was just under the impression that the task was supposed to be easier than it was. The Lord could have explained this in great detail ahead of time to spare Moses this despair. However, it would have negated His purposes of keeping Moses close. It had to be this way. The Lord needed you to have the task. Telling you in detail ahead of time would have made it really easy for you to forget Him and try to do everything on your own. It was important for you to stay close to Him, and He knows our propensity to wander. So He chose to do things this way. Unfortunately, sometimes we also have the bad habit of despairing when we hit obstacles. The Lord knows this, and He can work with it. It is much easier to work with your despair when you turn to Him than it is when you run off and try to do things on your own. The Lord is wise enough to see all of this and make the decision to leave out the details. So how can this change our response when we do hit obstacles in the tasks we’ve been given by the Lord? We trust Him and know He’s not finished yet. Even when we do not know the details, He does. He is plenty aware of them and knows how to work with the children of men. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. That’s your real job. It wasn’t Moses’ job to deliver the Israelites, not really. It was Moses’ job to be willing. It wasn’t Moses who sent the plagues or parted the sea. It was the Lord who made man’s mouth and made the seas. The Lord knew exactly what He was getting with Moses, and He still decided on Moses. It is no different with you. The Lord knew what He was getting when He asked for you. He knows better than you know what you are or aren’t capable of, and He decided on you. When you run into unanticipated obstacles, there is no need to despair. He didn’t tell you about this part, but He knew about this part. Your job is to be willing. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. The Lord can still work with despair; He worked with Moses through His despair. He can work with us through despair. However, the faith part serves us. Moses didn’t ever have to be afraid or upset that he had ruined everything. Those feelings were necessary so that Moses could go through the process of building his faith, but faith changes our entire experience by changing our perspective. Obstacles look different in the light of faith in Christ. It is a joyful way to live. Trust the Lord. Trust Him when He doesn’t give you all the details. Trust Him that He chose you for a reason. Trust Him so that you can rejoice even in the faith of setbacks. I testify that the Lord knew what He was doing when He chose you. I testify that He knows all of the details even when He doesn’t share them all immediately. I testify that He isn’t despairing or mad when obstacles appear. All He wants is our faith. He deserves our faith. He has earned it. He is worthy of it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

    10 min

  7. MAR 20

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson

    Judgment Day Isn’t What You Think by Autumn Dickson The story of Joseph teaches us so many things about Christ. There are poignant details that point us in the direction of Christ’s story. There are so many directions we could go. However, let’s talk about one principle. Joseph’s story can teach us about Judgment Day. For so long, I pictured Judgment Day as a time when Christ would weigh all the good I had done versus all the bad, and then He would weigh it against my privileges and disadvantages. That seems fair, right? I don’t think anyone would argue that this is unfair judgment. However, I have since learned that God doesn’t work that way at all. He does it better; He judges us by our hearts. Joseph’s story teaches this so beautifully. Here are a couple of details that prepare us to understand Judgment Day in relation to Joseph’s story. Joseph had the grain that saved everyone who came and partook of it. He saved everyone. If you move forward a couple of chapters, we see that receiving the atonement of Jesus Christ isn’t just about giving of ourselves. It’s not about weighing our good and bad deeds; it’s about who we are. Joseph’s brothers come to partake of the grain in Egypt, and they don’t recognize their younger brother whom they sold into slavery. Joseph recognizes them and sets the brothers up for failure so that he can essentially kidnap Benjamin, the youngest brother. This was all a big ruse to see who his brothers had become, and they passed the test. Judah, the brother who originally conspired to kill Joseph, was ready to stand in Benjamin’s place. He was ready to stand in for another. Joseph didn’t say, “Oh you thought about killing me, but you’ve done good things since then. You’re trying to make up for it by standing in for Benjamin. I guess that cancels things out.” Rather, all that Joseph truly cared about was whether they were different men. Joseph didn’t care about the past sin (horrible as it was). Joseph cared about who they were, and they truly had changed. Here are a couple of verses that describe how Joseph, a type of Christ, felt when he had truly judged and discerned that his brothers were changed, good men. As I read these verses, I want you to draw the parallels between Joseph as he judged his brothers and Christ as He will judge us someday. Genesis 45:1, 5-6, 10, 14-15  1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. Which part stood out to you most? Was it the fact that Joseph rejoiced in his betrayal and sacrifice that saved everyone? Was it his uncontrollable weeping that his brothers were good men? Was it the fact that Joseph offered Goshen to them? Was it the affection that he bestowed on his brothers? All of those will be important parts of Judgment Day. I picture Judgment Day as Christ discerning our hearts as they are right now. He is determining whether we are safe enough to bring into His home or whether we will hurt our brothers and sisters further. It’s not about mistakes that we’ve made. Those were done away with a long time ago. It’s about whether He can trust our hearts to live with Him and preserve heaven. His sacrifice enabled Him to make that call, to judge our hearts righteously with justice and mercy. If He perceives goodness within us, then Judgment Day essentially becomes a lot of weeping and rejoicing and affection. He wants to keep us. No matter how we’ve betrayed Him in the past, He wants to know who we are now, and He wants to keep us with Him if He can help it. The sins are paid for; Christ is fine. They don’t count against us any longer. Christ is simply judging our hearts as they are now. That’s not to say that our actions don’t matter. Our actions change us. Our actions uncover who we are. What if Judah loved Benjamin and his father but didn’t step forward? Does that even count as real love? Our actions do matter; they’re just not the end-all. They are the process for the end-all. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. I’ll repeat that again. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. Repeatedly choosing light turns us into beings of light over time. Repeatedly choosing darkness pushes us in that direction. It doesn’t mean you can’t change directions, but become a person of integrity or humility isn’t a single choice. It’s a process that we should consciously take. It’s everyday choices that shape the hearts that the Lord is going to judge. I testify that Christ is looking to keep us. He isn’t looking at past individual sins. He already paid those off; the ledger is clear. He redeemed you, and now He is looking at you as you are. His sacrifice enables Him to judge your heart. Let go of your sins that are holding you down, and walk closer to light every day. Invite more of the Savior into your daily life. Rejoice in His ability to save you because you desire goodness.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

    8 min

  8. MAR 17

    Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Jennifer Roach Lees

    Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.   The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

    25 min
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About

Faithful Answers, Informed Response

Information

  • Creator
    FAIR
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2026
  • Episodes
    300
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © 1997-2024 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc.
  • Show Website
    Latter-day Saint FAIR-Cast

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