Our Relationship With God
Our Relationship With God
D. Todd Christofferson
Takeaways:
“It truly is folly for us with our mortal myopia to presume to judge God . . . To us, His mortal children in a fallen world, who know so little of past, present, and future, He declares, ‘All things are present with me, for I know them all.’”
Obedience does not yield specific outcomes on a fixed schedule. Although blessings are promised, God manages what those blessings are and how and when they are manifest. Our “repentance and obedience, our service and sacrifices” engage us in God’s work, allow us to collaborate with Him, help us develop a relationship with Him and Jesus Christ, and ultimately transform us from natural man to saint.
God refines His people, which means the path is not easy for any of us. But if we remain obedient and faithful, we can expect “a growing trust and faith in the Father and the Son, an increasing sense of Their love, and the consistent comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
When you experience hard times, “rather than get angry with God, get close to God.”
Questions to Ponder:
When you do not receive the blessings you expect or request from God, how does it affect your feelings toward or faith in Him?
Do you tend to counsel the Lord more thank you seek counsel from His hand? If so, how can you change this tendency?
Can you think of times in your lives where repentance, obedience, service, and/or sacrifice has brought you close to God and the Savior? If not, consider what motivated your actions—was it obligation, guilt, expectation of a specific reward? Or a genuine desire to do right and increase in faith and closeness with God?
Further Study:
Job 40; Job 42; Proverbs 3:5—6; John 15:1—2; Romans 8:17; Jacob 4:10; D&C 38:2; Moses 1:6;
Brook P. Hales, “Answers to Prayer,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 14