Quick Thought on February Ensign Article

07 February

thinkingimageI was skimming through an article in the Ensign yesterday about how Mormons need to be more informed and involved in their communities, when my eyes caught this sentence:

“You’ve been praying for a way to better engage your children in the work of salvation.”

And I thought to myself sarcastically “Yes, that’s just what I pray for when I pray for my children.”

When I think about what I pray for in regards to my children many things come to mind. First I pray they will love the Lord, and have a desire to seek after Him. I pray they’ll want to be a good example of what it looks like to walk with Jesus, and that others will see Him in them. I pray the Lord watches over them, protecting them spiritually as well as physically.

I pray they will make the right choices, and have the courage to stand up for the things of God even when people question why they believe what they believe. My sons are growing up so fast; soon they’ll leave my home and go out into the world to create a life for themselves on their own, and I pray they will have the Holy Spirit with them.

What I don’t pray for is how they can “save” someone else, or how they can do a “work of salvation” in another’s life. This is the job of the Holy Spirit, not any one person. Sure I what my boys to be a good influence and share the gospel with their friends, but when it comes down to someone being saved that’s not within their power.

In the various lessons, Conference talks, and articles the church has put out in the last few months I’ve seen them use the phrase “hastening the work of salvation” numerous times. For them this means they will not only share the gospel of Mormonism with everyone, but do temple works for the dead as well. So in answer to the remark I quoted above, religion doesn’t save people, Jesus does.

In Christ,

Melissa Grimes (melissa@lifeafter.org)

Reference:

February 2014 Ensign “Get Informed Get Involved” 

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