This morning, as I began my morning meditation, the scripture that came to my mind from the Holy Spirit was Omni 1:26. I was invited to “liken” it to myself and hear it directly addressed to me. Hear it, as in perceive it and receive it into my heart.
Thus, through the Spirit, I heard:
And now, my beloved [sister, Colleen] I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of HIS salvation, and the power of HIS redemption. Yea, come unto Him and offer your whole soul as an offering unto Him, and continue in fasting (rejoicing) and praying, and endure to the end [of this day] and as He liveth [in you and you in Him] ye shall be saved [from the lies of Satan this day.]
And then, as I sat in awe with that amazing application of those words, I felt the abiding Presence of Christ, Himself, and heard Him convey to me in my spiritual mind (and not my temporal mind):
And now, my beloved Colleen, I would that ye come unto Me, who am the Holy One of Israel, and partake of My salvation, and the power of My redemption. Yea, I would that you, even as Nephi prayed, be encircled about in the robes of My righteousness. Yea, come unto Me and offer your whole soul as an offering unto Me, and receive My offering for you, and to you, and continue in rejoicing and praying–communing with me–and ye shall have in Me the ability to endure through this day and as I live in you and you in me, ye shall be saved from the adversary’s lying efforts to drag you down into misery this day.
To me, this is the meaning of the phrase, “the Gift of the Holy Ghost.” It is the gift of having my own mind attuned by the Holy Ghost so that I might perceive the “voice of the Lord,” and receive “the words of Christ,” as I come to the veil to converse with Him.
I know beyond any doubt due to 30 years of practicing (experimenting) upon this degree of goodness from Him in my scripture grounded morning meditation (and ultimately, originally from our Father in Heaven), that He is (They are) always there for me as often as will look to Him (Them) to live (get through this day).
Each day requires renewing this connection (contract, covenant)–this two-way communion, this two way offering of our “whole souls” for each other, to each other. This is what it means to me to “partake of the Atonement.”
I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the exponential way it opens up the eyes of my understanding and reveals to me how personal and close the Lord longs to be to me (and to each of us.)
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