Among Many of the Noble and Great ones....

As a somewhat belated Thanksgiving post I wish to express my gratitude to my Father in Heaven for His "refining fires". I am deeply touched with the knowledge that He knows me and knows what is necessary for me to gain exaltation. I have just finished reading the Work and Glory series and the spirit has whispered repeatedly to me: "what sacrifice am I offering to the Lord?" The early saints made obvious sacrifices in their devotion to the Lord: leaving families, homes, countries, and all in the face of terrible persecution. What am I doing today that will qualify me to stand with Abraham, Moroni, Moses, and Joseph Smith? Frequently the passage where Abraham sees "many of the noble and great ones" comes to my mind.

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the ^aintelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the ^bnoble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast ^achosen before thou wast born.(Abr 3:22-23)

Was I among them? Will I be worthy to stand with them in the end?

I have recently come to a greater understanding of all that God requires of me to be His disciple. I have made the choice that if I have been called to experience something seemingly impossible to overcome the Lord can help me to overcome it and that I am willing to do whatever it takes to qualify for exaltation.

I just began reading Fire of the Covenant and the opening quote in the book is one given by Joseph Smith in Lectures on Faith:

"Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation....It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is though the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do his will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life"

What more can I add than my witness that I know it is true! How grateful I am for that knowledge and for the peace it gives. Knowing that the Lord is with me always makes me realize that it is possible for me to accomplish all things. For, like Nephi, I know that He "giveth no commandment unto the children of men save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which He commandeth them. (1 Ne 3:7)