Scripture Study - Glad/Gladness

 1/31/24 – Glad/Gladness

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: … (Prov. 10:28) The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory. (Ps. 64:10) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him (Christ): … (Rev. 19:7) Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (Ps. 100:2) … as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Rom. 10:15)

Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; … (D&C 128:19) Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom. (D&C 29:5) For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (Isa. 51:3, 11)

 

Insights: I think about the movie Polyanna and how she taught the minister about the “Glad” verses in the scriptures – which changed him completely. The Lord wants us to be happy and has provided His Gospel so that we have the insight of eternity allowing us to find joy and gladness in this often times dark world.

I remember as a young girl having chores to do in the home. Mom would turn it into a game with singing. Somehow, the chores we dreaded became less challenging when our mindset shifted and we looked upon the work as something fun and exciting. The same thing was shown in the movie Mary Poppins with the cleaning of the nursery and the taking of the medicine. “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!” It truly comes down to where we allow our minds to take us. If we look at what we have to do with one of excitement at the prospect, it is so much easier. But when we allow negative thoughts and anger or frustration to take hold, what may have already been an unpleasant task becomes nearly unbearable.

The power of our minds is incredible. You have the ability to control where your mind goes and how it affects your whole experience. Grab onto hope, and allow joy and gladness to have free reign, and this life will be so much more pleasant!