Scripture Study - Prepare/Preparation

 1/25/24 – Prepare/Preparation

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1-3)

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. (Alma 34:32) … I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7) For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. (1 Nephi 10:18)

… the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming – (Alma 16:16) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Cor. 2:9) Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless. And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved! Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it! Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. (Alma 5:27-33)

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Eph. 6:13-18)

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting; a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; (D&C 88:119) … if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. (D&C 38:30)

Then shall the King (Christ) say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:34-36, 40)

Insights: It’s fascinating to me that preparation is required from both us and the Lord. The Lord prepared everything for this life ahead of time. Not only did the creation of the physical earth need preparation, but He also prepared for all eventualities that may occur to us individually. Ultimately, He prepared to send His perfect Son to Atone for each and every one of us. Not only were preparations made for this life, but God is also prepared to reward us for our efforts in the eternities.

It is our responsibility to prepare during this life to return back to God. We do this by keeping His commandments which He has already prepared ways for us to do. We do this by serving others in love and kindness. We do this by ridding ourselves of all unworthy attributes such as pride and envy, hate and ridicule. It is through the blessing of repentance that we can purge ourselves of these offending traits. And once we have repented, we arm ourselves with God’s Gospel – based on faith, prayer, study, love, etc. We need to fill the hole left by the unrighteous with those things that are good, otherwise, we leave a space available for Satan to creep back into our lives.

Being OCD, I love the idea of organizing ourselves with the promise that if we are prepared, we don’t need to fear. I am supremely grateful for the ability to escape fear! Fear disables our ability to move forward and closes our minds to hearing whisperings of peace; so being able to push that fear away through faith in following the Lord, is an incredible blessing.

And then in the end, we will be rewarded with all that the Lord can give us based on our personal choices. These rewards are more than we can even begin to imagine. What a way to end this mortal experience!