Grace... dun dun dun!!!

Ok, so I have been thinking a lot about grace lately. The word and definition have been so confused and incomplete. I love the Bible dictionary definition that says,

"The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ . . . It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power."

Grace is the way that Christ helps us in our everyday tasks. It is how he helps us to become more like Him. It is also how he helps us to have joy in the journey!

When I was reading the Book of Mormon the other day I was struck with a verse in Helaman that says "And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works." (Helaman 12:24)
I was interested by the way that Helaman teaches us that we must be restored to grace for grace. I realized that in order to receive that help and enabling power from Christ we must be in a position to receive that help. We receive grace through the Holy Ghost and if we are in situations where the Holy Ghost cannot be, we can not receive that help. For example, if I am stuck out here in Virginia with a flat tire I cannot call my dad to receive help. (Unfortunately!) In the same way if we are not repenting and doing good works our Father in Heaven cannot help us because we will not let Him.

In order to receive the grace of Jesus Christ we must accept Him and His means of help. We must allow Him to change us by being obedient to His commandments. I know this is true and that it can change our lives. 

Check this out for another wonderful talk on grace! His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox