To Cleanse and to Cultivate

Happy Sunday! Oh, darn, it's not Sunday anymore. But oh well! I was meant to do this one on Sunday, but I am going to do it today. So just pretend for a few moments that you reversed time a day or so and you will be set! So, when I was on my mission, we had a huge mission conference. My Mission President at the time was President Baird. He was awesome and he introduced to us the 12 step addiction recovery guide as a pattern we can follow our lives after in order to First: Cleanse ourselves from impurity and from bad habits and sins and Second: Cultivate within ourselves the Christ-like attributes found in Preach My Gospel. I found this very enlightening and a great commitment and have never stopped this process, even after coming home. I still use the Addiction Recovery Guide in my daily study as well as Preach My Gospel, the missionary manual, and of course the scriptures. 

Today in my study I learned a little bit more about this. I found, by the help of the Lord in my study that this can be rephrased from Cleanse and Cultivate to Repent and Obtain Spiritual Gifts. This meant so much to me. It gave me a hunger for the gifts of the Spirit and I gained further understanding in my study and my reading of "The Infinite Atonement" (one of my favorite books by Tad. R. Callister) that in order to obtain gifts of the Spirit we must have it as a constant focus in our day. We must give our attention frequently and persistently to this. We must truly desire them, and then ask for them. And when we do so, living the commandments and striving to understand these gifts, we will get them. 

In this condition you will find that the law of Karma applies. Whatever amount of force you put into something will return to you. I am so excited now to continue to pursue spiritual gifts! I am focused on three right now and in order to obtain I have made a daily system! 

1) I will frequently pray throughout the day, earnestly, for these gifts. 

2) I will frequently throughout the day, ponder and meditate concerning these gifts and try to align my actions to it.

3) I will frequently study each day, more than once, gifts of the spirit and the gospel through scriptures and books. 

4) I will have a changing daily goal to push myself closer to one of these goals. 

Oh how consuming it is, but I feel that if I put this effort into it, God, my Heavenly Father will grant it unto me! I'll let you know how it goes!