3.079 My Soul was Filled with Joy

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It's a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Do you want to feel God's love in your life? And I mean really feel it. I believe what we talk about today is one of the clearest ways that we can feel the love of God in all of mortality.

And I'm not just saying that to overstate something. I really mean it. We are reading this week, John 1, Genesis chapters 42 through 50 and a lot happens besides just the forgiveness moment with Joseph and his brothers.

I'm going to get back to that story here after we talk about one more piece of the message out of the Book of Mormon. In light of the forgiveness moment that happens here, I think it interesting to note that Joseph doesn't give his brothers time to have them ask his forgiveness. He grants it freely to them at the moment that he reveals himself to them.

And I think that's really interesting because he'd gone through the forgiveness process whether his brothers ever asked him for forgiveness or not. And I thought about that. I thought, 'Where have I seen this before?

What does this look like?' And I just started to go down the rabbit hole I typically do when I'm doing my scripture study. But then it took me to one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon and a chapter that has taken me out of some of the darkest times in my life. It's Alma chapter 36.

And if you're familiar with Alma chapter 36, it is the story of Alma talking to his son Helaman about his own repentance process. This is the Alma that was preaching against the church. This was the Alma that was taking souls away from church.

He was doing some pretty evil things and yet he found his own forgiveness from the Lord. And this is him sharing his story of that process. Now the segment that I wanted to share with you, the verse I wanted to share, comes inside of his kind of comatose state that he tells his son about.

He talks about remembering this Jesus Christ. And then he says this in verse 20. Well, verse 19, he remembers his sins no more.

And then in verse 20 it says this: 'And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold! Yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.' My friends, forgiveness fills us with light, with joy, with love. And I believe forgiveness is perhaps one of the most powerful ways the Lord grants us a feeling of His love for us in mortality.

When we're talking about forgiveness, I'm talking about both asking for forgiveness from others and giving forgiveness to others that have wronged us. I think about some of the ways that withholding forgiveness drives a pit in my stomach. I don't like the feeling.

When you think about the way the world talks about when someone has done us wrong, they use words like it's natural to feel angry and frustrated and it's natural. And of course, you've been wronged, so you should respond to this way. And the Lord's path is different.

The Lord's path is one of forgiveness, one that fills our souls with light and with love. My friends, a challenge for you today is to decide in your life today who needs to be asked forgiveness from you. Who can you go and say, 'I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness'?

And if no one comes to mind there, then perhaps flip the coin over. Who could receive some forgiveness from you today, now this week? What can you do to forgive them?

Perhaps some time in the temple would help, or some time on your knees in prayer would help. Some time in the scriptures would help. Whatever it is, seek for that forgiveness and ask the Lord to be part of that forgiveness process.

You and I both, all of us, can be filled with the light and love, the marvelous light that Alma testifies of, the joy that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as we seek forgiveness and seek to forgive others. What a beautiful lesson that comes out of Joseph's story there. One that absolutely can be applied in our lives today.

It's all for today, my friends. You and I have come here for such a time as this. Step forward in faith and let's be savory salt. We will be here tomorrow and we hope you are too.