Act and Not Be Acted Upon

2 Nephi 2:14 - "And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon."

Elder David A. Bednar - “Pray for the strength to learn from, change, or accept our circumstances rather than praying relentlessly for God to change our circumstances according to our will... become agents who act rather than objects that are acted upon.” 

Seek this Jesus - A Book of Mormon Daily Podcast invites you to discover the joy and guidance that comes from studying the Book of Mormon everyday. This podcast would hope to just be a supplement to your studies. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to Seek This Jesus, a daily podcast dedicated to drawing closer to the Savior through the powerful truths found in the Book of Mormon. Each episode, we focus on one verse that helps us walk more faithfully in his footsteps. Today we continue in Lehi's powerful teachings to his sons in 2 Nephi chapter 2. This chapter helps us understand why we are here, how God designed mortality and what our role is in his plan. As we study this verse today, along with teachings from Elder David A Bednar, we will consider what it means to act with spiritual purpose and live as true disciples of Jesus Christ. Let us begin with the full verse Second Nephi chapter two verse fourteen. And now my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning, for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that are in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. This verse teaches us something essential about how God created the world and how he created us. Lehi explains that everything in God's creation falls into two broad categories things that act and things that are acted upon. Inanimate objects, rocks, water, wind, and mountains are acted upon. They move according to laws and forces outside themselves. They do not choose, they do not decide, they simply respond. But human beings are different. We are things to act. We are agents. We are moral beings with the power to choose. God did not place us on this earth to be pushed around by circumstances, habits, other people, or even our own weaknesses. He placed us here to learn how to choose righteousness and follow his son. Lehi reminds us, son, that God created all things for your profit and learning. Our agency is not accidental. It is central to God's plan. Every experience in mortality is meant to teach us how to use our agency wisely. In October 2014, Elder Bednar taught in a state conference that I attended that we are agents and not objects. That teaching fits perfectly with this verse. An object is something acted upon. It reacts, it is passive, it waits for something else to move it. An agent is active. An agent chooses, an agent takes responsibility. Spiritually speaking, we can live like objects or like agents. When we live like objects, we blame circumstances for our behavior. We say things like I can't help it. That's just how I am. If my situation were better, I'd be more faithful. When things calm down, then I'll do better. When we live like agents, we recognize that no matter what is happening around us, we still have the power to choose how we respond. We choose to pray. We choose to forgive. We choose to repent. We choose to obey. We choose to trust God. Being an agent does not mean life is easy. It means we do not surrender our spiritual responsibility when life is hard. We determine the direction we go. Other people do not determine it for us. Circumstances do not determine it for us. Our past does not determine it for us. With the help of Jesus Christ, we choose our path. As we go through trials, one important step is to take action. This principle is vital. Trials often make us feel stuck. They can make us feel powerless. They can make us feel as though nothing we do will matter. But the gospel teaches the opposite. Even in our hardest moments there is always something righteous we can do. Sometimes that action is obvious. Repent, apologize, study, serve, or make a needed change. Sometimes it is quieter. Endure patiently. Keep praying. Trust God or simply keep showing up. The specific action will depend on the trial and the circumstances. God does not give us the same assignment in every situation, but he always invites us to act. Faith is not passive. Faith moves, faith chooses, faith obeys. When we stop acting, we slowly become acted upon. Fear begins to control us. Discouragement begins to control us. Temptation begins to control us. Doubt begins to control us. But when we act in faith, even in small ways, we place ourselves back in the Lord's hand. Elder David A. Bend are taught this powerful principle.

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Pray for the strength to learn from, change, or accept our circumstances, rather than praying relentlessly for God to change our circumstances according to our will. Become agents who act rather than objects that are acted upon.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

This quote teaches us that even our prayers can reflect whether we are living as agents or objects. Sometimes our prayers sound like this please fix this. Please make this go away. Please change them. Please remove this problem. Those prayers are honest and God understands them. But if that is all we ever pray, we may miss what the Lord is trying to teach us. Elder Bednar invites us to pray differently. Help me learn. Help me grow. Help me change. Help me endure. Help me trust. These prayers show faith, they show humility, they show agency. Instead of waiting for God to rearrange our lives, we ask Him to change our hearts. Instead of demanding relief, we seek refinement. Instead of surrendering to difficulty, we choose discipleship. Through Jesus Christ we can become spiritually strong even when our circumstances do not change. When we truly understand Second Nephi two hundred fourteen, our daily discipleship changes. We stop waiting for perfect conditions. We stop waiting for motivation. We stop waiting for everything to feel easy. We begin acting now. We read our scriptures even when we are tired, we pray even when we feel discouraged. We attend church even when we feel imperfect. We repent even when it is uncomfortable. We serve even when it costs us something. This is how we become things to act rather than things to be acted upon. This is how we follow Jesus Christ who always acted in love, obedience, and faith, even in suffering. Lehi's message in Elder Bednar's teachings point to the same truth. God created us to be active participants in our salvation. Through Jesus Christ, we are empowered to choose righteousness, grow through adversity, and become spiritually strong. We are not victims of mortality, we are students in God's school. We are agents in His plan. So here is today's challenge. This week identify one area of your life where you have been waiting instead of acting. Pray for the strength to learn, change or accept your circumstances, and then take one small faithful step forward. Act in trust, act in obedience, act in hope. As we do this consistently, we will experience greater peace, stronger faith, and deeper confidence in the Savior. We will become disciples who choose Him no matter what. Thank you for listening to Seek This Jesus. I hope this message helps you draw a little closer to the Savior, Jesus Christ. Please don't let this podcast be your only scripture time today. I encourage you to open your scriptures, because when you study God's word personally, the Spirit will teach you things no podcast ever could. I invite you to come back tomorrow for another verse and message to help you keep focused on Jesus Christ. Until next time, keep seeking this Jesus.