Embracing the Everlasting Light: Lessons from Isaiah and Elder Bednar | 2 Nephi 7:10-11

Embracing the Everlasting Light: Lessons from Isaiah and Elder Bednar | 2 Nephi 7:10–11

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In the depths of scripture, we often uncover profound truths that resonate with our souls and guide our paths. The verses in Second Nephi, Chapter 7, provide a thought-provoking reflection on the nature of light and darkness in our spiritual journey. As we delve into the words of Isaiah, we are confronted with the question of why one who fears the Lord and obeys His servants may still find themselves walking in darkness. The answer lies in the imagery of kindling our own sparks, which, though flashy and momentarily captivating, ultimately lead to sorrow.

The analogy of sparks serves as a powerful reminder of the transient nature of self-generated light. Just as sparklers dazzle briefly before fading into darkness, our own efforts to illuminate our paths are limited in their endurance. This prompts us to contemplate how often we may lose sight of the everlasting light while chasing after our ephemeral sparks. It is a cautionary tale urging us to seek a more enduring source of illumination, one that emanates from the divine source of all light – Jesus Christ.

Elder Bednar’s poignant message on the essence of missionary work offers a practical application of these timeless principles. By shifting the focus from self-centered desires to selfless service, he illuminates the transformative power of losing oneself in the service of others. The admonition to “get over yourself” resonates as a call to transcend personal limitations and embrace a higher purpose. Through this selfless dedication to serving the Lord and others, we discover a profound sense of identity and fulfillment that transcends our individual struggles.

The journey of missionary service mirrors our own quest for spiritual enlightenment. As we relinquish our reliance on fleeting sparks and instead anchor ourselves in the name of the Lord, we find solace and strength in His eternal light. Trusting in the guidance of God becomes the cornerstone of our spiritual foundation, leading us away from self-absorption and towards a deeper connection with the divine. In trusting in the name of the Lord and staying upon Him, we open ourselves to a boundless source of light and wisdom that sustains us through life’s trials.

The parallels drawn between the teachings of Isaiah and the insights shared by Elder Bednar underscore a universal truth – the need to align our lives with the eternal light of Christ. By shifting our focus from self-serving sparks to the enduring radiance of the Savior, we embark on a journey of spiritual growth and enlightenment. This profound shift in perspective enables us to transcend our transient worries and embrace a higher calling rooted in love, service, and faith. As we bask in the glow of the everlasting light, we find peace, purpose, and a deep sense of fulfillment that transcends the allure of worldly endeavors.

Hey, friends. What’s good? Derek here from BOM Socks with more BOM Bites, where we feast upon the words of Christ one bite at a time. We’re getting into two of my favorite Isaiah verses here in the Book of Mormon. Second Nephi, Chapter 7. You’re going to look at the last two verses of this chapter. Verse number 10, Who is among you that feareth the Lord or respects the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? The question I want to pose to you here is this, why would someone who is fearing the Lord and obeying the voice of his servants still be walking in darkness and not have any light? I think there’s a key element here in verse number 11. Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This ye shall have of my hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow. So this idea of walking in the light of your fire and your own sparks. When you think about sparks, sparks are very flashy, sparks are very showy.

They do not last very long. It’s like when you’re a little kid and you have the sparklers on fourth of July, You hold it, you’re just like, Yeah, that’s awesome. And then it fizzles out, and then you just do it again. Yeah, that’s awesome. And you do it for literally 10 seconds. And it is so temporary. So a spark is a temporary gleam or flash, very showy, quickly fizzling out without producing much of anything. So the question can be here, how have you seen people today lose light as they follow their own sparks? Because what happens is you’re following your own light, and as awesome as you and I are, our light, just our light, is not going to last very long. The reality of this is you and I need to be looking for a much stronger light source than just ourselves. Because you and I, we have those sparks that are very temporary, and they can produce light, but we are not the ones who are going to produce the everlasting light. That light comes from Jesus Christ. Now, one of the cool things with that, elder Bednar, David A. Bednar, periodically does Instagram Lives, and it’s so fun to watch Elder Bednar.

If you were to go to his Instagram page, you will see several of these where he just answers questions and he does it in such a wonderful way. He did one about a a year ago where he really addressed this idea of maybe why it is that we tend to struggle. The context here he was using with this is actually about missionary work. Go ahead and watch this and you’ll see how Elder Bednar addresses this very topic.

What is the best advice you can give for someone who’s about to go on a mission? It’s not about you. I visit with thousands and thousands of missionaries every year, and rightfully, understandably, they’ll say, Well, I’m working so hard, but I’m not having the success that I think I should have. Can you hear the problem in that series of statements? I, I, I, I. You go because you love the Lord. You serve because you want to assist others to come unto him. You need to lose yourself in the service of others. When you get lost, serving the Lord, you’ll ultimately find out who you really are. The best advice, you’re going to go to a place you might not choose to go. You might have four companions, people you might not choose to associate with. You may eat food that you really don’t like, all of which can propel you to be self-centered. I’m not very happy about all this. That’s just part of the adjustment to missionary life and growing up and learning to serve with your heart, mind, and strength in conditions you wouldn’t ordinarily serve. Get over yourself. It’s not about you losing Use yourself in service to him.

The irony is you will come home after you’ve served for 18 or 24 months. After these experiences that seem so hard now, you will proclaim, It was the greatest experience of my life, and it will have been.

I really love Elder Bednar’s message there because it really describes my own missionary experience.

There are times where I would be in there and like, Why am I experiencing this? Why am I feeling this way? Once I realized that was not about me, and it was about the Lord, and it was about sharing his message with other people, all of a sudden my problems got very, very insignificant as I was able to start helping others, taking the light of Jesus Christ and sharing that with other people rather than me trying to the light source. Now, what’s interesting is in these verses here, there’s actually a little phrase in Isaiah 50, where the original part of this is because the chapter heading does say, compare Isaiah 50. Now, you go to Isaiah 50:10. There is a little part right at the end there where it says, Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God, which I love that. That is how you and I make sure that we follow the right light source. We stop looking to ourselves, we stop making it about ourselves, and we start making it more about Jesus Christ.

As we do that, the sparks are not going to be there, but that everlasting light, that’s going to be the thing that’s going to bless people’s lives. I love this little message right here, and I am grateful for it. Thank you so much for watching. Thanks for subscribing. Thank you for sharing these messages. We’re so grateful that you do that. If you like what you see, click that like button, and you got to go check out our amazingly comfortable gospel-themed socks at BOMSocks.com. You guys have a great day, and we’ll see you next time. God speed.