“By the Power of God, and not of Man”

June 7, 2012

I just finished reading the Book of Mormon for the first time through this year.  While doing so, I marked references to the Savior, including His many names as well as the pronouns that refer to Him.  In addition, I marked passages in which He is quoted directly.  As you can imagine, there are thousands of red markings in the book. 

I am now reading it through the second time.  This time I decided to study the Book of Mormon with a question in my mind.  The question bears on developing a quality of character that I would like to have in greater abundance.

As I was reading this morning in “The Testimony of Three Witnesses”, I came across the statement, “by the power of God, and not of man”.  It occurred to me that for me to succeed, I need heavenly help to accomplish my objective.  If I depend only on my own power—my own determination and sheer grit—I will not succeed.  To become as God wants us to become requires His grace, His enabling power.  Therefore, I will strive to seek His power in my pursuit of personal improvement.