Wipe Away All Tears

I read this verse today and it made my heart feel light:

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away."

Revelation 21:4

Can you imagine a state of being without death, sorrow, and pain? For some reason, I can. Maybe because there are places I have been and moments in my life where I have been relatively free from these things. So in times where I am feeling the death, sorrow, crying, and pain, it is helpful for me to know that if I can do everything I can to live the way our Father has asked us to live, it will be Him and His Son who will now or one day wipe away the tears from my eyes.

-elin
Whose 3-year old just swallowed a dime. True story.

The Throne of Grace

Hebrews 4:16 says

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

I've thought on this verse a lot recently. Why does Paul say that we will receive mercy when we come to the throne of grace? It seems like we should be receiving grace. Is he just trying to pack multiple positive traits of Christ (whose throne it is) into one verse? Probably not. The following is my interpretation of this verse.

If I am coming to Christ for grace (which the LDS Church defines as the enabling power of Christ), I am making a personal admonition that I need him, and believe he both can and will help me. And because I make that admonition, because I try to work with him rather than by myself, he not only grants me grace in time of need, but also is merciful in the long term.

A great example is when a man with the palsy is brought to Christ, and Christ both heals him of the palsy and forgives him of his sins (Mark 2:1-12, and video below). Seeking Christ for healing is approaching the throne of grace; having the palsy cured is receiving grace in time of need; and receiving a forgiveness of sin is mercy.

It's my belief that if I seek Christ's grace, he will help in my time of need. And additionally, he will have mercy on me through the long run because I sought him.

Forrest
--Who needs all the grace and mercy he can get.