Light vs. Darkness

Doctrine and Covenants 50:23-24

23 And that which doth not edify is not of God, and is darkness.

24 That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.

Moroni 7:13

13...that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

These are a few of my absolute favorite scriptures because they teach us how to know right from wrong or light from dark.

In the past, whenever I questioned if what I was doing was the right thing to be doing I would ask myself if I was edified while participating in that particular activity. To edify means to uplift, instruct, or encourage you to intellectually, morally, and/or spiritually improve. So more simply I would ask myself if I was being uplifted or if I was improving while engaging in that particular activity. Sometimes I found that what I was doing wasn't necessarily bad but maybe it wasn't the best thing I could've been doing.

Along with edifying us, the way we spend our time and the choices we make should also invite and entice us to do good continually. I love the word continually. In both scriptures the word is used. If we do good continually and continue in God we will receive more light that will continue to grow as we continue to do good. I really like the word continue because it means that we never leave or depart from that which is good. It means that we endure and are persistant even when it might be hard to choose light over dark or to be constantly obedient.

Both of these scriptures can be used to check ourselves and to continually watch ourselves. I think we would be perfectly guided in our daily pursuits if we asked ourselves if what we were doing edified, invited, and enticed us to do good and to become better.