40 Day Walk with Christ - Day 5

Read Words of Mormon, Mosiah 1-3
Mark & Ponder 2 Nephi 33:8-9
Scripture of the day: "Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry and the needy, and the naked, and sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?" (Mormon 8:39)
Thought for the day: "But as a people we should endeavor in them midst of our troubles, difficulties, trials and temptations, to remember that we are God's people; that we are called to be His, and we should put our firm faith and trust in Him and leave Him to work out the results." (George Q Cannon)

I love King Benjamin's address to his people. Whenever I open the scriptures and don't have a specific place I'm reading at the time I usually end up reading these chapters.  For this post I just want to focus on Mosiah 3:19 because I love this scripture and it's something I think about a lot and I actually referenced a post or two ago.  The natural man drives me crazy.  Reading my scriptures everyday should not be a hard thing.  It only takes a few minutes, it isn't painful, it doesn't require a large sacrifice, sweat, tears, or exertion of any sort.  It's really a pretty easy thing.  And yet I struggle and struggle with it.  The same thing goes with things that aren't necessarily spiritual in nature like exercising & dieting (eating reasonable portions, moderating unhealthy foods, not wanting to eat all day long - which is me in a nutshell).  The natural man is lazy.  The natural man accomplishes nothing.  The natural man doesn't grow or progress or do anything for anyone else.  "The natural man is an enemy to God."  We were sent to earth as a test to prove ourselves.  If it wasn't hard it wouldn't really be a test.  But it continues to baffle my mind how much the natural man is in opposition to the spirit.  My spirits yearns to obey the commandments and live a Christ-like life.  I want nothing more.  But the natural man in me is always causing problems with this desire.  Things that sound easy to do and I want very much to do are so difficult.  But each time I conquer that natural man, each time my spirit is triumphant over my carnal nature, the more I become like the Savior and the closer I get to living with Him again.