What's your favorite scripture?

In Institute today, we had a substitute teacher and his lesson plan was to go through our "favorite" scriptures in the scripture block, which today was Hebrews. So I dutifully opened my scriptures and figured I would just share one of the first that I found that had been marked. Not being very familiar with Hebrews (having only read it once or twice before), I didn't know what I was going to expect. But I did find one passage that really stood out to me and so I shared it.

Hebrews 2:9-18 (while the entire passage is good, I focused on the first and last verse)

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

We can see that Christ, who is a God and "higher" than the angels, suffered himself to be "lower[ed]" so that he could "[suffer] ... death ... for every man [and woman]." Being a God, Christ did not have to suffer any of the mortal perils that we face. He was already "crowned with glory and honour;" but, He allowed Himself to condescend (Latin root meaning to descend with) to the state of mortality and "[suffer] ... death" and all the other things he suffered (see Alma 7:11-12) for us. He did not do any of this for personal satisaction or glory (He already had it). The reason for His ultimate unselfishness is found in v. 18

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Thus, the reason Christ suffered as He did was so that He could "[succor]" all of us who are tempted. Alma says the same thing (Alma 7:12). My favorite definition of succor is one given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (Ensign, Oct. 1997, p.66) where he said that to succor means "to run to." As Christ succors us, He is running to us. Are we running back? or do we turn our backs on Him and try to make it on our own? To often, I find myself trying to do the latter. Relying upon the arm of the flesh sure didn't work out for the Lamanites who tried to kill Ammon (Alma 17:36-38), and yet, still I think that if I just think about it long enough and approach the situation rationally, I can figure it out.

Yes, God has blessed us with intelligence, gifts, and abilities to "work out [our] own salvation" (Phillipians 2:12). But we forget too often (at least I do) the last part of the scripture: "with fear and trembling." God does not want us to approach decisions with an unrealistic fear and despair for the future. The "fear and trembling" that this verse describes is one of spiritual fear that Job had for God (Job 1:1), meaning reverence and obedience. The trembling denotes a spirit of repentance and humility at God's awesome power (1 Samuel 14:15; Mosiah 15:26-27; Alma 12:1,7). If I am able to use the gifts that God has given me in "fear and trembling" as described here, then I am not alone--I am trusting in God, reverencing His power, seeking His forgiveness, and acknowledging my nothingness before Him (see Mosiah 4:11-12). That, is "fear and trembling."

So this kind of turned into more than just what I shared in my Institute class today. It has helped me realize better my relationship with God. If that is all it accomplishes, then I am happy. If I have somehow influenced someone else in their relationship with Deity, all the better (see D&C 18:15-16).