So I think I'm beginning to understand grace and works now. Our works are just us opening the gift of grace. Our works are when our will lines up with God's, but we can't do anything good on our own, for all good things come from God-Moroni 7:13. Even the ability to use our will or moral agency is a gift. God doesn't just forgive us and cleanse us, he changes us, strengthens us and even changes our desires-Alma 19:33. Once we fell and sinned we couldn't save ourselves, hence we needed a mediator. David J. Stewart said, “Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay” hence salvation is free-2 Nephi 2:4. Christ paid the price and fulfilled the punishment; hence again we can't pay anything back to God, for the gift has to be pure and the giver has to be sinless to merit anything. We don't obey or repent out of payment or punishment, but as a gesture of our willingness to receive Christ's atoning blood. Christ is the only being that heaven owes anything to. We can't earn blessings or gifts, we can only use our will to choose to use the gift of moral agency in a moral way. Since our will is the only thing we can give God that isn't His already, again everything beyond our will is a gift from God, unearned, unpaid for by us, but gratefully received through our willingness to obey and our willingness to be perfected in Christ. After all we can do=our will, we are saved by grace=moral agency, changed desires, power to obey and changed heart, changed mind, expanded soul, changed into a new creature, the ability to qualify to receive any and all blessings including immortality and ultimately eternal life-2 Nephi 10:24; 25:23. It makes sense to me because apart from being an intelligence and having a will all the good we have, all the good we do and the good we are comes from God. Christ taught it beautifully in John 15:1-5 where he said he is the vine and we are the branches. The branches can’t do anything good on their own, they only produce fruit by receiving what is given to them through the vine. We don't do anything good on our own, only through and because of Christ hence 2 Nephi 2:8 states we can dwell in God's presence through Christ's merits, mercy and grace. Another good example Christ taught was that we are yoked to Him through ordinances and covenants-Matthew 11:29-30. We are yoked with Christ as we exchange our sins for his perfect attributes. Not only is it an uneven exchange, it's an undeserved and unearned exchange. Being yoked then to Christ our journey back to God is never done on our own, it is done through, because of and with Christ. Ordinances are received through Christ’s authority and covenants are fulfilled through God’s help. We receive baptism and are given the Holy Ghost to enable us to fulfill those covenants. Finally 1 Nephi 3:7 states God prepares the way for us to fulfill commandments. Nephi and his brothers failed the first two times when they left it up to chance and bribery-the philosophies of men. Nephi succeeded at getting the brass plates when he followed the Spirit. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways, luckily, because our ways lead to death and misery. His ways lead to eternal life and true happiness.

We all know words are powerful. The written word is what separates us from the rest of creation. Words can reveal or conceal information. They can evoke the whole spectrum of emotions. They lead to further discussion, debate or ridicule. What we say is very important as Christ stated, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man"-Matthew 15:11. And so He commanded us to, "let your words tend to edifying one another"-D&C 136:24. The word of God is more powerful than men's words. Not just because men's words are not eternal and God's are, but because God's words are living entities with amazing properties. Joseph Fielding McConkie stated, “Words too are living things, created in the image and likeness of those who breathed into them the breath of life...That there is a power innate to the word itself is illustrated in the revelation which states, “For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (D&C 84:45).” Gospel Symbolism, 13. The word of God is a living thing. 
 Another example of this is how Christ is the Word-John 1:1. Christ is the source of the words and power of God, Christ is the power by which all things are created. Creation is made by, of and for Christ-D&C 93:10. Since all things were created by and of Christ and all things have life because of Christ why would His words be any different?
Another way the word of God is depicted as being alive is that it breaks the heart-Jeremiah 23:9. A way to convey how active or lively the word of God is God compares it to a sword that cuts the joints and marrow or soul and spirit-D&C 11:2; Hebrews 4:12; Acts 7:54. Alonzo Gaskill elaborates on the symbol of the sword, "The symbolism of the sword as the word of God is enshrined in the word Sword, i.e. se-word or is-word [meaning] "the fire or light of the word." The Anglo-Saxon for a sword was seax [which meant] "the fire of the great fire." Similarly the Italian spada resolves into sepada [which translates] the fire of the shining father, and the German sabel into "fire of bel."...Swords also symbolize discernment, and that which separates." The Savior and the Serpent. 
We also know, “The Spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with heavenly beings. Through the Holy Ghost the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:48). “As you dedicate yourself to living the gospel with greater purpose than ever before and search the scriptures, treasuring them up in your heart, the same Holy Ghost, who revealed these words to apostles and prophets anciently, will testify to you of their truthfulness. In essence, the Holy Ghost will reveal them anew to you. When this happens, the words that you read are no longer only the words of Nephi or Paul or Alma, but they become your words.” David M. McConkie, "Teaching with the Power and Authority of God" November 2013 Ensign. This may be how the Spirit weaves the word of God into the fibers of our spirits-by dividing the heart, like a needle thread with fabric goes in and around the other fibers the word of God cuts through and is woven into who we are expanding us at the same time like a blanket expanding with the added fabric!
May we be more diligent in feasting upon the words of Christ-2 Nephi 31:20 so that our spirits will expand-Alma 5:9; 32:34 until we measure up to "the stature of the fulness of Christ"-Ephesians 4:13.