This is a very significant statement about the Atonement of Christ. This statement is saying that we don't believe in "original sin," and so little children are the only people perfect on this earth, besides Jesus Christ. We believe that we are responsible for our own actions and sins. Adam definitely brought sin into the world, but it's not because of him that we sin. God gave us all our own agency to choose whether or not we were going to follow his commandments. The Atonement covered that original sin and we are able to repent and be forgiven of those things that we do wrong.This also has to do with when we believe people should be baptized, which is at the age of 8 years old. It says in the Bible, " For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us...." (1 Peter 3:18-21) This is saying that after Christ was crucified, he went to the spirits in prison and taught them. It also says that he taught those who were once disobedient and when Noah was saved only 8 were saved with him, which is the same number that saves us now when we are baptized. So we should be baptized at age 8. Also in modern revelation, "And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of hands." (Doctrine and Covenants 68:27) We are responsible for our own actions and sins. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all. I know that is it real and that it works, all we have to do is apply it to our own lives.
Showing posts with label LDS Missionary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LDS Missionary. Show all posts
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Articles of Faith part 2 of 13
Article of Faith #2, "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression."
This is a very significant statement about the Atonement of Christ. This statement is saying that we don't believe in "original sin," and so little children are the only people perfect on this earth, besides Jesus Christ. We believe that we are responsible for our own actions and sins. Adam definitely brought sin into the world, but it's not because of him that we sin. God gave us all our own agency to choose whether or not we were going to follow his commandments. The Atonement covered that original sin and we are able to repent and be forgiven of those things that we do wrong.This also has to do with when we believe people should be baptized, which is at the age of 8 years old. It says in the Bible, " For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us...." (1 Peter 3:18-21) This is saying that after Christ was crucified, he went to the spirits in prison and taught them. It also says that he taught those who were once disobedient and when Noah was saved only 8 were saved with him, which is the same number that saves us now when we are baptized. So we should be baptized at age 8. Also in modern revelation, "And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of hands." (Doctrine and Covenants 68:27) We are responsible for our own actions and sins. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all. I know that is it real and that it works, all we have to do is apply it to our own lives.
This is a very significant statement about the Atonement of Christ. This statement is saying that we don't believe in "original sin," and so little children are the only people perfect on this earth, besides Jesus Christ. We believe that we are responsible for our own actions and sins. Adam definitely brought sin into the world, but it's not because of him that we sin. God gave us all our own agency to choose whether or not we were going to follow his commandments. The Atonement covered that original sin and we are able to repent and be forgiven of those things that we do wrong.This also has to do with when we believe people should be baptized, which is at the age of 8 years old. It says in the Bible, " For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us...." (1 Peter 3:18-21) This is saying that after Christ was crucified, he went to the spirits in prison and taught them. It also says that he taught those who were once disobedient and when Noah was saved only 8 were saved with him, which is the same number that saves us now when we are baptized. So we should be baptized at age 8. Also in modern revelation, "And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of hands." (Doctrine and Covenants 68:27) We are responsible for our own actions and sins. The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all. I know that is it real and that it works, all we have to do is apply it to our own lives.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The Articles of Faith Introduction
So I was recently thinking about what I should blog about. For some time nothing came, then I saw a blog that said something about the Articles of Faith and so I figured, and felt, that it would be an awesome thing to blog about. So I will post what the Article of Faith is and then write my feelings and thoughts on it.
The Articles of Faith were written by Joseph Smith in response to a letter from John Wentworth. The Articles of Faith were originally known as the Wentworth Letter, and later reproduced in the newspaper Times and Seasons. They are 13 statements of belief by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We study them and use them to help others better understand the basic points and doctrines of our belief.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Adversity
Adversity. What is it? Why do we need it? A prophet in the Book of Mormon said to his son,"For it must needs be, that there is an aopposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." Merriam-Webster dictionary defines adversity as, "a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty." LDS.org has so many great things on it, this is one of those, "Trials, disappointments, sadness, sickness, and heartache are a difficult part of life, but with the help of the Lord they can lead to spiritual growth, refinement, and progress." The prophets and apostles today have been speaking a lot lately on adversity. We all go through it, and we may not all like it or be able to relate, but the Lord can and already went through everything that we will ever go through. The Savior and his teachings, the gospel,willl help you. Keep your heads up and trust in the Lord and everything will be alright.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon. What is it? Do we even need it? Where did it come from? These are some of the many questions that come about when The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is brought up. So what exactly is the Book of Mormon? It is exactly what the title says, another testament of our Savior Jesus Christ. It says in the Introduction, " the Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel." It is so important that we don't look at the Book of Mormon as "another Bible" or that it is adding or taking away from the Bible. It is used so that we can better understand and apply the principles in the Bible. Joseph Smith said, "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” That right there is a pretty bold statement, and as we disect what he said it all really makes sense. The Bible has been translated so many times either from its original or from the translated that there have been errors made and then you have people who purposely change things in the Bible. The Book of Mormon has been translated from it's original once, and every other translation is based off of the English, so that no or few translation errors can occur. It is the keystone of our religion because without the Book of Mormon there are very few things that lead us to know if Joseph Smith was a true prophet. It also helps us to gain a clearer understanding of our doctrines. So without the Book of Mormon, everything in our church crumbles. And of course, last but not least, if we abide by the principles in the book we can draw closer to God. The same thing happens when we follow what the Bible says to do, and it is only the teachings of Jesus Christ that can draw us closer to God. It says in the Book of Mormon, "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (2 Nephi 25:26). It also says, "And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness" (2 Nephi 33:10-11). As we listen to the words of Christ, we can only come closer to him. There is a promise given to us from the prophet Moroni, he is the last prophet in the Book of Mormon, and he tells us, "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:3-5). It says in Galations 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." That is how we can know if the Book of Mormon, or anything for that matter, is true. That is what the scriptures tell us. We all need to find out for ourselves.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Actions
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Our Thoughts.....
I've been told many times in my life that "our thoughts are what lead us to action." One of my favorite analogies about our thoughts is that our minds are like a stage. Preach My Gospel says, "Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind, however, only one actor can be on stage at a time. If the stage is left bare, thoughts of darkness and sin often enter the stage to tempt. But these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that you can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of your mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and indulge in sin. You can become pure and virtuous." There is so much that comes with our thoughts. As we continue to apply the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives it becomes easier for us to control our thougths. I especially like the ideas to have a memorized hymn or scripture that we can call upon in order to fight off those thoughts. In times of need we can always turn to our Heavenly Father to help fight off those thoughts. President Boyd K. Packer said, "I have come to know that thoughts, like water, will stay on course if we make a place for them to go. Otherwise, our thoughts follow the course of least resistance, always seeking the lower levels. Probably the greatest challenge and the most difficult thing you will face in mortal life is to learn to control your thoughts." It is amazing to see how much the Lord will bless us if we ask him to help us in those times of need. The quote from President Packer is so true. Our thoughts will go to the place of easiest resistance. If we don't allow a place for our thoughts to go they will wander to places that we don't want them to go. That is why we have to channel our thoughts and do those things to help us in those times when the "water" goes over the banks, or in other words when our thoughts get out of control. The Lord will always help us if we turn to him. One of President Packers ideas for helping to ward of those bad thoughts is our choice in music. One of my past blogs talks a little bit more about music and it's influences in our lives, but it is so true that as we fill our minds with bad entertainment those bad thoughts will continue to come back if we don't properly take care of them.Thursday, January 13, 2011
Who Is Your Hero?
Heroes are an important part of all of our lives. There is a poster that hangs on my wall at home that has the saying, "Who is Your Hero?" I think it is such an inspirational quote. Also on the poster is pictures of heroes from the Book of Mormon. That is how I think we all need to be. We need to look toward someone that we want to be like and have them be our hero. Some great examples that I can think of off the top of my head are Jesus Christ, Captain Moroni, Paul, Ammon, Aaron, Moses. The list goes on and on. There is a website that has all of these posters on them and many more. It is amazing to see the artists rendition of our heroes. http://www.realheroposters.com/magento/ Captain Moroni is one of my favorite Book of Mormon heroes. He is so amazing and does so many things. One of my favorite quotes comes from about him it says in Alma 48:17-18, "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very power of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power the hearts of the children of men. Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God."
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Church In Christ's Day
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ from the Bible. Joseph Smith wrote what is called the Articles of Faith, and in Article of Faith #6 it says, “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.” In the Gospel Principles manual we learn a ton about the church in the former times. Chapter 16 is dedicated to that. We can find it on lds.org or http://lds.org/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-16-the-church-of-jesus-christ-in-former-times?lang=eng. I love having so many resourses at our disposal. They help us to gain further light and knowlege. If we only had time to look at everything and to apply them all to our lives. Keep up the great work and I love you all.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Music
Music is such an inspirational part of our lives. The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, “Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary,
console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end." A really good quote about music and learning music says this, "Parents should encourage their children to receive instruction in musical skills, enabling them to use their talents to serve in the Church." Music is such an influential part of our lives it influences the things that we think and do and say. It's one of the best ways we can show our appreciation for the Lord. He says, "My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." There is so much out there for us and we need to filter out those things that are going to be harmful to us.
console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end." A really good quote about music and learning music says this, "Parents should encourage their children to receive instruction in musical skills, enabling them to use their talents to serve in the Church." Music is such an influential part of our lives it influences the things that we think and do and say. It's one of the best ways we can show our appreciation for the Lord. He says, "My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." There is so much out there for us and we need to filter out those things that are going to be harmful to us.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Family
One of my favorite videos on http://www.mormon.org/ is called Swashbuckler. It is a great video that shows how family time can be made fun. I'll put a link on the comments so that you can all check it out. Family is the most important thing in this life. God has made it that way. We read in Genesis, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." He created Adam and Eve, later after the Fall of Adam, they had children and we read about those children and their families in later chapters and books. An awesome proclamation on the family comes from the First Presidency, it is called, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." http://lds.org/family/proclamation?lang=eng that is the link to check out the full proclamation. It says in there, "...the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." There is so much in this that it is hard to do it justice. I love having a living prophet on the earth today who leads and guides us. Remeber that families are important to our Heavenly Father and Satan is trying his hardest to break apart the family.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Burdens
In this life, we are faced with many trials and burdens that come our way. Luckily we have someone on our side. His name is Jesus Christ. He tells us a few times in the scriptures that his "yoke is easy and [his] burden is light." The Lord can help us through anything and everything. It says in Alma 7:11-12, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." This encompases all that we will ever go through. The Lord has bore our burdens before we ever will and so for that cause we can rely on him. The blessings that we can get from turning to the Lord are amazing. The Lord can do so many great and amazing things for us. There is a video that I will post the link for on here. It does a great job of helping us deal with burdens.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." This encompases all that we will ever go through. The Lord has bore our burdens before we ever will and so for that cause we can rely on him. The blessings that we can get from turning to the Lord are amazing. The Lord can do so many great and amazing things for us. There is a video that I will post the link for on here. It does a great job of helping us deal with burdens.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Scriptures
The scriptures are our main source of help in this life. They teach us exactly what we need to be doing in order to return back to live with our Father in Heaven. That is why we have been commanded to read and study our scriptures daily. It the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord says, "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." There are so many scriptures that tell us we need to study them. We all need to make it part of our daily lives and to continue to "search, ponder, and pray," as the childrens song book says.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Temples
I love the temple. It is one of the best places that we can go. There is a video that does a great job of describing why we build temples. I would put it on here but it isn't working at the moment. So if you go to mormon.org there is a video that says, "Why Mormons Build Temples." It does such a great job. There is so much work for us to do, both for the living and the dead. I am so grateful to be apart of this wonderful work of spreading the gospel and I can't wait to be able to help those people redeem the dead when I get home.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Prophets
We can learn so much about prophets from the scriptures and from our online resources. I found this about prophets on http://www.lds.org/, "As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are blessed to be led by living prophets--inspired men called to speak for the Lord, as did Moses, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, Nephi, Mormon, and other prophets of the scriptures. We sustain the President of the Church as prophet, seer, and revelator--the only person on the earth that receives revelation to guide the entire Church. We also sustain the counselors in the First Presidency and the members of the Quorum of the Tweleve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators." It also says, "Like prophets of old, prophets today testify of Jesus Christ and teach His gospel. They make known God's will and true character. They speak boldly and clearly, denouncing sin and warning of it's consequences. At times, they may be inspired to prophesy of future events for our benefit." I know that it is such a benefit for us to have a prophet on the earth today. He helps lead and guide us in our times of need. I am so excited to go out and teach people about this wonderful gift that our Father in Heaven has given us. I know that Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church, is a Prophet of God and that he leads and guides this church by the power and guidance of the Spirit.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Prayer
One of my favorite quotes about prayer comes from the Bible Dictionary, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship." So we may ask, "What is prayer? How do we pray? Is it necessary?" The Bible Dictionary again tells us, "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. the boject of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure fro ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional upon our asking for them." Alma 37: 37 tells us, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." That leads us to how we should pray. We, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, know that we should pray with all of our hearts unto the Father in the name of Christ, and so we open by addressing our Heavenly Father, then express the feelings of our hearts (expressing gratitude for our blessings, asking for blessings, asking specific questions--such as is the Book of Mormon true?), we then close by saying, "in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." It is very simple and can produce great results. The greatest example of prayer we have is Jesus Christ. All throughout the New Testament and Book of Mormon we see and read about times when Jesus Christ prayed unto the Father. He is our example in everything. Prayer works. I know it does. Without prayer we wouldn't be able to get anywhere in this life. It is our most powerful tool to help us conquer Satan. I love the opprotunity we have to be able to talk with our Heavenly Father. It is only by His love and through is Son Jesus Christ that we can come to live with him again. I love you all!
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Atonement of Christ.
One of my favorite quotes about the Atonement of Christ comes from an Apostle of the Lord in these the Latter-days,
"There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or i ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows.' No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly know and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, and succor--literally run to us--and strengthen us to be more than we could be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying only upon our own power." Elder David A. Bednar.
I think that is sums up everything that the Atonement covers. It does not only cover our sins but it takes everything that we will ever go though. It says in the scriptures that Christ condescended below all things. Not just our sins but all things. It also says in Alma 7:11-13, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance...."
The Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ extends beyond anything that we will ever experience. I love him for this and I hope and pray that we can all look to him during this time of remembering his birth, because without his birth none of the miracles could have taken place. So take some time to sit down and ponder on the things that our Savior has done for you. Love you all!
"There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or i ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, 'No one understands. No one knows.' No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly know and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, and succor--literally run to us--and strengthen us to be more than we could be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying only upon our own power." Elder David A. Bednar.
I think that is sums up everything that the Atonement covers. It does not only cover our sins but it takes everything that we will ever go though. It says in the scriptures that Christ condescended below all things. Not just our sins but all things. It also says in Alma 7:11-13, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance...."
The Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ extends beyond anything that we will ever experience. I love him for this and I hope and pray that we can all look to him during this time of remembering his birth, because without his birth none of the miracles could have taken place. So take some time to sit down and ponder on the things that our Savior has done for you. Love you all!
Friday, December 17, 2010
A Christ Centered Christmas
This past little while has definitely been interesting. At the beginning of this transfer President Gardner asked me to train a brand new missionary. I've never done that before so it was kinda difficult to do. He had also asked me to be the District Leader and so I now had two new resposibilities and I had no idea how to do either of them. President asked us to do an activity during our personal studies. The activity was to study from the Topical Guide about Jesus Christ. There are 18 pages and 5o something different topics. It was very interesting to be able to study about the Savior this transfer. I just wanted to share some of my insites from this experience.
The Savior was of course half God, but we also know him to be half Human. Because of who his parents are we can learn so much from his life. Because his mother was Mary, a living, breathing, dying human Christ could do the same. He could still make mistakes in this life. He though being the only one in history to make it through life without making a single mistake. He was the only one who was good enough to suffer for our sins and to make that Atonement possible. He always had the choice to accept the responsiblity he chose before this life. I have also learned that the Savior needed to learn everything the same way we do, line upon line, precept upon precept. It is so amazing to see that. I love Jesus Christ. He is my older brother and best friend. Hopefully we can all focus on our Savior at this time and celebrate his birth into mortality. I love you all as does our Lord.
The Savior was of course half God, but we also know him to be half Human. Because of who his parents are we can learn so much from his life. Because his mother was Mary, a living, breathing, dying human Christ could do the same. He could still make mistakes in this life. He though being the only one in history to make it through life without making a single mistake. He was the only one who was good enough to suffer for our sins and to make that Atonement possible. He always had the choice to accept the responsiblity he chose before this life. I have also learned that the Savior needed to learn everything the same way we do, line upon line, precept upon precept. It is so amazing to see that. I love Jesus Christ. He is my older brother and best friend. Hopefully we can all focus on our Savior at this time and celebrate his birth into mortality. I love you all as does our Lord.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Restoration of the Gospel
I've been trying to think about what to talk about today. There is so much that I could say, but the thing that kept coming back into my mind is the importance of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Gospel is just another word for teachings. So why in the world would we need a restoration of Christ's teachings if we already have the Bible. During Christ's ministry we learn that we need to have a few things in order to have the fullness of Christ's gospel. The first thing we need is authority, or the priesthood. The ability and privilege to act in the name of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Another thing we learn is that we have to be called in order to do this. Just as Jesus Christ called together his disciples and from them chose 12. He then ordained them with power from on high and laid his hands upon their heads and gave them the authority to act in his name once he was gone. As we know, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. We also know that after Jesus Christ was killed his apostles were later killed off as well, or otherwise taken care of, thus the authority was lost because they were not able to pass on the priesthood that they held. So because of this we have what is called a "great apostasy." This was prophesied of by the prophet Amos in Amos 8:11-12, "Behold, the days come saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." And so because of this there was a need for a restoration, not a reformation. This leads us to a time in the early days of the United States of America, where a young boy, named Joseph Smith was wondering and pondering on a question. That question was, "Which church do I join? or Which church is the Church of Jesus Christ?" He was going from church to church trying to figure out where he needed to go. One day during his study of the Bible he came across a scripture in James. In James 1:5 it says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him." This lead Joseph Smith to go into a grove of trees behind his home and kneel in prayer. The answer he recieved was the most important vision of this era. He was able to see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith described the vision this way in his own words, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which decended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" The things we learn from this vision are numerous, but we specifically learn that God has a physical and seperate body from Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ also told Joseph Smith that he should join none of the churches, and that he was going to restore his original church back to the earth, which he later did. H was visited by another heavenly messenger a few years later, who lead him to a place where an ancient record was buried that we now call the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith was also visited by Peter, James and John and recieved the Priesthood which allowed him to then restore Christ's church back on the earth. The name of that church now being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The only way we can come to know if this message is true is if we read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith called it the "keystone of our religion." Without the Book of Mormon we have nothing. Our claim to the priesthood is lost, our claim to the fullness of the gospel is lost, everything we have is gone. It is so important that we find out for ourselves if this book is true or not. Don't take my word for it or anyone else's word for it. Do it yourself. We have that promise. God will answer our prayers by "the power of the Holy Ghost." We can know. That is my prayer and challenge to you is to read from and pray about the Book of Mormon. I know that it is true, that it comes from God and that it is to help us continue to come closer unto him.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Spirit of Christmas
The Christmas season is a great time to think about and remember our Savior Jesus Christ. That is the reason for the season. It tells us in Luke chapter 2 the story of Christ's birth. It is one of my favorite stories that we can read. I love the part of the story where the angel comes to the shepherds and after the angel leaves it says,
"and it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds."
I really love this because it shows us exactly what we need to be doing at this time of year and all year round for that matter. After we have heard for ourselves of Jesus Christ, we must go with haste to find him, and once we have found him we must make known abroad those things. That is why I love to be a missionary, because I get to do that every day.
The Birth of our Savior marks and important day in our history. They even changed the calender to make the year of his birth. So someone at some point thought that it was important, and we know today that is is the most important thing that could have happened, because it is the event that started everything for our salvation. Without his birth he could not have done any of the things that he did in his life and we all love him for those things. So at this time of year especially we need to look into our own lives and to find something that we can do to give a gift to Christ. The Spirit of Christmas will come upon us and we will be able to have a whole new outlook on life for the new year. It was once said by a President of the Church, and I am summarizing, that if we take off the last syllable of Christmas we get Christ and that's what it is all about. I love you all. Keep up the great work.
"and it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds."
I really love this because it shows us exactly what we need to be doing at this time of year and all year round for that matter. After we have heard for ourselves of Jesus Christ, we must go with haste to find him, and once we have found him we must make known abroad those things. That is why I love to be a missionary, because I get to do that every day.
The Birth of our Savior marks and important day in our history. They even changed the calender to make the year of his birth. So someone at some point thought that it was important, and we know today that is is the most important thing that could have happened, because it is the event that started everything for our salvation. Without his birth he could not have done any of the things that he did in his life and we all love him for those things. So at this time of year especially we need to look into our own lives and to find something that we can do to give a gift to Christ. The Spirit of Christmas will come upon us and we will be able to have a whole new outlook on life for the new year. It was once said by a President of the Church, and I am summarizing, that if we take off the last syllable of Christmas we get Christ and that's what it is all about. I love you all. Keep up the great work.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
And so it begins....
Well, it has been an interesting ride up to this point. I can't believe that it has been 14 months since I started my mission. It has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs. A ton of ups but there are those days where you just don't know what to do or how you are going to do it. I love the opprotunity I have to be here serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is nothing else that I would rather be doing at this time in my life than this. Of course, like I said, there are going to be ups and downs but the ups always out weigh the downs. One of my favorite scriptures comes from the Doctrine and Covenants. In section 18 it tells us that we will receive so much joy if we just bring one soul unto Christ, and that how much more joy will we have if we bring many souls unto him. I am so grateful for the opprotunity I have to do that. We are also promised that we preaching the gospel is going to bring us the most joy in this life and in the life to come. In most caseses I feel like the prophet Alma in chapter 29 when he exclaims, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth. But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." That is my goal and purpose, "to help others come unto Christ by recieving the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end." There are many people out there in the world that are searching for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all we have to do is open our mouths and they will hear us. http://www.mormon.org/ is a great website to help us all come closer unto Jesus Christ. He is our savior and redeemer. There is none other way for us to be redeemed from the Fall, only through him and by him are we saved after all we can do. I love my savior for that reason. I hope this has helped you all in some way, shape or form. I love you all. You are in my prayers. Keep up the great work! God speed.
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