As it's getting closer and closer to Thanksgiving, (two days!) the things that I find myself grateful for are coming more and more to the front of my mind-
#1: Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer.
#2: the knowledge that I have of the Plan of Salvation, God's plan for us to be happy in this life and return to live with Him again.
#3: The scriptures. Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon have brought me closer to Christ and have given me a better understanding of my purpose here. In The Book of Mormon, Alma chapter 34 verse 32, it says, "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."
#4: An understanding of what those 'labors' referred to in Alma, are. They are the things that God has commanded us to do-have faith in Christ, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end by keeping the commandments and by being faithful to the end.
#5: family who have taught me and prepared me and helped me to recognize the hand of the Lord in my life.
#6: friends who have always reminded me that "This Gospel is a Gospel of optimism!" (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)
I know that God lives, that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the price so that we could return to live with Him again. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will see those family members and friends who have already passed on, again. One of my favorite scriptures says, "Be strong and of a good courage; Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
We have much to be grateful for. The Lord is with us as we do His work and as we live as He has commanded us to!
I know that this Church is Christ's church again established on the earth. What a blessing! Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet on the earth today.
These are some of my 'gratitudes'. What are some of yours?
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
"There hath no temptation taken you"
I was going to write about something else. As I sat at the computer, nothing came. Something didn't feel right. That wasn't what I was supposed to talk about today. On lds.org something caught my attention: a talk that I have read before and that I heard as I listened to the October General Conference.
President Thomas S. Monson, who has been called as a prophet of God, gave a talk in October entitled I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee. In this talk he ponders on the ever-familiar question, "Why me?" He says, "When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required." (I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee, President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign Oct. 2013)
Throughout life we are continually faced with challenges, trials, temptations and struggles. We tend to become frustrated by the things that we cannot change or by the situation that seems never-ending. And yet the Lord has promised us that, "...thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7,8) In the eternal scheme of things, the struggles that we go through in this life are not long-lived. We are required to be patient, to endure the trial and grief, to call on the Lord in all things.
In The Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma states, "...the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." (Alma 9:17) It is a commandment to pray and to seek the Lord's guidance, help and strength. As we do so, we receive the promise that the Lord will make a way to escape and overcome the problems that we are going through.
1 Corinthians 10:13 is one of my favorite scriptures and it's promise has gotten me through many situations. "There hath no temptation (or trial) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (or tried) above that ye are able; but will with the temptation (or trial) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
God has made us a promise and His words will always be fulfilled. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) His promise that, "...I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" still stands. He will never leave us. He wants us to have joy and peace in this life, and eternal life in the next. As we seek Him we will find Him. He will comfort us through the power of His Holy Spirit and He will strengthen us and bear us up so that we may "cheerfully do all things that lie in our power." (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17)
I challenge every one of us to seek the Lord and to be worthy of His Spirit. The blessings that come from the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost are what the Lord wants to give us.
He will bless and strengthen us according to our needs.
I know that the Lord lives, that He loves us, and that He will help us as we seek Him through prayer, as we are patient, and as we are worthy of His Spirit in our lives.
President Thomas S. Monson, who has been called as a prophet of God, gave a talk in October entitled I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee. In this talk he ponders on the ever-familiar question, "Why me?" He says, "When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required." (I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee, President Thomas S. Monson, Ensign Oct. 2013)
Throughout life we are continually faced with challenges, trials, temptations and struggles. We tend to become frustrated by the things that we cannot change or by the situation that seems never-ending. And yet the Lord has promised us that, "...thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7,8) In the eternal scheme of things, the struggles that we go through in this life are not long-lived. We are required to be patient, to endure the trial and grief, to call on the Lord in all things.
In The Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma states, "...the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." (Alma 9:17) It is a commandment to pray and to seek the Lord's guidance, help and strength. As we do so, we receive the promise that the Lord will make a way to escape and overcome the problems that we are going through.
1 Corinthians 10:13 is one of my favorite scriptures and it's promise has gotten me through many situations. "There hath no temptation (or trial) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (or tried) above that ye are able; but will with the temptation (or trial) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
God has made us a promise and His words will always be fulfilled. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." (Matthew 24:35) His promise that, "...I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" still stands. He will never leave us. He wants us to have joy and peace in this life, and eternal life in the next. As we seek Him we will find Him. He will comfort us through the power of His Holy Spirit and He will strengthen us and bear us up so that we may "cheerfully do all things that lie in our power." (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17)
I challenge every one of us to seek the Lord and to be worthy of His Spirit. The blessings that come from the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost are what the Lord wants to give us.
He will bless and strengthen us according to our needs.
I know that the Lord lives, that He loves us, and that He will help us as we seek Him through prayer, as we are patient, and as we are worthy of His Spirit in our lives.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Faith and a prophet's promise
Over the past few days, my companion and I have been pondering what is necessary for true conversion. One of the first things thought of was faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
Part of gaining faith in Jesus Christ requires reading his words and the words of His prophets - the scriptures and General Conference talks, for example.
When we meet someone and offer them a copy of the Book of Mormon, we tell them that they cannot come to know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon for themselves unless they read it.
In Moroni chapter 10 verses 3-5 the prophet Moroni tells us, "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things...that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men...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."
So, Moroni first says that we must read the word. That is the very first thing we have to do. Then we must ponder-or think carefully about-what we have read and ask God in the name of Christ if it is true. We have to pray.
Many people skip over the next few lines but they are just as important as the preceding lines. Moroni says that we must have three things in order for us to gain an answer through study and prayer: a sincere heart, real intent, faith in Christ.
A sincere heart and real intent were described by Elder D. Todd Christofferson: "...when we say “sincere heart” and “real intent,” it means that you want to know the Lord’s will and you want to do it, that you’re committed, as you pray, to knowing and doing His will." (How Can I Make Daily Prayer More Meaningful?, New Era, October 2010)
We must want to know and DO the Lord's will. Without action, the desire to do the Lord's will doesn't mean much.
And then we must have faith. Faith is "...the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Do we truly believe that God will hear and answer our prayers?
As we read the Book of Mormon and seek confirmation of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we will find it. As we have the faith to pick up the book and read, ponder and pray, we will see the evidence of that faith. We will feel the Spirit tell us that The Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church once again established on the earth.
Part of gaining faith in Jesus Christ requires reading his words and the words of His prophets - the scriptures and General Conference talks, for example.
When we meet someone and offer them a copy of the Book of Mormon, we tell them that they cannot come to know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon for themselves unless they read it.
In Moroni chapter 10 verses 3-5 the prophet Moroni tells us, "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things...that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men...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."
So, Moroni first says that we must read the word. That is the very first thing we have to do. Then we must ponder-or think carefully about-what we have read and ask God in the name of Christ if it is true. We have to pray.
Many people skip over the next few lines but they are just as important as the preceding lines. Moroni says that we must have three things in order for us to gain an answer through study and prayer: a sincere heart, real intent, faith in Christ.
A sincere heart and real intent were described by Elder D. Todd Christofferson: "...when we say “sincere heart” and “real intent,” it means that you want to know the Lord’s will and you want to do it, that you’re committed, as you pray, to knowing and doing His will." (How Can I Make Daily Prayer More Meaningful?, New Era, October 2010)
We must want to know and DO the Lord's will. Without action, the desire to do the Lord's will doesn't mean much.
And then we must have faith. Faith is "...the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Do we truly believe that God will hear and answer our prayers?
As we read the Book of Mormon and seek confirmation of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we will find it. As we have the faith to pick up the book and read, ponder and pray, we will see the evidence of that faith. We will feel the Spirit tell us that The Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's church once again established on the earth.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Grace and Trust
Grace. I have always heard 'grace' talked about and mentioned here and there. I would slide past it because I wasn't really sure what was being talked about. In the Bible Dictionary it states that grace is "divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ." Because of Christ's Atoning sacrifice, we can receive this help and strength. We can be upheld as we do good works. We can be enabled to achieve goals and eventually eternal life as we are obedient to the commands that God has given us and as we truly seek for His help and strength.
Trust in the Lord and grace go hand-in-hand. The Lord wants to bless us but if we don't trust Him enough to ask for His help and guidance, how can He do so?
One of my favorite scriptures since being out here on my mission is in The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi chapter 4. In verse 19 Nephi says, "...nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted." Throughout life we have to learn to trust the Lord. Through His grace we can come to understand more fully the plan that has been laid out for us. We can overcome trials and challenges that otherwise would be far too much for us to do on our own.
In verses 34,35 of 2 Nephi 4, Nephi says, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever....Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee..."
Nephi understood the principle and promise that the Lord continues to give us today: "Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you." As we trust in the Lord and seek His guidance and love, He will give it to us. If we are obedient and seek righteous things, He will give them to us in His own time and in His own way.
I challenge each of you to seek the Lord and His grace. Learn to recognize His hand in your life. I know that God will give to those who seek.
Trust in the Lord and grace go hand-in-hand. The Lord wants to bless us but if we don't trust Him enough to ask for His help and guidance, how can He do so?
One of my favorite scriptures since being out here on my mission is in The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi chapter 4. In verse 19 Nephi says, "...nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted." Throughout life we have to learn to trust the Lord. Through His grace we can come to understand more fully the plan that has been laid out for us. We can overcome trials and challenges that otherwise would be far too much for us to do on our own.
In verses 34,35 of 2 Nephi 4, Nephi says, "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever....Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee..."
Nephi understood the principle and promise that the Lord continues to give us today: "Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you." As we trust in the Lord and seek His guidance and love, He will give it to us. If we are obedient and seek righteous things, He will give them to us in His own time and in His own way.
I challenge each of you to seek the Lord and His grace. Learn to recognize His hand in your life. I know that God will give to those who seek.
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