January 3, 2011

Tonight I used the New Testament study guide, lesson 1. In John 1:1-13, it teaches that Jesus Christ is the word of God and that it was through Him that everything was created. He was and always has been completely obedient to every word spoken by God. I think His name/title of The Word is completely appropriate due to His perfect obedience in carrying out God's will. In verse 9 it says Christ is the light which "lighteth every man that cometh into the world." The Savior has given me life because of His gift of the resurrection and the Atonement. Because of the resurrection I have the hope of an immortal life. And because of the gift of the Atonement, the possibility of eternal life, or life with God, is a reality for me. He has shown me the way to go so I can obtain this eternal life. The hope that is a part of my life because of the resurrection and Atonement give meaning to my mortal day to day life. He has given me light as well through His example. It is a shining light to me of how to act, how to be obedient, submissive to the will of God and humble, and how to love and serve others. Following His light enriches my life immensely for how it helps me to strengthen relationships with the people I love and how it teaches me to be the best person I am capable of being. I am so thankful for the light and life of Jesus Christ, my Savior.

December 31, 2010

It's New Year's Eve. I started reading Ether 4:11-12 and was caught up by the word "good." Christ says that "whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me." I looked up the footnotes to the word "good" and was most interested in Moroni 7:12-17. I know I have pondered over these verses before, but tonight I think something new struck me. And that is the reminder and realization that one of Satan's goals is to make that which is evil appear to be good and that which is good appear to be evil. I think I have encountered confusion on this point before, wondering if some things are "good." And some part of verse 16 and 17 in Moroni 7 helped to guide me in my judgements. It says that "every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ... is of God." And "whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, ... is of the devil." The "good" and "evil" comes to a point here: that is basically believing in Christ versus not believing in Christ. As simple as the concept seems, it is hard for me to grasp since I have close family members who absolutely do not believe in Christ. I think of them as "good" people still and am puzzled by this question: can someone be a "good" person while intentionally denying Jesus Christ? According to the way in these verses that is given me to judge, by choosing to deny Christ, it means that those I love who have chosen that path are, in fact, being led by the devil. And that is hard for me to accept, but I do because I believe the scriptures to be true. I hold so much hope that one day their hearts will be softened once again to the Spirit of Christ and they will believe in Him. But until then, I need to recognize that however well-meaning their intentions, they are not led by the Spirit of Christ, and that is the Spirit which I am choosing to follow.

December 24, 2010

Being Christmas Eve, I thought to read a scripture about the birth of Christ. I read 1 Nephi 11:14-23 which is what Nephi sees in vision about the virgin Mary and her birth to the Son of the Eternal Father. It is meaningful that just before seeing His birth, Nephi is asked by the angel if he knows the condescension of God. He says, "I only know God loves His children." And that is so true. God does love His children so much that He gave His Son to die for us. The birth, life, Atonement, death, and resurrection of the Savior all combine into the most wondrous gift I've ever been given. I am grateful for it.

December 2, 2010

Tonight I read in the Ensign, the visiting teaching message and the section on what we believe. The visiting teaching message was on temple and family history work. Joseph Smith is quoted as saying, "The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead." That is quite the grand statement. I really love doing family history work. I love reading the stories of my ancestors' lives and of their faith. It makes me feel connected to them, close to them. And I believe that with that close relationship, they will help me to find and link those of our family who have not received temple ordinances yet. It is a great work to do, and I believe it must be accomplished by faithful servants on BOTH sides of the veil. 

The other message I read was about Jesus as the Only Begotten Son of God. I especially liked the examples of faith of those who believed Jesus was the Son of God from the scriptures: His disciples, Martha, Adam & Eve, and Samuel the Lamanite were mentioned in this article. I do believe also that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

December 1, 2010

Tonight I read the First Presidency message in the December Ensign by President Uchtdorf called Can We See the Christ? He talked of how those of us who have taken His name upon us "must not fail to open our hearts and minds and truly see Him." There can be a lot of distractions, but there are also wonderful opportunities, especially at this time of year, to "truly [see] the Prince of Peace in His majesty." I am so grateful for the blessing sin my life that are here because of Jesus Christ who lived over two thousand years ago. I am thankful for his example and his loving sacrifice. I love this special time of year because of the way it reminds me of Jesus. There is a wonderful spirit at this time and I am thankful for it.

November 12, 2010

Tonight I'm using the scripture study box on page 6 of Preach My Gospel. It asks, "What is the gospel, or doctrine, of Christ?" According to 2 Nephi 31:10-21, it is being willing to keep the commandments, repenting, being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost, enduring to the end in following the example of Christ, pressing forward with a steadfast faith in Christ, and feasting on his words. In 3 Nephi 11:31-41 it says it is repentance, belief in Christ and baptism. And the last scripture I read is 3 Nephi 27:13-22. The gospel is that Christ came to this earth to give his life for us so that we can return to God. His doctrine is to repent, be baptized, and endure to the end. I should be doing the things I have "seen" Christ do. I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel and my determination to follow the doctrine of Christ as well. I think the important thing to remember is that repentance is an ongoing activity... a constant turning of my heart to Christ. It isn't just a one time thing to do. I love the gospel and doctrine of Christ because I have felt the joy and love and peace in my life that has come as a result of living the doctrine of Christ.

November 10, 2010

I am using Preach My Gospel for my study tonight. I'm doing the personal study on page 2 which is studying the tree of life in 1 Nephi 8 & 11. After Lehi ate the fruit of the tree, his first desire was for his family to eat of it also. With the fruit of the tree being the love of God, this is my same hope and desire for my family as well. I really want them to partake of this fruit because it is "desirable above all other fruit." To partake of the fruit, people had to "press forward" to get on the path that led to the tree and once they were on that path, they had to hold to the rod of iron to avoid losing their way. For me to receive all the blessings of the Atonement, I need to be humble and repent with a sincere heart. I need to come unto Christ and press forward with a steadfast faith in Him. Commitments and covenants help to partake of these blessings because when I am committed to keeping my covenants, I am obedient and repentant, striving to be worthy of the Spirit and humble. They offer me a direction to go, whereas, without them, I can imagine it would be easy to become distracted from the importance of daily obedience and faith.

October 27, 2010

I read Alma 42 which is a beautiful discourse about the plan of salvation and the purpose of the Atonement to satisfy the demands of justice and mercy. I couldn't help but think that I would be absolutely fascinated by these words if I were reading them for the first time. It is a beautiful chapter. The thing that struck me the most was the reason that Alma taught these things. He sensed his son was feeling that it is unjust for God to punish a sinner. As I read, verse 10 really tied into that. It says, "Therefore, as they [men and women] had become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state." It is a time for repentance; a time to overcome our natures. This really stuck out to me because I think that one of the adversary's tactics is to convince us humans to fall in love with, embrace and celebrate our "carnal, sensual and devilish natures" as who we are. This ploy leads people to believe there is no sin and there is no devil. It leads people to believe there is no need for repentance, self-discipline, or the Atonement. I believe that is all lies. I truly do believe that I am a divine daughter of God who has been given the opportunity to come to earth, to live with a body, to experience mortality as a probationary state - a time to prove my faithfulness and obedience to my Heavenly Father in order to receive the blessings of all that He has. I believe that God expects me to strive to overcome my "carnal, sensual and devilish nature" ... to put it aside - and instead put on the robes of righteousness, faithfulness, diligence and obedience in order to prove my worthiness to be an heir to the kingdom of God.

I also love verse 27 that says, "whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds." I really believe that at that last day, there won't be anyone throwing a fit, feeling that God's judgement is unjust. I believe we will all know and accept our judgements according to our works. We will know what we did and where our heart was... and so does the Lord. His judgement will be just. He is merciful towards those who choose to repent, put off the natural man, and come unto Him. That is what I am striving to do.

October 12, 2010

I read Alma 34:1-16 where Amulek shares his testimony of the coming of Christ. He knows and has been taught the plan of salvation because he knows that it's necessary there be an atonement made to pay the demands of justice and that atonement cannot be made by a mere man, but the sacrifice must be infinite and eternal. I am impressed at how much understanding there was about Christ and his purpose of coming to earth even before his birth. These teachings are taking place about 74 years before Christ was born. It is a testament to me of the power of knowledge that lies in revelation. I truly can come to know of and understand God's plan and purposes through personal revelation and through listening to the words of the prophets... long before the events actually take place, so that I can teach my children and prepare them to be worthy to receive the blessings that will come to the righteous.

September 12, 2010

Tonight I read 3 Nephi chapter 17 where Jesus prays with the people, heals the sick and blesses the children. It is a beautiful chapter and an experience that I would absolutely love to share in one day. I do have the hope and look forward to one day being able to experience ourselves (my family & I) in the presence of Jesus Christ, whether in this life or the next. I know that day will come and I look forward to it so much. I hope that my faith is sufficient that Christ should heal me, as he did these people of long ago. I love this part of the Book of Mormon. I wish I could have heard his prayer to the Father that they heard on their behalf.

August 22, 2010

Tonight I finished reading the talk I began last night about the blessings of scripture. The scriptures make it "clear that real happiness lies ... in repentance and forgiveness through the atoning grace of the son of God." I have found that true in my own life. The scriptures teach us of Jesus Christ and strengthen our faith in Him. That is something I want, especially in this time in the world. "Faith comes by the witness of the Holy Spirit to our souls, spirit to spirit, as we hear or read the word of God. And faith matures as we continue to feast upon the word." I have felt that "spirit to spirit" communication and could never deny it. I know there is a divine power outside of myself that has inspired me, prompted me and led me to do good, to repent and to forgive. I am grateful I have always had a love for the scriptures. I am grateful to have been encouraged as a child to read the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for the time I've spent in Seminary and Institute studying the scriptures. And I am extremely grateful for the time I've spent these past few months, studying, reading and pondering the scriptures daily. I have felt my faith strengthened and I have felt a greater desire to do what is right. I have felt protected from the influence of the adversary.

August 20, 2010

Tonight I read a Conference talk by Elder Neil L. Andersen called Tell Me the Stories of Jesus. What a beautiful talk it was. I loved one of his opening statements: "We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith." That goes along with the other talk I read recently as well as the thoughts I've had about our premortal faith while pondering the lives of these new babies coming here.

As I have read and thought about this talk tonight, I've thought more of my son. I can do a better job at remembering who he is, remembering that he already has a faithful spirit and remembering my responsibility to help that faith stay burning in his heart. I can do better at teaching him of Jesus. I really appreciate this talk for that reminder and encouragement. Elder Andersen said, "Are the life and teachings of Jesus Christ embedded in the minds and souls of our children? Do they think about the Savior's life when they wonder what to do in their own lives?" As I read that, I thought about myself too and realized how much I really do look to the Savior's example when pondering what to do in my life. I attribute that deep testimony to the things I was taught in my youth by my parents and by my teachers and friends. I am so grateful I have been taught of Jesus and I want my children to receive that same gift. I can always be learning more of Him myself and remembering to speak more frequently of Him in my home. I love Him and I am so grateful for His example and the life He lived, the legacy He left and the gifts He gave us.

August 17, 2010

Tonight I read the chapter on the Atonement in the Gospel Principles manual (chapter 12). I so appreciate the simplicity of this teaching: "We accept Christ's Atonement by placing our faith in Him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey His commandments." His offer extended to us is His paying the price of suffering for all of our sins. What our part is to receive that offer is to repent and keep His commandments. It is that simple. Not necessarily always easy, but certainly simple. I am really grateful for the gift of the Atonement. It is two-fold. One, I will be resurrected and my body and spirit will be together in an immortal state. I am so excited for that because I really love my body. I love all that I can do and feel with this amazing body. And two, if we choose to place our faith in Him, He has also given us the gift of eternal life, but we have to choose it. That gift is conditioned on our faithfulness. I am so thankful for the plan that provided a Savior, and so grateful to Christ for fulfilling His great mission. What faith He must have had to accomplish what He did. His example provides me with a road map for my own life. I am so grateful for my Savior.

August 10, 2010

Tonight I finished up reading Alma chapter 24 about the converted Lamanites who gave up their lives rather than take up the sword, and whose act ended up converting over 1,000 more Lamanites to the Lord. The thing that most impressed me as I read this story is in verses 18-19. In those verses it contrasted the things they would have done prior to their conversion to the things they would rather do now. I saw this as a rather applicable question and answer session with myself to see where my own heart is in my own conversion process. Would I rather give up my own life than shed the blood of another? Would I rather give to people than take away from them? Would I rather labor abundantly with my hands than spend my days in idleness? What do my actions say about where my heart is? I have been "brought to believe and know the truth." Am I "firm" in my conversion? Would I rather suffer death than commit sin? I want to answer "yes" to all of these questions, but I also want to really pay attention to my own actions over the next while and really ask myself sincerely if I am firm in my conversion and if my actions are evidence of that firmness of faith. I have a feeling I will be pleased with what I discover. I am so grateful for the power of Jesus Christ to wipe away my pain. I experienced that today and it was beautiful and wonderful beyond measure. Accepting the atoning power of Christ in my life is so cleansing, peaceful, and most of all, it is absolutely liberating. I am so grateful for this amazing gift.

August 9, 2010

Tonight my brother and sister in law had their baby girl. I am staying with her to help her through the night. I read in my Book of Mormon, Alma 24:1-19, the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's decision to bury their weapons of war in order to maintain their cleanliness. This is one of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon. And when I read it tonight, what stuck out to me was their absolute faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Their faith struck me as very powerful because they were believing in something that had yet to occur. That is much different, to me, than believing on something that happened in the past. It shows their absolute faith and trust in the plan of happiness and in their belief of the character and capacity of Jesus Christ to fulfill his mission. This is a fantastic message of faith, hope and vision.

August 8, 2010

Tonight I read an Ensign article called He Can Heal Any Wound as well as a few verses in Alma 7:11-12. The author of the article talks of how their two and a half month old son died on their anniversary as a result of their babysitter's actions. She suffered pain, anger, disappointment and hopelessness for years afterward. But she eventually found healing through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It would be so hard to endure an experience similar to hers. When I read stories like this, I put myself in that position mentally to envision what my own personal response would be. I do believe, like she said, that "the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives can ease any pain."

In the scripture I read, I love this doctrine: "And He [took] 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." There are many challenges we face throughout life that come about only "according to the flesh." I am so grateful to have a belief in a God that truly loves me and cares enough about me that He was willing to experience mortality along with me so that He truly could learn what pains I would face... so He could truly be able to offer me the compassion, love, and understanding to help me through my own individual trials.

August 1, 2010

Today I listened to a Conference talk called Generations Linked in Love by Russell M. Nelson. It is about genealogy and I absolutely am passionate about genealogy.

The "scripture" I want to write about tonight is actually the Sacrament hymn we sang in church called Jesus Once of Humble Birth. I also heard it again later on a cd I was listening to. My favorite lines that struck me today were the last two verses: "Once he groaned in blood and tears; now in glory he appears. Once rejected by his own, now their king he shall be known. Once forsaken, left alone, now exalted to a throne. Once all things he meekly bore, but he now will bear no more." What struck me is the fact that just like Christ, the day will come when I too will be freed forever from the sorrow of blood, tears, rejection, and bearing great hardships. I am grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that He made it possible to walk back into the presence of our Father and receive eternal glory. I am grateful for the peace, love and joy I feel in my life right now and am so looking forward to experiencing those great emotions for eternity.

July 19, 2010

Tonight I read the First Presidency message for this month by President Henry B. Eyring called Faithful Friends. It goes along with the same principles that I read and wrote about yesterday. Jesus Christ offers us the perfect example of how to be a friend to others. I want to be among those whom the Savior calls His friends. He is certainly on my list of friends. I think of my best friends being those that I share a common vision with. There are many more people who I call my friends however, and I think that's because for some reason we have been brought into each others' lives. We are connected through shared memories and share experiences. And I can never know when one of those many friends may be an answer to one of my prayers, or me to one of theirs. I think it's important to always treat each of Heavenly Father's children with love and respect.

I loved this part of President Eyring's message: "When we reach out to give succor and to lift a burden, He reaches with us. He will lead us to those in need. He will bless us to feel what they feel. As we persist in our efforts to serve them, we will more and more be given the gift of feeling His love for them." Being this kind of friend to others is part of what I covenanted with the Lord to do when I was baptized. As my testimony has grown and my faith and understanding increased, so has my desire to fully honor the covenants I have made. I have noticed the Lord's guidance in helping me to be a good friend to others. He helps me to see and feel things I didn't before... and I believe they are the things He sees and feels about that particular person. Being a friend fills me with the love of God and I love the feeling. I am so grateful for my friends.

July 18, 2010

Today I read what I believe is my favorite talk from the last General Conference titled You Are My Hands by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. His talk was about following the example of the Savior in loving others. I thought a lot about my sister and the awareness her choices has provided our family about homosexuals. I have had five people that I can think of who, knowing about my sister and her choices, have sought to ask me, "How do you do it? How can you still be so loving and supportive of her?" My answer is that I truly feel I have been learning how to love like Jesus Christ loves.

There was so much in this particular talk that was so absolutely relevant to what I try to share with others about "how I do it." He says, "I hope we welcome and love God's children, including those who might dress, look, speak, or just do things differently."

"In our zeal, we sometimes confuse sin with sinner, and we condemn too quickly and with too little compassion."

"Every person we meet is a VIP to our Heavenly Father."

"As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn."

"True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long - but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

"Without this love ... we are only the form of His Church - without substance. What good is our teaching without love? What good is missionary, temple, or welfare work without love?"

In my youth, I really took to heart the suggestion of asking "what would Jesus do?" What would He do? That is such an important question to ask ourselves before we jump to quick conclusions about a person and treat them as lesser than. Not a single person is "lesser than." Learning to love others has been my favorite thing about life I've learned so far. There is so much to see when truly looking into the eyes of another individual and seeing them as valuable, lovable, a priceless treasure... a child of God. I've noticed I've had a ton more patience with others since seeing them that way, and also with myself. I find myself saying often, "We're all in the same boat!" I really believe that!

We all fall short of the glory of God. A sin is a sin, no matter what it is, it separates us from God, then it's up to each of us individually if we want to choose to come unto Christ and be reconnected to God through Christ's redemption. We need to allow others their choice without attempting to force them or condemning them. Every person is loved by God unconditionally, so if I want to truly follow His example, I should be striving to emulate that same unconditional love towards all I meet. What we are is children of God and that never changes, and never will. That's at least one commonality that I will always have with everyone else.

I try to focus on commonalities I have with others and look past all the differences, the poor choices, the different choices that I don't understand... I just focus on what we have in common and that helps me to love with that unconditional love. I don't have to agree with someone, or embrace their lifestyle, or even support their lifestyle choices to still be able to love them fully. I love my sister tremendously. She loves to serve and loves to help others. She takes the time to reach out to others in a real and personal way. We definitely share that in common and I love that about her. She is a shining example to me of loving service and wholeheartedly working towards bringing awareness and understanding to issues that she feels passionately about and I really admire that about her.

July 17, 2010

Tonight I read chapter 16 in Alma about how the city of Ammonihah is destroyed in one day. I was impressed by two things about this destruction. First of all, it reminds me that nothing is ever impossible. I should be grateful for every breath I take, every moment I have with my family and every blessing I enjoy, because just like the city of Ammonihah was destroyed in one day even though the people thought it couldn't be destroyed, I believe that at any moment in time, God has the same power over my own life.

The second thing that stood out to me is the missionary work that was accomplished after the destruction of Ammonihah. The people became receptive to the message of the gospel. Their hearts were open. I believe that people are more receptive to receiving the word of God after having witnessed a great tragedy. I think great tragedies help remind us of our insignificance and our total dependence on God and the fact that everything we've been given could be taken away just like that. Being made so much aware of our precarious human position, I believe we are more inclined to find hope through the promise of eternal life through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My goal is to try to maintain that receptiveness always, in good times as well as bad. I don't want to have to witness a calamity to remind me of my dependence on God and my need of a Savior.