Our Forever Faith

So I was reading in the Book of Mormon, in Helaman. Samuel the Lamanite just finished prophesying of Christ birth, death and Resurrection! Really he taught the plan of happiness. I strongly suggest to read those chapters. In fact I encourage you to read the Book of Mormon! Well I was reading Helamen 16:13-18. A few years have passed when Samuel taught the Nephites, and a ton of miracles were fullfilled! Here's what it says:

But it came to pass in the nineteinthyear of the reign of the judges, there were great signs given unto the people, and wonders; and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled. And angels did appear unto men, wise ment, and did declare unto them glad tidings of gret joy; thus in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled. Nevertheless, the people began to harden there hearts, all save it were the most believing part of them, both of the Nephites and also of the Lamanites, and began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own wisdom, saying: Somethings they may have guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken. And they began to reason and to contend among themselves saying: That it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come ; if so, and he be the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, as it has been spoken, why will he not show himself unto us as well as unto them who shall be at Jerusalem?"

Wow...they didn't even believe that Jesus was the Son of God. They let their faith down so low, that they couldn't even want to believe! Even with all the signs and miracles given, they would not believe. I find this a lot out here. People will not believe anything unless it was shown to them. They expect that when they see, their faith will grow. Not so. In Ether 12:6, it says:

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerneing these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Thus we need to excercise faith in order to believe the miracle. As the story continues, the Sign of the birth of Christ was given. Everyone saw it! The righteous, and the wicked. Everyone believed! Everyone KNEW! Seems to contradict what I just said huh? lets go to Helamen 2:1, not even three years since the sign was given:

"And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen-"

Again, wow. Not three years had passed when they saw the sign of the birth of Christ, and they did not believe in it anymore. How sad...In fact, they still kept on seeing signs and "wonders" but they still fell away! what happened? They did not nourish their faith or testimony. If they had kept their faith that they had started, it would have been a total diffrent outcome. I'm sure that if they kept on going to church, praying to our Father, reading the scriptures, and keeping the commandments! That builds faith. As we do these things we SEE these things bless us! We see the blessings in our lives! I know that these things are true! I have seen how the Book of Mormon has blessed my life! I found my answer, and my answer was in a form of a blessing! When we have faith, it's not a one time deal. It is a thing that if you don't use it, you lose it. Then you have to go back and fight to get it back. It's a lot harder of a fight to get it back than to keep it. Think of it as a battlefield. Satan is trying to make you fall, or defeat you. When you have a testimony, or faith, you are like on top of a hill. A strategic postion. When we lose our faith, we lose that strategic point! Then we have to fight to get back up there. I know that if we keep on excersicing faith in Christ, we will be supported in our trials and also taht he will bless us in things that we didn't even think about! So please, keep your faith, keep up that fight with the forces of Satan, he is real and he hates you. I know that Jesus Christ loves us, and we draw closer to him by excercising faith, repenting, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and obeying his commandments. He loves you, don't forget that. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

United in Christ

So I was reading 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. It was interesting, here's what it said: "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free;and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." The message I got out of this was that regardless of who or what we are, we are one! We are the family of God! I found when I served in the Cattaraugus area, that a lot of Natives there, kind of had a resentment towards the white people. Now, remember I'm reffering to the older generation when there was a lot of discrimination? But it made me think that if we all viewed each other as Children of God, a family, a brotherhood and sisterhood, that the world would be a much better place! We wouldn't of had the discrimination of anyone! We wouldn't have the mass genocides that have happened and that more than likely will and is happening. We wouldn't have the hate that lingers after something like that happens. There is another scripture that I would like to look at, I just read it this morning and thought it would be perfect for this post. Heleman 12:21. "And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year bagan in peace; and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people , both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and did have exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh year." How profound, that the church unified the greatest of enemies together to have an entire year of peace! They were unified in the Lord. This I know that if we are all trying to follow Christ in all that we do, we will be blessed with charity, and a unique love that we probably rarely felt...This I know and testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Come, let us listen to a prophet...

Last weekend, April 2-3, The Latter-Day Saints had something we call "General Conference". It is where we Latter-Day Saints, and anyone else who would like too, come and listen to the prophets and apostles. I Like to think of it like Paul when he teaches the people when he is traveling and instructing the ancient church the ways of the Lord. However, instead of traveling around to visit, they broadcast it to all the world! They put it on radio, satellite, and even the Internet! They instruct the church and the world at once. The prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and the apostles instruct them what the Lord wants us to know! Just like the apostles of old, they receive revelation on what the Lord wants us to know and in turn, they instruct us what the Lord wants us to know. Thus, Christ's church is run by Christ himself. It is amazing that God loves us to call prophets and apostles to direct us in what will truly make us happy in this life. Sometimes, or a lot of times, it's something that we need to work on, or what we may need to focus all of our attention(s) to. I remember one time during the Priesthood session of conference in October....2009? (a session for men to learn how to be better in the priesthood, as husbands, and fathers) my dad and I were listening to President Monson speak. He was talking about anger and that we need to control it. Of course it was a lot deeper and richer than what I described, but dad and I both resolved to control our anger better. I would say that we have! And that it has blessed ourlives in obeying the words of the prophet. It's a prophets duty to speak the word of God, regardless of how hard or how much he doesn't want to. I'm sure it was hard for Moses to tell Pharoh what to do and what God commanded. We learn from reading the Bible and Book of Mormon that when one hearkens unto a prophets voice they are blessed! Regardless of the sacrifice, big or small. I would love to direct you to LDS.org so that you can hear what a prophet wants us to know on how to be happy in this life. I garentee that you will see blessings in your life when you obey what he asks. Please excercise the faith that he is a prophet of God doing his will I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

God's Love is for all

One thing that surprised me when I came out here, was the fact that people don't view God as a loving God. People view him as a vengeful, or angry God. Obviously this is not the case! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16. He loves us! He sent his Son down here to take our punishment away from us. He took it from us, when he did absolutly nothing. He could of just not done the Atonement, which is what he did in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Cross, and ultimatly the Ressurection! He is really Love! He is the definition of Love! To have pure love is to be like Jesus Christ. He loved everyone, even if they were not making the best choices! He loved the sinners and hated the sin. He called everyone to have faith in his name, to repent, to be baptized, recieve the Holy Ghost, and to follow him in word, action, and deed. If any of us have true love, we have to have an eye single to the glory of God. To glorify him with our choices! You see, God never seperates himself from us, it's us! The choices we make either bring us closer to him or farther from him. He is still the same, He still has that same love! So this world would be so much better if we actually followed Christ's example and loved everyone. I can already see it! If everyone loved everyone, divorces would dry up. heh, divorce attorney's would have to seek employment elswhere! We would be happy! Everyone would have friends! No one would be left out. Love is the motor oil for missionary work! heh! I could try to put something else in the engine. It may work for a little bit, but in the end it would burn up! Love is the only driving force for missionary work. Not because we have to love everyone, because it's the only way it can work. It is my prayer that people start loving each other and seeing each other as they really are, as children of God. I testify of these things, in the name of the our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

A lot of people here in Western New York area I've found are really devoted and faithful! That's great! I love how people worship Christ. I also realized that there are a lot of different beliefs of ways to be saved or, what Christ commanded us! Christ, when He was crucified, fulfilled the Law of Moses. He was the last and great sacrifice! While He was walking the paths of ancient Pakistan, He gave us His Gospel. He told us how to return back to our Father in Heaven and to have true happiness in this life! However, a lot of people have different views on how to be saved! Some say that we just have to accept Him as our personal Savior (a guy sitting across from me has a hat that say "Jesus Saves") We know that we can only be saved by Christ, He is the only one that CAN save us! In fact, the first thing that Christ taught us was to have faith in Him and that He can do what He says He can do! This is easier said than done, because when the chips fall, that's when you show your faith. Will you pay tithing when your funds are low and the bills are coming? What about that last cigarette? What about giving up your favorite "sins"? One of many acts of faith is repenting and giving up our old selves and shaping our lives around the Lords will. The Book of Mormon and the Bible make it clear that we all must repent and come to Christ! We cannot follow Him if we hear what He says, but don't do it. I am reading the 4 Gospels and the book of Acts before Easter, and I have found multiple times that when the Savior himself warns those who don't obey his commandments. Another commandment is to be baptized. People say that baptism is not required to gain salvation, but John 3:5 says otherwise. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." People will still argue that baptism doesn't save, and well, I say if Christ needed to be baptized, then I do to as well (2 Nephi 31) Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost is also required! we believe that it is received by the laying on of hands, and that it completes baptism. (Acts 19:2-6) And last of all, the hardest one to do (the hardest is always last isn't it?). Endure to the End. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a one time thing, rather it's a lifestyle. You are to change your life to IT! Not accept certain parts that sound good. It means everything that encompasses Faith, Repentance, Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost (renewing covenants via sacrament) and obey ALL commandments. We have to do it all the time, forever, for the rest of our earthly lives. It is HOW the Gospel blesses us and our families! It is not a magic thing that magically makes our lives better, it is a process. It's how we are to be happy! We can take anything the world throws at us. It's because we are founded on the rock that will not fall. We did what he asked us and we will be supported when we need it. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants us to be happy, so he provided his gospel. He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet that restored the Gospel on the earth after centuries of being lost in its fulness. The Book of Mormon was a key factor in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify of these things in the name if Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Gospel Blesses Families

One thing that I love about this Gospel is that it not only blesses me in every single aspect of my life, but blesses my family as well. I realize this that because my family was built on gospel princeples, my life was shaped and I had the family that our Heavenly Father planned on having for all of us. He wanted us to be guided back to him. He needed parents who lived a Gospel life. A family is unified when they are living God's commandments. We are then "free" to choose for ourselves. We don't have any type of influence or variable that would influence that would affect us. One thing I love about my family is that we are all unified. I am referring to my immeadiate family as well, but also my extended family. My grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc! The Gospel has unfied us all with love and support! My immeadiate family is very special to me. I love my sisters, even though I always wanted a brother. We did a ton of stuff together and we also supported each other in all of our activities. My mom was always looking out for me, I miss her. When I came out here that was one thing that I missed out here was my mom's love. My dad and I have a special relationship. We did everything together. Even if I didn't want to do it I still did it. I look back now and I see how much that meant to me and how it helped me be the person I am. I love my family and I know that they are being blessed for they're own personal worthiness, but also for me serving. Please don't think that I mean to brag of me serving. That is the last thing I want to sound like. I want to make the connection that the Gospel blesses all members of our families. I know that it does. I also know that all of us have not been raised in great families. I don't know what it's like, nor will I try to think I know what its like. BUT! I know that when one takes the gospel into ones life as if everything depended on it, they will have found a family in the church, or more specifically, in the Gospel. My family is very special to me, my family is evidence that God loves me. Like I said before, I never grew up in a dysfunctional family, but I do know that anyone who accepts and LIVES the Gospel will find that happiness that they were longing for. Even if they weren't looking for it . I know that the Gospel, which blesses families and individuals, was restored by Joseph Smith by the power of God. I know that Christ loves us. Which is why He want's us to be happy in our families. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Agency: Choose to live

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient to man. And they are free to choose eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh all that all men might be miserable like unto himself." -2 Nephi 2:27

Agency is a princepal that is little understood, or even thought of. We are free to choose the right or wrong. The scripture above states that there are only those two choices. Good or Bad. Eternal life or misery. When we choose to follow the Savior, we find true happiness. It is a consequence of that action! A lot of times people stick consequence with a bad reputation, but it is a good thing! When we are rewarded for the things that we do right, that is a consequence. It may be a blessing for choosing to obey a commandment! We also get consequences for our bad choices. This is probably where "Consequences" gets its bad name. When we make a bad choice, we pull ourselves away from God. We are against Him, rowing against the current. A consequence for making ourselves farther from God is putting ourselves in Satan's grasp. We are now in his captivity. We can go back to our Father in Heaven thru sincere and honest repentance! But we would not need to repent if we had made the right choice before! Maybe a blessing for choosing the right is being protected, being happy, and not needing to worry about going through the process of repentance. Please do not think that repentance is a bad thing. It is a wonderful thing! It is amazing that we can even do it! It is a serious thing though, it's you recommiting yourself to follow Christ with a whole new zeal. But if you made the right choice, you would not need to suffer the consequences of pulling yourself from God.  Make those righteous choices and you will see and feel the blessings of making that choice! Alma 41:10 "...Behold I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness." Wrong choice will never bring you happiness or peace that really matters in this life. I challenge you to choose to live and to live for eternal life. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.