I would like to talk about continuing revelation and its importance in my life. First I would like to quote Elder Holland from the April 2008 conference: "Some Christians, in large measure because of their genuine love for the Bible, have declared that there can be no more authorized scripture beyond the Bible. In thus pronouncing the canon of revelation closed, our friends in some other faiths shut the door on divine expression that we in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints hold dear: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the ongoing guidance received by God’s anointed prophets and apostles. Imputing no ill will to those who take such a position, nevertheless we respectfully but resolutely reject such an unscriptural characterization of true Christianity" (http://lds.org). The Book of Mormon is a testimony that there is continuing revelation. It could not have come about without divine assistance. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon; it has shaped my life like no other book has and I know that what is written is true. I know that through of the faith of a 14 year old boy, the Lord re-established his Church in these days. If the heavens were closed, this would not be possible. If the heavens were closed, there might as well be no god. Fortunately, the heavens are open and God speaks to man again as in the days of Adam!
God also speaks to us on an individual level, not just through His selected and inspired leaders. We have the wonderful gift of prayer which allows us to communicate with our Father in Heaven. My Heavenly Father has guided my life and for that I am infinitely grateful. " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5; http://scriptures.lds.org) This is what I have striven to do all my life and there is no denying His loving hands gently steering me in the right direction.
I love the Lord Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon which truly testifies of Him along with the New and Old testaments. I pray that I may always try to be worthy of His love.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friendship
This last weekend I went to my roommate's grandma's house and we had a roommate reunion sleepover. It was so much fun! We got to update each other about our lives and new developments but most importantly, we got to rekindle our friendships. I am so happy that I was able to spend that time with them - it is a memory that I am not likely to forget soon!
When we woke up in the morning we went on a hike to overlook the city. Our shoes got really muddy, we fell in snow that was deeper than we thought a
nd the hike took a lot longer than originally expected. However, we entertained each other and had a grand old time! On the way up we made a friend - a little white cat who followed us since we reached the dirt trail. She (we called her sarah-emily - on behalf of two of our roommates who couldn't stay the night) was obviously domestic as she responded to our encouragements and petting and was clean. As we continued to walk farther and farther from her home, I half expected her to turn back. Sarah-emily stayed with us though, through the mud (although she whined at some of it haha) and allowed us to carry her through the snow. (this is a picture of my roommate, Kimmie, holding Sarah-emily).
nd the hike took a lot longer than originally expected. However, we entertained each other and had a grand old time! On the way up we made a friend - a little white cat who followed us since we reached the dirt trail. She (we called her sarah-emily - on behalf of two of our roommates who couldn't stay the night) was obviously domestic as she responded to our encouragements and petting and was clean. As we continued to walk farther and farther from her home, I half expected her to turn back. Sarah-emily stayed with us though, through the mud (although she whined at some of it haha) and allowed us to carry her through the snow. (this is a picture of my roommate, Kimmie, holding Sarah-emily).I would like to connect this to the fact that we all need friends and we all need to be loved. I love my roommates and they provide a type of support that no one else can. For a time, this little kitty loved us, because we played with her. Jesus loves us all the time, but not because of anything we have merited. He only asks one simple thing of us, that we love eachother! "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34 http://scriptures.lds.org/)
Monday, March 9, 2009
There is no end to the good we can do!
This last week I had a new roommate move in to my apartment. Before she moved in and before I had met her I wondered how we would all get along. Our roommate who moved out (because she got married) was amazing and was the one who glued us all together. Now that she was gone, our apartment made the conscious decision to put forth the effort to stay united and maintain the wonderful feeling we had in our little home. This meant reaching out to our new roommate and helping her feel like she belonged. It turns out that she is an amazing girl and getting to know her has been so much fun! I think that because we approached this situation with love and with an open mind, we were blessed and have had a smooth transistion.
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." but coming in second is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22: 37-40; http://scriptures.lds.org). I believe that this Christ-like love is the beginning of success to any relationship. From my own experience, I have seen that when I serve others, I begin to care for them. With new roommates, this is only a precurser of our friendship; with my family members, my love for them deepens; with strangers, I gain a greater understanding of their situation in life and can appreciate their decisions.
As a prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley stressed this point: " have wondered why there is so much hatred in the world. We are involved in terrible wars with lives lost and many crippling wounds. Coming closer to home, there is so much of jealousy, pride, arrogance, and carping criticism; fathers who rise in anger over small, inconsequential things and make wives weep and children fear. . .There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us" (Gordon B. Hinckley; The Need for Greater Kindness, May 2006; http://lds.org). From this we learn that today, more than ever, we need to be more sensitive to the needs of those around us, we need to be thoughtful, kind and loving and actively engaged in doing good because like President Hinckley said, "there is no end to the good we can do!"
When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." but coming in second is: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22: 37-40; http://scriptures.lds.org). I believe that this Christ-like love is the beginning of success to any relationship. From my own experience, I have seen that when I serve others, I begin to care for them. With new roommates, this is only a precurser of our friendship; with my family members, my love for them deepens; with strangers, I gain a greater understanding of their situation in life and can appreciate their decisions.
As a prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley stressed this point: " have wondered why there is so much hatred in the world. We are involved in terrible wars with lives lost and many crippling wounds. Coming closer to home, there is so much of jealousy, pride, arrogance, and carping criticism; fathers who rise in anger over small, inconsequential things and make wives weep and children fear. . .There is no end to the good we can do, to the influence we can have with others. Let us not dwell on the critical or the negative. Let us pray for strength; let us pray for capacity and desire to assist others. Let us radiate the light of the gospel at all times and all places, that the Spirit of the Redeemer may radiate from us" (Gordon B. Hinckley; The Need for Greater Kindness, May 2006; http://lds.org). From this we learn that today, more than ever, we need to be more sensitive to the needs of those around us, we need to be thoughtful, kind and loving and actively engaged in doing good because like President Hinckley said, "there is no end to the good we can do!"
Monday, February 9, 2009
Love
As Valentine's Day approaches, many minds, including mine, turn to love. It can be a wonderful time when we consciously think about our loved ones and things we can do to make eachother happy and to celebrate that love. There are different types of love, the most significant of which is charity, the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:47, http://scriptures.lds.org/). This love, and those who have it are characterized by these qualities, listed in Moroni 7:45: "suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." As we cultivate these qualities, we become more like Jesus Christ and become his disciples, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:34-35).
This last weekend one family showed this kind of love to me. I knew this family from back home but they happened to move out to Utah just as I was moving out to come to school at Brigham Young University. They invited me up to spend the day with them just to have fun and give me a respite from the stressful college life. I had so much fun with them as we made our own pizzas, went swimming, bowling and watching movies during the car ride. They sacrificed their time, setting aside an entire saturday and driving more than 5 hours to convenience me! They also sent me home with a trunk full of groceries and other things that I need. This family really showed me that they cared for me through these acts of kindness; they showed me the kind of love that my mother would if she could and for that I am so grateful! The sacrifices that this family made for me demonstrated the Christlike love they have in their hearts and have been a great example that has expanded my persepctive on life. Their discipleship is not determined on convenience, nor is it out of duty or a desire for recognition and reward but it is through their charity that they have touched me. I have gained a greater understanding of the meaning service and what it means to "have love one to another" as Jesus Christ truly taught.
In this season of love, let us also remember the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ and reach out to others that they may feel this love as strongly as we do. I know that He does love us, and it pleases Him when we strive to serve others because then they may feel more deeply of his love, just as my mother appreciates the charity of the family who served me. "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, http://scriptures.lds.org).
This last weekend one family showed this kind of love to me. I knew this family from back home but they happened to move out to Utah just as I was moving out to come to school at Brigham Young University. They invited me up to spend the day with them just to have fun and give me a respite from the stressful college life. I had so much fun with them as we made our own pizzas, went swimming, bowling and watching movies during the car ride. They sacrificed their time, setting aside an entire saturday and driving more than 5 hours to convenience me! They also sent me home with a trunk full of groceries and other things that I need. This family really showed me that they cared for me through these acts of kindness; they showed me the kind of love that my mother would if she could and for that I am so grateful! The sacrifices that this family made for me demonstrated the Christlike love they have in their hearts and have been a great example that has expanded my persepctive on life. Their discipleship is not determined on convenience, nor is it out of duty or a desire for recognition and reward but it is through their charity that they have touched me. I have gained a greater understanding of the meaning service and what it means to "have love one to another" as Jesus Christ truly taught.
In this season of love, let us also remember the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ and reach out to others that they may feel this love as strongly as we do. I know that He does love us, and it pleases Him when we strive to serve others because then they may feel more deeply of his love, just as my mother appreciates the charity of the family who served me. "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my bretheren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, http://scriptures.lds.org).
Monday, January 26, 2009
Faith to be Forgiven, Faith to be Healed
Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step to everything; to happiness, comfort, forgiveness and healing. Most often, in referring to faith, we think of things we are unsure of yet still hope for. Diane Woolf, widowed at 36 with a fifth child on the way said, "Faith has to be sufficient when we do not know why. We must simply remember 'that he loveth his children' (1 Nephi 11:17 http://www.scriptures.lds.org) and that we cannot--right now-- know the meaning of all things" (Ensign, Jan 2009; http://www.lds.org).
A paralytic of Jesus' time also learned the power of faith. He had the faith to be forgiven and the faith to be healed. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee...I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house" (Mark 2:5, 11 http://www.scriptures.lds.org).
What does it take to have the faith that Sister Woolf and the paralytic had? And how can it change our lives?
According to the Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21; http://www.scriptures.lds.org). Perfection is not a prerequisite to faith; neither is knowledge and understanding. On the contrary, faith in Jesus Christ is the medium through which we strive for perfection and begin to understand. Alma expounds on how we can strengthen our faith: "if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27 http://www.scriptures.lds.org).
Therefore, even if we can only muster a desire to believe, it will be enough to begin the process. I am grateful for Sister Woolf's testimony, "Everything in life can shift, change, or leave, but our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost never change. They are the one great constant to lead us along" (Ensign, Jan 2009; http://www.lds.org). I add my testimony to hers: faith in Jesus Christ starts out like a little seed but as we give it a place in our hearts and nourish it, it will "begin to swell within your breasts" and we may have the faith to be forgiven and to be healed.
A paralytic of Jesus' time also learned the power of faith. He had the faith to be forgiven and the faith to be healed. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee...I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house" (Mark 2:5, 11 http://www.scriptures.lds.org).
What does it take to have the faith that Sister Woolf and the paralytic had? And how can it change our lives?
According to the Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21; http://www.scriptures.lds.org). Perfection is not a prerequisite to faith; neither is knowledge and understanding. On the contrary, faith in Jesus Christ is the medium through which we strive for perfection and begin to understand. Alma expounds on how we can strengthen our faith: "if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words" (Alma 32:27 http://www.scriptures.lds.org).
Therefore, even if we can only muster a desire to believe, it will be enough to begin the process. I am grateful for Sister Woolf's testimony, "Everything in life can shift, change, or leave, but our Heavenly Father, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost never change. They are the one great constant to lead us along" (Ensign, Jan 2009; http://www.lds.org). I add my testimony to hers: faith in Jesus Christ starts out like a little seed but as we give it a place in our hearts and nourish it, it will "begin to swell within your breasts" and we may have the faith to be forgiven and to be healed.
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