|
Viewing 1 - 9 out of 15 Blogs.
Page:
1 |
|
I guess I could blame society. I could blame my upbringing or my lack of opportunity. I could blame any number of things for my lack of understanding of the gospel. Perhaps I will always be trying to understand a very large portion of the basics.Â
    But one thing I have started to realize is that, in addition to knowing very little of the doctrine of the books of God, I also believe that they have a very, very wide application. They apply to the Jew, the Gentile; they apply to Black and White; they apply to you... and they apply to me.Â
    I like to think that I understand that I know why these book were written - that they were written to bring us salvation. But more accurately, I would say that I know the right answer, and that I don't fully understand the scope of either the Book of Mormon or the Bible.Â
    Perhaps its the fact that I'm prideful. Maybe its because I am just thick-headed. But it has taken me a long time to even get a glimpse of the notion that maybe there is a God out there who is eternally interested in my welfare. It is almost unfathomable to believe that someone else seems to be personally vested in my life and my salvation and perhaps more. My Creator sacrificed Himself for "dust of the earth". Indeed, without Him, not only would I feel like nothing, I would be nothing.Â
    He has made me what I am and is the reason that I can be more. He is the root and cause of my potential salvation.
Tags: Salvation Book Of Mormon Bible God Potential
.jpg)
   Spirit Matters The Holy Ghost, or the Holy Spirit, is somewhat of a mystery to us. It is not tangible, but it can be felt within our hearts. It is not seen, yet it can be with us at all times, or it can be absent from us depending on our worthiness. It can even be conferred upon us individually, and help further guide us to truth.
  Although we may not know what the Holy Ghost looks like, nor fully understand the logistics of how the Spirit may operate, we must comprehend that it is important to us as a society and as individuals. We like to think that as humans we are very complex, intelligent creatures. Maybe we are. But, for some reason, we seem only to be able to be occupied by one thing at a time. In addition, our hearts and minds are only able to be filled with either charity and love for God or pride and love for ourselves. When we seek to better the lives of others we are given many blessings from God, one of them being the Spirit. When we serve ourselves, we push God, and the Holy Spirit, out of our lives. This is evident on a societal level, as well. Looking at the Book of Mormon it appears to be a continual pattern. Ether shows it very clearly, as the society goes through rise and fall so quickly in this summary. Chapter 15 verse 19 states that the Spirit ceased to strive with the Jaredites and because of their wickedness and pride, Satan had full power over them. The choices we make are important. Not only because they affect the schools and jobs we get in life, but because they impact the blessings we can receive from Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost. When we choose to live righteously, we can feel the Holy Spirit in our lives, and it will guide us to truth.Â
Tags: Ether Spirit Holy Ghost Holy Spirit Choices Matter
A friend of mine were talking the other day. I thought we knew each other very well, and we started lightly arguing back and forth. More and more we tried to one-up each other and it came to the point where I found myself losing. My dear friend then started relating to me more intimate stories about their childhood, stories which I was hearing now, for the first time. I thought to myself, "Why have they only decided to tell me these things now? Was it because our relationship wasn't mature enough? Was it because of the struggle of the argument?" You think you know a person. I don't know how well each one of us truly knows our brother or sister. And I definitely wonder how much we know about an Eternal Father. It seems that we can, however come to a knowledge of God - what He has done for us, what he can do for us. But it takes strength and worthiness; it takes faith. The brother of Jared was this kind of person, who was well-favored of God. The brother of Jared, Jared, and their families were blessed because of their willingness to remember the commandments of God (although later on, they were chastised for forgetting to pray Ether 2:14).
The parallel I wish to draw is that sometimes we think we know a lot about who we are, or what faith is. I believe that the brother of Jared was a humble man, but I think that he thought he knew who God was. And still, I bet part of him was very much surprised when the Lord appeared to him in flesh, as He would later appear to those in Jerusalem and the Americas. Though we may not know everything about everyone, we should take time to learn more about the divine. Time to read the scriptures, time to pray and time to meditate should be part of our search for God. I hope that I can learn more about my dear friend and how they have become such a wonderful person. I also hope that I can be more like Christ, and I believe that that will take some prayer and a lot of faith on my part.
Tags: Faith Friend Brother Of Jared God Revelation
I apologize for the lame title for this blog, but nothing better came to mind. The truth is denial is a very serious problem that many of us have, and can lead to complicated consequences. Skepticism, too, may put us a place we don't want to be. In our world we each have trained ourselves to be certain people. Some of us are very extroverted, others more nervous; some are passionate and some are lazy. But one trait which often finds itself rooted in the bellies of people is denial. Denial is that strange process of thought that ranges from unbelief to actually trying to think something didn't or doesn't exist. Sometimes we do it because we feel we have no other choice, while other times we choose denial because we don't like the consequences placed before us. Yet, the continual act of denying actual acts and beliefs takes its toll. It hardens our hearts and stifles the seed of faith. This is especially true with the denial of religious acts. When we deny the gifts of God, or the existence of His being, we not only become hard-hearted agnostics and atheists, we prove that skepticism and doubt never did bring about miracles or other divine gifts. Through more optimistic belief and the spirit of faith, we can come to know the workings of our Heavenly Father. I also believe that we will, regardless of our religion, find a deeper appreciation for friends and family. Perhaps if we wanted to, and put forth effort to believe, we would see the fruits of our faith.
Tags: Denial Skepticism Faith Deny Skeptic
Parley P. Pratt : A Voice of Warning In a very smart essay, Mormon Elder Parley P. Pratt discusses the source and ultimate need for revelation in every age. Although Mr. Pratt's views have a protestant feel to them, he has done more than write down ordinary ideas of religion. The book stresses the importances of the organization of the Kingdom of God and also the role that revelation plays. Also emphasized is the need for a new covenant and, in fact, a restoration of all things. I have had the honor and privelage of listening to many prophets and others who have done their best to serve their God. I have heard the story of the restoration in many ways and in many places. But Elder Pratt's book spoke to me in very plain language and testified of what he knew to be truth. He testifies of the potential we can have to revelation, among other things, if we do not ourselves get in the way. Mr. Pratt's words are very logical and understandable and yet will push the reader to learn more and be better. If I could add to his words, I would only say how beautiful a revelation the Book of Mormon is in itself. The words and power it contains and the prophecies that will be fulfilled from that book cause me to reflect with gratitude to God and His prophets.
Tags: Voice Of Warning Parley P Pratt Book Of Mormon Revelation
Blessings from God I believe that God blesses us in three main ways: 1) Blessings of support or protection, 2) blessings of revelation or a more spiritual nature and 3) the ultimate blessing of eternal life.
Blessings of support and/or protection are probably what we pray for the most often, assuming that we pray at all. We wish for financial succes, help in our careers and education, and strength to provide for our families. In addition, we deeply hope that each day we leave our homes or families, that we return to them later that day. Perhaps more than anything else, we pray for the protection and safety of our friends and loved ones. And I guess I can't speak for everyone else, but each time I find that I have overcome a particularly difficult situation or somehow narrowly escaped injury, in my mind I think, "Thank God".
The second kind of blessings are a kind of middle ground between the first type and the third type. These blessings are those that give us additional insight into spiritual matters. The most clear that stands out to me is what we might call revelation or prophecy. I believe that many of the thoughts we have on a daily basis could fall into the category of personal revelation, but for the sake of brevity, I'll just discuss the moments of prayer we choose to have with God. Assume the thought comes to our mind to pray about how we can come to forgive our enemy. The first revelation here, I believe, was the thought to pray. The next revelation or inspired thought may be in how to resolve the situation and come to forgive your enemy. Spiritual matters can be resolved spiritually, and God will provide each of us an answer if we turn to Him. The last type of blessing may be the one of receiving eternal life. When I say eternal life, I in no way am referring to being a mortal on this earth forever. I am referring to God's plan for each of His children. I cannot believe that if there is a God, He would want each of these unique mortals to end up exactly like one another in the end. However, I can believe that He would have a desired goal for each of his unique children to reach. I believe that God wants us to enjoy what He has; glory, freedom and eternal life. To me it seems that living with our Creator would be wonderful, but being like Him, and enjoying all that He has would be even more rewarding. If any of you are wondering about why I have included the above picture, allow me to explain. You see, the man on the left has always seemed to me to be a rather proud man. He is standing as though he expects something from the Saviour. In his life, this man was a powerful czar (Alexander III). I wonder though, did he need divine help any more or less than you or me? Is he any more or less deserving of blessings? Thankfully, God is the judge of what we need and when we need it. Our Heavenly Father has done so much for us and continues to bless us. He blesses us and continues to "work for us" whether we pray for Him or not. Nevertheless, prayers are answered and faith is not unrewarded. It is my sincere hope that I can be ready to receive all and anything that God would stand to give me; whether it me a safe ride to work, help in understanding His ways, or eternal life in His presence.
Tags: Blessings Works Of God Bless Spiritual Workings Book Mormon Alexander III
Why I Read the Scriptures I recently attended a lecture where the speaker discussed the essence and the purpose of the scriptures. He talked about why we have them but mostly what they can do for us if we read with the right purpose in mind. He reinforced many good, faith-promoting concepts during the time that he spoke to the group. As I later picked up my Book of Mormon, a day or two later, I thought to myself, "What am I getting out of this? What should I be getting out of my reading?" I realized that there were several answers to my question. Perhaps one main reason I read the Bible or the Book of Mormon is to find direction. I often turn to their pages to try to make sense of a disappointing world, where good doesn't always seem to be the conquerer of evil. I open up the scriptures for advice on how to be a better husband, a better student, and a better child of God. It is along the same lines of why I keep going to church meetings: God knows more than I do. Another reason I read is because I believe God wants me to. I believe that He wants me to find the messages that can be learned from those texts and apply them to my life and my attitudes. I also know that if I do read, my beliefs will be affirmed. For me this is a humbling process. Reading a book, even if it is the word of God, is just another chore sometimes. I could think of a hundred things I would rather do most of the time. But, I don't know that I could think of many things that I need to do. Soaking up the divine wisdom that is taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon should never be passed up for the trivial matters of the world.
Tags: Book Of Mormon Bible Reason Read Scriptures
CLEANSING Honestly, purification is kind of a tricky word to describe when relating it to human beings. When we have gold and say it is pure gold, we know that it is unadulterated, uncontaminated, gold. But what does it mean to be pure if we are human? Well, I don't know that it is much different. I think if we remain clean, uncontaminated, etc. or can rid ourselves of the dirt that is not 'us' or who we want to be, we have a chance at being pure. I like this picture from http://www.zencollegelife.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/purity.jpg because it represents purity to me. In recent reading (or re-reading) of 3 Nephi 19, I found something that I had never really noticed before. Most people probably know this chapter because of the several prayers that are given, the unique styles or the special individuals giving and recieving the prayers (sorry if that sounds vague - read it for more information on those subjects). When I read it this time I noticed something a stong emphasis on "purification". In verse 28, the Saviour is praying to the Father and says, "I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, ...". When I first read that I thought to myself, "Wait a minute, were those that were chosen purified because of faith, OR were those that were purified, chosen because of faith?" Honestly, I wanted it to mean the first. I wanted to believe that this was Christ saying that purification was possible through Heavenly Father, if we have faith. But I couldn't be sure. I reread the entire verse and... AHA! There it was! Later in the verse, the Saviour states, "...I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me." It seems as though these men may have been chosen in a way(3 Nephi 19:20), because of their faith, BUT they were also definitely purified through Heavenly Father, His Son and the faith that they had in them. And the great thing is that it appears we all can have this blessing of cleansing or purification through our faith in Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the words that they have given us. We can be one in the same way our Father in Heaven and the Saviour are one, if we listen to their words and do their will.
Tags: Purity Book Of Mormon Cleansing Purification Pure Chosen Faith
A Lesson in History I felt inclined to write on the topic of history today. The Book of Mormon is, on one level, an historical record. It tells us about a people that lived anciently and how they lived. The record tells us what situations they encountered and how the people dealt with them. So what do we get from it? I would bet that even an historic document gives different information to different people. One person may focus on what was learned during war, another may emphasize the times of peace. In the Book of Mormon, most often the stories that teach of some way we can improve ourselves or progress are emphasized. A reader may therefore be biased even if the writer feels the record is without prejudice. The characters of the Book of Mormon were in interesting positions. Some gave a position from the side of the righteous, dominate power, and others gave points of view from a minority (whethere righteous or not). But the compiler of the plates, Mormon, an historian himself seems to have a purpose of purely informing the future. He doesn't want the generations of Nephites and Lamanites to be forgotten. He doesn't want certain doctrine and records to be lost. Mormon is doing this for his people and his God ( 3 Nephi 5: 14-18). It makes me wonder if we are conscious of what we are doing. Do we realize that we make history today, in our time? Do we realize that individuals make up the nations, and the records of the nations will be recorded in some manner, for better or for worse. I hope that we can be valiant and make wise decisions to not repeat the failures of the past. I also hope we take the best parts of history (the best hours, the best men) and make them alive again through our thoughts and actions. Thomas Paine once wrote, speaking of tyranny, that Hell is not easily conquered. Indeed I should say we still fight tyranny and Hell. We would do good to remember what the past is, and what the future can be.
Tags: Book Of Mormon History Hell Conquered Records
Page:
1 |
|
|
FairLDS.org
LDS.org
MormonWiki
Mormon Encyclopedia
FARMS
