I am not really sure where this blogpost will be going to be honest, but as I was on lds.org I was looking for an idea to blog about this title jumped out at me.
As I read this title I thought, what is my duty to God? Pretty good question, right? Am I doing my duty? Have I been doing my duty? Is my duty done? Will it ever be done? These are just a couple questions that ran through my head.
Ironically though, I think the answer is very simple, so simple in fact, that it is something we as missionaries recite every day. It's something we desire to teach to everyone. It's the core of our religion.
The answer is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Sound familiar?
In the premortal life, we all agreed to follow Jesus Christ's plan for us. We know that because we are here on earth. We agreed that we would come and be tested. We would use our agency, for better or worse, and we would have a Savior. We would be able to rely on the Savior and His Atonement in order to return and live with our Heavenly Father again.
The plan centers on Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Without it, we would have no way of returning to God. The instance we made one mistake we would no longer be able to live in God's presence because "no unclean thing can dwell with God" (1 Nephi 10:21). We knew this, and we agreed to follow our Savior.
Jesus Christ came to the earth and set an example for us. He showed us the way we need to live in order to return to Him. He taught the people principles of faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. He organized His church and established His doctrine.
Christ taught that in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He made it clear that it is only through Him we can return. "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." (Alma 34:32).
After Christ died the fulness of the gospel was no longer on the earth. As discussed in previous posts, Joseph Smith restored the fulness of the gospel to the earth. One of the things he did as a prophet was restore simple truths, such as "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Article of Faith 1:4).
So, let's tie the ends together. This life is the time to prepare to meet God, and it's only through Jesus Christ that we can meet God. We can only meet God it we are clean and we have an example of how to be clean set before us. It seems to me that our duty to God is to live His Gospel, to have Faith that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God and that He truly did Atonement for our sins. When we have that faith we are led to repentance, which is the source of cleaning ourselves. Once we make the efforts to show God we desire to follow Him, we are baptized, which allows us to enter that path, the only path, to return to God. We receive the Holy Ghost which allows us to always have the Spirit with us in order to endure to the end in following Christ the rest of our lives.
This is our duty brothers and sisters, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we learn about it, study it, live it, teach it, share it, we will be fulfilling our duty to God. And He will bless us a thousand times over for doing it.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
This is my family. I love them SO much!! The family is ordained of God and is the most important social unit. The family is essential to God's plan. We are put in families to learn and to help each other grow. The family is meant to be eternal. In this picture the building behind my family is a temple. In the temple we make covenants with God and we are able to have our families sealed together so they can live together for eternity.
Satan knows how important the family is, and he is attacking it at all fronts. He knows that if he can break families apart he can also pull people farther away from God. He fights through things like divorce, homosexual relationships, abuse, pornography, drug addictions, anything and everything that can be used to break families apart.
The prophets know how important family relationships are. The prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley read this proclamation in a meeting in 1995 and I would like to invite everyone to read it again and ponder on what this proclamation means.
The Family
A Proclamation to the World
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
I would like to just point out a few things. First, the first paragraph states that this comes from the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That means this comes from God by divine revelation. They proclaim the divinity of the family and its importance in God's plan for us.
We learn in the next paragraphs that God has a plan for us. He loves us. We each have a specific role to play and a purpose to fulfill. We have things to learn and experience in this life to help prepare us for th elife to come.
We each have a responsbility to obey God's commandments and treasure the beautiful gift of life. We will find joy when we follow God's plan for families.
I know the family is ordained of God. No family is perfect. There are many families that are broken, many people who come from abusive situations. There is hope. Through the Savior's Atonement we can hope to have a better life. Wrongs can be righted. Wounds can be healed. It starts with us. It starts with our willingness to obey God's commandments. Learn of Him. Trust in His Atonement.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The Restoration
This is our unique message to the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored! Why is that important? Let me tell you.
God loves us. He is our loving Heavenly Father. He knows each of us. We lived with Him before we came to this earth. We came to this earth to learn and gain experience so we could eventually become perfect as He is. He presented a plan for us, which is centered around Jesus Christ, and if we follow that plan, we can live with Him forever.
AWESOME!! Right? If we follow Jesus Christ, we will be able to live with God forever. We can become perfect as He is. Well, let's keep going. This plan was that we would all come to earth with the ability to choose. God would send us to families where we have the opportunity to grow in the gospel of Christ. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't have this in their lives. There are billions of imperfect people and no family is perfect, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can come to find peace in our lives and love in our homes.
Our Heavenly Father has given us prophets that lead and guide His church. Prophets speak directly with God and teach what God would have us know. This pattern is seen throughout time in the bible. The prophet calls a prophet, and has done so at the beginning of each dispensation ("A dispensation of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth." Bible Dictionary). When a prophet and God's authority is on the earth, it is a dispensation.
As we see throughout time, many people choose not to listen to prophets and God takes His prophets off the earth for a time. This is called an apostasy. Easy enough? When people won't listen, God will not continually send in prophets trying to teach them.
What's wonderful though, is that when people are ready, God will call prophets again. The greatest of all is Jesus Christ. He came to earth as the Son of God, and also as a prophet. He established His gospel, which is that we must have Faith in Him and His Atonement, we must repent, be baptized by proper authority, receive the Holy Ghost and endure to the end. Though He was perfect, though He was the Son of God, the people still rejected Him, and after He was crucified and His apostles killed, His authority was again taken from the earth in what we call the Great Apostasy.
This Great Apostasy is also known as the Dark Ages where people didn't have the truth. Many very good men sought to find the truth and reform the corrupt religions of the time, hoping to come as close to the truth as they could, but recognizing that only really truth and authority can come from God.
There's that word again, RESTORE. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the RESTORED gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the exact same church that Christ Himself organized while He was on the earth.
God loves us. He is our loving Heavenly Father. He knows each of us. We lived with Him before we came to this earth. We came to this earth to learn and gain experience so we could eventually become perfect as He is. He presented a plan for us, which is centered around Jesus Christ, and if we follow that plan, we can live with Him forever.
AWESOME!! Right? If we follow Jesus Christ, we will be able to live with God forever. We can become perfect as He is. Well, let's keep going. This plan was that we would all come to earth with the ability to choose. God would send us to families where we have the opportunity to grow in the gospel of Christ. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't have this in their lives. There are billions of imperfect people and no family is perfect, but through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can come to find peace in our lives and love in our homes.
Our Heavenly Father has given us prophets that lead and guide His church. Prophets speak directly with God and teach what God would have us know. This pattern is seen throughout time in the bible. The prophet calls a prophet, and has done so at the beginning of each dispensation ("A dispensation of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth." Bible Dictionary). When a prophet and God's authority is on the earth, it is a dispensation.
As we see throughout time, many people choose not to listen to prophets and God takes His prophets off the earth for a time. This is called an apostasy. Easy enough? When people won't listen, God will not continually send in prophets trying to teach them.
What's wonderful though, is that when people are ready, God will call prophets again. The greatest of all is Jesus Christ. He came to earth as the Son of God, and also as a prophet. He established His gospel, which is that we must have Faith in Him and His Atonement, we must repent, be baptized by proper authority, receive the Holy Ghost and endure to the end. Though He was perfect, though He was the Son of God, the people still rejected Him, and after He was crucified and His apostles killed, His authority was again taken from the earth in what we call the Great Apostasy.
This Great Apostasy is also known as the Dark Ages where people didn't have the truth. Many very good men sought to find the truth and reform the corrupt religions of the time, hoping to come as close to the truth as they could, but recognizing that only really truth and authority can come from God.
After hundreds of years of being lost though, His gospel is again on the earth in it's fulness. In 1820 a young boy, Joseph Smith, was confused about which church to join. Here's his story. (This is the hour version, so if you don't have time now to watch it, I recommend finding a time you can.)
Joseph Smith was 14 years old. He was living in a time of religious revival. He was taught to love God, to pray, and to study the bible. He knew that spiritual truths come from God and he trusted in the promise in James 1:5 that states: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him."
Joseph retired to a grove of trees and knelt in prayer, having faith that his prayer would be answered.
And it was.
In his own words, "I saw a pillar of light, exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me ... when the light rested upon me, I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other, "This is my beloved Son, hear Him."
Joseph saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and they told Him that none of the churches on the earth at that time had the fulness of the gospel, but that Joseph would be the means of restoring the church in its fulness.
There's that word again, RESTORE. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the RESTORED gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the exact same church that Christ Himself organized while He was on the earth.
Bold claim, right? Well, I don't expect you to take my word for it. The Lord knew the world would need a way to know that the church has been restored, which is why, through the power of God, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is the proof and comes with a promise (as seen in this post) that if we will "ask God" with "real intent" we can know "the truth of all things" by "the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:3-5).
I know that if we pray in faith, the Lord will answer our prayers. I have come to know for myself that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true church on the earth. I know God loves each of us and wants us to return to live with Him.
I don't want you to take my word for it, read the Book of Mormon and ask God. Then go and do. Talk to the missionaries, turn your life towards Christ, and enter the path that leads to eternal life and happiness.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
He is Risen!
First off, if you are reading this, it is April 6th, 7th or 8th and you haven't been to mormon.org/easter, GO NOW!!
In honor of the Easter holiday this weekend I would like to focus my blog today on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ was resurrected after three days and He came to His people in Jerusalem. He showed them the prints in His hands and His feet. He invited all to come unto Him. Then He said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16) He then left the people.
What's neat though is what happened next. Christ came and visited His other sheep, in the Americas. This wonderful visit is recorded in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi. In chapter 9 Christ first talks to the people. He says "Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God ... I came unto my own, and my own received me not And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled." (v 15-16) and in 3 Nephi 11:10: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world."
He then proceeds to teach the people that He has come to fulfill the work of His Father, and that it is only through Him that we can return to live with God again.
Wow! I am just filled with gratitude for my Savior. He lives! He loves us! We have the fulness of His gospel on earth and it is so neat that we have the proof in the Book of Mormon. This year I realized that the Easter story is made complete by the chapters in 3 Nephi. It is a reminder to us that Christ still lives, He loves us, and He is the way to return to live with Him.
I hope you enjoy this clip. I know He lives and I am so grateful for it. I am grateful for the hope and peace that comes through His Atonement. I am grateful He loves us enough to provide a way for us to return to live with Him. He is my Savior, He is my King. He is my Joy and my Song. I love Him and I know He lives!!!
In honor of the Easter holiday this weekend I would like to focus my blog today on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ was resurrected after three days and He came to His people in Jerusalem. He showed them the prints in His hands and His feet. He invited all to come unto Him. Then He said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." (John 10:16) He then left the people.
What's neat though is what happened next. Christ came and visited His other sheep, in the Americas. This wonderful visit is recorded in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi. In chapter 9 Christ first talks to the people. He says "Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God ... I came unto my own, and my own received me not And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled." (v 15-16) and in 3 Nephi 11:10: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world."
He then proceeds to teach the people that He has come to fulfill the work of His Father, and that it is only through Him that we can return to live with God again.
Wow! I am just filled with gratitude for my Savior. He lives! He loves us! We have the fulness of His gospel on earth and it is so neat that we have the proof in the Book of Mormon. This year I realized that the Easter story is made complete by the chapters in 3 Nephi. It is a reminder to us that Christ still lives, He loves us, and He is the way to return to live with Him.
I hope you enjoy this clip. I know He lives and I am so grateful for it. I am grateful for the hope and peace that comes through His Atonement. I am grateful He loves us enough to provide a way for us to return to live with Him. He is my Savior, He is my King. He is my Joy and my Song. I love Him and I know He lives!!!
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