Thank You, Oh God, For a Prophet

In a week, the semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be underway.  There will be multiple speakers.  They will address different issues and expound on varying topics.  These are the leaders of our church, and as I've discussed before, their word is God's word.  President Thomas S. Monson especially gives us doctrine from God that, if applied, are promised to make us happier, better people no matter your stage in life.  In preparation for this coming conference, I've read his talk:  Love-The Essence of the Gospel.  He encourages us to be charitable.  No one can deny the need for charity today.  Charity brings security and strength to our relationships with others.  As we forget ourselves and work, the Lord will pour blessings on us, and we'll be that much closer to mastering the essence of the Gospel.  

I'm keeping this short, so you can take some time to read through President Monson's words, because his words testify of his divine calling better than I ever could.  I encourage you to read his talk and many of the others.  General Conference is full of great talks, but it will only affect you if you're looking for something.  If not, you may be uplifted, or you may just watch tv for 8-10 hours.  It's really up to you.  

Hold to the Rod

In the 7th chapter of Moroni, he quotes his father's sermon on faith, hope and charity.  Before the popular scriptures that everyone knows, Mormon talks about judging.  To clarify, he tells us not to judge others, but gives us guidance in judging between right and wrong.  In verses 16 and 17, he tells us that anything that invites us to do good is encouragement from God.  Conversely, anything that doesn't invite us to do good and believe in Christ is...not from God.  

At the end of verse 17, it says, " for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him."  When I read that this time, I applied myself to this scripture; specifically the last part.  I need to encourage other people to do good.  I need to push them to follow the right paths.  And if I don't, perhaps that means I'm under the influence of the devil.  A little extreme, but that thought got the message across to me.  It gave me the push I need to encourage other people to do good things.

The Book of Mormon is the guidebook for our lives.  Our concerns and obstacles often coincide with different stories in the Book of Mormon.  These stories are real.  The story tellers knew that their experiences would help us.  When I read the Book of Mormon, I read the word of God.  His answers to my prayers are contained in its pages.  The directions to a happier life are between the lines and are waiting for YOU to uncover them.

Forgiveness: A Sign of Strength

"I the Lord will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (D&C 64:10)

We often are wronged in one way or another to various extremes.  Because we are imperfect scoundrels, we are not only the wronged, but we also do wrong.  We offend.  We harm.  We break.  When we occupy the guilty party, apologizing is our responsibility.  However, as we are taught in the scripture above, forgiving is the duty of the wronged.  Both are needed, but which is harder or more noble?

Well, I don't think either are more noble than the other, but they both have very different requirements.  Apologizing requires strength of sorts.  Really, it requires more humility than anything.  You have to recognize that what you've done is, indeed, wrong; something that is hardly easy for anyone.  And then you must find the humility to approach the person you've wronged and admit to them that you regret what you've done to them.

The strength, however, belongs to the wronged, I believe.  The wronged party needs to already have strength in their heart to listen to the apology and then on top of that you have to find strength to actually forgive them.  The savior told his apostles that there essentially is no limit to how many times we are expected to forgive.  Forgiving someone really is hard.  We harbor resentment and grudges because sometimes we WANT to be hurt.  We look for reasons to be offended.  The problem is, that's like taking a bite of a poison apple that just grows into a tree inside you.  That pent-up enmity grows and grows and something that may have happened a long time ago can still cause you to stay awake at night when you could realize what happened then has no consequence on who you are now.

Really, we should find a way to move on.  Some things aren't actually offensive enough to merit such a grudge.  But, if we find forgiveness a hard task, consider serving the guilty party.  Help them see that they were wrong.  If they've apologized, offer to help.  In your service, you will find the power and strength to forgive.

I'm not perfect.  I'm not politically correct.  I get in the way a lot.  I'd be in a very bad position with a lot of people if they couldn't forgive.  To those that I've had quarrels or disagreements with, I sincerely apologize, and thank you for your demonstration of superior strength.

Hit the weights; show off your strength.

I LOVE to see the temple!

There are a total of 143 LDS temples in operation around the world.  There are 15 under construction (including one in Japan!).  There are 12 more that have been announced and will be under construction in the near future.  With so many temples, the question arises, "What's so special?  What do you do there?"  The temple is seen as a building of secrecy.  A place just for members.  Without paying your dues, you can't get in.  Here's the truth:  we want EVERYONE to come!  Yes, you need to be an outstanding member of the church, but there isn't anything in the temple we aren't willing to share with everyone.

Multiple times-in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and other scripture-we are told that we learn and progress "line upon line; and precept upon precept."  The idea behind the temple's restrictive attendance is based completely on this concept.  We need to believe, and then we will develop faith.  After we have faith, we see our wrongs and repent, then qualifying us for baptism.  As we progress and learn, our faith strengthens and we find ourselves in a state where we are ready to learn what is taught in the temple.  We learn about our potential and make more promises with God.  I've mentioned the sealing ordinance in previous posts which results in the eternal unity of the subjected family.  A promise is a two-party agreement, and God does not hold back.

When I go to the temple, I often learn new things about God's plan for our salvation and his expectations for me.  I spend time pondering about the gospel, and take my questions with me to the temple, and more than once I've received rather specific answers.  Last week I addressed the Holy Ghosts methods, and I've experienced each while in the temple.  I've had a thought come to my head, I've heard something, and I've been led to the answer.

In ancient time, the prophets would commute to the temple, but on several occasions, when they wanted to talk to God, they went up to a mountain.  Moses talked with God on the top of Mt. Sinai.  Christ went with Peter, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration.  Nephi received revelation on how to build his boat after a journey up a mountain to pray.  The Brother of Jared saw the yet unborn Savior after praying on a high mountain.  With this correlation in mind, Isaiah becomes a little easier to understand when he says, "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths..." (Isaiah 2:3)  The temple is the mountain of the Lord.  First, it's usually built on top of hills or mountains.  The Las Vegas temple is built right at the East edge of the valley with the mountains in its backyard.  The Provo temple is built right next to mountains.  The Tokyo temple is built around mountainous buildings.  The mountain of the Lord is so important to me.  The things I've learned have changed my outlook on the world and myself.  The ordinances performed have benefited myself, and my family.  Should we all follow the commandments given to us, we can live together forever, and I want nothing more than to live forever with my parents, siblings, children, grandchildren, etc.

If you ever get curious, remember we aren't trying to keep you out.  We're trying harder to get you in.

Just Give me a Sign!

"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 Smith saw God and Jesus Christ.  Cornelius was visited by an angel.  The Brother of Jared, in the Book of Mormon, saw the figure of Christ 2000 years before he was born.

Miraculous events occasionally come as answers to prayers.  The problem with these miracles, is those who haven't run into one, begin expecting one.  We feel like we're good enough and that we deserve some sort of divine revelation or celestial visitation.  However, those who call that revelation and expect an angelic encounter as an answer to prayer don't understand what revelation is.

Revelation is so simple!  It's so simple, many people struggle differing between their own thoughts.  That's because the Holy Ghost, the revealer of heavenly truths, speaks to our mind and our heart in a way that we'll understand, and whose voice do we understand better than our own?  For me, this is exactly how I get answers to many of my prayers.  Often, it's just a feeling.  As the 7th of 8 children, I am picked on more than almost any of my other siblings.  As a child, their ridicule got to me very easily.  I would get angry and vow never to talk to them again.  At one get-together, I got exceptionally irritated and escaped to my bedroom.  While there, I was urged to pray.  So, I knelt at my bed heated over the events leading up to my relocation.  With all the anger contained in my body, I opened my prayer by addressing my God in heaven and explaining my frustration at my siblings.  Because of my humility in kneeling and seeking his help, as I explained my situation, an overwhelming rush of comfort flooded my insides.  The hostile anger stored inside me immediately turned to friendly warmth, and tears flowed from my eyes like a dam bursting.  God had heard my prayer, and the Holy Ghost filled my room.  I learned that night that anger was not a desirable emotion, and that my Heavenly Father loved me, and he loved my siblings, despite their less than Christlike example.

I've experienced the Holy Ghost speak to me as I received inspiration while reading the scriptures.  Almost daily, as a missionary, I would have a thought come to my mind about a scripture I was reading.  I knew that these ideas were not my own.  So, when I would think of something, I'd write it down.  And, many times, I'd start writing about it in my journal.  But, while writing a simple thought down, I found myself writing more and more until I had a full, in-depth explanation of the impression I had.  My study journal is full of little inspirations I received during my study that came as simple thoughts that I heard as my own voice.

The Holy Ghost is also often a voice of warning or chastisement.  Similar to the voice that inspired me, I heard the Holy Ghost use sarcasm to push me to do what's right.  One morning, on my mission, I got out of the shower, looked in the mirror, and thought, "I don't really need to shave today..." even though missionaries are encouraged to shave daily.  Well, immediately after I thought that, a voice of warning came to my mind and said, "I don't really need to bless you today."  I picked up my razor and immediately shaved.  God knows how we will react and will instruct the Holy Ghost to communicate with us in the most effective way.

Visions will come to some.  Angels will visit others.  I have experienced neither, yet I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is his church that teaches his pure doctrine today.  My youth has limited the depth of my experience, but from what I have, I know that through Christ's gospel is the only way to receive lasting and powerful joy.  

The Power of the Humble

Smart people rule the world.  Leaders from every country are often some of the most intelligent.  They've had successful careers as lawyers or business men.  Their money gave them power and their well-planned words wooed those that agree and impress the ones that don't understand.  Nobody will trust a high-school dropout to run their company.  So, why then, do the Mormons stake the integrity of their religious beliefs on a young man that nothing more than a 3rd grade education?  People find it impossible that we can believe a man that says he translated an ancient record.  But really, it's less believable that a man of Joseph Smith's academic prowess could translate it by himself.  Those he dictated to said he couldn't pronounce most of the words he was reading, so he had to spell them.  His family was not known for their socioeconomic status.  They were poor farmers.  They made ends meet, but like many families of that day, lacked everything sufficient for what we might consider a comfortable lifestyle.  Joseph Smith did run for president of the United States, but he did not ever pursue such a career like those of our political and societal leaders today.  His satisfaction came from sharing his experiences and the restored gospel with others.  His life epitomized Christlike service.  He wasn't perfect, but he did everything he could to help.  Even to those who didn't frequent his sermons, he extended a gentle and serving hand.  By his fruits and his words, he was accepted and recognized as a prophet.  Joseph Smith, like Christ, was not born a king.  Similarly, their missions correlated.  Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the state it was when Christ himself taught.  We do not worship him, but we respect him.  His selfless service paved the way for many people to find the gospel of Jesus Christ.  A man from humble circumstances started what now, 200 years later, is a global church.  A collection of principles that have changed many lives...including my own.  Joseph Smith's example and work has helped shape me into the man I am today, and I am so grateful for the knowledge I have that Christ's pure gospel is again taught by his prophets today.  And, if you don't know what I'm talking about, check it out.  mormon.org  You won't be disappointed.

Hope Goes a Long Way

Christ was our perfect example.  He didn't have any flaws.  He did nothing wrong.  He was perfectly kind.  He was perfect.  So, it's no wonder in the LDS church we study his attributes so much.  For missionaries, there is an entire chapter in the preparation manual dedicated to the study and development of Christ's attributes.  In this, faith, hope, and charity are often lumped into a single entity, much like the Godhead is often understandably confused to be one entity.  I have shared my thoughts about charity and faith.  Now, my goal is to explain my understanding of hope.

Hope is tricky because it's one of those words that people use in any given conversation, yet don't fully understand what it means.  We say things like, "I hope I get ____", or "I hope I don't get caught", and so on.  While the use of hope isn't necessarily wrong in these and other examples, there's an important entity of the nature of hope I think is lost.  

Dictionary.com defines hope as: "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best."  So, hope is the eagerness we feel for an outcome.  While you can be eager for a present or sincerely expect not to be caught, at church we discuss a different ideal for our hope.

In numerous posts I have mentioned or explained eternal life:  a gift given to us through Jesus Christ's atonement, enabling us to live forever with our families should we follow the path laid out for us.  As Christians, and specifically Latter-Day Saints, this is what we hope for.  We have hope that going to church every week will enlighten us.  We have hope that when we do good things, good things will happen.

I have hope.  I hope that I will get straight A's this semester.  I hope that I will someday meet a woman that can tolerate my companionship for eternity.  I have hope that my family can be there with us when we are sealed in the temple.  I have hope that I will see my beloved grandparents again.  I have hope that those people I met in Japan will remember the things I told them and thank me when we meet again.  I have hope that I will be forgiven and that I will be perfect.

I have hope because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.