January 22, 2012

Sorry everyone I missed last week.  A week ago Friday night we hosted part of the 24 hour Book of Mormon for the youth of our ward.  I was asked to get up at 2AM and read with the Young Men who would be at our home.  I did.  When I got up our Bishop (Merrill) was still here and so was Jason Merrill.  They were doing a little game, “guess where I’m reading”.   I was very impressed with Bishop Merrill’s ability to give chapter and verse for almost every quote.

At 3 AM our good friend Carrie Adams was coming over to talk about Alma 8, Alma and Amulek.  Well she texted mom and was too sick to come.  Mom said can you talk, well of course I can talk. The main issue is I thought I had to get from the end of 2 Nephi to Alma 8.  Well 20 min into my history oration mom said just Alma 8, the rest comes later.  Well I switched gears and started talking about Alma’s first visit to Ammonihah and how Alma left because all the people rejected his words.  Then the Bishop read Alma 8:18.  It really had an impact on me, it says that “…after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned SPEEDILY…”  That is how it seemed to me the word speedily was in all caps.  I thought about how I respond to messages (or assignments) from priesthood leaders, well needless to say it is rarely speedily.  I know I need to change how I respond.  I know it will make a difference in my life.

This morning in our Stake PEC Meeting (High Council) President Richards bore a string testimony that this is the work of the Lord, it was very powerful to me and I was very grateful for it.

In Sunday school today we talked about 1 Nephi 12-14.  This is Nephi’s vision of the world from beginning to end.  Brother Gee pointed out some really neat that I have never thought about before.  In 1 Nephi 13 verse 40 it states “…These last records which thou hast seen among the Gentiles shall establish the truth of the first…”  Meaning the Book of Mormon and perhaps other later-day scriptures will establish the truth of the Bible.  We understand this and doesn’t seem to be any big deal.  He pointed out that at the time of Joseph Smith there was no question of the truthfulness of the Bible.  But today many Christian churches professing to believe in the Bible claim that a lot of the stories are just stories and not actual events.  “What is important are the principles.”  “That no reasonable person believes that the earth was really created like the Bible says.”  So, in fulfillment of Nephi’s prophetic words, here is the Book of Mormon as second witness or “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” is here to establish the truth of the Bible.  I want each of you to know that I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are true.  And that we need to abide by their teachings, that is what we have covenanted to do.

Come Unto Christ--January 8, 2012

January 8, 2012

We studied 1 Nephi 1-7 today in Sunday School, I love the Book of Mormon.  Just a couple of high lights;

1.      Nephi’s purpose for writing the his book--1 Nephi 6:4  “…persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob and be saved.”  And who is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?  Jehovah or Jesus Christ.

2.      The Lord’s promise to Nephi (and all of us) -- Nephi 2:20 “…keep my commandments, ye shall prosper…”  This promise is repeated at least 20 times in the Book of Mormon.

3.      Nephi’s example of coming unto Christ—1 Nephi 1:15 “…having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord: and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe…” and of course 1 Nephi 3:7 “…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded…”

These are wonderful promises and examples, if we will come unto Christ and keep His commandments we will not only be happy, but we will prosper and be saved.  I know this is true.  I have been lax in doing everything I should to truly magnify my callings (keeping the commandments) and during this New Year I plan to do much better.

One last point I would like to add tonight:  I have learned something this year and it is not really new, we teach it and it is a very basic doctrine of the Gospel.  I have had a difficult time believing that Christ’s Atonement would ever cover my sins, not that I feel I have huge sins, just that I can see/feel how week I really am.  I have always felt that I have had a testimony of the reality of the Atonement, I knew that others, my wife, my children, my mother, my father, my brothers and my sisters would have their sins forgiven, but how would I ever deserve/earn that blessing.  What I have learned is that I never will deserve or earn the blessings of the Atonement, it is a blessing, a gift to the true followers of Christ, who repent, even me.  That is what we all need to have “faith in” that Christ suffered for our sins, He paid the price out of Perfect Love for each of us, me and you, and we can’t earn Salvation.  All we can do is truly turn to Him, Repent and follow him by keeping his commandments and then exercise faith in the Atonement and Christ by continuing to repent and follow his example to the best of our understanding, every day.

I plan to try to have an entry to my blog each Sunday.  Please let me know if any of my entries make any sense.