http://lds.org/pages/we-lived-with-god?lang=eng
This goes along with the previous post, yet another testimony of the Divine Creator...
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Gods Reflection
So two days ago, my Missionary companion and I, had a discussion on Heavenly Father and the many evidences of him. The discussion went from physics to philosophy, diction, math even showed up(go figure). We talked about the intricate design of our physical state, our peculiar situation and position in our known universe, and many other relating topics. In the course of our conversation I asked the question: "what color is a mirror?" a brain teaser I have always asked, never finding answer. For a little background any object with color your eye sees is not the color of the particular object you are looking at. Example: if you are looking at a red box, the box is not really red, red is the only color that is reflecting off the box, all other colors are the box. So if a mirror reflects all color, what color is it? This proceeded to lead us to compare the universe to Gods Reflection, we may not see god directly with our own eyes, but we can see his reflection in our physical world around us, "all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator"(Alma 30:44). All things are the reflection of the Divine Creator.
That light that is reflected as we find in the scriptures comes from god and is truth, "And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlightened your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understanding"(D&C 88:11) Heavenly Father teaches us and doing so builds our light/understanding. Heavenly Fathers light "proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space"(D&C 88:12), his light is in all. Heavenly Father, his power and glory are light, "The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne"(D&C 88:13). When Heavenly Father teaches us, we gain greater truth and knowledge our light goweth, other people can see that light in our eyes, hence the saying "the window to the soul are the eyes". Christ in the New Testament charges all of his followers, those early Christians to: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" this charge remains, we are to show our faith, and let our light shine before men that they may see gods reflection and glorify his name. Glorify his name by becoming converted, following his commandments and striving to be like Christ.
Lets us so shine before man, testify by word, deed, and the light of our eyes. Let us be the mirror of reflection for the Creator, being a reflection in our eyes and our countenance, that as the ancient prophet Moroni writes: "that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purifyed even as he is pure. Amen."
That light that is reflected as we find in the scriptures comes from god and is truth, "And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlightened your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understanding"(D&C 88:11) Heavenly Father teaches us and doing so builds our light/understanding. Heavenly Fathers light "proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space"(D&C 88:12), his light is in all. Heavenly Father, his power and glory are light, "The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne"(D&C 88:13). When Heavenly Father teaches us, we gain greater truth and knowledge our light goweth, other people can see that light in our eyes, hence the saying "the window to the soul are the eyes". Christ in the New Testament charges all of his followers, those early Christians to: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" this charge remains, we are to show our faith, and let our light shine before men that they may see gods reflection and glorify his name. Glorify his name by becoming converted, following his commandments and striving to be like Christ.
Lets us so shine before man, testify by word, deed, and the light of our eyes. Let us be the mirror of reflection for the Creator, being a reflection in our eyes and our countenance, that as the ancient prophet Moroni writes: "that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purifyed even as he is pure. Amen."
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Faith for building a firm foundation
Faith, the first frontier of any religious soul. Faith is the building component that ultimately leads to the complete gospel in ones life. The subject of Faith has been constantly in my studies for the past two months or so, Paul himself speaks of how important Faith is in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and how it is through Faith in him we may be saved. Faith leads to all aspects of the gospel.
Well to begin, what is Faith? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines faith 1a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions. 2a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust. Faith is trust in anything to do what it is intended to do! When we have Faith in the lord we TRUST him, its kind of like the 6th grade camp game where all but one person would stand in a circle and the single soul would with out looking fall back into the trusting hands of his friends, trusting that they would not drop him.
So why is faith important? Faith is firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Faith is the bridge that fills the gap of "what if"-isms and uncertainty, making it so that we may progress and believe in things we cannot prove, but are true. In the Book of Mormon, Alma 32:21, "And now as I said concerning faith—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." Faith is the power in which mountain can be moved, Matthew 17:20, it is also the power given to us that we may be saved, a power greater and more noble then that of moving mountains. It is through belief in the the Crucifixion of Christ unto redemption that we must build. The Rock of Christ is where we must build. In my short life I have discovered that having Faith in Christ destroys all of my fears, even natural fear. This happens because I have realized that everything will work out the way its suppose to happen, I trust Heavenly Father to make my pathways straight.
How can Faith be obtained? Apostle Bruce R. McConkie explained: "Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's laws the greater will be the endowment of faith."( Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1962], 264.) To obtain Faith we must be willing to act, following Christs commandments, live his teachings, and exercise trust in the Lords sacrifice on the Cross. If we don't follow the teachings of the Savior, and begin to believe then we will never taste of the sweet fruit of Gods love. As the prophet Alma declares in Alma 32:27-33, experiment, if its good keep it, if its bad throw it out. That is how we gain Faith we ACT we DO then listen to our heart, if what we are doing is good, well know and feel it.
I have defiantly experimented on the words of Christ throughout my life and have felt the seed of faith grow. When I have followed the commandments for the Lord I feel less and less fear in everyday life. My apathy turned to fearlessness in Christ, giving me a brightness of hope and a love of all mankind... Everyday I pray for Faith, everyday Heavenly Father grants me Faith...
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/finding-faith-in-christ/video/finding-faith-in-christ
If you have time to watch this is an excellent video on Faith In Christ
Well to begin, what is Faith? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines faith 1a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions. 2a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust. Faith is trust in anything to do what it is intended to do! When we have Faith in the lord we TRUST him, its kind of like the 6th grade camp game where all but one person would stand in a circle and the single soul would with out looking fall back into the trusting hands of his friends, trusting that they would not drop him.
So why is faith important? Faith is firm belief in something for which there is no proof. Faith is the bridge that fills the gap of "what if"-isms and uncertainty, making it so that we may progress and believe in things we cannot prove, but are true. In the Book of Mormon, Alma 32:21, "And now as I said concerning faith—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." Faith is the power in which mountain can be moved, Matthew 17:20, it is also the power given to us that we may be saved, a power greater and more noble then that of moving mountains. It is through belief in the the Crucifixion of Christ unto redemption that we must build. The Rock of Christ is where we must build. In my short life I have discovered that having Faith in Christ destroys all of my fears, even natural fear. This happens because I have realized that everything will work out the way its suppose to happen, I trust Heavenly Father to make my pathways straight.
How can Faith be obtained? Apostle Bruce R. McConkie explained: "Faith is a gift of God bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's laws the greater will be the endowment of faith."( Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1962], 264.) To obtain Faith we must be willing to act, following Christs commandments, live his teachings, and exercise trust in the Lords sacrifice on the Cross. If we don't follow the teachings of the Savior, and begin to believe then we will never taste of the sweet fruit of Gods love. As the prophet Alma declares in Alma 32:27-33, experiment, if its good keep it, if its bad throw it out. That is how we gain Faith we ACT we DO then listen to our heart, if what we are doing is good, well know and feel it.
I have defiantly experimented on the words of Christ throughout my life and have felt the seed of faith grow. When I have followed the commandments for the Lord I feel less and less fear in everyday life. My apathy turned to fearlessness in Christ, giving me a brightness of hope and a love of all mankind... Everyday I pray for Faith, everyday Heavenly Father grants me Faith...
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/finding-faith-in-christ/video/finding-faith-in-christ
If you have time to watch this is an excellent video on Faith In Christ
Thursday, August 18, 2011
TESTIFY! TESTIFY! TESTIFY!
Well, its been about 2 week since my first post. In the last two weeks I have had some experiances that have strenghtened my conversion. Ill start by talking about some departing missionarys, yesterday I was able to see 9 missionarys give the last testimony of there mission, I have served around a few of them and seen them grow in the gospel. As each of them rose to speak the Spirit testifyed that what they where saying was true. This definatly remined me that in order to keep our testimony of Christ, we should participate in the listening of testimonys, and bearing our testimony. When truth is spoken of the Spirit lets us know, I felt the prompting of truth and was edifyed and learned. I am beginning to understand that the more I share what I know the more I invite the spirit to be with me, and the stronger my conversion is.
Testify, Testify, Testify, thats the title of this post, I have learned from experience that its the spirit that conversion comes through. When I was a missionary in the Timuquana area I had a very special experiance that was key in the conversion of others. On a wensday night class I was teaching a lesson on Revelation, tword the end of the lesson I realized that I had not shared my testimony of revelation, so I testifyed of a time when I recived revelation and a powerful spirit of truth, I began to testify of Christ and his Gospel, the spirit was so powerful that the air stood still and not a decibel was sounded, the world seemed to stand still. Then the class began to also testify of revelation, then one student raised her hand and began to tell of the revelation she had recived from the spirit the the testimony I had given, the revelation she recived from the spirit and testimony had resolved all of her concerns and fears, she was baptize with in the week.
Testimony is not just for us to hold with in us, but it is to share with all the world. When Mary Magdalene, and Mary came to the tomb of Christ, they where met by an Angel who informed them that Christ had risen and was raised from the dead, his charge "And go quickly, and tell his disicples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there ye shall see him: lo, I have told you."(Matt. 28:7) Just like the angel told Mary and Mary to go and tell, we to must tell of truth.
I so Testify that Jesus Is the Messiah of the world , by his srtipes I am healed. I Have felt the amazing power of his Atonement, I have felt the forgivness that comes on throught Him. I know with all my faith that it is through him that I will be able to live with my Heavenly Father. I testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that there is a Prophet on the earth again, and that Christs full gospel has been restored. All these things I know by the Holy Spirit of Truth. I say these things, not fo my self but of he who has called me to be his disicple, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Testify, Testify, Testify, thats the title of this post, I have learned from experience that its the spirit that conversion comes through. When I was a missionary in the Timuquana area I had a very special experiance that was key in the conversion of others. On a wensday night class I was teaching a lesson on Revelation, tword the end of the lesson I realized that I had not shared my testimony of revelation, so I testifyed of a time when I recived revelation and a powerful spirit of truth, I began to testify of Christ and his Gospel, the spirit was so powerful that the air stood still and not a decibel was sounded, the world seemed to stand still. Then the class began to also testify of revelation, then one student raised her hand and began to tell of the revelation she had recived from the spirit the the testimony I had given, the revelation she recived from the spirit and testimony had resolved all of her concerns and fears, she was baptize with in the week.
Testimony is not just for us to hold with in us, but it is to share with all the world. When Mary Magdalene, and Mary came to the tomb of Christ, they where met by an Angel who informed them that Christ had risen and was raised from the dead, his charge "And go quickly, and tell his disicples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there ye shall see him: lo, I have told you."(Matt. 28:7) Just like the angel told Mary and Mary to go and tell, we to must tell of truth.
I so Testify that Jesus Is the Messiah of the world , by his srtipes I am healed. I Have felt the amazing power of his Atonement, I have felt the forgivness that comes on throught Him. I know with all my faith that it is through him that I will be able to live with my Heavenly Father. I testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I know that there is a Prophet on the earth again, and that Christs full gospel has been restored. All these things I know by the Holy Spirit of Truth. I say these things, not fo my self but of he who has called me to be his disicple, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Stride into Eternity
The Road to Damascus, the story of Saul of Tarsus and his miraculous visitation by the Son of God Jesus Christ, which instituted the manifestation of miraculous conversion to Paul, the man who would later become an Apostle, write what has been known as the Pauline Epistles, and ultimately become a Martyr for Christ. The great account on the Road to Damascus, found in Acts 9:4-19, focuses on the moment of visitation, but the lasting legacy is found in the choice Saul of Tarsus made in becoming Paul. The purpose of each entry is to strengthen Christian's faith, to bear Similar Testimony, Preach of Christ, and to the convincing of both the Jew and the Gentile that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old and new Testiments. Many topics of religion will be discussed and expounded upon, with the purpose of conversion, that we may, as Christ charges in Luke 22:32, "and when thou are converted strengthen thy bretheren". Let us do all that we may to become converted, that we may strengthen our brethren.
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