His Sacred Name- An Easter Declaration

 

In this Easter season, let it be known that I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that he rose from the grave, and truly did atone for our sins. I know that he lives today, and leads, guides and directs his Church, which had been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know as well that we truly do have prophets on earth today.

"Hearing They May Hear, And Not Understand..."

"Hear Ye Him" by Simon Dewey

Throughout the gospels we encounter many instances in which Jesus Christ teaches through the use of parables. "The parable conveys to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story, “seeing they see not,” while to the instructed and spiritual it reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Thus it is that the parable exhibits the condition of all true knowledge. Only he who seeks finds."(Bible Dictionary)  In Mark 4: 11-12, Christ explains to his disciples why he teaches in parables:

11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Throughout my study of the gospels, I have always enjoyed reading and pondering over the parables that Christ gives. Sometimes I realize the meaning of certain parables quickly, but at other times it takes some time to decipher the meaning. A great human characteristic that I feel the parable draws upon is our ability to remember stories. If I were to ask you to tell me the story of the the tortoise and the hare, you would probably relate a race between the two animals in which the tortoise wins due to his diligence in comparison to the hare. It is the same way with parables. We remember stories quite well, and another reason for our Savior to speak in parables was so that his listeners could remember them and hopefully understand them at a future point. 

  

"Immediately Jesus Stretched Forth His Hand..."

"Lord Save Me" by Simon Dewey

One of my favorite stories of our Savior is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter fourteen verses twenty-five through thirty-one. Previously in this chapter Jesus has feed the multitude of "...five thousand men, beside women and children" (v.21). After Christ performs this miracle he tells his disciples to get into a ship while he sends the multitude away. Christ then goes up into a mountain to pray and our story begins:


25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

When Peter saw Christ walking on the water, he had the faith to step out and to walk towards Christ. As the story continued he saw the wind and the waves and was afraid. Peter then began to sink, and called upon the Lord for help. The scripture says that "immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand..." (v.31).

In our lives I know that there are times when we all need to step out of the boat, out of our comfort zones, and walk to Christ. At the same time, there are all these distractions that take us away from him. As we see the wind and the waves, the trials and tribulations that we go through in this life, we become afraid. We lose our focus and start to sink. It is at this moment that we are to call on the Lord for help. I know that the Atonement has been given as a gift to all. I know that it helps us overcome our sins, weaknesses and shortcomings. As we call to Christ he will immediately stretch forth his hand and help save us.

Read a Previous Blog About the Atonement

Rob Morris and the Plan of Happiness

So today I was watching some videos on youtube's  Mormon Messages channel, and came across this recent video. I'm more of a Titans guy myself (the Colts and the Titans are in the same division), but I enjoyed this video! It shows me that even though times may be tough, the knowledge that comes from the Restored Gospel blesses and comforts us. I know that when we pass on we can be with our families again.


What happens when I die?

Families Can Be Together Forever

It is my testimony that families can be together forever. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ has laid the foundation of our Heavenly Father's plan for us to return to him. The following link is the church's proclamation to the world on families, and their purposes.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

I Believe In Christ

I believe in Christ; he is my King!
With all my heart to him I’ll sing;
I’ll raise my voice in praise and joy,
In grand amens my tongue employ.
I believe in Christ; he is God’s Son.
On earth to dwell his soul did come.
He healed the sick; the dead he raised.
Good works were his; his name be praised.

I believe in Christ; oh blessed name!
As Mary’s Son he came to reign
’Mid mortal men, his earthly kin,
To save them from the woes of sin.
I believe in Christ, who marked the path,
Who did gain all his Father hath,
Who said to men: “Come, follow me,
That ye, my friends, with God may be.”

I believe in Christ—my Lord, my God!
My feet he plants on gospel sod.
I’ll worship him with all my might;
He is the source of truth and light.
I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
From Satan’s grasp he sets me free,
And I shall live with joy and love
In his eternal courts above.

I believe in Christ; he stands supreme!
From him I’ll gain my fondest dream;
And while I strive through grief and pain,
His voice is heard: “Ye shall obtain.”
I believe in Christ; so come what may,
With him I’ll stand in that great day
When on this earth he comes again
To rule among the sons of men.

The Law Of The Harvest

In Paul's epistle to the Galatians chapter 6: 7-8 he states: 
7.Be not ^adeceived; God is not ^bmocked: for whatsoever a man ^csoweth, that shall he also ^dreap.

8.For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Imagine for a second that you are planting a garden. Would you expect flowers to grow when you have planted corn? Would you expect tomatoes to grow in a space that you have planted lettuce? (At the same time, would you expect anything to grow except the garden is cared for and nourished?)

It is clear to see the law of the harvest in action. What we reap (or plant) is exactly what we sow (or harvest). It is the same way with our life here on earth. If we desire to follow our Heavenly Father we must sow the seeds that he would have us sow. We must follow the example of The Exemplar, Jesus Christ, by developing faith in him, repenting of our sins, being baptized by one holding the Priesthood authority, and also recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost through the same authority. On the other hand, those that do not follow Christ, and break his commandments sow a just reward.

In my personal study this morning I read this scripture from the Book of Mormon, which I feel clarifies the law of the harvest, found in Mosiah 7:29-33:

29.For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not ^asuccor‍ my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a ^bstumbling‍ block before them.

30.And again, he saith: If my people shall sow ^afilthiness‍ they shall ^breap‍ the ^cchaff‍ thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison.

31.And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the ^aeast‍ wind, which bringeth immediate destruction.

32.And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted.

33.But if ye will ^aturn‍ to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all ^bdiligence‍ of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

It is my testimony that our God is a just and merciful God. He has provided a way for us to return to live with him, but we must keep his commandments! I know that Christ has atoned for our sins, and that the fulness of his gospel has been restored in these days with prophets and apostles. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Three Stars

Recently, I stumpled upon an article(Three Stars Article) in the Ensign that I really liked. It talked about a Navy officer that was in charge of navigation back in the days when there were no GPS systems or similar technology. In order to navigate this man had to use the stars. Seems pretty primitive, but I guess it worked! In order to pinpoint the location of his ship, he needed to at least get reading on two stars. A third star however, could give him a surety of his location. He goes on to relate an instance in which he was navigating through perilous waters, and had to incorporate a third star to keep his ship and men safe.

In first Corinthians 13:1 Paul writes"This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three ^awitnesses shall every word be established". From the beginning our Heavenly Father has given us the law of witnesses to prove the surety of all things. Can you imagine having to take one mans word against the word of another in hearing a court case? Similar to the story of the three stars, two witnesses will give us a fairly decent idea of what has happened. The presence of three witnesses however, will help us pinpoint exactly what has happened.

When restoring the Church, our Heavenly Father gave us the Book of Mormon, supported by the testimonies of Three Witnesses (Introduction to The Book of Mormon). Not only were these three given, but additional witnesses were provided. The Book of Mormon acts as another testament of the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and supports the Bible as another witness of the events and prophecies therein. If the Old Testament would be considered the first star, and the New Testament the second star, The Book of Mormon would be the third star, giving us a surety of all these things! I know that it is true, and that all men can find its truthfullness by reading and praying about its contents

Read The Book of Mormon Online

Request A Free Copy

The New Testament

This year in Church, our Gospel Doctrine Sunday school classes will be studying and reading over the New Testament in the Bible. I have always loved the New Testament, and know that the writings therein are true. My most favorite part of the New Testament are the books referred to as the gospels. The life and teachings of Christ show forth an example for the world to follow.

In the Ensign (which is the monthly magazine of the church), an article was posted about the historical context of the New Testament. I have included a link at the bottom if this article if you would like to read it in its entirety. Most of my blog post will center on some things taht I have learned form that article.

One of the most interesting things that I was able to take from this article was the layout of the NewTestament. It has been supposed that the organization of the New Testament mirrors that of the Old Testament. The Old Testament starts out with whats commonly referred to as the Law, which is mirrored by the Gospels. The Law in the Old Testament is proceeded by a lot of history, which would mirror the Book of Acts in the New Testament. After that the Prophets would be likened to the Epistles in the New Testament. Finally, Malachi in the Old Testament would mirror Revelations in the New Testament. Both these last two books would be considered apocalypses, looking forward to the Second Coming of our Lord.

Another interesting fact that I was able to learn was the effort on the part of early Christaians to perserve the texts of the New Testament. I know that these writings have been protected by the hand of God, and brought forth in these the latter days for our benefit!

In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.


Ensign Article Link