"...we glory in tribulations..."

In the epistle of Paul to the Romans, chapter 5 verses 3 to 5, we read: 

"3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Since a young age I have been taught that tribulations are blessings, that we should be thanking Heavenly Father for them, and that we need them to learn and grow. I believe that is true. But I also believe that that is easier said than done. It is especially hard to “glory in tribulation” right in the middle of our suffering.

As I try to follow the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that are things I can do that I find helpful as we strive to be thankful for our challenges in life.

First, I believe that as we pray often and study the scriptures daily, we will invite the company of the Holy Ghost into our days, and that will not only helps us make good decisions, including the ones involving our feelings towards hard time, but it will also bring us peace and understanding.

Second, we need to make a habit of counting our blessings. As we go about our days, driving places, working, showering, etc, we can make a mental list of the things we are thankful for. I would even encourage you to write down those blessings you are thinking about. Anyway you choose to do it, it will help you recognize the Lord’s hand in your life.

And lastly, we should develop and nurture a positive attitude towards the experiences we have in life. Being positive helps us see the problem in a better perspective. We could even ask ourselves, “What can I learn from this?” 

I know that we came to this earth to learn and grow, and that our trials are simply tools that will help us become better. I am thankful for the sacrifice Christ has made for all of us. We can go to Him to find comfort. Elder Henry B. Eyring said, “We have the gospel of Jesus Christ shape and guide our lives if we choose it. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord's service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels are on our left and on our right to bear us up, and He always keeps His word.”

I invite you this watch this video that teaches us that “Finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will help us have the power to endure and overcome challenges in life.”

Images and video found on lds.org

CHARITY - 1 Corinthians 13

Image found here: https://culturequote.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/incentivizing-charity/

I believe that chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians might be one that is well known among Christians. The message of charity might be one of the most important ones in the New Testament. Even though charity is a simple principle, it can be connected to many other principles in the gospel.

Paul, in verses 1 through 3 explains that we could have faith to move mountains or even have all the knowledge in the world, but without faith that would mean nothing. My favorite part in these verses in in verse 3, when Paul says that even if we give away all that we have to feed the poor, without charity, that would mean nothing. But why is that my favorite part you might ask. Well, because we often assume that donations are the equivalent of charity. However, charity, in the true sense of the world and who Paul is describing it in this chapter, goes beyond that.

The rest of the verses in the chapter are the words of the apostle Paul teaching us what charity is.

Image found here: https://culturequote.wordpress.com/2014/06/07/incentivizing-charity/

The video below if a portrayal of Paul teaching the message of this beautiful chapter 13. As I watched it I was able to imagine how much charity Paul must have had as he was able to overcome so much, as he endured his trials as he preached the gospel all around. 

I invite you to watch this video and let Paul's words inspire you, as they have me, to seek today to pursue the charity he is teaching us about, to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the perfect example of charity.

Conversion to Christ

      Perhaps the story of Saul is the most well-known among Christians when it comes to conversion --as in converting ourselves into true disciples of Christ. This account is found in the New Testament, on Acts chapter 9.

       My favorite verse in that chapter reads,

"And he trembling and astonished said, Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?"

     We all come to situations in life where our own knowledge and experience lack the necessary wisdom to move forward. In those times, we need to remember to call upon the Lord for help. He will be there for us, as he was for Saul. We just need to exercise the faith and ask. Then, with determination and courage, we must obey Heavenly Father’s will, no matter how hard the journey might be. 

(lds.org)

     I was very young, 9 years old, when my family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it is safe to say I still had plenty to learn. I knew that I wanted to follow Christ's examples. I felt I was doing something right, something good. Which I better understand now that it was the Holy Ghost testifying to me of the truthfulness of the Gospel. However, it was through the lessons I was taught in Primary, and then later seminary attendance and the study of the scriptures, that helped me strengthen my testimony of the Savior. I am 34 years old now, and I am still working on my conversion. Every time I pray, study the scriptures, attend church or go to the temple, I get closer to my Heavenly Father. 

It is not an easy journey, but it is one that brings us true happiness.

      The video below teaches us that when we diligently seek to learn of Christ that will get to know Him.

"Let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity." Elder Dieter F. Utchdorf

(lds.org)

A New Commandment

How can others know that I am a disciple of Christ?

Answer: John 13:34-35

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Pretty self-explanatory, right?!

And how do we show love for others? We show love when we help family members with their chores, with or without being asked. We show love when we express appreciation for that family member who helped us with our chores. We show love when we stand up for a friend who is being ridiculed because of the way he dresses. We show love when we make feel new people feel welcome in our group. We show love when we say “I’m sorry”, “Thank you” and “I love you”. We show love when we tried to put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes and refrain from judging them. We show love when we smile to strangers. We show love when we speak kindly of others. But most importantly, we show love when we FEEL LOVE.

My religion class instructor gave me an assignment this week that I would like to pass along:

·                ---  Ponder the question, “Do people know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ by the way I treat them?” Select a family member, coworker, or neighbor and make a short list of things you can do during the coming week to show him or her the kind of love the Savior would show. Then follow through with what you wrote down.

I pray that I can be successful as I make improvements in my life to love people and show them my love.

Preparing For The Lord’s Second Coming

TAKE HEED, WATCH

As I study Mark 13, those two counsels stand out in the chapter.  

But what should we heed to or watch for, as we prepare for Jesus Christ's Second Coming?

We should watch for the the events that will precede His coming. There will be wars and natural calamities, love will leave the hearts of men. We must take heed to the words of God, as we endure the trials and tribulations to come. We should do as verse 33 instruct, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is."

image from lds.org

I am very blessed for modern revelation, as they add to the Bible on the things we should do to be prepared for that glorious day when Jesus Christ will return. One passage I love is found in D&C 87:8, it reads, "Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen." In the book Joseph Smith--Matthew chapter one we can also find counsel. One of them being for us to treasure up the word of God; consequently, meaningful scripture study and gospel principles application in our lives is primordial. We don't know when Christ will come again, thus we should not waste any time and start our preparation right now. Let's follow the example of the wise virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13 and fill our lamps with oil. Let's all be faithful and pray always, that Our Heavenly Father may help us live righteously and endure until the end.

The Last Week of the Savior's Mortal Ministry

FIRST DAY

 Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and as He enter the city, riding a donkey, a multitude of His disciples greeted Him. They laid palm branches on his path and shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”(Matthew 21:9) He then went to the temple for a moment, after observing what was happening there he went to Bethany for the night with the twelve.

SECOND DAY

On the next morning Jesus then went back to the temple to put order in the house of His Father. The temple had been turned into a market place since their Jewish leaders allowed the money exchange there. On verse 13 of Matthew 21 we read, “And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

THIRD DAY

The event in the temple raised an authority issue and the Jewish leader were not very happy about it. They challenged Jesus with questions about His authority, to which he replied with parables that offended them in their hypocrisy. While the leader searched for a way to kill Jesus without making a scene, Jesus stop preaching to the multitudes and from then on only taught His apostles. One of Jesus’ own disciples offered to betray Him.

FOURTH DAY

We don’t know much about this day. Jesus already knew about the plot from the Jewish leader and spent the day outside the city.

FIFTH DAY

Jesus celebrated the Passover with His apostles and introduced the sacrament ordinance. He then prophesied of His death and reveals who would be the one to betray Him. He instructed them and offered the intercessory prayer.

Jesus took His apostles to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. There He atoned for our sins.

Right after that Jesus was imprisoned and was brought to an illegal trial that night.

SIXTH DAY

Jesus was charged with two crimes: blasphemy for proclaiming He was the Son of God, and sedition against the state for claiming to be the “king of the Jews”. He was sentenced to death by Pilates and brutally executed by the brutal Roman practice of crucifixion.

SEVENTH DAY

This was the Jewish Sabbath day. Jesus body stay in the tomb while his Spirit ministered in the spirit world.

DAY OF THE RESURRECTION

As we can read in the New Testament Institute Manual, “Had the gospel ended with Jesus’ burial, there would be no gospel story, no “good news.” The great message of these testators is that Jesus was risen and was seen again by many witnesses. On the first day of the week, the most memorable Sunday in history, Jesus Christ emerged alive from the tomb, and appeared before Mary. The testimony of these witnesses constitutes the gospel story, the “good news.”

I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and I am grateful for all He went through to provide all of us with the gifts of resurrection and repentance. I know He lives and loves me.

all images from lds.org

Parables And Accounts That Teach Eternal Truths

Luke 16:1-12  The parable of the unjust steward

When I first read those verses I confused by its message. I thought the story to be one of dishonesty. But as I read it a second time and study the New Testament institute manual I began to understand what the teaching meant. The passage from the manual explains it better than I could,

“It was not the steward’s dishonesty that was extolled; his prudence and foresight were commended, however; for while he misapplied his master’s substance, he gave relief to the debtors; and in so doing he did not exceed his legal powers, for he was still steward though he was morally guilty of malfeasance. The lesson may be summed up in this wise: Make such use of your wealth as shall insure you friends hereafter. Be diligent; for the day in which you can use your earthly riches will soon pass. Take a lesson from even the dishonest and the evil; if they are so prudent as to provide for the only future they think of, how much more should you, who believe in an eternal future, provide therefor!” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ,p. 464.)

Luke 16:19-31  The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

In those verses we learn truth about the spirit world, the place we all go after death to wait for the final judgement day. The parable explains how the spirit world was situated before Christ's visit, when he built a bridge between the paradise and prison so that His gospel could be preached to all. 

 

images from lds.org

 Luke 17:11-19  The Ten Lepers 

This account is a lesson about Gratitude.

video from lds.org

Luke 18:1-8  The parable of the unjust judge

The first verse in this parable explain what Jesus was trying to teach at that moment, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought^aalways to ^bpray, and not to ^cfaint;"

Let us beware of the error of comparing his selfish action with the ways of God. Jesus did not indicate that as the wicked judge finally yielded to supplication so would God do; but He pointed out that if even such a being as this judge, who ‘feared not God, neither regarded man,’ would at last hear and grant the widow’s plea, no one should doubt that God, the Just and Merciful, will hear and answer. (New Testament Institute manual)

image from lds.org

Luke 18:9-14  The parable of the pharisee and the publican

Even though this parable mentions these two widely separated classes, pharisees and publicans, it is applicable to all men. We all need to be careful to not let pride abide in our hearts. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of humility, being Him the Son of God and going through all the pain while atoning for ours sins.