The Gift of Christ

Our Savior Jesus Christ truly is an amazing gift to each of us. Through His birth, life, death, and resurrection we are given the ability to change. How grateful I am for that gift, that chance to rid myself of imperfections and sins and to press forward striving to leave them behind forever. In my own imperfect way I try to understand and utilize the Savior's gift to me by building my faith in Him and striving to repent of my sins so that I can be more like He is. I know that I am imperfect and that it takes all my strength to make a feeble attempt to live as He lived and to love as He loved. How sad is it then when others won't even let Christ influence their lives or when you find those who only pretend that they follow the Savior.

A Season of Giving

This time of the year is an excellent time for gifts and for giving, so I am going to create an analogy that might help us to use Christ's gift to us more fully. Imagine for a moment that when Christmas rolls around that you find a present under your tree, it is clearly marked for you and is wrapped beautifully. What do you do with it? Do you open it? Do you use it? Or do you let it sit and gather dust under the tree? Those are a few of the options that we have when it comes to Christ's gift to us. We all have received the gift of the Atonement of Christ, we have it somewhere and we all have the chance to use it. I want to discuss three general groups and how they use and benefit from the gift of Christ's sacrifice.

1. You will see many good people that have used it over and over again, the wrapping and ribbons are long forgotten as the gift Christ gave to them became a part of everyday life. These will have tough hands and sturdy backs from doing the work of the Lord as they strive to share the gift that He gave them with all around them. These would be the wise men that Christ says hear His sayings and doeth them (Matthew 7:24-25). May we all strive to use the the gift of Christ in the way that these do, sharing it with others and seeing the blessings multiplied in our own lives.

2. You will see others who opened the gift just enough to see what was inside and decided that they didn't really have much use for it. Those people my wonder why they don't seem to have all that they seek in life, or why their hopes and dreams are not fulfilled as they would like, maybe they don't understand that a gift sitting on a shelf or only pulled out in times of great need is a gift hardly accepted. These could be likened to the foolish men of whom Christ said would hear His sayings, but do them not (Matthew 7:26-27).

3. The third group are those who read the tag and see that the gift is from Christ and don't even bother opening it, instead they go about telling and showing everyone that they come in contact with that Jesus loves them more then anyone else, or that they are special because they received a gift from Him. They are so busy worrying about whether everyone knows that Christ cared enough to send them a gift that they never open it and actually use it. These would be likened unto the hypocrites that do things in public that "they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward" (Matthew 6:2). Those who flaunt the gift of Christ's Atonement without actually using it are those who will find themselves discontented with life even when all else seems to be going their way. 

Which one am I? 

Which group do we fit into? Are we those who use and share the gift that Christ has given us? Are we the ones who pull it out in times of great need as a final resort? Or are we those who always try to show off and be in the public eye as one blessed of God, when in reality we have ignored the gift He gave being too preoccupied with the wrappings and ribbons and beauty of its appearance. I think that we all go through phases of each group, but I know that as I have tried to put Christ first and to not worry about what those around me think, I have found peace to my soul. There will always be those times when we know we aren't at the best that we can be, but as we press forward, we can eventually bring ourselves into the position to always be using and sharing the gift that Christ gave to us. I know that He lives, I know that He loves us and wants us to use the gift that He gave, I know that using His gift brings peace and joy. How grateful I am for Him this Christmas Season. In His name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Nativity

What Do Mormons Believe?

Have you ever had a pair of young men show up at your door from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Have you ever stopped to listen? Here is what they want to tell you:

First, 

God is your loving Heavenly Father, you are literally His child and he loves you. He has said 

"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

(Moses 1:39)

God wants you to come back to live with Him after this life so that you can become more and more like your Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ. 

Second,

The gospel of Jesus Christ will bless your family in many ways. A home centered around the Savior will be a home where the Holy Ghost can come and create a refuge safe from the cares and concerns of the world. God has always taught His people about his gospel through prophets. The words of many ancient prophets have survived to our day and are recorded in books called scriptures. 

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

(Amos 3:7)

Third,

Prophets are given authority from God, they ordain others to that authority, or Priesthood, under the direction of God and by the laying on of hands. Christ gave this Priesthood authority to His Apostles so that they could do His work.

"And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils"

(Mark 3:14-15)

After Christ's crucifixion and the martyr and death of all of His Apostles, the authority that they held slowly dwindled and was taken from the Earth because men had stopped doing things the way that Christ had commanded and thereby could not have or exercise His power or authority. The world went into a time of darkness, and after a few hundred years of disagreements between men about doctrines the Christ had taught, scholars gathered and decided what was what. Once that happened, the churches of the day began to quiet any questions that were asked, they openly and sometimes violently brought down anyone with an opposing view, thus stopping people from asking questions without fear of retaliation. This time was foretold by the prophet Amos in the Old Testament.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

(Amos 8:11-12)

Fourth,

During this time period we see many eras of reformation, churches sprung up faster and faster as emigration moved to North America searching for religious freedom. Thus with the world beginning to truly seek after the Lord again, we saw the fulfillment of the words in Acts 3:19-21, which state that Christ would remain in Heaven until the "times of refreshing" and "times of restitution of all things". A young boy wondering what church he should join, followed the advice in James 1:5, asked God, and found an amazing answer. In his words, this is what occurred. "

"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!" (See Joseph Smith - History 14-20)

The time for the "restitution of all things" was at hand. Over the years to follow, the Lord brought back to the earth all the promised blessings and authorities prophesied for the last days through His prophet. Through Heavenly Messengers this new prophet was led to an ancient record of scripture written by prophets in the Americas during the time of Christ who He visited after His resurrection. This record, translated by the gift and power of God, is now known as The Book of Mormon.

Finally,

It is the invitation of all those young men and women who may soon be knocking on your door for you to simply read from The Book of Mormon for yourself and to ask God if it is true. That is the only sure way to find out for yourself if anything is true. Follow the admonition to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). You can know from God whether or not Christ's Church has been restored to the Earth again, you can know that His authority resides in that Church, and that God speaks to His prophet again today as He has all throughout history. I testify that Christ's authority and church are on the earth again and that it has been a blessing in my life as I know it can be for you! I know that Christ lives, and that He wants us to be happy and with Him again after we pass through this life. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We are Never Alone.

When we are discouraged it is easy to feel like God has abandoned us, I have come to know however that we are never out of His mind, heart, or view. Our Heavenly Father loves us dearly. The entire reason we are on the earth is so that we can become like Him. In 1839, the prophet Joseph Smith was, due to persecution of the Saints and false accusations, imprisoned in Liberty Jail in Missouri. This was a time of great despair for him. In his words:

"O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?" (Doctrine and Covenants 121:1-3)

While the Lord may have seemed distant, in His wisdom, He had a greater plan in mind. He knows that it is only in facing opposition and bitterness in life that we come to know the peace and sweet that He has to offer. The Lord's response is both comforting and full of Love, but you can tell that the Lord knows best.

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes"

(Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8)

I have a testimony that even when our trials seem overwhelming, scary, or impossible to overcome, the Lord is with us and ready always to help us to "triumph over all [our] foes".  Whatever our struggles are, physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, the Lord is ready waiting to lift us and carry us to His side so that we can be with Him for eternity after this live is over and done. Even when you have troubles, remember that the Lord has not forsaken you! I know that He lives. I know that He is real. I know that He has helped me and carried me in the past and that He will continue to do so in the future. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sometimes the Lord gives us mountains to climb,

but He will be there with us.