Today's Musings

Today I am finishing up the Book of Mormon in Moroni chapter 7. In verse 8 "For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God."

D&C 64: 34.
"Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days."

I think this really struck me because I wonder if I am not somewhat grudging at times when I am either giving of my time or talents. I am sure that I am not an evil person, but Heavenly Father can't be very happy when I do things with reservation or grudgingly. The Lord requires the heart and a willing mind. This isn't a suggestion but a requirement. I guess that this is just something that I will have to keep working on. I am really grateful for the Atonement.

Verse 19:
"Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."

I just really like this scripture. Moroni is so plain in teaching us about how to know good from evil. I get the sense that he really cares, I imagine that if I heard him speaking to me at general conference I would feel the same love for me that I feel from President Monson.

He also reminds us of the five characteristics of prayer that Jesus taught in verse 26:
"And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you."

Then verses 47-48 are a couple of my favorite scriptures.
"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, 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 purified even as he is pure. Amen."

I really do feel better when I read the scriptures, when I take the time to think about the messages that are in there for me. I want to be a better person, I want to be like Jesus Christ, I want to know Him when He comes again.

The End of the Jaredites

Today I finished reading the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Here are some of the things that I read.

"And it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the words which Ether had spoken unto him.

He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children.

He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul mourned and refused to be comforted."

This reminds me of the scripture that teaches that wickedness never was happiness. Coriantumr began to understand this but his people had already suffered a huge loss. He was beginning to see that the prophets knew what they were talking about. I am grateful to have a living prophet to follow today. Coriantumr tried to write the opposing force and get the war to stop but the other leader Shiz would not. So for four years they each gathered together all the people who would follow them.

Verses 15-16:
"And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men, women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.

And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a lamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly."

I can't imagine what it would be like to gather together all the people and then arm everyone, even women and children to go to battle. No wonder the howling and lamentation was so terrible. I think that I would yell and scream and cry if women and children were slain in battle. I like to think that we are far from having anything like this happen here, but are we really?

19"But behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle."

I want to be sure I continue to heed the words of the prophets, that I continue to pray and attend my meetings and keep the commandments. Ether witnessed the destruction of all of the people by their own hands. The Lord had sent prophets to cry repentence unto them and they would not. Hatred, anger and pride caused them to turn from the Lord and they killed each other every one. Ether was left alone to write the record of the destruction of the people.

The last words of Ether "Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen."

It doesn't matter what happens to us here, the trials and challenges, if we are true to what we know to be true and keep the commandments, then we will see the kingdom of God.

A New Heaven and Earth

I was continuing my reading in Ether today (chapter 13), he was a prophet who saw the days of Christ and tried to cry repentance unto his people but they headed him not.

2 "For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;"

This is the land that we live in, we are reminded over and over in the scriptures of this fact. Sometimes when I see all of the evil all around I wonder how this can still be true, then I have to kick the author of all stinky thinking off of my left shoulder and start looking for all of the good around me.

8-10 "Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away."

Moro. 10: 31.
"And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled."

(This is talking about us, those of us who believe and are true to our covenants, who repent and rely on the Atonement. We will not be confounded, the work of the Lord will press forward until it fill the whole earth)

"And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new."

3 Ne. 15: 3
"And he said unto them: Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new."

(There will be a new heaven and earth. This is something wonderful to look forward to.)

"And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel."

Rev. 7:14
"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. "

3Nephi 27:19
"And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end."

We can pass through the tribulation of these trying and some times terrifying times and look forward with hope to see the New Jerusalem. How cool is that?!

1John 1:7
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. "

I love this scripture! If we walk in His light we have the fellowship of each other and the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin. There is a really great quote from John Bytheway in his book Isaiah for Airheads "God is the source of light and truth. To walk in our own light is compared to walking in nothing but sparks, which last only an instant and give off little illumination. Those who refuse the light of the Son and prefer their own light will lie down in sorrow." I pray that we may all stay in His light that we may have joy as we see the old become new again.

New Years Resolutions

I have decided that 11 posts is not enough on this blog that is supposed to be like my testimony. I'm feeling a little bit pathetic in my writing here. I am really feeling bummed because during the Christmas season when my focus should be the Savior I couldn't even find time to read the scriptures and post about how it made me feel. I resolve to make more posts here during the coming year.

Last night our family started reading the Doctrine and Covenants for our family scripture study. Verse 10 of chapter 1 really caught my eye.

"Unto the day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man."

Whoa, I think about the amount of mercy that I give to my family when they do things that irritate me or when I am trying to discipline someone, yikes! I should be a lot more merciful and kind and tenderhearted. Knowing all of the screw ups that I make I should think about how I would want the Lord to be merciful to me in my weaknesses. I am going to try really hard in the coming year to think of how I would want the Lord to deal with me when I am dealing with my family or friends.

This morning I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Ether chapter 12, in verse 25 Moroni says"Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words."

I don't feel like my words are powerful, I do feel like I say them better than I write them, because the Spirit helps out a lot when I am talking. I feel like my writing is a weakness and yet I feel driven to record my thoughts about things in the hope that I may benefit someone. I certainly don't feel like I would be mocked, but I can relate to what Moroni is saying here (maybe this relation is the important part). Anyway there were a few things from my reading that I would like to share but felt to confess my weakness first :).

Verse 4:Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

When I think about the world that I am living in I sometimes get into a pattern of "stinky thinking" or in other words not having a very positive outlook on things. I am sure that the adversary has a lot to do with this. He is the only one that I can think of who would want me to have such a poor and dismal outlook. This scripture reminds me that I can hope for a better world, the Savior will come again, I know this for a surety so I will continue to see miracles all around me and hope for the better world. This hope will anchor me to Christ, who has the power to help me face all of the challenges that I will encounter while I wait for Him to come again. If I overcome my "stinky thinking" and help others I will be abounding in good works and feel the joy and happiness that Heavenly Father wants me to feel. Hooray!

Verse 6:"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

Here was another good reminder for me. Trials are necessary... they are like fertilizer for our faith. My recent experiences in growing a garden have helped me understand that fertilizer is a gardener's friend. As a daughter of God I can look upon trials as opportunities for my faith to grow, then even if I cannot smile through adversity I can hope for the genuine smile of relief after the trial is over and know that my faith will be stronger.

Verse 19:"And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad."

This scripture is talking about those who believed in Christ even before He came and because they believed they were able to see Him with their eyes. I know that when He comes again I will see Him with my eyes. I wonder though if this can be applied to other things... say our children or the children that we hope to have. It seems that all things go back to this for me, it is just a huge desire and longing in my soul, so I wonder if I can see my children with an eye of faith will I ever behold them with my natural eyes? Then will I be glad? I think that I need to learn to be glad as I wait to see if this application applies.

Verse 37"And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father."

Whew... if I see my weaknesses I can be made strong. What a relief because I see my weaknesses all of the time. I think that the strength will come because I am so disgusted by my weaknesses that I try to overcome them. I know that with the Lord's help, one day I will overcome all of my weaknesses. Until that day, they will continue to drive me to my knees in repentance, begging for help to overcome.

Last one, verse 41:"And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen."

How awesome! I guess that I will continue to seek Jesus through the scriptures because having the grace of God the Father and Jesus Christ abide in me forever sounds like a really wonderful thing.

Little Children Are So Fresh From Heaven

Today Ashton and I were talking about Jesus after saying a blessing on our lunch. He asked me if Jesus was in the sky and I told him that heaven was probably somewhere above the sky. He asked if Jesus liked it when he was nice and I said that when he was nice that Jesus was happy.

Then he said to me "I miss Jesus." I told him that I miss Him too. He bowed his head and he got that look like he was about to cry and he said "I really miss Jesus. I feel like I could cry." And it did look like he might cry.

Sometimes when he acts like a three year old and prays with a cup in his mouth while gurgling milk I wonder if he understands anything that I am trying to teach him. Then there are these glimpses of who Ashton really is, there is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father saved His most exceptional children for this time when Satan would be the strongest. At this moment I feel so grateful for the opportunity that I have to spend time with this precious little guy.

Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.

JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh

JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year

JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies

JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited

JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa

JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap

JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"

JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly

JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO

JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"

JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you".

Santa's little helpers make toys

JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but

JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree

JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.

We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.

We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

Learning to Trust in The Lord

Today I read Mormon 9 for my morning scripture study, I know that I was meant to read this chapter today. It reminds me that our God is a God of miracles. I really needed this reminder today.

In verses 11, 15 and 19:
"But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles."

I was in the temple this morning and I know that Heavenly Father is a God of miracles. I felt a reassurance that no matter what challenges and trials that we will go through if we look; we will see the miracles. It is so comforting to know that He hasn't changed, there were miracles wrought by the apostles of old and miracles still happen. I am so happy that I can still expect miracles.

Then in verses 21 and 27:
"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.

O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him."

This was another excellent reminder for me. I need to continue to petition the Lord, I know that He hears my prayers, I need to believe that He will answer them in His own time frame. I just feel comforted today, I know that the Lord is aware of all of us and all of our needs. I hope that this holiday season that I may be an angel for someone in need. The Lord has given me so much I really am so grateful.