Like Stones in the River

Yesterday morning, several other missionaries and myself journeyed to see the falls of the Popo Agie river. As I watched the water flow powerfully downstream, I found myself in awe of the majesty and beauty of this earth that God has created for us. I sat quietly and pondered the different experiences I have had in my life, and as I was doing so I noticed the rocks that lied about around the edge of the river. All of them were smooth with no jacket edges. They were refined.

Doug Walker wrote a song, that came to my rememberance as I was watching the river run it's course, called "Stones in the River." In the song he explains that though we go through many trials in our lives, if we put ourselves in God's hands he will refine us like the stones that I saw yesterday in the Popo Agie river.

Sometimes the current of life tosses and turns us, but as we flow through the course of life that is laid before us, our rough edges break away. We become more like our Savior Jesus Christ as we allow our trials to strengthen us and as we have faith and trust in the living water, Jesus Christ. However, sometimes we allow ourselves to be washed ashore before the water removes our edges and polishes our surface. We lose faith in our savior and refuse to learn from the trials in our lives. We lose sight of what we can become and are left on the banks of the river in a place where we cannot move and cannot progress.

The only way for us to return to the path of progression is if someone lifts us and puts us back in the path of the rushing river. Luckily, we have a loving Savior who is walking down the banks of the river waiting for us to pray and ask him to put us back into the water. If we turn to the Lord, we will become polished, smooth, and reach our full potential. 

What a Wonderful World

Wind River Canyon

Yesterday morning, I took my travel to Lander, Wyoming. I looked out the window as we drove, and I couldn't help but notice the beauty that surrounded me. We passed through the Wind River Canyon, and the walls of the cliffs on either side trumpeted the magnificence of God's creation. The words of Louis Armstrong filled my mind and I thought, "What a wonderful world."

In a time where iniquity does abound, the love of man is waxing cold, and there are many wars and rumors of wars, we can find peace and joy. Just take a minute and rediscover the majesty of the earth, and how beautiful it really is. Every place on this earth has a beauty all of it's own. As we reminisce we truly feel the power of God's love for us, for he truly does love us.

Sinks Canyon- Lander, Wyoming

Developing Christlike Attributes: Charity and Love

In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, a man asks Jesus, "Which is the great commandment in the law?" Christ answered him saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all they soul., and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:36-39)

Charity is "the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). Charity includes Gods' everlasting love for all His children. We need to seek and strive to develop that kind of love. When Charity fills your life, you obey God's commandments along with helping and serving others.

Charity is a gift from God.  The scriptures tell us the we should "pray to the father with all energy of heart, that [we] may be filled with this love" (Moroni 7:48). As you strive to do this and strive to do good works, your love for all people will increase. You will come to feel sincere concern for the happiness and welfare of other people. You will see others as children of God, and you will avoid negative feelings such as anger, envy, lust, or jealousy. You will avoid judging others, criticizing them, or saying negative things about them. You will try to understand them and their points of view. You will be patient with them and try to hep them when they are struggling or discouraged. Charity, like faith, leads to action. You will develop Charity as you look for opportunities to serve others and give of yourself.

Let us all have greater Charity and Love for one another. Finding Charity within ourselves and striving to serve and help others leads us to forget feelings of depression, doubt, fear, sadness, etc. Spencer W. Kimball, a prophet of God said, "The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls. We become more significant individuals as we serve others. We become more substantive as we serve others--indeed, it is easier to "find" ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!"

Additional Scriptures

1 Corinthians 13    Bible Dictionary, "Charity"
1 Nephi 19:9           Alma 7:11-13
Ether 12:33-34        Luke 7:12-15

Taken from Preach My Gospel

Developing Christlike Attributes: Hope

What is Hope? Most often, when I would think about what Hope is and what it consists of, I would describe it as a passive feeling associated with doubt and unrest. Most of the time, my Hopes were something I would like to happen, but most surely knew would not come to pass. This is the attitude I had most of my life toward Hope. Until I learned what the word really means.

Hope is more than just a wish, it's a trust. Hope is the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises. Hope is shown through confidence, enthusiasm, optimism, and perseverance. Hope is not only believing, but is also expecting that something will occur.  When you have Hope, you work through trials and struggles and difficulties with confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps conquer discouragement.

It is not easy to have Hope in this difficult and scary world we live in. It seems as though times are leading us on a downhill course toward destruction. The basic fundamental principles of God or being lost in our society, but we don't have to let the turmoil in the world bring us down in the gulf of misery. As believers and followers of Jesus Christ we can stand with a firm Hope, knowing that all things will work together for our good. He is still the God of the earth and he is mindful of his followers. As long as we do as He asks us and remain steadfast and immovable in our belief in Him and his Gospel, we can have the Hope for a better world.  "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." (Ether 12:4) Never give up Hope, with God all things are possible.

A modern day apostle, James E. Faust taught:

"Hope is the anchor of our souls... Hope is trust in God's Promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be fulfilled in the future... The unfailing source of our Hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death" ("Hope, an Anchor of the Soul," Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59-60)  

The scriptures often describe Hope in Jesus Christ as the assurance that you will inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. " For we are saved by Hope...." (Romans 8:24-25)

Hope now, as we understand it, is in no way encompassed by doubt or fear, but by faith. Just as faith leads us to act it is the same with Hope. Hope is to expect not merely to wish. Let us continue on in the faith and Hope of our Savior Jesus Christ. Knowing will assurance that His promises will be fulfilled, and that we can through Him inherit the Kingdom of God.

Additional Scriptures

2 Nephi 31:20    Alma 58:10-11

Ether 12:32        Moroni 7:40-48

D&C 59:23        D&C 138:14

Heb. 6:10-20     Topical Guide, "Hope"

Taken From Preach My Gospel

Looking Toward God




 

I spent a lot of time thinking about what I should call this blog in an effort to make the title simple and meaningful. While I was thinking about it yesterday an experience I had came back to my memory.



Christ appearing to the Lamanites

 in ancient America

 It was early October of last year. I was attending college at Snow College, and I was going through a difficult time, as many of us often do. I had been through rough times before, but this particular stretch seemed to be taking a toll on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was in the pit of despair and didn't know how to lift myself out. During this time I had tried diligently to stay close to God. I called on him in prayer every night before I went to bed, and read from the scriptures everyday. Even with all the prayer and scripture study, I still felt an emptiness inside, and I didn't really know if God knew me or knew how I felt. In a final effort, or last gasp of breath, I fell to my knees. I poured the feelings of my soul out to my Father in Heaven. I asked him in desperation to let me know that He is there, that I'm doing what He wants me to do, and that I will be alright. As I was praying an impression or a voice entered my thoughts. It said, "Read Alma 38:2." Honestly, I didn't, without a doubt, know that this was a spiritual prompting. I had read the Book of Mormon all the way through twice in my lifetime, so I knew that I had read that passage of scripture before, but I had no clue, at this time, what it said. I decided to act on the impression and flipped open to page 304 in the Book of Mormon. The verse of scripture I read brought such comfort and peace to my soul that I knew that it was indeed from God. It was something that He wanted me to know at that moment of distress and grief.  From it I knew with all the surety of my heart that Heavenly Father knows me, Jesus Christ knows me, and Christs church has again been restored to the earth today with the Book of Mormon as evidence of that restoration.  The verse I read said, "And now, my son, I trust that I should have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end."   

I know without a doubt that Jesus Christ lives, and as each of us begin or continue to look toward him he will deliver us from our afflictions. I know that Christ's church is on the earth again today as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that Jesus Christ is at the head of that church. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and we can through that book place ourselves closer to God than by any other means. This blog is not for just the active Latter-Day Saint however, but it is for everyone who wants to place their lives in closer harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ, and anyone who has, or wants to obtain the hope of living with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ again.

Christ is always there, it's up to us to look toward him

and follow his teachings.