The Floods Come Up

Incredible amounts of rain have poured over the Montana landscape over the passed several days. As a result from the heavy precipitation many streams, rivers, and creeks have flown over their usual boundaries, and water has ended up in the basements of homes and in the streets.

In many of the places where the rivers are beginning to flood, many people have gathered and began to place sandbags, dirt, and other barriers along the banks of the rivers to keep the water from spilling over into the town. If the water did come into town, then many homes would be ruined or even swept away, and many lives would be at risk.

As the floods of affliction and trials pour into our everyday lives, are we taking the time to sandbag and build our barrier against the adversary? Are we built upon the sure foundation, who is Christ, that we will not be swept away in the current of adversity?

In the Book of Mormon, Helaman counsels his sons to build their foundation the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ. He says, "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

 

Life's storms will beat upon us, the winds will rush against us, and the floods will come in. However, if we are built upon the sure foundation, the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ, we will not and cannot fall. Let us build up our barriers against the floods of life by immersing ourselves in the word of God, which is both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Let us call upon God through mighty prayer, not only in the face of trials, but at all times for He knows us, loves us, and with him all things are possible. Let us be built upon Jesus Christ, stand as an "...example of the believers," (1 Timothy 4:12) and be more devoted disciples of our Lord and Savior.

Developing Christlike Attributes: Knowledge

The Lord has commanded through modern revelation to "seek learning, even by study and also by faith" (D&C 88:118). He also warned, " It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance" (D&C 131:6).

It is important for us to seek to gain knowledge. Being obedient to the commandments of the Lord is the gateway to gaining knowledge. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the quorum of the twelve apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stated, "Knowledge encourages obedience, and obedience enhances knowledge."

As you think about how you can apply gospel principles in our lives, and as you study diligently, prayerfully, and with real intent the Holy Ghost will enlighten your mind, teach you, and help you understand the meaning of things.

Developing Christlike Attributes: Virtue

"If Jesus came to your house, to spend a day or two,
If he came with out warning..I wonder what you'd do....

Yes, if Jesus came to your house, to spend a day or two,
If He came unexpected, just dropped in on you.

I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest,
And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best.

And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there,
That serving Him in your home is joy beyond compare.But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard?
And wish you hadn't uttered that last loud hasty word?And would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?
Could you let Jesus just walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder, if the Savior spend a day or two with you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

And would your family conversation keep up it's usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the books you read,
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

And would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go?
Or maybe would you change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,
Or hope that they would stay away until His visit ends?

And would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?
Oh, it might be interesting to know the things that you would do,
If Jesus came in person to spend some time with you.

If Jesus came to your house, I wonder what you'd do."
-Author Unknown

If the Savior came to your house would he find a virtuous person, or would he find someone who is trying to hide something?

Virtue originates in your innermost thoughts and desires. Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high oral standards. The Holy Ghost does not dell in unclean places, so we must be virtuous to receive guidance from His Spirit. What you choose to think about and do when you are alone and believe that no one is watching is a strong measure of your virtue.

Virtuous people are clean ad pure spiritually. They focus on righteous, uplifting thoughts and put unworthy thoughts that lead to inappropriate action out of their minds. When we are virtuous we obey God's commandments. Virtuous people also pray for the strength t resist temptation and do what is right. They quickly repent of any sins or wrong doings.

Your mind is like a stage in a theater; in the theater of your mind however, only one act can be on the stage t a time. If the stage is left bare, thoughts of sin often enter the stage to tempt. However, these thoughts have no power if the stage of your mind is occupied by wholesome thoughts, such as a memorized hymn or verse of scripture that yo can call upon in a moment of temptation. By controlling the stage of you mind, you can successfully resist persistent urges to yield to temptation and sin. You can become pure and virtuous 

"...The Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou Hast Sent"-John 17:3

Throughout the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there has been speculation around the piercing question: Are Mormons christian?

The Book of Mormon answers this question when Nephi, an ancient prophet, declared "... we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophecy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26) Can it be any more clear than that? 

So what do we have to do to recieve this remission of our sins?

"And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrificem to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefor only unto him that has faith unto repentance is broght about the great and eternal plan of redemption. Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye  may begin to exercise your faith un to repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you." (Alma 34:15-17)  

Jesus Christ wants to extend his mercy toward us, but there are things we have to do. We must not only have faith in his name, but we must also exercise our faith in him through repentance. When we sin we transgress the laws of God. We break one of any of his commandments, thus separating ourselves spiritual from his prensence. When we repent we bridge the gap that we have created and bring ourselves closer to God. The first principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are faith and then repentance. When we have faith and exercise that faith through repentance, it inturn leads to recieving the first oridinances (sacred ceremony where covenants or promises are made between us and God)  of the gospel of Jesus Christ which are baptism by immersion by the proper authority, and recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. The gospel fits so well together, one thing leads to another, and the end result, if we are true and faithful, is living in neverending happiness with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

This week, while out trying to share this message with the wonderful people of Montana, we came across a man who didn't think we were christians. Somewhere along the way He was sadly misinformed about our religion. He believed that we worship Joseph Smith which is not true in the slightest. Though Joseph Smith was an important person in the founding of our religion and was a key figure in the restoration of Christ's church again to the earth, he had a completely separate purpose to Heavenly Father's plan than does His Son Jesus Christ. We only worship Jesus Christ because he is the savior of the world and the only means whereby we can recieve forgivness of our sins. I want to make it clear to everyone Jesus Christ is at the head of our church and there is no other means whereby we recieve forgiveness.

I know, without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. He did in reality Atone for our sins and through him and him alone we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. He was in fact born in Bethlehem to a virgin mother, He did in fact live a sinless life, He did, on this earth, raise the dead, cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and He does have the authority both in heaven and in earth to forgive the sins of man if we turn our lives over to Him and do the things that he asks us to do. I know that while He lived on this earth He eastablished His church. After his death, the church that He set up became extinct and no longer existed upon the face of the earth, but I know that His same church, the very one that He established while on this earth is back again. Through the prophet Joseph Smith the authoriy to baptize, recieve revelation, and call prophets and apostles was restored again to the earth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's church again upon the earth. He lives and is at the head of that church. I know that my redeemer lives.  "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)