The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

1 Nephi 13:39   2 Nephi 29:8-10   Moroni 10:3-5   Doctrine and Covenants 20:5-16   Doctrine and Covenants 42:12-14  

In my previous post, I mentioned how much I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means to me.  Those feelings go hand in hand with my feelings of gratitude to the prophet Joseph Smith for restoring the gospel.  He was severely persecuted, and yet he never wavered.  He stayed true to the revelations he received until the fullness of the gospel had been completely restored.  And then he sealed his testimony with his own blood.  So much pain, so much sorrow, so much sacrifice, all so that I and the rest of the world may have the opportunity to know God, to know Christ, to know the commandments, to live in such a way as to bring joy beyond measure.

As a missionary, we often showed a short filmstrip about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  During the scene where Joseph went to the woods to pray, the music from the song "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning" was played.  To this day, I cannot hear that melody without my eyes filling up with tears.  The spirit testified to me then, as it does now, that the story of Joseph Smith and his first vision is true.

I know that God loves me.  I know that He is mindful of me, my happiness, my challenges, my sorrows, my trials.  I know that He loves his children today as much as He loved His children in ancient times.  I know this because He gave us a prophet, Joseph Smith, to restore the gospel, and we continue to have a prophet of God to guide us now.