The Winds Will Surely Come

3 Nephi 14
see also Matthew 7

v. 24 Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a ^arock—

v. 25 And the ^arain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it ^bfell not, for it was founded upon a rock.

v. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a ^afoolish man, who built his house upon the ^bsand—

v. 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

I have loved this scripture ever since I was old enough to know adversity.  There is a comfort to it, knowing that if you hold fast to your Savior, you will be given the strength to withstand any storm that may pass through your life.  

Well, the storms are raging, and I can testify that this scripture is true.  My Savior strengthens me, He comforts me, He blesses me, He compensates me for blessings lost.

I wonder, what is it about doing the words of Christ that gives you that protection?  What does He ask of us?  Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Judge not.  Ask for good gifts.  Serve others, "for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."  (Matthew 25:40)

Can you not see the life you are building when you follow Him?  A life filled with love and loving relationships.  A life filled with people who care about you and will remember you in your time of greatest need.   And even if people fail you, you still have a personal relationship with Christ that will carry you through your great difficulties.

The storms will come, the winds will blow.  Nobody gets a free pass.  Life is hard, and it was meant to be, because it is only in overcoming the obstacles and withstanding the storms of life that we learn and grow and become better people.  But I know that when I hold fast to my Savior and His teachings, I can hear Him whisper, "Peace, be still," to my heart.

Choose Ye This Day

Mosiah16

1 And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the ^asalvation of the Lord; when ^bevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall ^cconfess before God that his ^djudgments are just.

The time will come when all men will know that the words spoken by the prophets are true, that Jesus Christ is our Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind.   Denial will no longer be a luxury they can maintain. 

12 Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would ^anot; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.
I think of my Savior, His arms outstretched, inviting.  I think about the times I have received His invitation and thrown myself into His arms in tears.  I think about how every time, He has comforted and healed me.  I know that each time I come unto Him, He will comfort and heal me.  And then I think of all the people who "would not."  Those who choose their own willfulness over the rest He offers.  It makes me feel sad. 

The gospel is simple.  The plan of happiness is simple.  Love God.  Turn to His Son.  Do your best.  Love others.  Be happy, be happy, be happy.

Today, I choose to be happy.

Prophets

Jaccob 4:4-6   Mosiah :13-18   Acts 10:34-43   Amos 3:7

I love how my scripture study has taken me to the topic of prophets right after I have had the privilege and blessing to feast at the feet of true and living prophets through General Conference.  At the conference, they bore testimony several times of the importance of our prophet.  That testimony echoed in my heart.

How grateful I am to have a prophet to guide me through these difficult days.  How grateful I am that God is not a respecter of persons, that He loves me as much as He loved his children anciently.  How grateful I am that He has not left me to grope blindly in the dark, hoping to stumble upon answers that will help me and help my family return home to Him.

I love the scriptures.  I love the words of the ancient prophets.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  The gospel never changes.  In the scriptures, I find the commandments that will bless my life, admonitions that will help me, warnings that are still in force.  Still, I need a living prophet.

The words of Adam could not save the people of Noah from the flood.  The words of Noah could not lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.  The words of Moses did not save the people of Zachariah from destruction and captivity.  And the law of Moses had no power to save anyone who rejected Jesus Christ.

So it is with me.  I look to the living prophets for words that will save me and my family from the flood of wickedness that is washing over the earth, threatening to come into my home, seeping under doors and through windows.  I need to be aware; I need to be warned; I need to know how to protect myself and my loved ones from the destruction Satan wishes so greatly for us.

I bear you my witness that we do have a living, loving prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson.  I invite you to listen to his words and live.

Apply and Live

2 Nephi 31

Am I humble?
I have promised to be obedient to His commandments.  Am I?
I have received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Do I follow the promptings I receive?
Do I follow Christ with full purpose of heart?  Without hypocrisy?  With real intent?
Do I repent of my shortcomings?
Am I really willing to take His name upon me?  Do I honor His name by my thoughts and actions?
Am I effectively enduring to the end?
Am I pressing forward?  Or am I stagnant?
Am I steadfast?
Do I have a perfect brightness of hope?
Do I love God and my fellow man?  How do I show it?
Do I FEAST upon the word of Christ?

I can give an answer to each question, glibly perhaps, off the top of my head.  But I think I'll make this an exercise in pondering and prayer today.  Where am I weak?  How can I improve?

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. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

2 Nephi 31:10-21  3 Nephi 11:31-41  3 Nephi 27:13-22

Just reading the title of this section in my study this morning had a very strong effect on me.  My heart was full, and tears came to my eyes, just like right now as I'm typing this.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love my Savior.  I love my relationship with Him as I have come unto Him, as I have learned of Him, as I have followed Him, as I have tried more and more to be like Him.  I have been blessed beyond measure as He has taken so much pain from my life -- and I have had so much pain in my life.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is very simple.  Come unto Christ.  Have faith in Him and His atonement.  Let that faith move you to want to be better, to be rid of the burdens you carry.  Repent.  Show your repentance by following Him into the waters of baptism.  Then He will purify you by the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost will be your companion, to show you how to continue the path to Christ, always following Him.

"These are not steps that [you] experience once in [your life]; rather, when repeated throughout life these principles become an increasingly rewarding pattern of living.

"Obedience to Jesus Christ is a lifelong commitment.  Through exercising faith, repenting, being baptized and committing to serve Christ, and then receiving the Holy Ghost, we can experience healing, forgiveness of sins, and complete conversion to the Savior and His gospel."  (Preach My Gospel, p. 6)

My experience is that this is true.  He always stands with open arms, ready to receive you.  It is a warm and wonderful place to be.