5.31.2012

Articles of faith 2 and 3

Carrying on with the Articles of faith that we are learning about!  Here is the next two that we studied this week!
Enjoy!

2.  "We believe that men
will be punished for their
 own sins, and not for
Adam’s transgression."

In 2 Nephi 2:19-24, It explains why the Fall of Adam and Eve was so important to us.

 19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
 20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
 21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
 22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
 23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
 24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

Then the knowledge that we are punished for our own choices, not for any one else, including Adam and Eve.

2 Nephi 2:25-27
 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
 26 And theMessiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
 27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

3.  "We believe that
 through the
Atonement of Christ,
 all mankind may be saved,
by obedience to the laws
and ordinances of the Gospel."

This one is found in Alma 12:31-34

 31 Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—
 32 Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.
 33 But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;
 34 Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.



I know, that as we come to understand and apply these 2 beliefs, we will experience joy and happiness in this life.  We are the ones who are responsible for our actions, and even though we make wrong choices, we can be forgiven if we will repent and strive to be obedient to the laws of the Gospel.


5.24.2012

We believe...

Articles of Faith state exactly what we believe as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Through the next couple of weeks I am going to be giving scriptures that back up the Articles of faith.

Let's start with #1!

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."
 Break it down-

We believe in God, the Eternal Father.

Mormon 6:22 "...and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven..."
Moroni 4:3; 5:2 "...O God, the Eternal Father..."
Moroni 10:4 "...ask God, the Eternal Father..."


And in his Son, Jesus Christ

1 Nephi 11:21 "...Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the son of the Eternal Father..."
1 Nephi 13:40 "...That the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved."
Alma 5:48 "...I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth.  And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name."

And in the Holy Ghost

1 Nephi 10:17 "...the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost... By the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligetnly seek him..."
Moroni 10:4 "...He will manifest the truth of it unto you, bu the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things."

5.16.2012

Got FHE?

When you think of the place that you have learned the most lessons in life, where would that be?

For me, it would be in this home.


I was born and raised in this home.  I took my first steps, rode my first bike, cried my first tears, laughed my first laugh all in this home surrounded in a loving family.  The church has given us a program to help us grow closer together and more united.  This is Family Home Evening (FHE).  It is were you take one night out of the week and spend it with family. What do you do?  ---->
 "Families were to take time to
 pray and sing together,
read the scriptures,
teach the gospel to one another,
 and participate in other activites
that would build family unity." 
Joseph F. Smith

The scriptures even emphasize how important it is that the parents are teaching their children how to follow God!
Dueteronomy 6:7
"And thou shalt teach them
 diligently unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when
thou sittest in thine house,
and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down,
and when thou risest up."

It is the duty of parents to teach their children what is right and what is wrong. 

"The home is the most important
place for gospel learning. 
No other organization can
take the place of the family."

We need to make our homes a safe haven from the world and strenthen the families within.  I know that I am the person I am today because of the home I had the privelage to live in. 




5.12.2012

Mother's day

I just wanted to give a shout out to my mother.  I wanted to thank her for all the love and support she has given me in my life.  THANK YOU!  She is a beacon and a strength to me.  I know that families are eternal and I feel extremely blessed to be able to call her mom for eternity.  She is a great example of someone who "stands immovable and steadfast and always abounding in good works."  

I LOVE YOU MOM!



What think YE of Christ?


I was reading one of our church magazines the other day and read a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. The talk was based on that question, "what think ye of Chirst?"  I have since asked this question and have pondered what do I think of Jesus Christ? 

I know he is more than a teacher.  I know he is the son of God.  But I want to talk about some other things that he did for each of us.  I am basing it out of the talk and if you want to read it you can click on this link.

1. Jesus Christ is the ONLY begotten son of God. 
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to comdemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

2. Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Christ was the creator of this world. 
John, 1:3 "All things were made by him; and whithout him was not any thing made that was made."

3. Through Him we can ALL recieve Eternal life. 
John 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life..."

4. Does the will of the Father. In Matthew 7:21 it says only those who do 'the WILL of my Father which is in heaven' can enter the kingdom of Heaven.'

5.  He returned the Priesthood to the earth so we could all partake of those sacred promises we need to make with Heavenly Father to return to God. 

6. The last one that I want to say is the most important one.  He died for each one of us.  That through this atonement he provided an opportunity that every person will be resurrected.  Also, that everyone can repent of our sins and return to our Father in Heaven.

Elder Oaks said,
"Where is our ultimate loyalty?... Ther is no middle ground.  W are followers of CHrist... We should honor His name, keep His commandments, and 'seek not the things of this world but seek first to build up the kingdom of God."

I challenge each of you to ask yourself, "What think ye of Christ?"  If you feel comfortable, I would love you to write down your feelings in the comment box to share with others your testimony of Jesus Christ.