Never Give Up

What a wonderful blessing Gabe had in his life when he continued with his dream. He put everything behind him and was grateful for what he had. That attitude changed everything. He didnt just give up, even though he wanted to, but he endured and then the blessings came.

I find it very similar in my life, that i go through so many hard times and it gets tough to keep my motivation up. There are times where i am told what i am doing wrong and i feel even worse, and there are times where i just dont feel adequite enough for what i am doing.

In 1 Nephi of the Book of Mormon, Nephi goes through many tirals, and a lot is asked of him but he didnt give up, because he knew God loved him and would help and bless him. Nephi not only was betrayed by his own family, but he was asked to build a ship that he had never done before. When i think about anything like i cant even imagine doing anything like that. Thankfully Nephi had the help of his Heavenly Father and never quit. So we learn from the example of Gabe and Nephi, that times get hard, but we should never quit, because if we pray and ask for help we will recieve it and we will be blessed in a way that will be best for us. I know that if you push through your hard times there is a great reward whether great or small after that will come our way, also we will build a greater confidence in ourselves that is a blessing in of itself.

So if there is something you want to do and you arent sure you can do it, look at what the result will be in the end, and work for that blessing. 

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER QUIT!

Love Our Mother

   Today i would like to talk about my wonderful mother! I have come to deeply love and appreciate her and all she does for me. I was blessed to be raised and taught by her. So how should we love the mother that loves us.

  When i was a young boy the age of  7 i started a paper route. It was an early morning one and i had quite a few papers to deliver, with no transportation. For some of that time i shared the route with my brothers and a a sister ocasiaonally. None of us at this time were able to drive ourselves so each morning 365 days a year my mother would wake up, wake me up (usually more than once), drive me around to deliver the papers, then she would help me get ready for school, go to work for 8 hours, come home listen to me complain and throw fits, make or help with dinner and homework, go to sleep then do it all over again. I never thought of how much she did and as i got a little older my mother sang for the mormon tabernacle choir, so she added that into her schedule. There were the occasionall day where she may be sick and my dad would take over. As i was looking back on this i realized NOT ONCE did my mother ask for anything in return or take more money from the paycheck than what was used for gas, or complain about how tired she was, and for NINE YEARS my mother did this because she loved me. Through all my complaints and temper tantrums and sicknesses my mom took care of me and gave me her time. She couldve taken that extra two or so hours to catch up on sleep or practice singing which she so dearly loved, or even spent time with other things she had fallen behind on; but no she loved me and helped me earn money for my childhood, and teen years. As i look back i think of how many times i didnt thank her or how i nagged her for things, or thought she didnt do enough for me or spend enough time with me. If i realized back then what i do now i would be so disappointed in myself. In Doctrine and Covenants 4 we read 5And ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity and ^dlove, with an ^eeye single to the ^fglory of God, ^gqualify him for the work.

 6Remember faith, ^avirtue, knowledge, ^btemperance, ^cpatience, ^dbrotherly ^ekindness, ^fgodliness, charity, ^ghumility, ^hdiligence.  Jack R. Christianson says: "I love these verses because, to me, they are not just about missionary work, but are also about how to love people."

 My mother was full of these attributes towards me. She wasnt a perfect mother but she tired her best, and with how imperfect i was and am as a son she did a great job.

  We also can learn to love our mothers or our children if we strive to develop these attributes. And when you do something for your mother or children do it out of love not to gain a reward or earning.

Jack R. Christianson also stats: "If we really want to be loved, the formula is to do what? It is to love others, and to express it, and to show it."

  So not only this mothers day but always,  remember the formula. I know there may be times where your parents or children dont show their love, but inside you still know they love you. Do things out of love, just as the Savior did for us.

Lifting Burdens

Just as the video shows we can and are vunerable to satan and his power. Satan knows our weaknesses and and will use those against us. Thankfully we have a Savior who atonened for our sins and knows how to strenghten us.
  27And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.
  First we must recognize that without Jesus Christ we are nothing and we need his support to overcome the evil in our lives. There have been many times in my life where i thought i was strong enough to overcome the temptations, and addictions of satan. We cannot let pride guide our lives. The Savior died for us and he knows what we can and cannot do ( http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/7.11-12?lang=eng#10). If you have faith in Jesus Christ and trust in him then he will guide your life for the better. I know this to be true and evey consequense good or bad was for my benefit. The Atonement was for every one of us and we are never forgotten.

The Saviors Love For ALL Of Us

I myself cannot express my feeling towards Jesus Christ for what he has done for me, what he continues to do, what he will do for me, and each one of Heavenly Fathers children. What a wonderful time we have to remember the our Savior and his atonement and that he does indeed live. He knows our pains, our trials, our weaknesses and he has felt them all, so that we may be forgiven of anything if we have faith in him repent, and forsake our sins.

11And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and ^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

14Now I say unto you that ye must ^arepent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.

Elder Bruce C. Haffen says: "The Atonement not only pays for our sins, it heals our wonds, the self inflicted ones and those beyond our control". We must strive to remember our Savior not only this easter sunday but always in our hearts. I know if you do so that he will guide you and help you along the way, back to the Heavenly Father who loves you perfectly.

Is God Real? Does God Love Us?

Take a look at what you see and ask yourself again if God is real?

 I know that God is real and that he loves all of his children perfectly. God created us and everything around us, even the very air we breathe. He loves us so much he wants us to become like him. To me that is a pretty selfless loving God. You might think to yourself well if he loves me why do i face trials and go through such hard times. If we look at the story of Nephi in the Book of Mormon he says something very profound; 

16 And he said unto me: Knowest thou the ^acondescension of God?

 17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

  So if we go through trial after trial and we don't understand why these things happen to us or why God allows bad things to happen to good people, remember that God loves his children , and if we know that and remember that then we will trust in him! I have found myself before questioning why certain trials have come my way, but as i pray and read and do what I'm supposed to be doing i later come to find out why some of those things happen to me. I don't know about you but i tend to learn more from my hard times, then from my easy times anyway, and I'm sure that's how it is for most if not everyone. Look at Jesus Christ for example, the one perfect person to live on this earth and never sinned once went through more then any of us ever will go through. So the bad things that happen to us or in the world we may never realize why they happen in this life but one thing we do know is that Heavenly Father loves us.

  Now back to how we can all know God is real. Look at the world, look at yourself, think of the complexity of those things as you read these scriptures...

   44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of ^aall these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the ^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

40 And now what evidence have ye that there is no ^aGod, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have none, save it be your word only.

  We have all been greatly blessed by our loving Heavenly Father who wants us to feel complete joy and happiness and return to live with him again. Again i know that God is real and that he loves each and every one of us more then we know. I pray that we can all set aside our pride and see how we have been blessed and seek for the good things in life and in eternity.

Is Church Nessassary for Returning to Heaven... Is a parachute nessassary when skydiving?!

                               
    Today i was impressed to talk on why we need to attend church. When i have people ask me if church is nessassary or tell me that it isnt I think of the question well thats like saying a paracute isnt nessassary for skydiving, or asking them if they think a parachute is nessassary for skydiving. The answer is simple. YES! Whenever you go skydiving the instructors make sure everyone has a parachute so they dont just come crashing into the ground. We can think of that as Heavnly Father making sure we follow his commandments. We go to church to partake of the sacrament and to be forgiven of our sins the prior week. Seeing as how we all mess up and sin all the time God has blessed us with a way to stay close to him and be clean. So many people in this day and age think it is unessassary and that as long as they believe in Christ on sunday that they are doing what they need too, others may say well i can worship God from my own home.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks talks of the importance of church and partaking of the sacrament as well. "The resurrected Lord emphasized the importance of the sacrament when He visited the American continent and instituted this ordinance among the faithful Nephites. He blessed the emblems of the sacrament and gave them to His disciples and the multitude (see 3 Nephi 18:1–10), commanding:" We also attend church to strengthen our faith and to feel the spirit and pray for those arond us (alma 6:6). When we go to church and do these things we not only bring joy and happiness to ourselves but we please Heavenly Father and we can help those around us by being a friend or sharing a smile. We have 168 hours in the week and Heavenly Father only asks for 3! Is 3 hours a week to much to ask for the blessing of eternal happiness. Lets go back to the question is church nessassary to Return to Heaven, well is a parachute nessassary when skydiving? If you want to enjoy this life then yes! I know that when we attend church Heavenly Father will bless us throughout our lives and we can be happier and feel more peace in our day to day living.

Today Is The Day

 

Do you know where you will be tomorrow?

Choose You This Day

Thomas S. MonsonFirst Counselor in the First Presidency

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Joshua of old declared, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ¹

All of us commenced an awesome and vital journey when we left the spirit world and entered this often challenging stage called mortality. We brought with us that great gift from God—our agency. Said the prophet Wilford Woodruff: “God has given unto all of His children … individual agency. … [We] possessed it in the heaven of heavens before the world was, and the Lord maintained and defended it there against the aggression of Lucifer. … By virtue of this agency you and I and all mankind are made responsible beings, responsible for the course we pursue, the lives we live, the deeds we do.” ²

Brigham Young said, “All must use [this agency] in order to gain exaltation in [God’s] kingdom; inasmuch as [we] have the power of choice [we] must exercise that power.” ³

The scriptures tell us that we are free to act for ourselves, “to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”

Let us not find ourselves as indecisive as is Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. She is confronted by the Cheshire cat, of whom Alice asks, “Which path shall I follow?”

The cat answers: “That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.” ⁶

Unlike Alice, we all know where we want to go, and it does matter which way we go, for the path we follow in this life surely leads to the path we will follow in the next.

        

   As i have learned and grown serving Heavenly Father, i have seen the blessings of choosing to serve him now. We can not wait, as President Henry B. Eyring says, for we do not know what the choices of others may bring to us. Do we have another day? Fill your heart with the desire to follow the commandments and have faith in Jesus Christ. I know that as you follow him you will see a difference in your life. It will be one of a greater peace and love. You will feel better inside and you will feel the love of your Heavenly Father. He desires complete joy and happiness for each one of us and wants all of his children to return to live with him again. I have seen to many people throw there life away because they do not what to do that which may be hard, even if it is worth it. So choose this day to serve Heavenly Father and he will bless you, whether it be in this life or in eternity. I promise it will be worth it.

Do You Know What Flavors To Mix?

   Today I am really in the mood for some ice cream... What about you? How many flavors have you tried?
Some time ago when my friends and i went out to get ice cream even before getting there i knew what i wanted. I always got the same thing because i knew it was good and i liked it. Then finally one of my friends who i always went with told me to try something new. At first i thought to myself, i think i'll stick with what i know i like. I dont know what any of these other flavors taste like or they are boring and simple. Finally i gave in and decided to try something my friend had recomemended. He knew what it tasted like and he knew it was good. So then i thought okay ya know what i really enjoyed that and next time im going to try something else again, but i always changed it a little at a time or added simple treats in with it. After a several times of going i thought i knew most of the flavors and i was ready for something crazy. So i decided to mix some different flavors or ice cream with a few different toppings, and of course i ended up getting a bad mixture of flavors. It looked good and i thought after so many times that i would be able to handle it. So then after that last visit to the ice cream shop i decided to keep it simple this time.
   We can look at this as our daily lives and the things we chose to do. More specifically what we know we like and can handle as to taking to much in, thinking we can handle it. As children of our Heavenly Father we are taught line upon line precept upon precept. There will be time where we think we know enough that we want to go deeper or ask deep questions, but somethings we may not comprehend 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now or maybe never even in this life. It can lead to bad taste in the church if we mix the wrong questions with our current understanding. We may have a friend who recomemends something they know is good or that they know we will like, or can handle, but when we start to think we know everything and can handle everything we may end up with something we dont like. So then we must humble ourselves and start simple again. Go back to the basics and learn line upon line, precept upon precept. Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to have a great understanding, but patience is required.

Power in Prayer

    Not to long ago as I was serving in one of my areas on my mission, I recall a time where i felt very stressed and i had a lot of problems and things weren't working out. I had a hard time with the work and teaching the gospel, and at that time I knew something was wrong. So as i had been taught and the simple truth i knew but had been taken for granted I knelt down and sincerely prayed to my Father in heaven and asked for his strength and comfort. I did not receive an answer immediately or even that same day. I wasn't very motivated to go out and do what I knew I should, but I was willing and thankfully I had a companion who was very motivated and we went out to do the work we knew could bless those who would listen. We went the whole day with nothing to show and a little more unmotivated. I did feel good that i had been working, but i still was unhappy and down on myself. So again I prayed that night and the next morning for help with what I was lacking and what I was going through. That day not only did Heavenly Father show me what I needed in my scripture study, but we were led to someone who had a desire to learn more about the gospel and would let us in their home. At that moment I felt the spirit work in us as we shared a brief message about Christ's church being restored on the earth. That feeling reminded me of Heavenly Fathers love and care for everyone of his children. I know that Heavenly Father listens, and answers our prayers, but we must remember it is in his own way and in his own time. We may not see at that moment the answer or recognize it, and it may not be in the way we wanted our prayer to be answered. That does not change the fact that God doesn't hear or answer our prayers. He loves each and every one of us perfectly and He knows what will be the best for us. I love everything that He has done for me and all my prayers he has listened too and answered. I know he blesses me every day. He wants all of us to pray to him and as for his strength to make weak things strong.

Elder David A. Bednar  (Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ)

  We are commanded to “pray always” (2 Nephi 32:9; D&C 10:5; 90:24)—“vocally as well as in [our] heart[s]; … before the world as well as in secret, in public as well as in private” (D&C 19:28). I testify that prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.

I witness Heavenly Father lives and that He hears and answers every earnest prayer. Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Mediator. Revelation is real. The fulness of the gospel has been restored to the earth in this dispensation. I so testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Jesus Christ Leads His Church Upon The Earth This Day

Sometimes we think of Christ death as a sad thing, that he died because of those who chose to reject the truth. Thankfully this was part of our Heavenly Fathers plan and he knew that we needed a savior because of our short comings. None of us are perfect and God recognizes that so he made a way for us to return to live with him in complete joy and happieness even though we may be imperfect here on this earth. I know Christ lives and is the head his true church. I know that Heavenly Father has once again called a young man to be a prophet not only to guide Christ true church but to restore that which had been lost. Joseph Smith lived and was marteryed for the church. He trusted in Jesus Christ and what he knew was true. He went through more then you or i will ever go through in our lives and never took offense or let in get in the way of what he knew was right. He stayed faithful and continued to do the will of the Lord. I know that Joseph Smith was a ture prophet of God and that he did restore Christ true church upon the earth.  I know that he did in fact see God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees in Palmyra New York.

 Elder Dieter F. Uctdorf says

Here I was, a young boy in post–World War II Germany, living in a city in ruins, thousands of miles away from Palmyra in North America and more than a hundred years after the event actually took place. By the universal power of the Holy Ghost, I felt in my heart and in my mind that it was true, that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and heard Their voices. The Spirit of God comforted my soul at this young age with an assurance of the reality of this sacred moment that resulted in the beginning of a worldwide movement destined to “roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth” (D&C 65:2). I believed Joseph Smith’s testimony of that glorious experience in the Sacred Grove then, and I know it now. God has spoken to mankind again!

Looking back, I am grateful for so many friends who helped me in my youth to gain a testimony of the restored Church of Jesus Christ. First I exercised simple faith in their testimonies, and then I received the divine witness of the Spirit to my mind and to my heart. I count Joseph Smith among those whose testimony of Christ helped me to develop my own testimony of the Savior. Before I recognized the tutoring of the Spirit testifying to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, my youthful heart felt that he was a friend of God and would therefore, quite naturally, also be a friend of mine. I knew I could trust Joseph Smith.

  As we pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ we can come to know this truth or be reassured that it is true. Again I add that i know Jesus Christ lives and is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints. I am so grateful for everything Christ has done and will do for me. I know he died for each and every one of us so we can be forgiven and returen to a loving Heavenly Father. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

With Weakness, Comes Strength

 

By Anne C. Pingree

     At every stage of our lives, we struggle to overcome our weaknesses. And as we do, we reflect on the familiar words of an ancient prophet who agonized over his own weakness. As Moroni labored to chronicle sacred events on metal plates, he was deeply concerned about his weakness in writing. Perhaps, he worried, future readers would not be able to feel the power of the inspired messages he was recording (see Ether 12:23–26).

     When he humbly turned to the Lord, the Lord revealed these words to him:

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27). 

      As Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) observed: “It is not an easy thing … to be shown one’s weaknesses. … Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness.” ¹

      Some people feel defeated by their personal weaknesses and succumb to despair. Some attempt to hide, ignore, or compensate for their shortcomings because of pain and embarrassment. But, as the Lord told Moroni, recognizing and acknowledging a weakness is a necessary part of overcoming it: “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong” (Ether 12:37).

Turning to the Lord

     Sometimes, in spite of all we do to “make weak things become strong,” the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, does not take away our weakness. The Apostle Paul struggled throughout his life with “a thorn in the flesh,” which he said served to humble him “lest [he] should be exalted above measure” (2 Cor. 12:7). Three times Paul asked the Lord to take away his weakness, and three times the Lord declined to do so. The Lord then explained that His grace was sufficient for Paul and that, in fact, His strength was actually “made perfect in weakness.” Then Paul wrote, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

    “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:9–10).

    What a wonderful blessing it is to know Heavenly Father loves us so much that he does not care if we are weak, so long as we turn to him and ask in Christ name for help in becoming stronger. I know that none of us are perfect and so there is no reason to fear what man thinks of us. To many times you will find us judging each other when it is not our place, especially when we have not taken the time to get to know someone personally. If we look at others the way Heavenly Father does we would love everyone. I know God loves all of us perfectly, no matter who we are, what we have done, or where we are in our lives currently. All he wants is to bless us as we humbly come before him in prayer. We must look for the good and the strengths in our brothers and sisters and build them up so that in turn they can do the same for those they know and love. I know as we reach to those who may feel inadequate or out of place, Heavenly Father will bless us and we will feel more joy and happieness in our lives.

Selflessness

I love the words of the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, and every time i watch this I am filled with the spirit. We should all strive to follow the example of these young boys.

   Matthew 25:37–40: “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

     

As we serve those around us we know that we are serving Heavenly Father, and as we serve Him, he has promised us blessings, and what a blessing in of itself to know you have helped someone who may be less fortunate then you, or in a tight spot, or who just needed a friendly gesture. I know that as we do these things and help those around us that we will feel the love of our Heavenly Father more abundantly!

  

Why we are who we are

To think of such men that they would give their lives for us so we can have the Book of Mormon, Jesus Christ gave his life so that we could return to live with our loving Heavenly Father again. I do know that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God just as the Bible is. We have so much to be grateful for in this day and we tend to look past the greatest blessing because its not what may be socially accepted in this day. We need to want to have God and Christ in our lives. That is one of the greatest blessings to recieve this day.