Saturday, December 20, 2014

Resurrection

James J Hamula, The Sacrament and the Atonement, October 2014 General Conference
“...in taking the bread to ourselves, we acknowledge that, like Christ’s mortal body, our bodies will be released from the bonds of death, rise triumphantly from the grave, and be restored to our eternal spirits
...
By the power of the Resurrection, all of us will be restored to the presence of God.

Alma 12:24
24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.


My Thoughts
{
Obviously we have met God before, since we lived with him before this life.  In this case it likely means not an introduction, but the same as if someone is preparing for a date and they say they are preparing to meet their date.  They have been introduced to their date before.  They already know each other.  They are going to go to a predefined location and find each other.
}

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Death is Not the Final Judgement

Isaiah 24:21-22
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Works

2 Nephi 31:10
 10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

Matthew 5:7-8

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.  8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
One must be merciful to obtain mercy.  One must be pure in heart to see God. One does not obtain mercy and see God just because they say they have accepted Jesus.


2 Thessalonians 1:7-8
7 And to you who are troubled arest with us, when the bLord Jesus shall be crevealed from heaven with his mighty dangels,

8 In flaming afire taking bvengeance on them that know not God, and that cobey not the dgospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

One must know God and obey the gospel.

James 2:14-16
14 aWhat doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath bfaith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or asister be naked, and destitute of daily bfood,

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye agive them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

2 Peter 2:20
20 For if after they have aescaped the bpollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are cagain dentangled therein, and eovercome, the latter end is fworse with them than the beginning.

2 Nephi 28:8
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: aEat, drink, and be bmerry; nevertheless, fear God—he will cjustify in committing a little dsin; yea, elie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a fpit for thy neighbor; there is gno harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

James 2:19-22
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the adevils also bbelieve, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that afaith without bworks is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father ajustified by works, when he had boffered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by aworks was faith made bperfect?

Mosiah 2:16-18
16 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.

17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

18 Behold, ye have called me your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to aserve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?

James 1: 22-23

22 But be ye adoers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a ahearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a bglass:
Matthew 7:21
21 ¶ Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in eheaven.

Luke 9:62
62 No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Once you have accepted Christ as your Savior, if you cease to do his work you are not fit for the kingdom of God.

John 5:28-29
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the agraves shall bhear his voice,

29 And shall acome forth; they that have done good, unto the bresurrection of life; and they that have done cevil, unto the resurrection of ddamnation.

Those who have done good will be raised to life. Those who have done evil will be raised to death. Good things are those things which God has commanded us to do. This includes, but is not limited to, believing that Christ is the Son of God and our Savior.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Way of the Disciple, General Conference, April 2009
"It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines any more than we can experience the benefits of health by sitting on a sofa watching sporting events on television and giving advice to the athletes."

Doctrine and Covenants 1:10
10 Unto the aday when the Lord shall come to brecompense unto every man according to his cwork, and dmeasure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become", General Conference, October 2000
"The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings and teachers were given that we may all attain 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ' (Eph. 4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something."
"From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."

Exodus 20
This chapter lists the ten commandments, not the ten suggestions.

Friday, November 14, 2014

How to Know Which Church is God's

Opposition
Neil L Anderson, Joseph Smith, October 2014 General Conference
“Should we be surprised with the evil spoken against him? The Apostle Paul was called mad and deranged.5 Our Beloved Savior, the Son of God, was labeled gluttonous, a winebibber, and possessed of a devil.6

Neal A. Maxwell, “All Hell Is Moved” (Brigham Young University devotional, Nov. 8, 1977), 3; speeches.byu.edu
Some insist upon studying the Church only through the eyes of its defectors—like interviewing Judas to understand Jesus.  Defectors always tell us more about themselves than about that from which they have departed."

My Thoughts
{
When a church that is claiming to be God’s receives so much opposition that is a sign of their validity.  Is that the only thing we need to look at and call them true?  No, but it is something that should get our attention and make us look for more indicators.
}

You Will Know Them By Their Fruits
Matthew 7:16-17
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Lead By A Prophet
Amos 3:7
 7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

Witnesses
“We might remind the inquirer that Joseph was not alone in the visit of angels.
“The Book of Mormon witnesses wrote, ‘We declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and … we beheld and saw the plates.’  We could quote many others as well.”

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Kindness

Dallin H Oaks, Loving Others and Living with Differences
Kindness is powerful, especially in a family setting.

Teens

Dallin H Oaks, Loving Others and Living with Differences, October 2014 General Conference
We challenge all youth to avoid bullying, insults, or language and practices that deliberately inflict pain on others. All of these violate the Savior’s command to love one another.

Bullying

Dallin H Oaks, Loving Others and Living with Differences, October 2014 General Conference
We challenge all youth to avoid bullying, insults, or language and practices that deliberately inflict pain on others. All of these violate the Savior’s command to love one another.

Anger

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith (2011), 225, 226, 228
“unkind things are not usually said under the inspiration of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of kindness; it is a spirit of patience; it is a spirit of charity and love and forbearance and long suffering. …

“… But if we have the spirit of fault finding … in a destructive manner, that never comes as a result of the companionship of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father and is always harmful.

“… Kindness is the power that God has given us to unlock hard hearts and subdue stubborn souls.”

President Dieter F Uchtdorf, O How Great the Plan of Our God!, October 2016 General Conference
Let us remember, the most important work we do in our families is through the power of the Holy Ghost. Whenever we raise our voices in anger, the Spirit leaves our companionships and families. When we speak in love, the Spirit can be with us. Let us remember that our children and grandchildren measure our love by how much devoted time we give them. Above all, don’t lose patience and don’t give up!

James 1:20
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Progression

L Tom Perry, Finding Lasting Peace and Building Eternal Families, October 2014 General Conference
Our journey through life has periods of both good times and bad. Each presents different challenges. How we learn to adjust to the changes which come along depends on the foundation on which we build. The gospel of our Lord and Savior provides a sure and solid foundation. It is constructed piece by piece as we gain knowledge of the Lord’s eternal plan for His children.

President Dieter F Uchtdorf, Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth, October 2014 General Conference
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a place for people with all kinds of testimonies. There are some members of the Church whose testimony is sure and burns brightly within them. Others are still striving to know for themselves. The Church is a home for all to come together, regardless of the depth or the height of our testimony. I know of no sign on the doors of our meetinghouses that says, ‘Your testimony must be this tall to enter.’
...
Let us acknowledge that most often gaining a testimony is not a task of a minute, an hour, or a day. It is not once and done. The process of gathering spiritual light is the quest of a lifetime.

Solutions to the World’s Problems

President Dieter F Uchtdorf, Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth, October 2014 General Conference
“The Apostle Paul taught a parallel principle regarding spiritual knowledge. ‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,’ he wrote to the Corinthians, ‘for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.’12

“In other words, if you want to recognize spiritual truth, you have to use the right instruments. You can’t come to an understanding of spiritual truth with instruments that are unable to detect it.”


My Thoughts
{
We can not understand the world's problems or the solution to them if we take God out of the equation.

While we try to figure it out by ourselves we argue and debate endlessly.
}

“The more we incline our hearts and minds toward God, the more heavenly light distills upon our souls. And each time we willingly and earnestly seek that light, we indicate to God our readiness to receive more light. Gradually, things that before seemed hazy, dark, and remote become clear, bright, and familiar to us.”

Friday, October 24, 2014

How to Have Joy

D Todd Christofferson, Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, October 2014 General Conference
Indeed, the real manifestation of God’s love is His commandments.

God's Plan

Elder M Russell Ballard, God Is at the Helm, October 2015 General Conference
The plan [of salvation] also provides us with a unique, eternal perspective that we are God’s spirit children.

D Todd Christofferson, Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, October 2014 General Conference
Indeed, the real manifestation of God’s love is His commandments.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Living Water

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
"Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior’s sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our 'bread of life'12 and 'living water.'13"

Bread of Life

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
"Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior’s sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our 'bread of life'12 and 'living water.'13"

Atonement

Carol F McKonkie, The Soul’s Sincere Desire, October 2016 General Conference
“He suffered, bled, and died to glorify His Father, and His merciful petition on our behalf opens the way for each of us to obtain peace in this life and everlasting life in the world to come. He does not want us to suffer longer or endure more trials than needed.”

Richard G Scott, Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority, General Conference October 2014
The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Doctrine and Covenants 19:15
15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference

Each week, she conducted a self-evaluation during the sacrament. She recalled mistakes she had made, and she committed to be better the next week. She was grateful to be able to make things right and be made clean. Looking back on the experience, she said, ‘I was acting on the repentance part of the Atonement.’

Always Remember Him

Francisco J Vinas, The Pleasing Word of God, October 2015 General Conference
The moment we begin to remember Him and keep His commandments every day—and not just on the Sabbath day—is when the remission of our sins begins to gradually take effect and His promise of having His Spirit with us begins to be fulfilled.

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
As we partake of the sacrament, we witness to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the brief sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.8

Covenants

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
As we partake of the sacrament, we witness to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the brief sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.8

Commandments

Elder Russell M Nelson, Let Your Faith Show, April 2014 General Conference
“Spiritual truth cannot be ignored—especially divine commandments. Keeping divine commandments brings blessings, every time! Breaking divine commandments brings a loss of blessings, every time!”

D Todd Christofferson, Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, October 2014 General Conference
Indeed, the real manifestation of God’s love is His commandments.
...
A God who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist. A world without God, the living God who establishes moral laws to govern and perfect His children, is also a world without ultimate truth or justice. It is a world where moral relativism reigns supreme.
Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference

As we partake of the sacrament, we witness to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the brief sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.8

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Learn in Your Youth

Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
A group of young women once asked me, “What do you wish you had known when you were our age?” If I were to answer that question now, I would include this thought: “I wish when I was your age I had understood the significance of the sacrament better than I did. I wish I had understood the sacrament in the way that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland described. He said, ‘One of the invitations inherent in the sacramental ordinance is that it be a truly spiritual experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.’1””

Sacrament/Communion

Elder Peter F. Meurs, The Sacrament Can Help Us Become Holy, October 2016 General Conference
Our sacrament experience can be enhanced when we arrive well before the meeting and ponder as the prelude music is played.”

Elder Dale G Renlund, “That I Might Draw All Men unto Me”, April 2016 General Conference
"To draw closer to the Savior, we must increase our faith in Him, make and keep covenants, and have the Holy Ghost with us. We must also act in faith, responding to the spiritual direction we receive. All of these elements come together in the sacrament. Indeed, the best way I know of to draw closer to God is to prepare conscientiously and partake worthily of the sacrament each week."

President Henry B. Eyring, “The Holy Ghost as Your Companion,”, October 2015 General Conference“If we partake of the sacrament in faith, the Holy Ghost will then be able to protect us and those we love from the temptations that come with increasing intensity and frequency.”

Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, “That They Do Always Remember Him,”, October 2015 General Conference“The Sabbath and the sacrament become much more enjoyable as we study the stories of Christ. In so doing, we create traditions that build our faith and testimony and also protect our
family.” —Elder Claudio R. M. Costa, “That They Do Always Remember Him,” 101.



Francisco J Vinas, The Pleasing Word of God, October 2015 General Conference

“The moment we begin to remember Him and keep His commandments every day—and not just on the Sabbath day—is when the remission of our sins begins to gradually take effect and His promise of having His Spirit with us begins to be fulfilled.”
...
“What might be some of those vanities that can interfere in the process of receiving a remission of our sins and that are associated with keeping the Sabbath day holy?

"Some examples include arriving late for sacrament meeting without a valid reason; arriving, without previously having examined ourselves, to eat the bread and drink from the cup unworthily (see
1 Corinthians 11:28); and arriving without first having confessed our sins and having asked God for forgiveness for them.


“Other examples: being irreverent by exchanging messages on our electronic devices, leaving the meeting after partaking of the sacrament, and engaging in activities in our homes that are inappropriate for that sacred day."


Larry R Lawrence, What Lack I Yet?, October 2015 General Conference
A perfect time to ask, ‘What lack I yet?’ is when we take the sacrament.”
...
“In this reverent atmosphere, as our thoughts are turned heavenward, the Lord can gently tell us what we need to work on next.”
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

James J Hamula, The Sacrament and the Atonement, October 2014 General Conference

[The sacrament] needs to become more holy and sacred to each of us. Jesus Christ Himself instituted the ordinance to remind us what He did to redeem us and to teach us how we may avail ourselves of His Redemption and thereby live with God again.
...
...the ordinance of the sacrament helps us faithfully endure to the end and receive the fulness of the Father in the same way Jesus did, grace for grace.



Cheryl A Esplin, The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul, October 2014 General Conference
24 For this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins.


A group of young women once asked me, “What do you wish you had known when you were our age?” If I were to answer that question now, I would include this thought: “I wish when I was your age I had understood the significance of the sacrament better than I did. I wish I had understood the sacrament in the way that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland described. He said, ‘One of the invitations inherent in the sacramental ordinance is that it be a truly spiritual experience, a holy communion, a renewal for the soul.’1””
...
The sacrament becomes a spiritually strengthening experience when we listen to the sacrament prayers and recommit to our covenants. To do this, we must be willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.2 Speaking of this promise, President Henry B. Eyring taught: ‘That means we must see ourselves as His. We will put Him first in our lives. We will want what He wants rather than what we want or what the world teaches us to want.’3
...
As we partake of the sacrament, we witness to God that we will remember His Son always, not just during the brief sacrament ordinance. This means that we will constantly look to the Savior’s example and teachings to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our acts.8
...
Our wounded souls can be healed and renewed not only because the bread and water remind us of the Savior’s sacrifice of His flesh and blood but because the emblems also remind us that He will always be our “bread of life”12 and “living water.”13



JST, Matthew 26:24


3 Nephi 18:7
 And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.