Qualified

Qualified- having the abilities, qualities, attributes, etc, necessary to perform a particular job or task.

This is an interesting word. When someone applies for a job, they have to be qualified for it. They have to be able to do the job well, or the employer will choose someone else. If you want a drivers license, you have to be qualified to drive. In any instance, if you want to be trusted by someone you have to qualify for that trust.

Without being qualified though, we have no room to act or decide. Sometimes we try to venture into things that we are not qualified for, and we are hurt because of it. If you were to go to an unfamiliar forest that was easy to get lost in, you would need a guide who knew the area well. The guide would have to know the path to take and the dangers along the path. If someone claimed to be a guide and they weren't qualified for it, you could get lost or seriously injured. It is the same way with life. If we aren't qualified to lead and we try, we can lead others along the wrong path. The world is a place with many paths, and many guides. Not all of the paths are correct, and not all of the guides are qualified.

In the journey of life, look to those who are qualified. God is the only person who knows the right path, and those who he qualifies are his prophets. They have the knowledge of what we need to do, and where we need to go. Many claim to have the truth. In these days we have so many differing beliefs that it can be confusing. But what we have to remember is that no one is qualified to lead us through life except those chosen by God. People may find a different guides that seems to make sense, they may find different paths that look easier, but the only safe path is shown by the Prophets of God.

Heavenly Father has promised us that  if we ask him, he will let us know who is qualified. He asks us to read the manuals (scriptures) he has given so we are aware, and then to follow the guide that he has provided. I know we have a prophet here today. He is our guide through life.

Coasting Through Life

One of the hardest things for me on my mission is to see great people who don't care. They will give you the shirt off their backs, but they don't want to find out the truth. Maybe they never got answers so they stopped asking, or maybe they got the wrong answers. I don't know if I will ever know exactly why people don't even want to listen. Occasionally I wonder, "Am I ever like this? Am I ever afraid to ask the questions that will lead me to the truth?"

It is pretty easy to see that when you coast in a car, you start to slow down and eventually you will come to a stop. Spiritually we are the same. Often we feel like we are strong spiritually, and we decide we can ease off a little bit. We begin to coast through life, and sooner than we would like to think, we are spiritually stopped. The solution to this problem is simple, we have to accelerate to get moving again. But how do we accelerate spiritually?

We all know the feeling that we aren't getting better. We may even be reading our scriptures, going to church, and praying, but we still are not "accelerating." I want to focus on a scripture, Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." In this scripture we find the key to move forward.

We all have questions about life. Things like, why do I feel like ... when I do ...? Why is ... so hard? What should I do in ... situation? But I think a lot of the time we put them off or forget about them. To make our study, prayer, and church attendance better, we should take these questions to the Lord and then look for the answer. I know he does answer, and we can gain that boost of faith that comes from the experience. This will allow us to be "doers of the word, and not hearers only."

The Book of Mormon

There are many who claim to be a prophet. Christ even told us in the Bible that false prophets would come. He said, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matt 7: 15). With this warning, how are we to know what to believe? Christ gives us the answer later on in this chapter, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

One of the fruits that we have from Joseph Smith, so we can know that he was a true prophet, is the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of the dealings of God with the people in the America's. It is a history that begins in Jerusalem about 600 B.C. A prophet named Lehi is commanded by God to leave Jerusalem and he would be led to a promised land. They leave, cross the ocean, and eventually come to the land promised to them. Time passes, people listen to and learn of God. Many also reject the teachings of Christ. Prophets were called of God to teach the people and guide them to salvation. These prophets all testified that the Son of God would come and suffer the sins of all mankind. They also promised these people that Christ would show himself to him and visit them.

While Christ was on the earth he told the people in Jerusalem, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."  (John 10: 16) After his resurrection Christ came to these people in America, he taught them his gospel, he established his church among them. They had peace and prosperity for hundreds of years.

Eventually the people began to reject Christ's teachings again. They became wicked and killed Christ's followers. One last prophet named Moroni had the records of these people, written on gold plates. He buried these plates with the promise from God that they would be revealed to the world in the future.

Joseph Smith was shown by an angel where these plates were buried. He was able to translate them by the gift and power of God. It became evidence that God had called Joseph to be a prophet, to restore Christ's church on the earth today, and to lead all of God's children!

There is a promise in the Book of Mormon. Moroni tells us, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:4).

I can promise you the same, if you want to know if Joseph Smith is a true prophet, pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. You will receive the answer that it is. I know it is true. Our loving God has reached out to us once again. He leads us with a prophet that he has chosen. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is his church on the earth today!

Letting the Lord Teach Us

This is a topic that has been on my mind for quite a while. I think humility plays a large part in being "teachable."  The more I learn about pride and humility, the more I realize how easily pride can creep into our lives, and how quickly humility vanishes. In Helaman 3: 36 it says, "And it came to pass that the fifty and second year ended in peace also, save it were the exceedingly great pride which had gotten into the hearts of the people; and it was because of their exceedingly great riches and their prosperity in the land; and it did grow upon them from day to day.This story is shown many times in the Book of Mormon. People are righteous and they prosper, but they take the glory upon themselves and say in their hearts, "look what I have done!"

I wondered why this is. As I examine my own life, I often find myself resisting change for the better. It was a mystery why I did this because I want to become better and grow closer to the Lord. When I searched deeper I realized that I don't want to be wrong, and  changing would somehow (in my mind) show that I was wrong. It would seem to render everything that I had done previously of no worth.

This isn't how it works though. When we are able to trust in the Lord and do what he wants, we build upon what we already have. It doesn't make what we already know or do useless, it just adds to it and makes it better. I try to examine my life every day to see all the things that I did right, but then I look to see the ways the Lord has shown me I can improve. Let us all realize more the things that we have done well, and the things the Lord has already done for us. Then look forward to the things we might not know, the things we aren't sure about, and take a step of faith to let the Lord teach us.

The Great Apostasy of Christ's Church

So if Jesus Christ set up one church, why are there so many today? Where can we find the church that he set up? What happened to the church after the Bible stops recording the history of the church?

While Christ was on the earth he started his church. After he was crucified, his apostles set about building the church and bringing everyone to Christ. It was a great time of enlightenment for the people. They finally had the truth about why they were here on earth, and what they needed to do to be happy during this life. They learned, most importantly, the things they needed to do in order to return to live with their Heavenly Father.

As the church grew, it became more spread out. We read of seven churches (Revelation 1) of Christ, in different parts of the land. Being isolated they began to make small changes in the doctrine of Christ. When the apostles heard of this, they wrote letters to remind the churches the true doctrine of Christ's church and taught them the things they needed to be doing. The people knew who they could trust, because they knew Christ had given his apostles the authority to guide them. They were the "foundation" "And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;"    (Eph 2 :20)

The members of the church at this time endured great persecution. So great that the apostles began to be martyred, until they were all taken from the people. This authority wasn't able to be passed on to more people. The foundation of the church was gone! As a result the church began to deteriorate and just as a house with no foundation would, Christ's church fell. Despite the faithful members, error crept into the church. As Christ's divine organization was lost, the church lost the truth. This was foretold by many prophets. Amos talks about a "famine... of hearing the words of the lord: " (Amos 8: 11). This famine began and the church was no longer Christ's true church. This time in history is called the Dark Ages.

Many inspired men knew that something was wrong with the church. They helped bring this knowledge to the people. This period of time is known to us as The Reformation. Many people began to pick up the pieces that they could find that Christ talked about. But in doing this they would miss some of the important parts of Christ's Gospel. During this time people would "wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." (Amos 8: 12).
The fulness of Christ's Gospel wasn't on the earth. Instead of a reformation of the church, we needed a restoration by someone called of god.

The Lord promised us that he would restore his church to the earth again. John said, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people" (Revelation 14:6). I can promise you that this has taken place. We once again have the "everlasting gospel" on the earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prophets: Our Guide to Christ

What are prophets? What are they supposed to do? Why does the world need them?

The Lord has always called prophets. "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began" (Luke 1:70). Throughout the Old Testament we read of the lives of many prophets. They are Gods messengers to his children here on earth. Prophets are leaders of the people who desire to follow god. They reveal to us the will of God. We recieve commandments from them, encouragement, and guidance. They perform miracles, see visions, and make prophecies about the future. But the main purposes of a prophet are to build the Lord's Church on the earth and to testify of Christ. To tell the world of his coming, that through him is the only way that man may be saved. Without prophets, we never would have known about Christ, and we would not know the things that we need to to in order to return to live with him and our Heavenly Father.

What makes a prophet? Do men just decide one day that they are going to be one? Christ told his apostles, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you" (John 15: 16). God chooses who his prophets are and calls and ordains them. He gives them authority, or the power to act in his name (the priesthood). This is important because if a prophet is not "called of God," he is not a true prophet. Moses was called to be a prophet when he saw God in the burning bush. He became the leader of the Children of Isreal, and he directed them in the ways the Lord wanted them to go. Whenever the Lord calls a prophet to build His church on the earth it is called a Dispensation.

The reason the God calls prophets is that he loves us, his children. He wants us to know of him, and to learn what we need to do so we can return to live with him. Whenever prophets have been called, we see that people begin to listen to them. They are humble and are willing to be directed by the Lord. When people listen to the Lord, he blesses them, "And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you;" (Mosiah 2: 24). When this happens people tend to get prideful, and instead of saying, "Look what the Lord has done for me..." they say, "Look what I have done." There is no better exampe of this than when Moses comes down from the mountain with the commandments from God, and the Children of Isreal were worshipping a golden calf! We see this with every prophet. The people the prophet serves become wicked, and they reject his teachings.

If you were to give a baby a stack of 100 dollar bills what would the baby do with it? Probably slobber on it, eat it, and tear it up. The reason for this is even though we know that money is worth a lot, especially that much money, the baby doesn't. Our response to this dilemma would probably be to take the money away and let the child play with something more appropriate. The Lord does the same thing when people don't treat His prophet, and His gospel how he knows it should be treated, he takes them away. When this happens, His church is no longer on the earth and there comes a condition of Apostasy.

We see this happen many times throught the Old testament. The Lord calls a prophet and a new dispensation begins. The people listen for a period of time, but inevitably they become prideful and rebel. The Lord takes away the Authority to have his church on the earth, or the Priesthood, and Apostasy prevails. But because the Lord does love us, he always calls another prophet when the people are humble and ready once again to listen to him.

I am so grateful for the love the Lord has for us, the love so great the he calls prophets to lead and guide us. I know that he does call prophets, and they do have His Priesthood power. I know this is true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

For more information about prophets, visit http://mormon.org/