Awake My Soul

"O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me...My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions... He hath filled me with his love... He hath confounded mine enemies... Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge... And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high... O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin...? Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.... O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness...O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever!"    -Nephi  (2 Nephi 4 17-34)

Often over the past few months I have thought of this scripture and applied it to my own life. Why do I do the things that I know will not make me happy? Why is it hard to do what the Lord has asked of me? I feel like I can relate with Nephi when he talks about all the great things that the Lord has done for him. All the things that Nephi has learned from the Lord. But despite this, I still am not perfect.

I like towards the end however, where despite his faults, Nephi looks forward with faith and a desire to be better. This is what the Lord wants from us and is asking us to do. Leave behind the things that we have done wrong. Learn from them and trust in the Lord! Jesus Christ lives, and he is our redeemer! I know he is there for us. Herein lies true happiness!

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.