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.

Prepare For General Conference!

I'm really excited to hear the words of our Prophets this weekend! I found an article about why we should participate, and how we should prepare. Here is the article. I really liked a couple of the passages though and I wanted to share them.

"The more we treasure the words of the prophets and apply them, the better we will recognize when we are drifting off course—even if only by a matter of a few degrees.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This is some great counsel. We can all find area's where sometimes we slip, but if we are listening to our prophets and applying their teachings, we can correct things.

"We also need to exercise faith in God in order for us to learn from the messages and receive inspiration, President Eyring teaches. “You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it.”

We have 10 hours of inspired messages from Heavenly Father during this time of the year. All of the questions, struggles, or anything else that we would like help with, can be answered if we "listen for His message" in this conference.

It is easy to look at conference as a day off. It is easy to get distracted by something else going on. It is easy to sleep through them. When we do this however, we miss the protective counsel that is being offered to us. If we listen to the Prophet's words, we have no need to fear! I know we have God's chosen prophet on the earth today!

What Are You Looking For?

I found some passages in President Uchtdorf's message, "Looking for the Good" that I wanted to share.

"Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything. People have done the same with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its beginning. Those who look for the good will find a kind and compassionate people—a people who love the Lord and desire to serve Him and bless the lives of their fellowman. But it is also true that those who look for the bad will certainly find things that are not so ideal. Unfortunately, at times this happens even within the Church. There is no end to the creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity of those who look for reasons to criticize. They cannot seem to release their grip on grudges. They gossip and find fault with others. They nurse wounds for decades, taking every opportunity to tear down and demean others. This is not pleasing to the Lord, “for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16).... We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."

I thought it was interesting when I read about how people who look for the good in the church will find it. I have always wondered why it is that people blind themselves to the truthfulness of the Gospel, and hold to the things they have heard (generally not positive things). Then I thought of how I do this myself. I do it with people, things I am supposed to be doing, or with myself. Since I have read this message, as I have tried to look for the good things , it has been a huge blessing in my life! I find myself happier and more willing to do the right thing. The messages we recieve from our prophets bless our lives if we apply them! 

Truth

It has been interesting to see how I have changed over the course of my life, and especially the last year on my mission. In Alma 32 it talks about faith and how it grows and what it can become. At different times I felt like my faith was pretty strong in parts of the Gospel, and especially in the Gospel as a whole.

Just recently I have found a completely new perspective on things. Have you ever seen someone in denial about something. I used to hate it when the football or basketball team that I was rooting for lost. I would make excuses and blame it on other things. I conviced myself that they didn't really lose, they just got a bad deal from the refs, ect... But that doesn't change the truth that they did lose.

 I always knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints was true for me and other mebers, but didn't understand that it is just as true to everyone else. It is as true to those who don't believe it yet as it is to me. Sometimes we try to tell ourselves that a certain situation changes things (ie: bad calls by refs), but no matter the justification truth doesn't change because someone doesn't want it to be true.

When you can accept truth, no matter what it means, and be happy about it; it will change your life. You will find greater peace, happiness, and self assurance. The truth (especially of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Plan of Salvation) gives us something solid to hold to our whole life. There is nothing better than the assurance that we have a loving Heavenly Father who is watching over us, and the knowledge that if we obey, we will return to live with him and our families!

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's church on the earth today. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet, and we have prophets speaking to us today. I know the Book of Mormon is true. It is true for us all. Let us continue to share this great truth with everyone!

Online Missionary Work

Why in the world are missionaries online? This question is one that is really similar to what I was thinking when we found out that we would be working on Facebook and trying to share the Gospel through the internet. Facebook is something that has always been forbidden to missionaries, along with almost every website. So you can imagine our suprise when they told us about this. I was actually so shocked that I thought maybe they were playing a prank on us or something!

After about a half hour it started to sink in, and I started to think about all the possibilities this could present. The internet might be the best tool we have right now to get information out to people. Why not use this as a way to help people understand the happiness we all recieve from the Gospel? This could be a great way to get the truth to everyone!

The internet is full of things that will dull our spiritual sensitivity. It had many things that will turn people away from the truth because they do not completely understand. Over the last six years there was a study that has shown that internet searches of the word "mormon" have gone from 80 percent negative, to being 80 percent positive in some countries. The reason for this is that positive information about the Church is being spread across the web.

This is another effort to show the good. There are so many great websites that the Church has out right now: mormon.org, lds.org, youtube.com/mormonmessages, ect... We as (full-time and member) missionaries have an obligation to the Lord to share these things with our friends. This is an easy way to "...invite others to come unto Christ..." You can read more about this at Church News .

We can all do our part and share this wonderful message. Let's get the Lord's invitation to come unto him to all the world through the internet!

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!

The Restoration

I mentioned in my last post that the Lord promised us that even though there would be an apostasy, he promises a restoration in the "Dispensation of the Fullness of Times."(Ephesians 1:10) In the year 1820 this happened.

At the age of 14 a young boy named Joseph Smith lived at a time of "unusual excitement on the subject of religion" (Joseph Smith History). There were many faiths who contended with one another over converts. During this time of confusion, Joseph Smith wondered which of all the churches was right. He wondered which was the "one Lord, one faith, one baptism," that Paul talks about in Eph 4: 5.

Because of the difference in opinion, Joseph couldn't decide which church to join. He says, "the teachers of religion of the different sects understood the same passages of scripture so differently as to destroy all confidence in settling the question by an appeal to the Bible" (JSH). In his search for the truth he came across the scripture in James 1: 5 that says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." This scripture "seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of [his] heart.[He] reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, [He] did; for how to act [He] did not know..."

Joseph determined that he must ask God which church is true. So one spring morning, he went to a grove of trees and knelt down and prayed. In an answer to his prayer he received a vision from God and Jesus Christ! He says, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

His prayer was answered an he was told that while each church had truth in them, none of them had the whole truth. After centuries of being lost, the Lord's gospel would once again be revealed to his children. He was also told how he would be the Lord's servant in this work, he had been called by God to be a prophet. He was given the authority to restore Christ's church to the earth today.

This event has a great importance for the world! Christ's church is back! We have a prophet on the earth speaking the Lord's will to us today! I know this is true and you can as well!

Purpose of Scripture: New Testament

Why is the New Testament important to us? What does it tell us, and why does it matter what people wrote about 2000 years ago?

The New Testament is one of the greatest messages we have from our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ. It gives us hope, knowledge, and direction.  It builds the faith of anyone who will read it that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

The four Gospels tell us of the life and teachings of Christ. These are very important so we can grow closer to Christ through knowing what he was like, and following his example. After the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; we have many books that were written by some of the closest followers of Christ, his Apostles. They detail some of their journeys, their teachings, and the testimonies they have the Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

One of the greatest things that we learn from the New Testament is about Christ's Church. Not buildings, but the people of His church. Probably the most important thing that we learn, is how his church works. In John Christ says to his Apostles, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you..." (John 15: 16). We learn from this that the Lord chooses who the leaders of his church are, and he gives them the authority to act in his name and lead his church.

We also learn of the organization of his church. The officers in Christ's church are told to us in Ephesians:
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

   For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

   Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" (Ephesians 4:11-14)

The reason Christ needed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is so his church would have a "unity of the faith." Or in other words, so that everyone was teaching the same things. So Christ's doctrine wasn't replaced by man's ideas. So that every member of his church know's what they need to do to gain salvation.

Who is better qualified to set up an organization of a church than the person who churches are designed to follow, Jesus Christ himself? Without this perfect organization, people become lost. Without authority from Christ, it isn't his church.

I'm so grateful for the teachings of Christ. For the whole Bible, and especially the New Testament. The things that we learn in it are a blessing. I know this is true, 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/