The Reason Behind Conversion

D&C 88:22

For he who is not able to abide
the law of a celestial kingdom, 
cannot abide a celestial glory.

 

A new mormon message came out from a 2006 talk by Richard G Scott about rock climbing. He likens how some people go soloing, and it's very dangerous, versus people who go in groups or together with the right equipment, which is quite safe.

Just like rock climbing alone can be dangerous, living your life without the help of the Savior can have disastrous consequences. We all don't want to be 'that guy' who tells people that without the Savior they cannot truely be happy. They can be very happy people, you can indeed live your life just great without the Savior in it at all. I wasn't there, but I can safely say there were many happy and fulfilled people all throughout time in non-christian areas of the world, and will continue to be.

What is the truth though, is what we cannot see from our side of the veil. It is the fact that we cannot live in happiness for eternity without the Savior, Jesus Christ. His atonement ransomed us from sin, and his atonement allows us entrance to the Celestial Kingdom of God.

Dallin H Oaks put a very good point across which can be found in Preach My Gospel:

"We do not preach and teach in order to ‘bring people into the Church’ or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives. … We invite all to come unto Christ by repentance and baptism and confirmation in order to open the doors of the celestial kingdom to the sons and daughters of God. No one else can do this"

Rock climbing alone can be dangerous,
when we go prepared, we can be safe. 
This is like salvation.
When we want to be safe, and
return to God, we need Christ.

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Learning from Children

3 Nephi 17:21-23

And he took their little children, one by one, 
and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
And when he had done this he wept.

And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them:
Behold your little ones.

 

Elder Ballard, one of the Lord's twelve apostles in our day said of this scripture: "Notice that He didn't say 'glance at them' or 'casually observe them' or 'occasionally take a look in their general direction.' He said to behold them. To me that means that we should embrace them with our eyes and with our hearts; we should see and appreciate them for who they really are: spirit children of our Heavenly Father, with divine attributes".

I think it is important to take many lessons from these children. We need to always remember the simple humility that they posses. They were with God more recently than us, and still have that purity about them. They can be little devils, but they have no real pride or guile like we can often have. 

When we drop the technicalities, the 'what' and 'how's of a situation, and think of the reason 'why' we do things, we can see that some activities are more important than others. We can see what really matters, just as a child so often does. 

The boys in this video each learn
an important lesson which sticks with them
throughout their life. They learn that showing love
instead of playing tricks is more rewarding,
and teach many along the way.

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The Grain of Mustard Seed

Matthew 17:20

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,
ye shall say unto this mountain, 
Remove hence to yonder place
and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

I think in our lives we have changing levels of faith displayed. For every moment we have an amount of faith in a person or a thing or a principle based on our experiences with it. The above scripture declares that all we need to move mountains is faith as a grain of mustard seed. The picture above shows just how small that is; the seeds are usually 1mm or 2mm in diameter.

For me, the size isn't really what makes it, it is the fact that it is physical, and an object. Most likely used because in Christ's time that would likely have been the smallest conceivable object to the people, and yet they don't even have that much faith.

It says a lot to me that our faith isn't quite a tangible object, and we might think that we have a lot of faith, but in actual fact, we don't have as much as we had hoped. Joseph B Wirthlin (one of the Lords apostles in our day) says something similar, he likens it to a fire. Some people may feel like their testimony is strong, their fire is powerful, when actually it is only a candle flame compared to another person's roaring bonfire. This is applicable to faith too, we may feel like we have enough faith to overcome challenges, or to receive inspiration and revelation, but in actual fact it is not much at all.

When trials come, we need our faith to be as strong as possible.

The girl in this video learns the truthfulness of
the Book of Mormon, by asking and praying 
to God in faith. Her faith helped her find a crucial
answer; what can your faith do for you?

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Give Thanks Daily

Alma 34:38

Take upon you the name of Christ...
...live in the spirit of thanksgiving daily, 
for the many mercies and blessings which he doth 
bestow upon you.

I am trying at the moment to develop charity. I have realised this week a lot more of what charity is. Charity is essentially pure love, in the way that Christ would love somebody. When we do things for others without realising that it's either tasking our time and effort or other resources, and not minding it, it is an act of charity. 

I've always tried to be charitable by finding ways to do good, which of course is good, but I feel just as richly when I realise that what I am doing constantly for another is charitable living. When we develop an attitude of gratitude, we see the good in more and more people, and selflessly serve.

It's more often than not the small and simple things which we can be grateful for which help our perspective change. God has done so much for us in sending Christ for all men to be forgiven through. I hope each day I can recognise the small ways Christ's gift to me has blessed not only my life, but the lives of others I meet and serve.

 This video teaches us the things each day
we can be grateful for, and how that
brings happiness in hard times and in good.

"We should thank the Lord God in all things"

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Fear Not What Man Can Do

Moroni 8:16-17

I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear.

And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love

I was shown this scripture yesterday and I thought it was such a great scripture! It really helped me to reflect about just what our potentials in life can be. We can often get dragged down by the negative things, dwell on them too long and then fear. Many times in the scriptures and in modern revelation we are told that God is almighty and can overcome all things (because he created them!!) If we have faith then we can see this be fulfilled in our lives.

A little bit of faith can change any situation for the better, and allow healing and happiness for our souls.

Watch a video which teaches how faith can overcome
all fears and doubts we may have in this life.
God's love can surround us and make us better
and stronger individuals, who rely on Him.

Click to watch, and please share with friends!

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I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go

 

The bishop here in Maidstone has really felt the spirit from the World Wide Missionary Broadcast. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are taught to share good principles, morals and values that we personally have developed with our friends and family, to bring the same happiness into their lives that we enjoy. The church very recently broadcasted a meeting which presented and discussed multiple ways to share this joy with others, and how to become involved in the missionary program which is recognised world-wide.

Do you want to try and share your beliefs with others, or find more joy in serving? Do you know friends who could really use a better reason to smile, or chat? I feel that there isn't ever a good enough reason to not want others to enjoy the same blessings that you personally enjoy. I wish everybody I knew had the same happiness that I enjoy from my beliefs, and I want to be able to share it with everybody; however I recognise that comes little by little, not from big displays but from small examples and kind acts.

Watch a video from the broadcast on missionary work.
Without words, it teaches and speaks loudly of the ways

we as children of God can share joy with those around us.

Missionary work becomes easy when we see how normal it can be.

Click to watch, and please share with friends!

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The Family is of God

Something I wanted to share about this week is the family. I think it's very important to consider the lesson taught by 'The Family: A Proclamation to the World'.

When we think about the way we are as people, we cannot help but think that it is the way we were raised that has one of the biggest influences in our behavior, our attitude, even our thoughts. It's a good thing to live positively and happily, and that starts by how we think and act. If we want to be happy, we can do a lot to get there. There's a lot to be said for people who go through life looking at the downside of things rather than the upside; glass half-empty people.

I think about the way I was raised as a kid. I know that my parents reflected upon the words taught in the referenced proclamation. It teaches how we are all created in God's image and we are all his children. It teaches how we can inherit eternal life; in fact it is our destiny to do so. It tells of how important every single human life is. It shares the importance of marriage and having a husband and wife lead the family.

I am grateful for my parents example of sticking through it even during hard times, and their teachings supporting this proclamation that I personally had divine worth. They never gave up on me, and always supported me and encouraged me to do good things with my life. I felt love as they told me that I had a Father in heaven that loved me more than anybody else, and more than I could possibly imagine. This has caused me to always reflect back on what they have said, and be able to link that concept and fact to every decision I make.

I know that I am not just someone, but everything, to God.

Watch this video talking about the important 

responsibility of raising children in Faith.

Parents need to work together to bring the best out

of their children, and help them reach their full potential.

Click to watch, and please share with friends!

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