In our studies of the New Testament this week, we focused a lot on the miracles that Christ administered while on the earth and the humility that he maintained throughout it all. Throughout every situation of crisis, he remained calm and collected and never had an attitude of panic or despair. I've often asked myself how he was able to maintain such peace and I have come to realize that it is because he had such unwavering faith that he truly did not fear, only believed. I think of the dad of the dying child that waited for Christ to come heal his daughter and was distraught when Christ did not seem to have to same rushed agenda. How many times in my life do I feel that he just doesn't understand how much I need him, when really he is in charge of the situation and all I need to do is trust and believe.
Mathew 11:28 reads, "Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I remember my freshman year in college, my aunt gave me a plack to hang above my desk that had this scripture on it. When times were crazy and I was feeling stressed, I always remembered to put Christ first and someone everything would always fall into place. Christ is always there for us and his hand is always outstretched to us, we just have to be willing to accept it.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
YOU are a MIRACLE
This week as the leaves turned red and orange and the world began to transition from summer to fall, I began to ponder about what kind of changes I want to make in my life and what is necessary for my spirit to turn into something more beautiful. While reading in Matthew I stumbled across a verse that really struck me.
Matthew 8:31 reads,
"So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine."
These devils were so anxious to have a body that they begged Christ to let them enter into even the most thoughtless and dirty of creatures to accomplish this goal. This made me reflect on how many times I have complained or have heard others complain about the body that they have been given and the abilities that they possess. God does not make mistakes. Each one of us was so thoughtfully created and designed to accomplish certain tasks while on the Earth, and as we are grateful for what we have been given, we will more fully be able to tap into the divine potential that we possess. I think that many times we don't really what a miracle we are.
This stage of life that we are in can be confusing because there are so many questions and so much is left up in the air. What we do now can determine the course of the rest of our lives so I think many times through all the unsurety it is hard to recognize our strengths and all that we are capable of.
As I read in the Bible Dictionary about Miracles, I realize that each one of us is a miracle and God never ceases to be a God of miracles, so if we keep pressing forward without deviating off the course and relying on God's will we can have complete confidence and trust in God that he will make us all that he imagined we would be.
BD Miracles:
"Miracles are a part of the gosepel of Jesus Christ. If miracles cease it is because faith has ceased."
Matthew 8:31 reads,
"So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine."
These devils were so anxious to have a body that they begged Christ to let them enter into even the most thoughtless and dirty of creatures to accomplish this goal. This made me reflect on how many times I have complained or have heard others complain about the body that they have been given and the abilities that they possess. God does not make mistakes. Each one of us was so thoughtfully created and designed to accomplish certain tasks while on the Earth, and as we are grateful for what we have been given, we will more fully be able to tap into the divine potential that we possess. I think that many times we don't really what a miracle we are.
This stage of life that we are in can be confusing because there are so many questions and so much is left up in the air. What we do now can determine the course of the rest of our lives so I think many times through all the unsurety it is hard to recognize our strengths and all that we are capable of.
As I read in the Bible Dictionary about Miracles, I realize that each one of us is a miracle and God never ceases to be a God of miracles, so if we keep pressing forward without deviating off the course and relying on God's will we can have complete confidence and trust in God that he will make us all that he imagined we would be.
BD Miracles:
"Miracles are a part of the gosepel of Jesus Christ. If miracles cease it is because faith has ceased."
Friday, September 16, 2016
For God So Loved the World...
This week after reading John 3 and John 4 I had the chance to ask myself, am I like the rabbi or am I more like the woman at the well because the contrast is very distinct. I loved how the rabbi was a prominent social figure and was well known for being very righteous man, yet when Jesus spoke to him, he was not prepared to humble himself and accept what he was teaching immediately. The woman at the well was some what of a social outcast. In the worlds eyes she was a sinner, yet as she talked to Christ, she recognized him as her Savior and became an incredible missionary. I want to follow her example and forget about what the world thinks of me, and focus on humbling myself and being close enough to the spirit to recognize the Savior when he calls to me. I want him to know that I will drop everything and follow him.
John 3:16 states,
This week after reading John 3 and John 4 I had the chance to ask myself, am I like the rabbi or am I more like the woman at the well because the contrast is very distinct. I loved how the rabbi was a prominent social figure and was well known for being very righteous man, yet when Jesus spoke to him, he was not prepared to humble himself and accept what he was teaching immediately. The woman at the well was some what of a social outcast. In the worlds eyes she was a sinner, yet as she talked to Christ, she recognized him as her Savior and became an incredible missionary. I want to follow her example and forget about what the world thinks of me, and focus on humbling myself and being close enough to the spirit to recognize the Savior when he calls to me. I want him to know that I will drop everything and follow him.
John 3:16 states,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
I love this gospel so much and I know that if we truly believe and trust that through Christ we can be made perfect and recieve eternal life, we will want nothing more than to drop our nets and follow him.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Its symbolism is beautiful, and its consequences ever so desirable
I love studying about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. To me it is one of the most spiritual topics to study because it reminds me that although our Savior is perfect and almighty, he is also the most humble of all. He was born in a stable and was raised without luxuries of the world but remained focused on his mission every step of the way. While studying about Mary and Joseph in Luke, something struck me about the humility of Joseph that I had never noticed before. When he found out that Mary was pregnant, instead of treating her with disgust or anger, he chose to be a law abiding citizen and tell, but he didn't want it to be public and he wanted to protect her even though I'm sure the situation initially did not make any sense to him. Throughout the rest of the Savior's upbringing, he remained good teacher and father to Christ and always remained in the backlight, never demanding recognition for what he did. His example reminded me of other humble heroes from the scriptures such as Sam, the brother of Nephi, Hyrum Smith, Shiblon, and many more. All men who loved their God and desired to serve him, whether that meant receiving glory or not. I am inspired to humble myself, and give my all to the Lord so that I can stand blameless before him, even if the world will never know what I have done. In the bible dictionary, Satin as the father of lies and the enemy of all righteousness and his main purpose in this life is to keep us from achieving exaltation. This thought can be scary because Satin is powerful and we are so imperfect as humans, but as we read under Baptisim in the bible dictionary, all of our fears can be put to ease. It sttes, "Baptism s a most sacred ordinance, which a person, having received it, can remember throughout life as a reminder of the personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It's symbolism is beautiful and its consequences ever so desirable." The chance to become clean through Christ is available to all of us and the peace and assurance that He is with me at all times has brought me light an happiness in the darkest situations.
I love studying about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. To me it is one of the most spiritual topics to study because it reminds me that although our Savior is perfect and almighty, he is also the most humble of all. He was born in a stable and was raised without luxuries of the world but remained focused on his mission every step of the way. While studying about Mary and Joseph in Luke, something struck me about the humility of Joseph that I had never noticed before. When he found out that Mary was pregnant, instead of treating her with disgust or anger, he chose to be a law abiding citizen and tell, but he didn't want it to be public and he wanted to protect her even though I'm sure the situation initially did not make any sense to him. Throughout the rest of the Savior's upbringing, he remained good teacher and father to Christ and always remained in the backlight, never demanding recognition for what he did. His example reminded me of other humble heroes from the scriptures such as Sam, the brother of Nephi, Hyrum Smith, Shiblon, and many more. All men who loved their God and desired to serve him, whether that meant receiving glory or not. I am inspired to humble myself, and give my all to the Lord so that I can stand blameless before him, even if the world will never know what I have done. In the bible dictionary, Satin as the father of lies and the enemy of all righteousness and his main purpose in this life is to keep us from achieving exaltation. This thought can be scary because Satin is powerful and we are so imperfect as humans, but as we read under Baptisim in the bible dictionary, all of our fears can be put to ease. It sttes, "Baptism s a most sacred ordinance, which a person, having received it, can remember throughout life as a reminder of the personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It's symbolism is beautiful and its consequences ever so desirable." The chance to become clean through Christ is available to all of us and the peace and assurance that He is with me at all times has brought me light an happiness in the darkest situations.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
The Gospel is light and truth and happiness
This week I hit the 6th month mark of being home from my mission and it was kind of a surreal experience. On one hand it feels like I got home just yesterday and on the other hand it feels like the mission was another life time, almost like a dream. Hitting that mark made me reflect back on who I was at the end of my mission, the things I swore I would never go back to ( cough cough facebook, instagram, sleeping in, etc.), and who I had envisioned I would become. It made me look inside myself ask if I was reaching that potential, and if I was a better person than I was 6 months ago or had I fallen behind. Sometimes it's hard to be brutally honest with yourself. To be honest, I wasn't convinced that I had quite lived up to my own expectations that I had set for myself, and I could see all the little areas where I had fallen short time and time again...but then I started reading in John 1:11-12 which reads, "He came unto his own, and his own receiveth him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believeth on his name," and I was overcome with peace. I came to the realization that I had been relying on my own personal strength so heavily when what I really needed to be doing was drawing on the power of God to accomplish my goals and ambitions. Just like Moses failed three times before he finally asked in the name of God for help, I was trying to fight my own battle which is so much more challenging and ultimately impossible to succeed at. The gospel is light and truth and happiness and I began to feel a change in myself, just as I had seen in so many people in the field. As we heavily rely on the power and the light that Christ's Atonement brings into our lives, I know that we will become all that God has planned for us to be...which sometimes is not what we had envision...but it is always so much better.
This week I hit the 6th month mark of being home from my mission and it was kind of a surreal experience. On one hand it feels like I got home just yesterday and on the other hand it feels like the mission was another life time, almost like a dream. Hitting that mark made me reflect back on who I was at the end of my mission, the things I swore I would never go back to ( cough cough facebook, instagram, sleeping in, etc.), and who I had envisioned I would become. It made me look inside myself ask if I was reaching that potential, and if I was a better person than I was 6 months ago or had I fallen behind. Sometimes it's hard to be brutally honest with yourself. To be honest, I wasn't convinced that I had quite lived up to my own expectations that I had set for myself, and I could see all the little areas where I had fallen short time and time again...but then I started reading in John 1:11-12 which reads, "He came unto his own, and his own receiveth him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believeth on his name," and I was overcome with peace. I came to the realization that I had been relying on my own personal strength so heavily when what I really needed to be doing was drawing on the power of God to accomplish my goals and ambitions. Just like Moses failed three times before he finally asked in the name of God for help, I was trying to fight my own battle which is so much more challenging and ultimately impossible to succeed at. The gospel is light and truth and happiness and I began to feel a change in myself, just as I had seen in so many people in the field. As we heavily rely on the power and the light that Christ's Atonement brings into our lives, I know that we will become all that God has planned for us to be...which sometimes is not what we had envision...but it is always so much better.
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