Plan of Salvation Part 2

Alright so who has ever wondered what really happens when we die? I know I have! The back half to my last blog gives us the answer to this question. Only through the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that has been restored to the earth can we find this answer. Well this is what happens. There will be a time when life on this earth will end and everyone will experience a physical death. By that I mean that our spirit will leave our bodies. When this happens our bodies stay here on earth our spirits go to what is called the Spirit World. In Alma chapter 40 verse 11 we learn this. The verse says this "Now, concerning the ^astate of the soul between ^bdeath and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are ^ctaken ^dhome to that God who gave them life." So if we were good in this life we will be happy in the Spirit World and if we were bad then we will be unhappy. We will remain here until the time of Christ's second coming. At this time we will be resurrected and our spirits and bodies will be reunited forever. This is also taught in Alma chapter 40 in verse 23 which reads "The ^asoul shall be ^brestored to the ^cbody, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a ^dhair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and ^eperfect frame." After the resurrection we will all come before our Savior and be judged according to our faithfulness to the gospel. To gain eternal life we must do all the things necessary to live the gospel. When we are judged we will be placed into one of three Kingdoms of Heaven.  In 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 40-42 it reads, "^aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the ^bcelestial is one, and the glory of the ^cterrestrial is another. There is one glory of the ^asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ^bstars: for one star ^cdiffereth from another star in ^dglory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in ^acorruption; it is raised in incorruption:" So if we have lived completely righteous we will be put in the Celestial Kingdom where Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live. There we can live eternally with our families. The Terrestrial is for people who didn't live as good as they could have. There is a third Kindgdom called the Telestial. This is a place for the unrepentant. All these places are considered heaven, but only in the Celestial can we live with God forever with our families. I know that the way we get there is through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ's Church restored on the earth today.

Plan of Salvation Part 1

Alright so today I want to blog about something that I have been teaching for the past 10 months or so, the Plan of Salvation. This plan is something that has got me through a lot in my life. It helps me understand why I am here on earth, what my relationship with God is, and what is going to happen after I die. These things troubled me a lot through my teenage years. I was always wondering what the point was to obey God's commandments and death always scared me a little bit.

So this what it is all about.....We lived with God before this life as his spirit children. He created a plan for us to come down to earth and get a physical body. Basically we needed a place to go out of God's presence to be tried and tested in mortality. So ofcourse he created the earth for us to live on. He then created Adam and Eve as the first people on earth. They lived in the Garden of Eden in a state of innocence. Eve was beguiled by the serpent as it says in Genisis 3:13 and ate the forbidden fruit. Adam also partook of the fruit and this is called the Fall. As a result of them eating the fruit they were cast out of the Garden and into world to experience things in mortality out of God's presence. Now they could have children and bring Heavely Father's spirit children to earth. Also, because of this fall all of us are mortal, so we all sin and will eventually die. To overcome this Heavenly Father sent his son. In John 3:16-17 it reads "For ^aGod so ^bloved the ^cworld, that he ^dgave his ^eonly begotten ^fSon, that whosoever ^gbelieveth in him should not perish, but have ^heverlasting ⁱlife. For God ^asent not his Son into the world to ^bcondemn the world; but that the world through him might be ^csaved." So through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be saved. He overcame physical death for us by his resurrection and suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and died on the cross for our sins. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and pains and our purpose in this life is to except that. Then we must have faith in him and excercise that faith. We need to be obedient to his commandments. We also need to get baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God. If we do these things we can live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for eternity in our families. I know that Jesus Christ performed the Atonement out of love for us. Tune in to my next blog to find out what happens after this life if we accept Jesus Christ or if we don't!

What Do You Desire?

Alright about a week ago I starting thinking a lot about desire. I don't have any clue why, but I did. I guess it started when I was reading in Mosiah Chapter 11. It was talking about King Noah and how wicked he was. In verse 2 of that chapter a phrase stuck out to me that reads "he did walk after the desires of his own heart." The reason he was a wicked king was because that is what he desired, wickedness. Then a few days ago I was reading the General Conference addition of the Ensign. I was reading a talk from Dallin H. Oaks titled Desire. It was a really good talk. It got me thinking a lot about what I desire while I am on my mission, in life on this earth, and after this life. While I am here in Tennessee on my mission my desire is to bring souls unto Christ. Some of my desires in this life are to have a good career, getting married, and owning a Chevy Camaro. However these earthly desires don't matter that much. The greatest desire we should have is eternal life. In Alma 29:4 it reads "I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their ^adesire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their ^bwills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction." I know this scripture is true. If we truely desire eternal happiness and we do the things necessary to get there God will grant it to us. One qoute I really liked from Elder Oaks talk was this "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming." So desires play a big role in what we become and where we want to be. So what do you desire?

"As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten"

Alright so I was looking through the talks from the General Conference in April. I read the one from D. Todd Christofferson and I really liked it. The title of the talk is "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten". He basically talks about how God knows everyone of us and that he has a plan for each and everyone of us. He shares a story that President Hugh B. Brown, who used to be in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and of the First Presidency. The story is an experience that President Brown has with a currant bush and being in the Canadian Army.(watch the video at the bottom) The moral of his experience is that he realizes that God is the gardener. He realizes that God loved him enough to cut him down a little and redirect his life and prepared him to be an Apostle. Elder Christofferson's talk  is about how God chastens us for three different reasons or purposes. They are: (1) to persuade us to repent, (2) to refine and sanctify us, and (3) at times to redirect our course in life to what God knows is a better path. I really enjoyed the whole talk. It really hit home for me. I know God loves us and sometimes he makes us go through trials for our good. He knows what is best for us. I have seen it in my life how God has directed me through trials and tribulations.

Here is a video of Elder Christofferson's talk at the April 2011 General Conference.

God's Creations

Well I couldn't really think of anything to write about today, so I figured I would just tell you about things I like to do and that I miss a lot. When I was back home, I really enjoyed being outside. I loved looking at all of God's wonderful creations. I loved going camping, hunting, and fishing. The outdoors is the best place to just relax and think. There is no doubt in my mind that God created everything in this world like it says in Genisis 1:1 "In the ^abeginning ^bGod ^ccreated the ^dheaven and the ^eearth." I love the mountains and trees. There is nothing like hiking to the top of a mountain and looking out over the rest of the valley at all the trees and animals. I know that God created this earth just for us. In 1 Nephi 17:36 it reads "Behold, the Lord hath created the ^aearth that it should be ^binhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.Behold, the Lord hath created the ^aearth that it should be ^binhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it." So this is how I possess it as the scripture says. I went camping and enjoyed the outdoors. I also went snowboarding in the wonderful mountains out west. Snowboarding is one of my favorite things to do. I miss it so much. I can't really do any of these things while I am on mission, but that's for a good reason. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. I know the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel and that is why I am missing out on these things for 2 years, so I can share that with people.

The Carnal Mind

First off I want to say sorry to anyone that reads my blog for not posting in awhile. That's probably not very many people, but anyways sorry. I got moved to Lebanon, TN and we haven't been able to get to a computer for a little bit. I don't have very long to write a post today, but I will write a better one tomorrow hopefully. So just a short  message for today. I was reading the Book of Mormon this morning and I came across this verse in 2 Nephi Chapter 9. It's verse 39 which reads "O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in ^atransgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that ^bcunning one. Remember, to be ^ccarnally-minded is ^ddeath, and to be ^espiritually-minded is ^flife ^geternal." I really like this scripture. What it means to me is that we should not yield to the temptations of the devil. He uses things of this world like money, cars, and other stuff to deceive us. Lusting after these things is being carnally minded and that leads to death. Now if we follow Jesus Christ and try to be as spiritually minded as we can, meaning always thinking good thoughts and doing good, then we will eventually receive eternal life. I know that's true and I know Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

Clear Blue Skies

Alright so the past few days Nashville has had some bad weather. The weather here is ridiculous! Yesterday was the worst. We went out walking because it had stopped raining for a little bit. We were trying to find this address of a person that wanted us to come by and visit sometime. Well it started to rain a little. So I busted out my umbrella to keep me dry. Then it started to rain harder. Next thing I knew we were walking through a river in the street up to our ankles, the wind started blowing really hard, and tornado sirens were going off! My umbrella didn't do its job. The only thing that was dry was my hair. It was pretty intense! I survived though. I tried to keep a good attitude and stay postive even though I was soaking from head to toe and would have rather been stayed inside. We made it back to our apartment in safety and got dried off and everything was just fine. Now today is a beautiful day with clear blues skies. That seems to be the trend here in Nashville. They have a big storm and then it is followed by a beautiful sunny day. Now I want to relate this to the Gospel. The big storm can be related to some sort of trial in our life. Something that just really gets us down. What we have to do next is endure it well. We can rely on the Savior and ask our Heavenly Father for help to endure through prayer. We need to trust God. The prophet Alma gives this advice to his son Helaman in the Book of Mormon. In Alma 36:3 it reads "And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their ^atrust in God shall be supported in their ^btrials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be ^clifted up at the last day." In this scripture it lets us know that we will be supported and lifted up at the last day. So this can be related to the beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies the day after the storm. I know that when a trial or trouble comes our way if we endure it well with a good attitude and trust God, we will receive a reward and better times will come. I know this because I know our Father in Heaven loves us and wants the best for us. He doesn't always make it easy, but that's because he likes to test our faith and wants us to learn and grow. I know he will never give us anything we can't handle with his help.

The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Today I didn't really know what to write about. So I figured I would just write about the thing that I try to share with people everyday, while I am out here in Nashville serving a mission. That thing is the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the most important message that I can share with people. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of this restoration.

First off let me tell you about the Restoration and why it is important. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and he loves us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is to help us live happier lives. He revealed that gospel to prophets ever since the world began. Our Heavenly Father always had a person here who could teach the Gospel. When Jesus Christ came to the earth he set up his church and taught his gospel in it's fulness. He taught this gospel to his apostles and gave them priesthood authority to run his church. When Jesus Christ was crucified and suffered for the sins of the world, his apostles tried to keep the gospel in line and correct. The Apostles were persecuted and many were killed. After this the people began to misinterpret things and changed some of the doctrines. This is why there are so many churches today.

So this is what happened, after many centuries the fulness of the gospel was restored. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, who was praying to find the truth. They told Joseph Smith that the fulness of the Gospel was not on the earth. They called him to be the prophet of the Restoration. They restored Christ's Church once again. More scripture was revealed through Joseph Smith that he translated by the power of God. This scripture is called the Book of Mormon. If you read and pray about this book and ask God if it is true you will receive an answer as it says in Moroni 10:3-5. I know this is true. I am so thankful for the blessings I have received through being a member of Christ's Church. I love sharing the happiness it brings to people everyday. I have seen it bring so much Joy to people on my mission.

Here is a video about Joseph Smith.

Repentance is so cool

Today I am going to talk about repentance. I think this is one of the greatest principles in the gospel of Jesus Christ. True repentance changes our hearts. When we except Jesus Christ as our Savior, this leads us to repent of anything we have done wrong. Which means we realize we are doing wrong, feel sorry for it, ask God for forgiveness, and never do it again. In Luke Chapter 15 it talks a little about repentance. It gives the parable of the lost sheep and the prodigal son. The parable of the lost sheep talks about a man that has 100 sheep and one is lost. It talks about leaving the ninety nine and going after the one that is lost. In verse 7 it reads "I say unto you, that likewise ^ajoy shall be in heaven over one ^bsinner that ^crepenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." What I get from this scripture is that repentance is a joyous occasion and that we will feel way better when we repent. The parable of the prodigal son is about a man that has two sons. One of the sons asks for his inheritance and leaves home and spends it on "riotous living". He decides to come home and ask for his father's forgiveness. The father is really excited when he comes back and throws a party. The older son was mad because he stayed and worked and kept the commandments, but his father never gave him anything for it. His father says to him in verse 31-32 in Chapter 15 of Luke "And he said unto him, ^aSon, thou art ever with me, and ^ball that I have is thine.
It was ^ameet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." So anyways what I am getting at is that we all need to repent each and everyday because it's the best. I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who will forgive us. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for our sins.

A Helping Hand of Service

I love helping people! I also love when people help me or my family. Little acts of kindness and service make the world not only a better place, but a happier one as well. The Bible and the Book of Mormon teach that service to your neighbors and friends is serving God. In Matthew 25:40 it reads "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have ^adone it unto one of the ^bleast of these my ^cbrethren, ye have done it unto me." And in Mosiah 2:17 it reads "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn ^awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bservice of your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." I know that these scriptures are true. This morning my companion and I got to go mow a guy's lawn that couldn't do it by himself because he recently hurt is knee. It felt so good being able to help somebody in need. As you may know, my mom was in an accident a little while ago. There has been so many people that have helped out my family. From bringing them meals to eat, to sitting at my mom's bedside, to doing fundraising carnivals. I am so thankful for all of this. It brings me so much joy. I know this is all done because of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what it teaches. I know that providing service to others is really providing service to God. I am so thankful that I am serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and able to provide service for people each and everyday. It brings a great spirit. I hope that we all can find ways to help others.

Word of God

Alright so I read 1 Nephi chapter 8 this morning and thought I would talk about it. First off it is an awesome chapter in the Book of Mormon. It is a vision that Lehi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, receives in a dream about the tree of life. He basically sees a path leading to a tree that has some really good fruit on it. He goes and partakes of it and it is sweet above anything he has ever had. Lehi desires for his family to partake of  it. He sees a couple of his sons and his wife and calls for them to come have it. This whole thing kind of takes place in a very dark and dreary place. Lehi also sees a rod of iron that goes along the path that leads to the tree. There are many people that are pressing forward holding on to that rod and coming to partake of the fruit. He also sees a large and spacious building where the people are laughing and scoffing at the people who were at the tree. Some people decided to leave the tree and go to the large and spacious building. Lehi's son, Nephi, a couple chapters later in chapter 11 sees the same vision and the Spirit of the Lord helps him understand what everything represents. The iron rod represents the word of God. The tree of life represents the love of God or eternal life. The large and spacious building represents the pride of the world. So the moral of the story is that following the word of God and staying on that path will get you to feel the love of God and eventually you will receive eternal life. I have definately seen this in my life. Staying on the strait and narrow path and listening to the word of God has really helped me. Living in Las Vegas, there is evil all around you, but when I read my scriptures and listened to my parents I was able to stay away from that evil. I noticed when I was living the gospel I was happier and I could feel the love of God in my life. If you get a chance read 1Nephi chapters 8 and 11.

Prayer is the Best

I don't really know how to blog. So just bear with me. Tell me how I do. For the past few weeks I have gained a great testimony for personal prayer. I know it works. I read a scripture recently about praying with full energy of heart. It's Moroni 7:48. It reads "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^apray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true ^bfollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall ^cbe like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be ^dpurified even as he is pure. Amen." I love that phrase "full energy of heart". That is something that have been working on for the past couple of weeks. Praying for help from God in the troublesome times really helps. Praying with all the energy you can having a real desire and charity for others helps Heavenly Father know that you really want something and is more likely to help you. I have been praying a whole lot for my mom lately because she was in a bad accident. I know that our Father in Heaven is watching over her and she is getting better and better everyday. I know that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and if we pray to him with a "full energy of heart" he bless us with the things we need.