How well do we know ourselves?

There are many things in life that we wonder about, even question. Where did I come from, why am I here and where am I going? These three questions are always on people’s mind. The need to find this information for ourselves if nearly if not absolutely critical to the sanity we seek. That is true introspection. If we don’t find or accept our own personal answers to these questions we are incomplete and unable to resolve the importance of our own life.

That is not the only thing that we need as an individual. It is inherent to our natures to know who we really are.

How well do we really know ourselves? Is it true to say the we still don’t know everything about ourself? I would have to say yes. There are still parts of ourselves that we cannot face or do not know are a part of us.

Experience has provided us a clear picture of how well people really don’t know themselves. In an effort to gather personal details we have a list of the true and what we want to be true.

Either a person is arrogant toward their own accomplishments or self-defeating. The inherent nature of mankind is to see after power and prestige, honor and praise from their peers. The nature of man is to seek after wealth at any cost, step on others, lie, and take advantage of others when they make mistakes or say something that will benefit us.

Be honest and ask this question of yourself… How often would I return a one dollar bill to the rightful owner if I saw that person drop it? What would happen if you were to find $1000 and you didn’t know who the owner was? Would you turn it in to the police? Would you see the owner of that money? Would you even go to the length of putting out an add in the local paper to have the claimant describe the most likely place the money was lost and contact the police for the actual location?

How would you react if someone didn’t charge you for a meal on a ticket in a restaurant by mistake? Would you point it out to the server or would you actually leave it quiet, after all it was a mistake in your favor? Why tell anyone else if it were not true?

I have heard rumor among my peers and in various conversations that William Shakespeare was actually not a real person but a concocted machination dreamed up out of the minds of the likes of John Wesley or John Wycliffe. The reasoning behind this, as was explained, was to convey or teach the people, the huddled masses, correct principles in a manner that they would understand, to brain wash them or control their media, to teach them the ways of the benevolent and the enlightened.

I believe that William Shakespeare was a real individual who tried to help people understand what being human was all about. The different foibles of life and the difficult decisions that we have to face everyday are like, and how to deal with them. After all, isn’t art an expression of current events and the artist’s feelings toward those events? Having diverted on this tangent, I want to explain why…

The play Hamlet portrays a few words of wisdom to the listener, “This above all: to thine own self be true,/And it must follow, as the night the day,/Thou cans’t not be false to any man “. We are warned that we should not be false even to ourselves or we deceive ourselves and provide a lasting diatribe to humanity that we are false and unable to show even the most clear sense of self. We must know who we really are. Christ stated that we should clearly take the beam out of our own eye before trying to take the mote out of the eye of our “brother”. His knowledge of wood and the splintering capabilities of this material are clear. If we go against the grain of what is foundationally true, not interpretatively true (as some will say, it is Ok to use Drugs or smoke on occasion because it is my life), we pay the consequence of our action. It is impossible to lay the burden on someone else, even the one that enticed us to partake, because the decision ultimately lies with us.

True humanity is dealing with reality, the one that we create by our choices, not one that is predestined because God knows all from the beginning to the end. He only knows the results that will come about by the decisions that we make if we remain on any particular path. He is NOT STUPID!!!!! His knowledge of life and the choices we make are so clear to Him because He has been there before.

Just like our parents were teenagers once, they know what types of things turn the heads of the teenage mind and the things that most teenagers think about during those years. This is our youth in eternity. We are sent here to see if we will follow the plan that we supported before we arrived here. The challenge that we have is, are we willing to submit our will to the Will of the Father? Are we willing to say, “Thy will be done, and not mine“. It is not a choice of whether it is our life or not, because it is NOT!!! Rather it is a choice of whether we will keep the commandments that God has laid down for us. He knows the real path; he has run the road and will not ever lead us astray from absolute true (which does exist, by the way, for those that think it doesn’t), but wants us to learn all absolute truths as they are, not as they can be interpreted by man.

We are adolescents in the perspective of eternity, and God is a fully grown adult that knows everything that will result from stupid choices and misguided or rebellious attitudes. We are free to choose His will or not. The agency is expended now comes obedience to that agency or disobedience as an antithesis to the absolute truth that is God and His ultimate plan.

I know that His plan is true and sure. There is nothing that can dissuade me from it. That is a fact of life. I have chosen, like Joshua of Old, …as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

A Brand New Year for Youth everywhere

A good place to see what is great and wonderful. It is most marvelous to think that the Lord wants the youth to know he is still “cool”.

Enjoy these songs, they really make a difference.

Jeremy

The Restoration of all Things…

God in his infinite wisdom gave us the hope that all things would be restored to their proper form and function. ALL things will be restored and then brought up to date or revealed from the beginning of time.

What is restoration?  Well according to the Online Dictionary, restore means:

"To return to live, bring back, repair that which is torn or broken, and bring back into original existence [paraphrased from various definitions found here... "Restore"]"

All of these definitions stand clear and also pertain to the restoration of the Gospel. We lost it, it was torn from our midst, it was broken (priesthood authority was severed). and other things.

The gospel was lost through persecution. The people stoned and killed the prophets. They were crucified, stoned, and murdered one by one, and eventually that power they held was lost for a great time. The dark ages were literally a time without the light of God on the earth. There was little or no progression and development.

The age of enlightenment was the beginning of blind acceptance of a gospel of men, preached to the masses without their knowledge of the truth. Those truths were lost to mankind or corrupted. The rites of the priesthood were twisted to fit the needs and desires of those that preached. Reformation-ists came along and tried to say that the truth was not contained in the Church of the time.

We find peace in knowing that God did not leave us alone. He prepared various families in advance, who were faithful and earnestly seeking for the truth to play a part in the restoration of all things. The blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness were long overdue to the people of earth. We needed His intercession on our behalf to get that done.

In 1820 a young man decidedly studied the words of God, frequented as many meetings as his strength and time would allow him to attend of various religious beliefs and determined in his mind and heart that he would ask God directly, after all God did tell him to do that… "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 (Epistle of James 1:5)."

In such a vivacious time this young man became enamored with knowing which had a fullness of the truth and to which he should join. His answer was to ask God who was the fountain of all knowledge. This determination of a 14 year old boy showed great courage, because not many young men today would go to such lengths to know the truth, but rather would exert just as much power to hide the truth at any cost.

In any case, the Lord saw fit to clarify once and for all the biggest debate among the world religions. Who is God and how does Christ fit into the picture.

Joseph Smith Jr. prayed to learn which church to join and to know where truth lay. In this one event came the most sublime and blessed event in modern human history, God the Father AND His only begotten Son in the Flesh, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. God spoke to Joseph calling him by name and introduced Jesus Christ personally to the world once again. Joseph Smith Jr. though a boy received the ultimate witness of the divinity and distinction that God has and is.

God is the father of our spirits, the spirits of all men who have lived on the earth. Because we are His children, we are all brothers and sisters one to another (spiritually). He is our Father, there is no distinction between us and the 4th world countries of this earth. We are created in His image, we resemble him to an extent. He begat Jesus Christ in Spirit before he came to this earth as Jehovah, God of the Israelites, and as Jesus Christ in the Flesh. That is how Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father, not in spirit, but in Flesh! We are his brothers and sisters in spirit. We all hail from a royal line, God the Eternal Father.

This was reaffirmed by Jesus to his disciples, "And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God AND Jesus Christ whom thou has sent (emphasis added)." He is not referring to himself in both words here, for that would confuse, and that was not his purpose, but rather he is saying that He and His Father are two people; distinct in their reality, but united in bringing mankind unto salvation and "life eternal."

Whether the world chooses to believe this or not is up to them, but it does not diminish the fact that it is true. Why would the Savior pray to himself and ask for his own blessings. He did not do these miracles to glorify himself, but to glorify the father. Jesus asked his Father only to glorify him with the glory that he had before he came to earth, because he had been perfect in life, and only to give the ultimate glory to God anyway.

I know these things to be true. The reflect that all things have been restored to earth exactly as they were when Jesus setup his church on the earth during his own personal ministry. We now have access to all the blessings and rites that were part of the ancient church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His kingdom on the earth and it contains the fullness of the truth, restored to us through a prophet, the only functioning church with a prophet and 12 apostles found on the earth.

Such is the power to act in His name. It is just and true. In His Holy Name, even Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Thinking about resolutions…

When that time comes to incorporate changes in our life because we have determined to change or better something about ourselves, it behooves us to look deeper into our hearts.

In the effort to modify our personal lives, we must also remember that our changes must not interfere with the progression of those that we lead. It is a good thing to resolve to do something good, as long as we don’t jeopardize the lives and testimonies of those around us. Talking about the Millennium today brought something back to mind that involves us all. The time is today to prepare to meet God (to quote a good Book of Mormon Prophet).

The Millennium is a time for pure service for the living and the dead, for all who are left after the cleansing of the earth. There will be no temptation, no pain, no war, no suffering and no wickedness. There will be nothing to distract us from the work that God prepared for us. The true purpose of the millennium is this: Serve in the Temple and Serve in the Mission Field.

The millennium is not a time to perfect the saints. That time will be passed. If for some reason we feel that we are not in a condition to be among those who are serving we had best move to the front of the class when it comes to repentance and faith. It is not enough any more to just be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is not enough for us to do just the little things anymore, yet those things are still important. It is time for us to begin dedicating more time to advancement of the Kingdom of the Lord.

The Lord to Peter, "… when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren…." We must prepare to meet God now. Our time is running out, though only the Father knows the time. It has also been stated in church historical records that the work will move forward when we as members take the kingdom on our shoulders and move forward. The world will see a great wave of righteousness and value centered change come over it. The millennium will come when we elect to usher it in.

Our is the responsibility to bear the ministry of the priesthood and preach the gospel to all nations of the earth in preparation for the Lord’s Second Coming. We will cut short the wickedness of this life by righteous living. Many opportunities will be provided for all of us to share our testimonies and begin the transition from a teaching and training church to a serving and loving church. It is now time to move forward with the greatest opportunity of all, bringing the Lord’s love forward to all mankind. We cannot do this fully or with clarity as we become bogged in our own personal interests that we forget the Father’s work.

We get carried away in the moment and forget the most important thing, just as Mary and Joseph during the time of the Passover feast and Christ’s personal growth when he understood his calling fully. We like the parents may be days ahead of the real journey because we think someone else is going to take care of what has been entrusted to us.

When we finally realize it, the time will be very late and we will have to pass through many days of affliction (worry) because of our endowment (in the case of Mary and Joseph, the Son of God. In ours, our testimony and dedication to the truths and covenants of the gospel.).

What kind of a legacy are we leaving for those that follow? How do we treat those around us, and how do we treat ourselves? Do we speak the truth inside or do we whisper outside the truth.

Keep the faith by doing the commandments. It is great to know the gospel was restored for us today. Hopefully we can make a difference in the lives of many and make sure there is a blessed spirit about us.

The Church is True and we have living prophets today that lead and guide us. Their words will help us do the things the Lord has asked us to do.

In Christ’s name, AMEN.

Christmas is…

A time for family, friends, and remembering the Gift of God to us. The Word of God came down to us in the form of a man to carry out the superfluous act that none of us had the ability or capacity to do by ourselves. We have no ability to raise ourselves to God personally, we can approach Him in prayer, but cannot enter His presence until the Son brings us to Him and introduces us as a sanctified individual.

Like the Children of Israel at the base of the Mount, we are asked to purify ourselves and prepare to enter the presence of the Lord. His is the way to eternal life and salvation. This was Jehovah, the God of the Israelites, the Great I AM. His law was given to an unprepared people, who, in their desire to worship something (having just left 400 years of bondage in Egypt), built a golden image and began to have a laciviuos party at its base.

Moses, having entered the mount to speak with the Lord received the law of life. This law was a law of spiritual rites and faith. He arrived and encountered them in their frivilous behavior, and literally tossed the book at them. The law was lost to their unrighteousness, and Moses returned into the mount to receive the law of outward ordinances and letter-living law.

This law had to be fulfilled, so in the Meridian of time the Lord of all came among men as a tiny babe born of a virgin mother and an immortal father to us, the children of men. We received this gift in fanfare and absolute truism. He came down to affect the plan of the Eternal God, His Father and our Father. The God of all and Father of our Spirits gave His only Begotten Son to us for as a ransom for sin. It was to reject the effects of the original sin of Adam and Eve from because of their disobedence in partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and take upon him the powers of Death and Hell alone to save mankind.

In this proper power of life and light he preached the original gospel given to Moses the first time coming down to the people from off the mount. In great effort and in some incomprehensible way He (Jehovah in the Flesh, Jesus the Christ) took away the pains of all mankind and suffered both body and spirit that took our pains away, and gave us the opportunity to reach eternal life. Our immortality made sure through His sacrifice, every human being that has ever lived, lives or which ever will live on this earth will have that great gift through Him.

Our eternity in our own hands, judged by our obedience to His commandments and according to the willingness that we have to keep the ordinances (rites) of His church. I so testify that these things are true and faithful, in His name, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Christmas is the celebration of this great Gift from God’s own bosom and sent to us for a ransom because of sin. We love Him because He first loved us and continues to reach out for us still.

The first Gift of the First Christmas

What is Faith?

Today in a conversation with a friend. we found ourselves talking about Faith. When there is a knowledge of things there is no faith. I stated something that we have in the Bible Dictionary about faith. It is a principle of action and of power.

It is really interesting to see what faith really does for us. The first time we ride a bike, or go to school, we do it with an idea that all will be well, however, what we forget when we have done that thing is we no longer have faith in it, we have knowledge (I apologize for the run on sentences, I have limited time to do this).

Faith is the power by which the universe was created. The power by which the earth took form out of darkness and void was done by faith. Moses brought the children of Israel through the dead sea on dry ground.

My friend asked me if he could quote me on this and use it in his church sundayschool lesson and to help minister to a friend who is beginning to ask the “life” questions… Who am I?, Where did I come from?, What is the purpose of life?. The same questions that every human being asks him/herself. It is not unlike our first days away at college, the though goes through our head, “What am I doing and what have I gotten myself into?”

We cannot have a  knowledge of anything without the trial of our faith, in other words we need to use it, make the effort and then learn from the experience. That is how we put faith into action. Without it nothing can be done that is done.

Hope these words are as good for you as they were for my friend. I know that faith is a difficult principle to grasp as it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen which are true (Hebrews Chapter 11).

I know that Jesus is Messiah. We needed his intercession on our behalf, because, even if we are of the chosen nation (Judah) we still must approach in faith before we can receive the witness or the knowledge of the truth. He loves us and He paid a dear price for our progress. We only need do as He has done to experience what He experienced.

Jeremy

What it means to serve…

I ran across a video from a family memeber that showed the real side of service. It was a touching end to a long day.

Please share it with your friends, and maybe we can make the world a better place. It benefits to pay it forward.

Watch this short video clip and then determine to “…go and do thou likewise…”

http://www.stservicemovie.com

Please comment on this when you have a chance.

Temple Power…

Many wonder why the Mormon culture integrates so much about families. We are a huge family church, but we are most noted for our temple building across the world. This is a commandment from God. We prepare and seek out family names that we may take to our temples and provide vital saving ordinances for them (1 Cor 15:29).

This seems very strange for others, even though all Christians in the world believe that Jesus is their Savior. The best example of vicarious work in the world. He performed the most significant and poigniant offering that has ever been or ever will be offered in the history of the world. This vicarious work enabled us as children of God to receive a gift of life and salvation (two separate things), life in the ressurection, and salvation – life as heirs of the kingdom of God along with the Savior as promised in the New Testament.

Without the specific ordinances of Baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 16:16). God our Father wants us to return to His presence and we need these to “fulfill all righteousness” as the Savior taught. We cannot be saved without them.

We want those who had no opportunity to receive these saving ordinaces to have a choice, but seeing as they are not able to perform their own corporeal rites we do it for them and allow them to either accept or reject this work. We will not be held accountable for not doing the work because we think they may or may not want it done. That is not for us to decide, but rather their own, and the judgements of the Lord in the time of reconcilliation of all men (last judgement) will be equal, because the choice is now theirs.

We have a great opportunity to perform these rites for those who have passed on. We are making sure that they are given opportunities to grow and have the same advantages that we do. We serve them out of love because we want them to be blessed.

Yesterday we went to the Temple with a group of youth to perform these ordinances for passed family members. The youth were very touched by this work and pleased that they could provide them with happiness.

I love this work and know it to be true. God loves us all and wants us to work with those that have passed on. The blessings of our Heavenly Father are not reserved to a select few, they are for all those who will listen to his words.

Take a poll of the first time you went to the temple. Please share general experiences, as sacred experiences are inappropriate for this venue.

Personal Testimony (Portuguese)

Quero prestar o meu testemunho do Salvador e a igreja dele. Ele vive! Desta verdade estou seguro. Sei que ele sofreu pessoalmente para mim, morreu e foi ressuscitado.

 

Sei que o Joseph Smith Junior foi e é profeta de Deus. Sei que ele recebeu a revelação direta do céu para clarificar o argumentação sobre a natureza e o caráter do Deus e Seu Filho, Jesus Cristo.

 

Sei que A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos-dias é A Sua igreja verdadeira e viva. A igreja dele é viva porque temos um profeta e apóstolos que recebem a comunicação constante do céu por meio da revelação.

 

Sei que Thomas Spencer Monson é profeta do Deus e ele conduz-nos hoje. Também, sei que o Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro e foi traduzido pelo dôm e poder de Deus atravéz do proféta Joseph Smith.

 

O Livro de Mórmon é outro testamento de Jesus Cristo durante o nosso dia junto com a Bíblia. Sei tudo isso por meio da oração pessoal para Deus. Ele mostrou isso pelo seu Espírito. Tambêm póde recebé-lo pelo Espírito.

Portraying The Christ

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was like when he walked the earth? Is there every at time in your life that you wish you could have known him? I feel the same way. It is a difficult task to believe at times, and may reflect the faith of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted because he did not see. Yet the reality is we have few witnesses of the personality and true character of this Jesus, whom God sent.

After debating long and hard with my own personal doubts, I came to the conclusion that I needed to learn more about Jesus Christ, and become acquainted with his character. His life is a good example of turmoil and triumph. He loves us because that was the purpose he was sent to do. He loves us because he is a God; a true deity incarnate. His life represents a huge area of reality for all of us. We can be like Him. We can do as he has done. We can learn who he is and how he was.

I express to you my knowledge of the compassion and love that Christ has for all. He did not concern himself with his own needs, but rather the needs of others.

Several months ago, I sheepishly agreed to play the part of Jesus Christ in a local musical drama in my town. An interfaith production, nicknamed Convenio and entitled “The Crown and the Glory“, tactfully and lovingly portrays the last life of Christ. His character is something of an enigma, yet is very palpable. It is so tangible, I have come to love my Savior with much more enduring faith. I can say, I have wept in bitterness as I have interacted with Peter, who denies the Christ. How many times have I denied Him? I can tell you of his pain in Gethsemane, as he bled and suffered for me, little old me.

I can tell you of his sorrow while the people called out for his death, and his pain as he was tortured and bruised for our iniquities. With His stripes we are truly healed. His power extends and transcends the grave in all reality. I testify to you that He lives, just as surely as He lived in the flesh. I know this of myself and stand as a witness of His reality in all the world. Yet when I am faced with trial and tribulation, how frequently do I run from Him because it is “too hard” to live this way or that way, or this person or that person offended me.

As one of the lines in the production states, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.” It is true, we run from him because we are afraid of ourselves and we are too selfish to give up our own feelings and bask in His love. Pride is a personally destructive counterpart to Peace and Faith. I know that Jesus Christ suffered in agony in Gethsemane for me! I know that He is the vine from whence comes life. I have faith in His words, though I have not tried them all yet. I hope beyond hope that I can adequately purge my life of the incongruities and inconsistencies that lead to heartache or personal pain because I am so full of personal pride.

I have gained a rather poignant understanding of His pain, and the sufferings He has borne, though not to any extent that He did. I making this declaration I am in no way saying that I am similar to Christ in His suffering, or that I know His suffering, yet I know my own as I kneel in portrayal of Him. I weep in my soul because of his sacrifice for me, I am awe struck because of His love for me.

As I represent Him floods of my own personal pain overwhelm me because of my inadequacies and personal struggles. His was a life of love and triumph through pain. He taught us patience, compassion and love all through His life. He stand supreme, my Lord, my God, even Christ Jesus. I witness of Him and His love. It is a real as my love for my own children.

He “… is the way, the truth, and the life.” Of this I am absolutely certain. Have faith in His word and keep his faith alive through personal commitment to live every word that proceeds outward from His mouth, and His living oracle on earth. I affirm and testify to these truths in His name, even Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.