This post is going to seem scattered but I am going to be examining common challenges that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints face in day to day life. So here goes nothing :)
People sometimes complain argue and complain over petty matters in Church meetings and throughout the week. And honestly, this is really easy to do. I do it ALL the time. My poor husband has to sit through many a "vent session" about things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things. Philippians 2-18, 14-15 all allude to this. Basically these verses say that people who have been truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ don't look at things with a "me" attitude.
What is a "me" attitude? Someone with a "me" attitude only looks at something through the "how does this effect me" lens. Someone who is converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ has an "us' attitude. They are united with their brothers and sisters, working towards Zion. What could be more wonderful?
When we are children we learn what to believe from our parents. We follow their example. And for a while this is okay, expected even. In the eyes of children, parents are infallible. This couldn't be more untrue. Every single person on this Earth has made monumental mistakes, has sinned, and has felt like they are not worth rescuing. Philippians 2:12 tells us to "…work out [y]our own salvation with fear and trembling."
Even if you are blessed with goodly parents, you cannot risk depending on them for Spiritual strength, because one day they will be gone. One day, you will be alone in your struggles to stay connected to the Lord and you will need your own testimony and you will need to have worked out your own salvation.
Another thing that often happens to members in the Church is something that actually happens to investigators. Sometimes their journey to the true Church causes them to lose family ties. Speaking from experience, this is rough. And I don't mean "Oh you had a bad day rough." I mean gain 30 pounds from all the stress eating, become depressed and lose yourself for a while rough. After this happened to me Philippians 4:13 helped me so much. It says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." I joined the Church because I knew it was right. But just because something is right does not mean it is the easy choice. Often the right choice is the harder choice to make. Often the right choice requires sacrifice. To any investigator out there wanting to join the Church but are scared of your families reactions, I just want to say my heart is with you. I know that this decision is not made lightly. I can promise you something though, if your family really does cut you out of there life, one day they will realize what they have lost and come back to you. And when they do forgive them freely. Be an example of righteousness. This may take years but it will happen. Always pray for them. Always make sure they know of your love for them. It does get better. Just remember " [I] YOU can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you [me]."
In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 32:3 states, "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." By examining all of these common challenges in everyday life for any LDS person and applying scriptures to find the solutions we are practicing this principle!
Monday, February 24, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Live as Saints Should LIve
"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than we believed." (Romans 13:11)
I love this scripture. It makes me believe that my salvation is so much closer than Satan would have me believe. What makes salvation close? What do I need to do to attain my salvation?
I need to live a righteous life (Ezekiel 3:20). But what constitutes a righteous life?
According to Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, a righteous life is one that shows an obedience to the Lord's Commandments and one that endures to the end.
In Romans 12-13 Paul speaks a lot about the subject of salvation.
In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us that we should sacrifice our bodies to give service to our fellow men. Obviously he is not saying that we should physically sacrifice our bodies on an alter. I think here he means that we should sacrifice our time to our fellow men. Go out and bring that family a meal because they are having a hard time. Shovel your neighbors driveway (Just because). Give freely of your time and resources to others! To me, that is a Christian attitude.
In Romans 12:2 is a little harder to understand, at least for me (Going off of four hours of sleep…Yay for teething babies). Paul says, "And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." I believe what this is saying is that Saints must only allow the Will of God to influence their actions and spirit. Not the world.
Romans 12:9 states that Saints must love sincerely, seek out good things and avoid that which is evil. Fairly obvious. But I love the fact that Paul took the time to say we must love sincerely, don't feign your love. Mean it! Christ means his love for us, just as we should love others.
Romans 12:13 says that Saints should be hospitable, or welcoming to others.
Romans 12:16 says that the Saints should be humble, unified with one another (and God) and be wary of becoming Prideful. The idea of the pride cycle is one of the many reasons I LOVE the Book of Mormon. It demonstrates the idea of the destructive nature of pride.
Romans 12:21 is really interesting to me. It states that we should seek not only to overcome the evils of the world, but we need to seek to overcome the evils of the world with GOOD. I'm going to leave it at that. It is way to easy.
Romans 13:1 says that we should allow ourselves to be subjected to God's ministry (The Priesthood).
Romans 13:3 just expounds upon what Romans 13:1 teaches the power of the Priesthood and how it is connected to the Lord.
Romans 13:8 speaks of debt. We should avoid debt! It makes life much more stressful (Student loans anyone?) Romans 13:8 also teaches that we should love one another because someone who loves as Christ loves is fulfilling the law.
Romans 13:9 is interesting. It first lists the commandments given in the Old Testament but it tells us that all of these commandments can be placed under one umbrella and that is to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." It is just interesting to me. It seems like it is just repeating the previous verse. Loving as Christ loves fulfills all laws.
All of these things that I listed are important but who can honestly say that they are doing all of these things each and everyday? I would bet none of us can. It is important to remember this because so many times it becomes easy to judge us. Paul goes on to speak about this in Romans 14 and 15. He basically goes on to say that Heavenly Father is the judge not us. We belong to Heavenly Father and therefore he should be the judge of us. This is incredibly important to remember! In Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27 we are taught that we should treat others as we want to be treated. I know that I would not want to be judged for my shortcomings by anyone else other than the Lord.
Paul often referred to the members of the Church in this day is Saints. And I love this term. Saint is defined as someone who lives a life as exceptional holiness. When I first learned this I decided that I needed to work towards being worthy of this term. I don't think I have reached there yet but I am striving to do so each day.
I love this scripture. It makes me believe that my salvation is so much closer than Satan would have me believe. What makes salvation close? What do I need to do to attain my salvation?
I need to live a righteous life (Ezekiel 3:20). But what constitutes a righteous life?
According to Doctrine and Covenants 14:7, a righteous life is one that shows an obedience to the Lord's Commandments and one that endures to the end.
In Romans 12-13 Paul speaks a lot about the subject of salvation.
In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us that we should sacrifice our bodies to give service to our fellow men. Obviously he is not saying that we should physically sacrifice our bodies on an alter. I think here he means that we should sacrifice our time to our fellow men. Go out and bring that family a meal because they are having a hard time. Shovel your neighbors driveway (Just because). Give freely of your time and resources to others! To me, that is a Christian attitude.
In Romans 12:2 is a little harder to understand, at least for me (Going off of four hours of sleep…Yay for teething babies). Paul says, "And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." I believe what this is saying is that Saints must only allow the Will of God to influence their actions and spirit. Not the world.
Romans 12:9 states that Saints must love sincerely, seek out good things and avoid that which is evil. Fairly obvious. But I love the fact that Paul took the time to say we must love sincerely, don't feign your love. Mean it! Christ means his love for us, just as we should love others.
Romans 12:13 says that Saints should be hospitable, or welcoming to others.
Romans 12:16 says that the Saints should be humble, unified with one another (and God) and be wary of becoming Prideful. The idea of the pride cycle is one of the many reasons I LOVE the Book of Mormon. It demonstrates the idea of the destructive nature of pride.
Romans 12:21 is really interesting to me. It states that we should seek not only to overcome the evils of the world, but we need to seek to overcome the evils of the world with GOOD. I'm going to leave it at that. It is way to easy.
Romans 13:1 says that we should allow ourselves to be subjected to God's ministry (The Priesthood).
Romans 13:3 just expounds upon what Romans 13:1 teaches the power of the Priesthood and how it is connected to the Lord.
Romans 13:8 speaks of debt. We should avoid debt! It makes life much more stressful (Student loans anyone?) Romans 13:8 also teaches that we should love one another because someone who loves as Christ loves is fulfilling the law.
Romans 13:9 is interesting. It first lists the commandments given in the Old Testament but it tells us that all of these commandments can be placed under one umbrella and that is to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." It is just interesting to me. It seems like it is just repeating the previous verse. Loving as Christ loves fulfills all laws.
All of these things that I listed are important but who can honestly say that they are doing all of these things each and everyday? I would bet none of us can. It is important to remember this because so many times it becomes easy to judge us. Paul goes on to speak about this in Romans 14 and 15. He basically goes on to say that Heavenly Father is the judge not us. We belong to Heavenly Father and therefore he should be the judge of us. This is incredibly important to remember! In Doctrine and Covenants 38:25-27 we are taught that we should treat others as we want to be treated. I know that I would not want to be judged for my shortcomings by anyone else other than the Lord.
Paul often referred to the members of the Church in this day is Saints. And I love this term. Saint is defined as someone who lives a life as exceptional holiness. When I first learned this I decided that I needed to work towards being worthy of this term. I don't think I have reached there yet but I am striving to do so each day.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
A Different Jesus….
When I was in the process of converting to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the number one thing I heard from other people was, "Oh them? They believe in a 'different Jesus'!" For a while, I didn't understand this statement, but as I learned and grew spiritually I became aware that the phrase "different Jesus" alluded to the LDS understanding of the relationship between Faith, Grace, and Works. So many who are not LDS are under the misconception that we believe our good works are what allows us back into God's presence. This could not be further from the truth! It is through the Savior's Grace, his atoning sacrifice, that we make our way back home! No amount of kindness or charitable actions will do this for us!
I am going to confess something here, before I took this class I never read anything in the New Testament besides the four gospels and Revelation closely. I know, I know. I'm awful. But I am learning so much! This week we were assigned to read Romans 1-8 and boy did I get confused! It took a lot of close reading, a lot of repeated close reading of those eight chapters to really understand what was happening and what I was meant to learn from it. Here is what I have.
In Romans, Paul defines what the Gospel is and summarizes the laws that require obedience to for full salvation. Romans also explains the Law of Justification, how people are justified through faith AND works but most importantly through the blood of Christ.
In Romans 3, Paul states that all men sin. And we know from scriptures through out the Bible that no unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God. So no man (or woman ;) ) can be saved by works alone! Another component is needed! And that other component was provided by the one man who did live a sinless life! The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is that other component! He allowed himself to be crucified for us. His grace, his love, becomes the source of our justification. Hence the common phrase, "Saving Grace."
President Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, stated that:
I am going to confess something here, before I took this class I never read anything in the New Testament besides the four gospels and Revelation closely. I know, I know. I'm awful. But I am learning so much! This week we were assigned to read Romans 1-8 and boy did I get confused! It took a lot of close reading, a lot of repeated close reading of those eight chapters to really understand what was happening and what I was meant to learn from it. Here is what I have.
In Romans, Paul defines what the Gospel is and summarizes the laws that require obedience to for full salvation. Romans also explains the Law of Justification, how people are justified through faith AND works but most importantly through the blood of Christ.
In Romans 3, Paul states that all men sin. And we know from scriptures through out the Bible that no unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God. So no man (or woman ;) ) can be saved by works alone! Another component is needed! And that other component was provided by the one man who did live a sinless life! The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is that other component! He allowed himself to be crucified for us. His grace, his love, becomes the source of our justification. Hence the common phrase, "Saving Grace."
President Joseph Fielding Smith, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, stated that:
"There is a difference between the Lord Jesus Christ and the rest of mankind. We have no life in ourselves, for no power has been given unto us, to lay down outlives and them again. That is beyond our power, and so, being subject to death, and being sinners---for we are all transgressors of the law to some extent, no matter how good we have tried to be---we are therefore unable in and of ourselves to receive redemption from our sins by any act of our own. This is the grace that Paul was teaching. therefore, it is by the grace of emus Christ that we are saved. And had he not come into the world, and laid down his life that might take it again, or as he said in another place, to give us life that we may more abundantly we would still be subject to death and be in our sins…So it is easy to understand that we must accept the mission of Jesus Christ. We must believe that is through his grace that we are saved, that he performed for us that labor which we were unable to perform for ourselves, and did for us those things which were essential to our salvation, which were beyond our power; and also that we are under the commandment and the necessity of performing the labors that are required of us as set forth in the commandments known as the gospel of Jesus Christ."(Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:309-11.)
In his talk, "His Grace is Sufficient," Brad S. Wilcox is quoted as saying, "Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 3 Nephi 28:35)."
I try to do good things, not because I think that will get me into heaven. I try to be a Good Samaritan because that is what I believe my Savior would have me do. He would have me clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and give of my excess. Christ has asked us to "Love one another, as I have loved you." To me, this is what Good Works mean.
Our Good Works are not what get us into Heaven. Bringing a meal to friend is not what is going to open those pearly gates for me! So why do it? Why do I make brownies and bring them to my neighbor? Why do I offer to babysit for parents in my congregation without any compensation? Because I am trying to be like Jesus. Not because I think those acts are what is going to get me into heaven!
When I first joined the Church, I believed in Christ. Now after four years, I not only believe in him and believe in his message, I believe him.
Monday, February 10, 2014
January…
Ok. January has come and gone. And guess what? It was ridiculously cold.
Maybe not as cold as other places (Montana peeps, my condolences), but still cold! Any way, I have had a lot of people asking me to keep them updated about our lives as both of us are trying to unplug from the world of Facebook. So I am trying this whole "blog" thing again!
Back to January…
So I (Mandi) started the Social Work program this month and it seems to be going really well! I love all of my classes, professors, and peers! They are all incredible! I am incredibly grateful for the program and the experiences I am gaining in it! Something fun that we are doing right now is planning a big road trip to Nauvoo, IL to see Church History sites and do some fun sight seeing along the way! We discovered this website, roadtrippers.com on Pinterest (What did we do before Pinterest?) and it just kind of took off from there! We are really excited about it!
Jason is doing the Mr. Mom thing this semester because he isn't taking classes this semester! He is enjoying the time with Luci and the plentiful availability of nap times. :) Work is going really well for him! He just got a promotion which is helping us out quite a bit! He is also trying to work on a few new writing projects and catching up on his reading. I think he may be dreading the beginning of the Spring semester.
And now what everyone wants to know about, Luci! She is basically the most amazing little girl EVER! She is 15.5 lbs of gorgeous! Almost as much as her beautiful twin cousins. I used to say that my kids would Godzilla compared to my nieces and nephews, but as Matthew (my Brother-in-Law) pointed out,it might just be that my Luci-Lu is Godzilla any way, as she is in the 88th percentile… :) She is army crawling all over our teeny apartment, reminding me to vacuum! She is now eating "solid" foods and her favorite so far is Pears! She can eat an entire four ounce jar of that stuff! What a chunk! She has started getting up on her knees and trying to crawl that way but she hasn't quite reached that yet!
Kayli came to stay with us for about two weeks and it was great to have her up and get to hang out with my BFF. She's a catch guys. Just puttin' it out there!
Here are some pictures from this month!
Maybe not as cold as other places (Montana peeps, my condolences), but still cold! Any way, I have had a lot of people asking me to keep them updated about our lives as both of us are trying to unplug from the world of Facebook. So I am trying this whole "blog" thing again!
Back to January…
So I (Mandi) started the Social Work program this month and it seems to be going really well! I love all of my classes, professors, and peers! They are all incredible! I am incredibly grateful for the program and the experiences I am gaining in it! Something fun that we are doing right now is planning a big road trip to Nauvoo, IL to see Church History sites and do some fun sight seeing along the way! We discovered this website, roadtrippers.com on Pinterest (What did we do before Pinterest?) and it just kind of took off from there! We are really excited about it!
Jason is doing the Mr. Mom thing this semester because he isn't taking classes this semester! He is enjoying the time with Luci and the plentiful availability of nap times. :) Work is going really well for him! He just got a promotion which is helping us out quite a bit! He is also trying to work on a few new writing projects and catching up on his reading. I think he may be dreading the beginning of the Spring semester.
And now what everyone wants to know about, Luci! She is basically the most amazing little girl EVER! She is 15.5 lbs of gorgeous! Almost as much as her beautiful twin cousins. I used to say that my kids would Godzilla compared to my nieces and nephews, but as Matthew (my Brother-in-Law) pointed out,it might just be that my Luci-Lu is Godzilla any way, as she is in the 88th percentile… :) She is army crawling all over our teeny apartment, reminding me to vacuum! She is now eating "solid" foods and her favorite so far is Pears! She can eat an entire four ounce jar of that stuff! What a chunk! She has started getting up on her knees and trying to crawl that way but she hasn't quite reached that yet!
Kayli came to stay with us for about two weeks and it was great to have her up and get to hang out with my BFF. She's a catch guys. Just puttin' it out there!
Here are some pictures from this month!
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Forgiveness
I totally believe that every person who confesses to be in possession of a Christian heart struggles with one thing, in particular. This things is forgiveness. Or maybe it is just me that struggles with this. Either way, it is a particularly interesting subject to study. So lets look at what the Standard Works say.
In 2 Corinthians 2:1-11, Paul is writing to the people of Cornith for the second time. While his correspondence is filled with a ton of wonderful subject matter, he talks about forgiveness quite a bit! He counsels the people of Cornith that when any of them have "caused [one another] grief,"they are meant to forgive them and comfort them in their sorrows. The one thing that I thought of during this was how difficult it would be for me to comfort someone who has hurt me. Shouldn't I be the one being comforted? But then, I began thinking back to the times in my life where I have caused others grief, wouldn't it have been nice and humbling to be comforted by those I have hurt? It would had humbled me greatly. Being humble allows the Holy Spirit to work with in and teach us. I truly believe that a humble heart is a teachable heart.
Forgiveness is cleansing. For both parties involved. When we forgive others we are practicing Christ like attributes. How I have begun to look at this, is if Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross for ME can forgive me, how can I not forgive someone who has not hurt me that greatly in comparison? In Matthew 6:14 the Lord Jesus Christ tells us, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." It sounds easier than it is. We have put asides our selfish desires for justice and understand that forgiveness gives freedom to the person forgiving, not just the person being forgiven.
What happens if we don't forgive? How many times in our lives have we withheld our forgiveness from others just because we have been hurt so deeply and desire some kind of justice? For me, way to often. Way, way to often. If we do no freely forgive others, the Lord will condemn us (Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10). This is a pretty heavy statement against us. The Lord has already forgiven them, they just have to ask for it. This reminds of a scripture in the Doctirine and Covenants, 122: 8,"The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"As I stated before, forgiveness gives freedom to both parties. If Christ can forgive us, why would we not forgive others?
In 2 Corinthians 2:1-11, Paul is writing to the people of Cornith for the second time. While his correspondence is filled with a ton of wonderful subject matter, he talks about forgiveness quite a bit! He counsels the people of Cornith that when any of them have "caused [one another] grief,"they are meant to forgive them and comfort them in their sorrows. The one thing that I thought of during this was how difficult it would be for me to comfort someone who has hurt me. Shouldn't I be the one being comforted? But then, I began thinking back to the times in my life where I have caused others grief, wouldn't it have been nice and humbling to be comforted by those I have hurt? It would had humbled me greatly. Being humble allows the Holy Spirit to work with in and teach us. I truly believe that a humble heart is a teachable heart.
Forgiveness is cleansing. For both parties involved. When we forgive others we are practicing Christ like attributes. How I have begun to look at this, is if Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross for ME can forgive me, how can I not forgive someone who has not hurt me that greatly in comparison? In Matthew 6:14 the Lord Jesus Christ tells us, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." It sounds easier than it is. We have put asides our selfish desires for justice and understand that forgiveness gives freedom to the person forgiving, not just the person being forgiven.
What happens if we don't forgive? How many times in our lives have we withheld our forgiveness from others just because we have been hurt so deeply and desire some kind of justice? For me, way to often. Way, way to often. If we do no freely forgive others, the Lord will condemn us (Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10). This is a pretty heavy statement against us. The Lord has already forgiven them, they just have to ask for it. This reminds of a scripture in the Doctirine and Covenants, 122: 8,"The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?"As I stated before, forgiveness gives freedom to both parties. If Christ can forgive us, why would we not forgive others?
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