Decision-making is a daily fact of life. Perhaps one of the most pivotal choices we can make is not just to choose to believe in Jesus Christ but whether we will continually, consistently choose to make Him a greater part of our day-to-day lives. This blog is intended to provide a safe, friendly and open forum for discussions about Jesus Christ. We respectfully request that all contributions to this blog be made in a kind way. Feel free to question, share, explore and enjoy!
By focusing on your loved ones, enjoying or building holiday traditions, and following the Savior's example of service, you can give yourself and your family true, lasting Christmas gifts.
Take a few minutes to visit Christmas.lds.org for Christmas videos, the Christmas story, links to music, and other resources to promote the true Christmas spirit.
I love Christmastime. I love everything about the season, especially the emphasis on the advent of Christ. And so yesterday, while folding laundry nonetheless, I had an idea hit me. What if for the twelve days leading up to Christmas you did a serviceable act each day? You’ve heard of Santa’s helpers? Here’s your chance to be even more. Be Christ’s helper. And really, your options are limitless. Here are a few:
1. Go to a friend’s house and help them with a chore; laundry, dishes, wrapping Christmas gifts, anything. Helping hands make light work.
2. Take someone who needs a boost to lunch. Stay as long as they need an ear to listen to them. Or, invite them for a special homemade meal.
3. Think of someone you care for and admire, write them a thoughtful note expressing your gratitude and drop it on their front door. You can do this anonymously too if you wish.
4. Adopt a family for Christmas and give them little gifts each day leading to Christmas or save up for the big day. If you decide to save up, make sure you do a little prep each day (the idea is to focus on others each day).
5. Call someone you haven’t talked to in awhile and chat. It’s always great to hear from an old friend.
6. Help your children (if you have children or do this yourself) sort through their toys and choose a few gently used items to donate to a charity or someone of their choice. It’s a great opportunity for them to experience the joy of sharing.
Anyhow, these are a few ideas of different things you can try each day leading up to Christmas. Trust yourself and follow any ideas that come to mind. You won’t be disappointed!
***If you’d like to try A Serviceable Twelve Days of Christmas you can begin on Monday, 13 December and finish on the 24 December. Or begin Tuesday, 14 December and finish on 25 December. Have fun and enjoy the Spirit of Christmas!***
36Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
37Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morninglet thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
38And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.
39And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.
40And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
41Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; 42Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.
43And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.UAdd a Note
44For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.UAdd a Note
46O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.UAdd a Note
47And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and be sober. My son, farewell (Alma 37:36-47).
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones (Proverbs 3:5-8).
Jacob saw his Redeemer—The law of Moses typifies Christ and proves he will come.
1 And now, Jacob spake many more things to my people at that time; nevertheless only these things have I caused to be written, for the things which I have written sufficeth me.UAdd a Note
2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.UAdd a Note
3 And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.UAdd a Note
4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.UAdd a Note
5 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.UAdd a Note
6 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.
7 For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.
8 And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.
23Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choosethe way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.UAdd a Note
24Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.UAdd a Note
25Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen. (2 Nephi 10:23-25)
50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice (2 Nephi 9:50-52).
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Tim. 4:12)
Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Not sure? Try an experiment: read his words in The Holy Bible or The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ for a month. During this time try to be a believer and do and say those things that a believer would. If you're not sure what a believer would say or do, just look in the scriptures for examples. Any researcher knows that you can't conduct your experiment with one trial run to get solid data. You need to conduct your research over a period of time and repeat attempts. Persistence and a desire to know are require as you experiment with your faith. I have found for myself, through consistency and faith, that I do believe in Jesus Christ. It is this faith that is the foundation of all my life's happiness and hope and the source of fulfillment and purpose that I currently enjoy. Try this experiment and discover for yourself.
. . . I suppose that yeponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. . . . feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. . . . again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will showunto you all things what ye should do. Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ . . . But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32: 1, 3, 5-6, 9).UAdd a Note
I thought I'd share a study technique I frequently use in my efforts to "liken all scriptures to myself". I highlight action words, verbs, that indicate things the Lord wants us to do. I also highlight words that indicate order, such as before or after and used here in this scripture, "yeponder . . .that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. . .(vs. 1) ".
The second thing I do to clarify meaning is to underline principles and promises, such as in verse 3, which states the principle and promise, ". . . the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do".
By highlighting and underlining, I find that I'm able to more clearly sift through the language used and find the essence of a scripture. And then, when I want to return to it, at a glance I can see the gist of the verse. Try and and see how you like it!
For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.2 Nephi 27:23
Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever experienced one personally or know someone who has? Maybe I should ask, what is a miracle? You may be uncertain about miracles, but may I suggest they are real and possible and most often manifest through small and simple means. It makes sense to my simple mind that a loving God would offer miraculous aid to any who would humbly, faithfully ask for it. Why not?
How are we possibly going to select which voices we will listen to and believe? . . . . I suggest a simple solution for selecting the channel to which we attune ourselves: listen to and follow the voice of the Spirit. This is an ancient solution, even eternal, and may not be popular in a society that is always looking for something new. It requires patience in a world that demands instant gratification. This solution is quiet, peaceful, and subtle. . . . We need to learn how to ponder the things of the Spirit and to respond to its promptings—to filter out the static. . . . As we become attuned to the Spirit, we “shall hear a word behind [us], saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. (Isa. 30:21)” Hearkening to the “voice of the living God” will give us “peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.” These are the greatest of all the gifts of God.
13 But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. Moroni 7:13
12 And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. Ether 4:12
"The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works (Psalms 145:9)".
"I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (1 Nephi 1:20)".
Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. . . trust God and believe in good things to come.
The Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls (Jacob 4:13; see also D&C 93:24).
An excellent article published in the June 2010 Ensignand Liahona, Things as They Really Are is a must read for any who desire help with cultivating the ability to discern what is actually real and true.
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.Matthew 22:36-40
This passage of scripture has found its way into the forefront of my focus lately. I appreciate the purpose of scripture in revealing eternal principles for our benefit and learning. One principle and lesson to be learned here is the importance of love in our lives. If we can learn to first love God with all the capacity we currently possess and then, from there, branch out and love all others as we love ourselves, then we are well on our way to keeping the greatest commandment of all.
Christ proclaimed that the commandments to love God and love others as ourselves was the foundation upon which "... all the law and the prophets" rests. In modern day, "the law and the prophets" is called The Old Testament, which was the Jewish canon of scripture in Christ's day. I think what Christ is trying to teach us is if we keep love as the motivating force for all we do and are, then we will find our capacities to keep all other commandments magnified. This is one reason why the commandment to love is the greatest. With love, you've got it covered.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. . . but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace. . . .
How I love a good miracle! I thank God for them; not that I require a miracle to remember that Jesus is the Christ, but that in seeing these miracles I have cause to further rejoice in the goodness of God.
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35)
I find it interesting that the Lord's parting commandment to his apostles addressed the virtue of love and that love would be the hallmark of a true disciple of Christ. Of all the things He could have advised his disciples on, love was it.
I believe love is intended to be the true motivator for all action and the sum total of everything good has love at it's core. And where love is, there we will find Christ.
I wish to direct your attention to an excellent site called jesuschristlds.org. A page in particular, Faith in Jesus Christ, is well worth a view. Click here to visit.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord. . . " (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. (2 Ne. 25: 26:)
Patriarchal blessings contain sacred and personal revelation and instructions from a loving Heavenly Father, who knows our strengths, weaknesses, and eternal potential. Those who have received a patriarchal blessing should read it humbly, prayerfully, and frequently. Whether someone has received a patriarchal blessing or not, he or she should take time regularly to ponder their spiritual progression and seek the guidance that is available to EVERYONE through prayer and scripture study.
To help make my blessing more accessible, last week I pulled out my original patriarchal blessing and typed it up into a smaller bookmark format that would be easy to tuck into scriptures or a pocket.
Then I got the idea to give each paragraph/section a verse number; just like verse numbers in the scriptures. That is what a patriarchal blessing is, right? Personal scripture! I loved the new perspective it gave me on a blessing I have read hundreds of times. If I just have a minute to spare, I can focus in on one "verse" of my patriarchal blessing. Also, this format will make it easier for me to memorize sections of my blessing because it is broken up into familiar scripture verse format.
Now that I have it saved on my computer, I can always go back and adjust or remove the verse numbers if I need to see it in a new way again. It really looks like a page from the scriptures and it's a visual cue to me that I should treat it that way.
Taking it further: Print out a section of the scriptures, hymn book, manuals or talks that you want to focus on while you are going through your day. Keep it in the book you are reading, in your coat pocket, posted on your fridge, bathroom mirror, etc. Then you can read it when you have those moments of down time while you are waiting in the car, getting things done around the house, need a break, etc. Click here to search the gospel library online.
The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love.
