My husband

As I read this scripture I am reminded of my loyal, hardworking and patient husband. I can see the way the Lord has blessed him based on the principles taught in this scripture. My husband did not have the privilege of growing up with the Priesthood in his home, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost because of the laying on of hands after baptism, nor was he exposed to family prayer, scripture study or church service - as myself and many church members have -  yet he has been a better example of a good, loyal, kind , patient father and husband than many members of Christ's that I have Personally known and heard of.

In many ways I have had to work to obtain some of the gifts of generosity, patience, helpfulness and acceptance of people that my husband Kevin has naturally had all along.

I see the way the Lord has blessed him in his ignorance to God's laws. This chapter and scripture reminds me how much better that we as members of God's church are expected to be and should be because of our gratitude towards our blessings.

Those whom have the gospel must rise up and do better with our blessings we have been given.

The scriptures following this explain what happens to those in the faith whom do not meet up to their covenants that they have made.

I am also reminded that we are not to judge individuals because we never know where they came from and how they will be held accountable. Judging between others actions of right and wrong is what we are supposed to do- but never to judge the person in terms of how God feels about them or their standing in the next life.

I hope that I will use the blessings of the gospel that I have been given with more effort and especially the blessing of my testimony. I hope that my gift of my membership in God's churcg will be used to it's full potential and the purposes the Lord intended for me.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

( speaking of the Lamenites )

Jacob 3:7

7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?

Firm in your minds to Christ

 I chose this scripture to ponder upon this week, but before this week -  this scripture has had significance to Brooke and myself.

We have a little saying at night as I remind her of this scripture. " Be firm in your mind " .....

Scripture time is always a time that Brooke likes to talk about every thing. We love to talk and we do, but when we start getting to distracted from gospel topic ( just during our scripture study ) , I remind her of this scripture phrase, " Be firm in your mind" to God only during prayer and scripture study.

We have discussed the need to be firm in mind as concentration on just Him and the feeling of the spirit

Even as adults this is something that happens to us whether during prayers to Him, scriptures or on a bigger scale - during our daily thoughts - Not being firm towards our eternal purpose that He has given us,  but instead allowing ourselves to have worldly thoughts. ( material possession, popularity, power in our employment etc. )

So I also use this phrase for myself " Be firm in your mind to Christ ".

Sometimes this is harder to do than other times. When trials come like sickness or hardships it is easier to let our thoughts be firm to Him in prayer. But when we are among others whom may not want to talk about Him , we can easily find ourselves becoming distant from Him as we stop thinking of Him as much. I have found that when this happens to me I must try harder. Read scriptures a little longer. Pray over until my mind feels more sensitive to the feelings of the spirit.

I am continuing to work on this and trying to teach my children what it means to " be firm in your minds to Christ".

I have unexpressable love for my God and His perfect Son and my perfect mediator whom I also know without doubt that He does plead my cause to the Father.

Jacob 3: 1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

I say this in Jesus name. Amen

The Parent Virtue - Gratitude

Gratitude should be held in our hearts daily.

D&C 59:7 Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. 

However, with Thanksgiving here it is quite appropriate to study the blessings that come from having gratitude. We should ponder, plus record. 

Joseph F. Smith stated: 

 “One of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of the earth are guilty of today, is the sin of ingratitude” (in Journal of Discourses, 25:52).

In 1994 Lloyd P. George said in a Conference Address:

"There is a great tendency for us in our prayers—in our pleadings with the Lord—to ask for additional blessings. Sometimes, I feel, we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received. Of course, we need the daily blessings of the Lord. But if we sin in the matter of prayer, I think it is in our lack of expressing thanksgiving for daily blessings. God is not pleased with the inhabitants of the earth but is angry with them because they will not acknowledge his hand in all things."

President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed:

"The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man! [GD, 263]"

Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated in his Conference address " Grateful in Any Circumstance, " Oct.2014 

" Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I’m suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances—whatever they may be.

This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer.

When we are grateful to God in our circumstances, we can experience gentle peace in the midst of tribulation. In grief, we can still lift up our hearts in praise. In pain, we can glory in Christ’s Atonement. In the cold of bitter sorrow, we can experience the closeness and warmth of heaven’s embrace.

We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain? 

 How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.

My dear brothers and sisters, the choice is ours. We can choose to limit our gratitude, based on the blessings we feel we lack. Or we can choose to be like Nephi, whose grateful heart never faltered. When his brothers tied him up on the ship—which he had built to take them to the promised land—his ankles and wrists were so sore “they had swollen exceedingly,” and a violent storm threatened to swallow him up in the depths of the sea. “Nevertheless,” Nephi said, “I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.”

We can choose to be like Job, who seemed to have everything but then lost it all. Yet Job responded by saying, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return … : the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

We can choose to be like the Mormon pioneers, who maintained a spirit of gratitude during their slow and painful trek toward the Great Salt Lake, even singing and dancing and glorying in the goodness of God. Many of us would have been inclined to withdraw, complain, and agonize about the difficulty of the journey.

We can choose to be like the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, while a prisoner in miserable conditions in Liberty Jail, penned these inspired words: “Dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

We can choose to be grateful, no matter what."

There is not a day and sometimes hours that go by that I do not feel very most thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. All of the reasons that desire to study, serve and teach are because I know that this is the way that I do not only say that I am thankful, but that I show Him how thankful that I am for the innumerable blessings that He has given me. 

Thank you for letting me share my love for Him so often. Thank you for the patience you have shown so often towards me. Thank you for allowing me to learn from you and to share with you what I am learning through Him. 

Thank you for forgiving me if I have ever become overly excited, impatient, late, or if I have ever expressed unwanted opinions. 

I am truly blessed by you. 

Thank you Katelyn Merrill for prompting me to write some of these quotes that I love in my book for my children.  

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.Amen.

His Words Will Be Verified

Considering Jacob 2 again I feel to express more insights.

Jacob 2:
 17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.

I believe the spirit was speaking to me in this verse because when it was first brought to my attention about the refugees being brought into Texas, I was scared to hear there was no way a person could have background checks and Isis could be let in to hurt us as well. I felt thankful that my ponderize scripture came to my mind quickly after my fear and I knew my prayer yo choose the right scripture for this week was answered.

My ponderize reminded me that the Lords words will be verified that a country that does not believe in Him will fail and be taken from them but that the righteous will be spared.

The spirit reminded me His will be done no matter what.

Then, I felt to ponder Jacob 2 and the spirit told me I was wrong to think of my fear, more than to think of what those refugees need. Because as the scripture said : love others as yourself. As for me in that situation I would want a new home.

Last, the spirit told me He deals with His people the best way and my job is to love everyone.

This is a portion of the gathering of Israel and how else will these people have  the chance to hear the gospel?

What if Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah didn't want to risk the chance to share the gospel with the Lamenites because of the danger that may have been? Thousands were converted of our brethren.

I want to follow their example.

 I say this in Jesus name. Amen.

Omni 1: 6-7
For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land.
7 Wherefore, the Lord did visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies..

Others as ourselves

Jacob 2:
 17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.

Reading the words that Jacob was called to the temple to hear and teach to the people; this verse or message that Jacob gave stood out to me most.

First,
He says to think of others as ourselves. We give so much to ourselves as we care daily for our physical and emotional needs. As I consider how I can to this, I think I need too - imagine myself in every other persons shoes, and ask how I would wish to be dealt with in their situation?

Second,
He says to be familiar with all. To be familiar with is to know someone. How can I know all people? I think this means that I need to avoid being content with casual conversation and instead to seek to know the thoughts and intents of everyone. As I seek to know people better this will also help me to fulfill the first instruction because when I know someone better, I can love them easier m, and when I love them I will want to treat them as I would myself.

Third,
Give to others that we may all be equal in substance.

These things are so vital in our day. These words were written for us and I am thankful that I have them now. I know as I seek to follow that first and great commadment to love God and others, I will be happier.

I say this in His Holy name, Jesus Christ. Amen

persecutions

Lately I have heard some frustration about the persecution that the church has had regarding policy changes of children of same gender couples.. I too have been saddened by the persecution. As I read this scripture tonight I was reminded

First, We are asked to suffer shame for His name and second we should be happy to bear His cross, it is a blessing for us to understand better who He is through our own experiences.

Jacob 1:
8 Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi.

Adding to this witness are many other scriptures that come to my mind:

Matt. 5:

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

1 Peter 3:
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

John 15:20
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

It would be unusual for any person to want to be persecuted, but as we are not troubled about being spoken evil of or disrespected we are essentially denying ourselves some of our worldly lusts to be accepted.

JST Matt.16:
25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.
26 And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments.

I have greatly struggled in the past to hear ill speaking of my beliefs, but as I come to know whom my Father and Jesus Christ are I realize this is a blessing for me and part of my refining proccess.

I am truly thankful that I have the chance to learn to be more patient, longsuffering and dilligent in showing Christ-like love in my life experiences.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. amen.

Seek guidence from the Holy Ghost

Neil F. Marriots recent talk echos the truth spoken by Nephi as he saw that his people pondered what they should do after he taught them.

2 Nephi 32:

1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.
5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.


She explains:
When we open ourselves to the Spirit, we learn God’s way and feel His will. It is instructive for me to ask Heavenly Father, “Father, is there more?” When we are yielded and still, our minds can be directed to something more we may need to change—something that is limiting our capacity to receive spiritual guidance or even healing and help.

For example, perhaps I have a carefully guarded resentment toward someone. When I ask if there is more to confess, that “secret” comes clearly to my memory. In essence, the Holy Ghost is whispering, “You honestly asked if there was more, and here it is.

True worship begins when our heart is broken and we ask. What is our heart condition today? Paradoxically, in order to have a healed and faithful heart, we must first allow it to break before the Lord. “Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit,”7 the Lord declares. The result of sacrificing our heart, or our will, to the Lord is that we receive the spiritual guidance we need.

With a growing understanding of the Lord’s grace and mercy, we will find that our self-willed hearts begin to crack and break in gratitude. Then we reach for Him, yearning to yoke ourselves to the Only Begotten Son of God. In our brokenhearted reaching and yoking, we receive new hope and fresh guidance through the Holy Ghost.

I hope that I can do better about following those feelings of striving to do better that come from the Holy Ghost.

I say this in His Holy name Jesus Christ. Amen.

He is Just

As I read Nephi's feelings and thoughts towards his people being lost and slain I am impressed by how he deals with his hurt and sadness. He says " thy ways are just". I desire to be like Nephi.

2 Nephi 26: 7 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.

Nephi trusts in the Lord's dealings with His children so much that he knows that the Lord knows what He is doing.

I have been working on getting to that point in my own life. As I can see a longevity of the Lord directing me and others for good even through trials, I trust in whatever His work and dealings with me are. I know that God loves all of His children more than my mortal mind can comprehend.

One scripture I pondered a couple of weeks ago has added to my faith regarding this principle of trust in God.

3 Nephi 14:
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

When I read this scripture and consider how much I love my children, and my love is imperfect....I then can see how He whom is almighty and perfectly loving will be able to help my children, me and all of us on earth more than we can understand.

I am thankful even for the hardships that He allows us to have because many times they are part of His gifts to us. I know that the gifts that we ask for are nothing compared to the gifts He gives that we do not even realize He has given us.

I do know like Nephi that He is just and I desire and will accept whatever He will or wants to give me because I love Him and I am in awe at the gift that He gave me in His Son and the chance for us all to repent.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Might, Mind and Strength

2 Nephi 2:25 speaks about worshiping Christ with ALL YOUR MIGHT, MIND , STRENGTH and WHOLE SOUL......
29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.

How does one do that? I believe a few verses earlier he gave specific intruction on how one can do so.....

26 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.

Truly I rejoice daily in the joy that I know that my Savior Jesus Christ has defeated my enemy and that I and we all can receive His power that creates more joy and happiness than anything; as we keep our covenants to Him. I promise that if you talk about what He does for you daily, you will also be preaching of Him and as you preach of Him , He will give you personal instruction for your lives which is prophesy for yourself. Once you receive these things, you will write them because you know you must share the gift that you have been given with the future generations.

I know these things from personal experience and I am thankful from the depth of my soul for all He teaches me.

I say this in His Holy Name Jesus Christ. Amen.