The Light of Christ

"For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father."

— Doctrine & Covenants 84:45-47

I have been thinking lately about light - specifically the light of the sun. Have you ever thought about how utterly dependent life on this planet is on the sun? Without the sun's light, plants couldn't grow through photosynthesis. Animals wouldn't have food to eat, and humans wouldn't have food through plants or animals. Without the sun's light and heat, all life would quickly perish in bitter cold and darkness. Without the sun, the water cycle couldn't exist, because evaporation and condensation wouldn't be possible. And these are just a few basic processes I can name. Think of all that's possible because of sunlight!

Can we compare this dependency to the light of Christ? The scriptures teach that "the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world." What kind of light is this? How are we dependent upon it?

Doctrine & Covenants 93:36 says "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth." If we replace the word light in the verse above with the word intelligence, it would read, "the Spirit giveth intelligence to every man that cometh into the world."

How dependent is man on his intelligence? Well, that's pretty obvious, isn't it? It's like asking how dependent are we on oxygen. Man is nothing without his intelligence. We would literally be back in our caves, with no fire, no wheels, no clothes, no language, no nothing. And if all intelligence comes from God, it is logical to say man is nothing without God!

"The Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit."

If God has given us intelligence, then why do we need enlightenment through his Spirit? I like to compare man's intelligence to a flashlight shining in the dark. Everyone has a different flashlight - some shine brightly and some are dim. Some can show a large area around you, and some just show a small spot on the ground. But you cannot illuminate the entire world around you with just your flashlight. You need the sun to do that. 

So it is with the light of Christ. His glory is like the sun shining down on our lives, illuminating important and fundamental truths that we would be lost without. Just like the sun warms the earth and makes things grow, Christ's Spirit warms and fills our soul, teaching us and helping us grow more like him. Our own little "flashlights" of intelligence can't do that.

We may feel fairly confident in our own intelligence, but we have to recognize that it came from God. Not only that, he offers us so much more light and truth in our lives, but only if we hearken to the voice of his Spirit. If we willingly turn away from the light of Christ, he will not force us back towards him. It is completely up to us who or what we choose to follow in this life.

I encourage you to choose today to follow the light of Christ in your life. He sees your life in ways you cannot imagine, and when you come to him he will illuminate your life in glorious ways.

It Maketh My Bones To Quake

Hello again, everyone in the blogosphere! I have been taking an extended blogging vacation, and I now feel ready to come back. I am amazed and humbled at the number of people who have still been following this blog even while I've been away. Truly, the Lord's hand is in this work. 

I have prayed that this blog will be an instrument in His hands as I share the gospel with the world. I hope that as each of you read my entries, your hearts will be pricked with the spirit of the Lord, and you will be spurred on in finding the truth of the gospel in your lives.

And now for today's scripture:

"Yea, thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest."

— Doctrine & Covenants 85:6

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. His mission is to testify of truth. He witnesses of the truth of the restored gospel and of the divinity of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. He will witness to our hearts and minds that these things are true. This is called personal revelation.

But what does this personal revelation feel like? How do you know when you have received it? 

In 1 Kings chapter 19, the prophet Elijah went up to the mountains to converse with the Lord. What did this conversation sound like?

"And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

— 1 Kings 19:11-12

In my personal experience, the Holy Ghost speaks to me in my mind, giving me thoughts and ideas that I know are not my own. As I study out these thoughts and find they are full of goodness and truth, I get a warm feeling throughout my body. I have learned to NEVER ignore these thoughts and promptings, because they are from God. If I ask God for answers, but then choose to ignore them, why should God continue to speak to me?

Listen for this still, small voice in your life. It will come to you when you are seeking His light in your life. It will come to you as you seek answer to prayer, or when you study your scriptures. Sometimes it will come out of the blue, but it is usually a quiet thought that comes to your mind. Always give heed to it and it will never lead you astray!

Remember the Sabbath

"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day; For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High."

— Doctrine & Covenants 59:9-10

How many of us truly keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we even know what that means anymore? 

When the children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, the Lord God gave them this commandment concerning the Sabbath day —

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates."

— Exodus 20:8-10

Many may think, "I keep the Sabbath day holy because I go to church." But what about after you go to church? Do you go shopping? Do you go out to eat with family? Do you go watch or participate in sports events? Do you spend your day online or watching TV programs?

Which of these activities worships the Lord? The answer is none of them. The Sabbath was made so we can spend our time worshipping the Lord, learning His gospel, and serving others. It is not a day to spend working, inside or outside our homes, and it is not a day to make others work for us. 

Think of the store employees where you shop on Sunday. Think of the waiter at the restaurant where you have Sunday brunch. They cannot keep the Sabbath day holy because they have to work for YOU. In a way, you are turning them into your manservant or maidservant the Lord spoke of.

I could spend all day listing do's and don'ts for appropriate Sabbath activity. But in reality, all any of us has to do is answer one simple question — Do my Sabbath activities help me and others think of and worship God?

Spencer W. Kimball said, "Sometimes Sabbath observance is characterized as a matter of sacrifice and self-denial, but it is not so. It is merely a matter of scheduling and choosing seasons. There is time enough, particularly in our era of the world’s history, during the six days of the week in which to do our work and play. Much can be done to organize and encourage weekday activities, avoiding the Sabbath."

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

— Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is a time and season to do everything. The Sabbath day is the "season" of worship and service. Everything else can be done the rest of the week. The Sabbath day is a gift from God for us to rest and rejuvenate our bodies and spirits. Take this opportunity to accept God's gift and use it as it was meant to be.

Sweet and Simple Thursday

Come Unto Christ Through Repentance

"Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins — behold, he will confess them and forsake them."

— Doctrine & Covenants 58:42-43

Christ made an atonement for us - he suffered for our sins in the garden of Gethsemane, he died for us on the hill called Calvary, then he was resurrected so that we might all live again. 

The Lord has said that no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God. We must be washed clean through the blood of Jesus Christ. How exactly do we do this? In addition to having faith in Christ, and being baptized, we must also repent of our sins. The verse above gives us the key to repentance — we must confess and forsake our sins. 

Confession is a powerful exercise in humility. To fall on our knees and confess to God our sins requires us to admit that we are not perfect, that we make mistakes, that we are not always right and we know it. We have to accept the fact that we aren't going anywhere in our progression towards salvation without Christ's atonement - His grace and mercy -  to bring us into God's presence. We must confess our wrongdoings and sincerely ask for God's forgiveness so we can be cleansed through the blood of the Lamb.

Forsaking our sins can be very difficult. After acknowledging what we did is wrong, we have to master ourselves — our tempers, our habits, our tongues, our thoughts — to overcome our sins. Again, this can only truly be done through Christ's grace and mercy. Forsaking our sins requires daily (or even hourly!) prayer, asking for God's strength and love to overcome our natural man. 

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

— Mosiah 3:19

When we are patient, humble, and meek, we can truly repent of our sins and become more like Christ. We can become clean through the blood of the Lamb and be worthy to enter His presence.

Sweet and Simple Thursday

Marriage Is Ordained Of God

"And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man. Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer to end of its creation."

— Doctrine & Covenants 49:15-16 

 Marriage is ordained of God. It is where we find the fulfillment of our creation. It is a divine crucible where we can attain Christ-like qualities better than any other place or circumstance in our lives. Marriage is the best place to learn humility, sacrifice, service, obedience to God, love for our fellow man, endurance, joy, patience..... the list goes on and on.

Marriage is the best institution where a man and woman can work together in the journey of parenthood, blessing and succoring each other as they learn and grow and watch their children do the same. Life is a tough road to walk. How happy I am that God's plan does not mean for us to walk that road alone!

I have been so fortunate and blessed to walk this road with my sweetheart for the last 14 years. It's been no picnic - there has been heartache and pain between us as well as joy and happiness, but that is part of God's plan. We will never realize and appreciate the good if we don't experience the bad. Today I thank my Father in Heaven for the blessings he has shared with me through my marriage. He has been so good to me!

With love,