Such a great quote that I came across while studying the scriptures this morning. Elder Richard G. Scott, an Apostle of the Lord, spoke about the challenges we would face and how to find joy in the journey. He said,
"Problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness. . ."
I decided to look up this quote and read more about what Elder Scott had to say. It led me to this great talk given in 1996.
I love when he describes a pebble and how when it is close to our eye it is huge and we focus on that burden or problem in front of us but when we throw it to the ground it is put into it's proper place. That is such a great way to look at trials and obstacles that come into our path. It is through enduring this life well and remembering that Christ is always there to lift and help us not just pass through this life with endless struggles but to find joy in the journey of life. One of my dear friends and mission companions mailed me a card that has helped me keep my life's challenges into the proper light. The front had a picture of wild horses running through water and it said, "Happiness is a journey, not a destination." It is a great reminder as I face day to day challenges do remember that I can still find the joy in the moment.
In my scripture studies this morning, I came across a statement that goes along with what is happening this weekend.
"To say that the Lord 'cannot speak' today as in days past would be to put limitations on God. President James E. Faust explained the need for modern revelation: 'Does God love us less than those led by the ancient prophets? Do we need his guidance and instruction less? Reason suggests that this cannot
be. Does he not care? Has he lost his voice? Has he gone on a permanent vacation? Does he sleep? The unreasonableness of each of these proposals is self-evident.'"
God does speak to man today and guides His people through a living prophet. This weekend you can hear the prophet of our time, President Thomas S. Monson and others speak to us. You will feel the spirit of the Lord if you will open your heart to the messages that will be shared this weekend. It is one of my favorite times of year. It happens twice a year and it is not to be missed. You can watch it online this Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time.
Two more general sessions will be held on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 2:00
p.m. mountain daylight time; the morning session includes the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir’s broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. You can either watch it online at www.gc.lds.org or visit your local LDS Meeting house which can be found here.
If you knew there was a living prophet that would be gathering the people to speak to them about what God would have them know, would you not want to be there to listen and learn?
I know that God does live and that he has called prophets and apostles as he did anciently in the Old World. He still loves us and guides us in our day so that we might be able to have a fullness of joy as we come to know the Savior as our personal Redeemer. I hope and pray that you will take the time to watch and feel of the love that our Father in Heaven has for you as he continues to pour revelation and blessings upon his people in our day.
One of my most favorite talks from General Conference which happens twice a year in Salt Lake City. This was given by Elder Wirthlin, an Apostle of Jesus Christ who has sense returned to his father in heaven. Enjoy!
Last week I attending this event called "Who Are the Mormons?" I was asked to photograph and take some video clips of the event. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagle head coach, was the host for the evening. It was great to be there along with local reporters and NBC 10 News that put together this video. I am working on one too that I will post soon. If you have more questions about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their beliefs, visit www.mormon.org.
In order for us to come to understand who Christ was and is we must first look to the prophets that are called of God to be his mouthpiece on earth. Whenever there are righteous people that will listen to a prophet's voice the Lord has provided them with prophets even as far back as when our first parents, Adam and Eve were upon the earth. Great prophets such as Moses, Isaiah, Abraham, Peter, Nephi, Moroni and others were sent to help guide and instruct people in the ways of the Lord. The prophets become watchmen on towers warning us of the coming dangers.
I came across this statement in my studies this morning:
“Now it is not possible, in my judgment, for people in the
world to accept Christ and come to salvation, unless at one and the same
time they accept the prophets whom Christ has sent and receive the
administration of holy ordinances under their hands.
“Christ and his prophets are one. We could not believe in
Christ if there were not prophets to declare Christ and his saving
truths unto us. The Apostle Paul reasoned on this subject, and he said:
‘. . . how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher?
“‘And how shall they preach, except they be sent?’ (
Romans 10:14–15
.)
“Except for Christ, there would be no salvation. Except for
the prophets of God, sent in the various ages of the earth’s history,
the testimony of Christ would not be borne, the message of salvation
would not be taught, and there would be no legal administrators who
could perform the ordinances of salvation for men, that is, perform them
so they will be binding on earth and sealed eternally in the heavens.
“So it is that the Lord has sent prophets. No one would
suppose that he could believe in Christ and reject Peter, James, and
John. The Lord and his prophets go hand in hand. Christ said, ‘I am the
true vine, and my Father is the husbandman’; then he said to his
Apostles, ‘Ye are the branches.’ (
John 15:1, 5
.) The branches and the vine are connected. He taught also
that if the branches were torn away from him, they would wither and die
and be cast into the fire. If people in the world would pick the fruit
of eternal life off the branches, they have to accept the prophets, for
the branches are the prophets.” (Bruce R. McConkie in
CR,
Oct. 1951, p. 147.)
Today the Lord has called again prophets just as he called throughout the Old and New Testament. In 1830 Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet and restore the Church of Jesus Christ upon the early once more. He was given the authority to bless the lives of those on earth as he became the Lord's mouthpiece on earth.
Since then, the Lord has continued to guide his people through prophets and today, Thomas S. Monson, stands at the head of the Lord's church as a prophet. How can I know this? I have heard him speak, I have read and studied about the life of Joseph Smith and then I have acted upon the knowledge that I received by praying to the one who has all-knowledge and power. I knelt down and asked my Father in Heaven if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and if the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is hard to describe what I felt if you have never felt that burning inside your heart that is an overwhelming sense of warmth, love, peace that often brings tears to my eyes, but that is what I felt confirming to me that... Yes! Joseph Smith was a prophet.... The Book of Mormon is true... and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church upon the earth... That Thomas S. Monson today is our living prophet and that he is also the world's watchman on earth.
My invitation to you, is to seek to know if there is truly a prophet here on earth and if these things that I have shared with you are true. Read the Book of Mormon, listen to our living prophet and find out for yourself in prayer to your Father in Heaven if these things are true.
I am reading near the end of the Savior's life, the last week before he is crucified, his death and resurrection. As I am reading the story of his entry into Jerusalem upon the back of a donkey, I reflect upon what it must of been to be there that day amongst the crowd. Would I of recognized the Savior for who he was the Master and Son of God and joined in with the many people their that greeted him in shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." (Matthew 21)
I ponder upon this idea that do we really see things the way they truly are? Can we see the greatest of God in a world of turmoil and unrest? Can we count our many blessings and praise the Lord for life and the choice that we have to follow His footsteps and one day rest from this world and live with our Father in Heaven in peace in the next?
"If you had been in Jerusalem during the last week of the Savior’s ministry, would you have been among the few to welcome him or among the many who misunderstood? Will the majority understand when the Savior makes his great triumphal entry at his second coming? Will you?"
Now is the time to prepare to meet God, to feast upon the words of Christ, to come unto Him, to make the choice to follow the Savior, to choose to having eternal life or not. Like we have been teaching the primary children this year, the choice is yours, will you choose to follow the Savior??
