Let Not Your Faith Be Lacking

1 Corinthians 2
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the ^apower of God.

Shouldn't we as children of God be willing to put trust and faith in the Lord?  He has all power to do all things, though they will not go the way we want them to we will be blessed and God will help us to survive this life if we trust Him.  But we do not blindly obey for nothing: whenever the Lord commands for obedience to some law, blessings always accompany them (D&C 130:20-21, D&C 132:5).  The following story outlines this principle:

'President Heber J. Grant tells of a different type of reward that comes from trusting in the Lord. When he was a young man, he heard his bishop in a fast meeting, which was then held on Thursdays (in the early days, we held our fast meetings on Thursdays), make a strong appeal for donations. At that time President Grant had $50 in his pocket which he intended to deposit in the bank. But he was so impressed by his bishop’s appeal that he tendered the whole $50 to the bishop. The bishop took $5 and handed him back $45, stating that $5 was his full share. Then President Grant replied, “Bishop Wooley, by what right do you rob me of putting the Lord in my debt? Didn’t you preach here today that the Lord rewards fourfold? My mother is a widow and she needs two hundred dollars.”

' “My boy,” queried the bishop, “do you believe that if I take this other forty-five dollars you will get your two hundred dollars quicker?”

' “Certainly,” replied President Grant.

'Now here was an expression of trust in the Lord which the bishop could not withstand. He took the remaining $45.

'President Grant testified that on his way back to work, “an idea popped” into his head, acting upon which he made $218.50. Speaking on this incident years later, he said, “Someone will say that it would have happened anyway.

' “I do not think it would have happened. I do not think I would have got the idea.

' “I am a firm believer that the Lord opens up the windows of heaven when we do our duty financially and pours out blessings upon us of a spiritual nature, which are of far greater value than temporal things. But I believe He also gives us blessings of a temporal nature.” (Improvement Era 42:457.)'

 (President Marion G. Romney, Trust in the Lord, G.C. Nov. 1977.)

Friday Night Thoughts, VIII Edition

"Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it."
-Winston Churchill

Save Us All

 Remember those times when you pranked your sister and were later found out?  Or when you had your hand in the cookie jar?  Think back at how when you were little how guilty you felt the first time it happened and wondered if you'd ever be forgiven, and that thought of eternal gloom of being stuck in the corner hit you.  You felt pretty bad I'll bet, because we all have.  We do something wrong and yet life still goes on, it doesn't end in that moment of grief.  Former apostle Elder Clark said once:

"I believe that our Heavenly Father wants to save every one of his children.  I do not think he intends to shut any of us off because of some slight transgression, some slight failure to observe some rule or regulation.  There are the great elements that we must observe, but he is not going to be captious [quick to fin fault] about the lesser things."

"I believe that his juridical concept of his dealings with his children could be expressed in this way: I believe that in his justice and mercy he will give us the maximum reward for our acts, give us all that he can give, and in reverse, I believe that he will impose upon us the minimum penalty which it is possible for him to impose." -(J. Reuben Clark Jr., G.C. Oct. 1953)

Friday Night Thoughts, VII Edition

" 'There are large parts of [the world] where religion is a thing of the past and there is no counter-voice to the culture of buy it, spend it, wear it, flaunt it, because you’re worth it.  The message is that morality is passé, conscience is for wimps, and the single overriding command is ‘Thou shalt not be found out' ' (Jonathan Sacks, “Reversing the Decay of London Undone,” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 20, 2011, online.wsj.com; emphasis added.)
"My brothers and sisters, this—unfortunately—describes much of the world around us.  Do we wring our hands in despair and wonder how we’ll ever survive in such a world?  No.  Indeed, we have in our lives the gospel ofJesus Christ, and we know that morality is not passé, that our conscience is there to guide us, and that we are responsible for our actions.
"Although the world has changed, the laws of God remain constant.  They have not changed; they will not change.  The Ten Commandments are just that—commandments. They are not suggestions.  They are every bit as requisite today as they were when God gave them to the children of Israel.  If we but listen, we hear the echo of God’s voice, speaking to us here and now..."
(Thomas S. Monson, Stand in Holy Places; GC Oct. 2, 2011)

A Special Thought in Honor of Thanksgiving

"It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit." [C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses (New York: Macmillan, 1980), p. 19; emphasis in original]

Life Will Go On...

"...Judgement is not an end in itself.  Calamities are only permitted by a merciful Father, in order to bring about redemption.  Behind the fearful storms of judgment, which often strike the just and the unjust alike, overwhelming the wicked and the righteous, there arises bright clear the dawn of the day of salvation. ...What he permitted to occur seems clearly to have been for the purpose of calling attention, by the finger of his power, to the wickedness and sins of men-not alone to the sings of the people of the stricken city, for there are many elsewhere who are just as evil minded, but to the transgressions of all mankind, that all may take warning and repent.  Men who stand in the way of God's wise purposes, whether they be good or evil, must suffer in the turmoil.  Thus it is that often the righteous suffer for the unrighteous; and it is not satisfactory to the thinking mind to say that therefore God is unjust.  The perfect Christ suffered, the just for the unjust. ..." -(Joseph F. Smith, The Improvement Era, June 1906, p. 650; italics added.)

Likewise are we to be able to simply waltz through life, especially in these last days.  We need to be able to rise up and recognize that life won't be easy.  We will all doubt and become discouraged somewhere along the line, but that doesn't mean we have to stay that way.  Life is about joy and learning to be happy amongst the trials in life (see 2 Nephi 2:25).

There for life, "...is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?" (Jeffrey R. Holland, Missionary Work and the Atonement, March 2001 Ensign.)

Friday Night Thoughts, VI Edition

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God...
"He never will institute an ordinance or give a commandment to his people that is not calculated in its nature to promote that happiness which He has designed" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 255-56).

Shall we be spared?

Many prophecies have given about the end of time, or more commonly know among members of the LDS church, the Second Coming.  Those of destruction and hardship, famine and war, and many more.  But as we move closer to the advent of the Savior's coming there will be many trials ahead, and many people will experience pain and suffering.  But is that not reserved for the wicked?  Isn't that the reason for all the calamity that will befall us?  Joseph Smith once said on this subject:

"I explained concerning the coming of the Son of Man; also that it is a false idea that the Saints will escape all the judgements, whilst the wicked suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer, and 'the righteous shall hardly escape;' still many of the Saints will escape, for the just shall live by faith; yet many of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness of the flesh, and yet be saved in the kingdom of God.  So that it is an unhallowed principle to say that such and such have transgressed because they have been preyed upon by disease or death, for all flesh is subject to death; and the Savior has said, 'Judge not, lest ye be judged.' " (Joseph Smith, DHC, Vol. 4 p. 11, Sept. 29, 1839)

Friday Night Thoughts, V Edition

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome."

-Michael Jordan

Thoughts on Future Life

Paradisaical Glory

What lies beyond the western shore, that eyes have never seen,
That men have sought for endless years, to exist but in a dream.
Its said that once a wise old shepherd, held the key of life,
And he would teach but humble men, born of mortal strife.
He spoke of white and sandy shores, and crystal pools of gold,
That glistened in the noon day sun, just like tales of old.
Then the plains of lavish green, which twirl to and fro,
Sit beneath the mountain seat, of which is ruled by snow.
And up above the peaks on high, extends the Grand old Northern Sky,
Is named Azure, the wanderer, who oft has passed you by.

And of the Ruler, which stands in might, gives the land of living light,
But when he sleeps, his knights stand high, soothing all who come on nigh.
And then the question all would ask, How do we find it, whats our task?
Then the Shepherd old and wise, always gave the same reply,

Come, come follow my, and then in Paradise thou wilt be.