Return to Riverside/Dows Lake- Week 3

This week was great. It was awesome to talk to everyone on easter. General conference was good. 20 temples in a lot. Elder Chin was very excited about the Singapore temple, where he was born.

This week I wrote a short talk as part of studying the scriptures so I thought I would send it to you and maybe it can go on the blog.

God is our loving Father in Heaven and we are his children. As the title of loving Heavenly Father suggests, he loves us. He understands and feels our sorrows and rejoices in our progress. He has given us this time on earth so we can learn and grow. We can show our love for Him through our obedience to His commandments. He has said to each of us "If ye love me, keep my commandments". (John 15:14)

The commandments and teachings God has given us through his beloved so Jesus Christ constitue his gospel. This gospel is intended for all people regardless of race, nationality, political or social standing, or any other measure that would seem to divide us. The apostle Paul wrote " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38)" The gospel helps husbands and wives, parents an dchildren as they strive to develop stronger relationships and spiritual strength in their families. 

One important way Heavenly Father shows his love for us is by calling prophets. God has always called prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and countless others. Prophets have authority given them by God to speak in his name. The Lord has said " What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same (D&C 1:37) " Throughout history people have chosen whether to listen to or reject the prophets. The time where the people reject and persecute is referred to as an apostasy. 

After the death of Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted the apostles and church members and killed many of them . Because of the death of the apostles and prophets, the authority that Christ had given to them to speak in his name along with his gospel was lost from the earth. The world then entered into a great apostasy. However, our loving Heavenly Father prepared a way that the prophets and gospel could return again to the earth bringing about the restitution of all things as promised in the Bible. (Acts 3:21)

This restitution of all things began with a 14 year old boy named Joseph Smith. God called Joseph to be a prophet and through him the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth. Joseph Smith lived in Palmyra NY many varying religious beliefs. Joseph desired to know which all of the sects were right having read in the bible that there was one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. He wrote of this time saying quote " So great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I Was to come to any certain conclusi0on who was right and who was wrong, In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right?... Which is it, and how shall I know it?" Joseph turned to the Bible for guidance and read in the first epistle of James verse 5 "If any of you lack wisdom , let him ask of God, that giveth to all men and women liberally and upraideth not and it shall be given him" close quote. 

Joseph Smith then decided to take his questions and ask of God. On one morning, he knelt in the woods near his home and prayed asking God his questions. In response to his prayer, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in a vision. They answered his questions and called him to be a prophet. This event led to the translation of the Book of Mormon and  the restoration of Christ's church to the earth again. In describing the vision, Joseph wrote " I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me... When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is my beloved Son, Hear Him.

In this brief summary, which is foundational to our faith and typically taught first by our missionaries, hinges on an important principle that I wish to emphasize today. 

In the begining of the gospel of John, Jesus Christ is refferred to as the Word to show us that the teachings of Jesus Christ were the words of God himself. Earlier I read a scripture which illustrated for us that whether it was the voice or words of the prophet or of Jesus Christ himself it is the same. Consider this promise found in the book of mormon about the word of God "Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked (Helaman) 

The essential element to Jospeh Smith bringing about the restoration is that he laid hold on the word of God, acted in faith based on what he read in the Bible, and accepted the invitation to Hear Him. In his own words, he described how he laid hold on the scripture he read in the bible, he says "Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again"

The word of God is only as quick and powerful as our willingness to follow and obey them. What good are words that are not acted on? Consider God's openedness to share his word and eagerness to give it to us, whosoever will may lay hold and he giveth to all men and women liberally(James 1:5)(Helaman3:29). Laying hold on the word of God means more then reading or listening or even writing it down it means we act. We let the words guide us and change us. The word of God blesses us.  

Consider what words the Savior is hoping you will lay hold on. Admist the words of the scriptures, numerous general conference talks, and the words from our local leaders, perhaps you feel overhelmed and inadequate for identifying how best you Hear Him. Laying hold on the word will help you to forgive someone you hurt you or to apologize to someone you offended. Laying hold on the word will help you complete your ministering assignment, courageously participate in missionary or family history work. It will help you become worthy or stay worthy to enter into the temple. It will bring relief from abuse and addictions and any other thing that might make you feel depressed, stressed, or worried. Laying hold on the word of God can lift your self worth as it did for me. It can help you resist temptation and any method the adversary would use against you.The Savior invites all to come and lay hold on his word and promises blessings for those who do. He gives his word liberally to all and denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female, member or this church and not.  

I invite each of us to lay hold on the word of God. I promise that it is quick and powerful and will divide asunder all the cunning of the adversary and lead us in a straight and narrow course to Jesus Christ. I promise laying hold on the word of God will lead you to act in faith as Joseph. I bear testimony that Jesus Christ lives. He loves us. He leads this church. He speaks to us and invites us to Hear Him. Whether the voice of the prophet or of the Savior it is the same. I say these things in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.