Sunday, March 31, 2013

The Messiah Behold The Lamb of God

 
“Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
 
 
The Messiah Behold The Lamb of God
 
He is indeed the Divine Son of a Divine Father, the literal Savior of the world.
Throughout the mortal life of Jesus of Nazareth every step taken and every word spoken lead ultimately to Atonement. The raising of Lazarus sets in motion the last days of Christ’s earthly ministry.
For the Christian world the places and settings where in Jesus takes His final steps toward thee Atonement have become Hallowed, the Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, Calvary and the empty Tomb.
 
 
“The Atonement of Christ Jesus is deeply personal, in that it transforms us, it changes our desires, it changes our nature, that is what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is, it Redeems, it rescues, it lifts, it loves,
it transforms us into new creatures.”
 
Brent L. Top
 
And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father….
 
3 Nephi 27:14
 
“The symbolism of the Cross of being lifted up is also a symbol of us lifted up to Eternal life.
Christ can’t be killed, He is part of the Father, but he can die.  Therefore He Chooses to die, He is not executed.
This is the Son of God, he die’s of His own free will. He offers Himself on the Cross, He’s not killed on the cross. Jesus freely chose of His own accord mortal death to create spiritual Life.
He offered Himself freely for us.”
 
Paul Y. Hoskisson
 

Friday, March 29, 2013

The anchor of our immortal lives


 

“Faith is like spiritual oxygen. As we allow faith to freely flow within us, it awakens and enlivens our spiritual senses. It breathes life into our very souls.
“As faith flows, we become sensitively attuned to the whisperings of the Spirit. Our minds are enlightened, our spiritual pulse quickens, our hearts are touched.
“Faith fuels hope. Our perspective changes; our vision becomes clearer. We begin to look for the best, not the worst, in life and in others. We gain a deeper sense of life’s purpose and meaning. Despair gives way to joy.”
David S. Baxter
“…Hold on a little longer even when things look bleak. Know and remember this: the Lord loves you.
He remembers you. And He will ever sustain those who ‘endure in faith to the end’.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Love is the seed of Hope
  
“The happy life is not ushered in at any age to the sounds of drums and trumpets. It grows upon us year by year, little by little, until at last we recognize that we have it. It is achieved … by a body of work done so well that we can lift our heads with assurance and look the world in the eye.”
Thomas S. Monson
 
“When at times on life’s journey it becomes our lot to travel with the criticism of skeptics, the hate of some, the rejection of others, the impatience of many, or a friend’s betrayal, we must be able to pray in such a manner that an abiding faith and a strong testimony that the Lord will be with us to the end will compel us to say,
‘Nevertheless, Father, Thy will be done, and with Thy help, in patience
I will follow firmly on the path that takes me back to Thee.’

Ever thing shapes us
 
Be your own kind of Beautiful
        
“Is there anything gloomy in the works that God has made?
Turn where we will, we see harmony, loveliness, cheerfulness, and beauty.”
 
“Forgiveness is the miraculous ingredient that assures harmony and love in the home. Without it there is contention…Frequently, pride gets in our way and becomes our stumbling block. But each of us needs to ask himself the question: ís your pride more important than your peace?’”
Spencer W. Kimball
“Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. ”
Gordon B. Hinckley
“…Love is like the Polar Star. In a changing world, it is a constant. It is the very essence of the gospel…Without love … there is little else to commend the gospel to us as a way of life.”
Gordon B. Hinckley
“Few of us see the Polar Star anymore. We live in urban centers, and the city lights affect our vision of the wondrous firmament above us. But, as it has been for centuries, the star is there in its place; its constancy is a guide and an anchor. So likewise is love unyielding and unchanging.”
Gordon B. Hinckley 
      

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Christ is there

 “In the garden and not on the cross, Jesus saw each of us and not only bore our sins but also experienced our deepest feelings so he would know how to comfort and strengthen us.”
Merrill J. Bateman
A Refiner’s Fire
by Emily Freeman
Do you remember the well known story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego?
King Nebuchadnezzar established a new law in the land that required the citizens of Babylon to bow down and worship the golden image he set up.  It comes as no surprise to any of us that these faithful friends of Daniel refused to turn their back on their God.
In his rage, the king called in and questioned the three Hebrew boys.  He demanded that they bow down to his idols or face immediate death in his furnaces.  One of them voiced the expression of all three hearts, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
This has got to be one of the most courageous statements in all of scripture.  With boldness, they told the king and anyone else listening that they knew that God could deliver them from the fire.  He could do anything He wanted to—and maybe He would.  But if not—if His will was to let them face death—they still would not worship the gods of Nebuchadnezzar.
The Lord allowed the king to attempt to force these valiant youth into certain death.  In this case they were not immediately delivered from a literal refiner’s fire.
Several years ago I found myself in the lowest days of my life so far.  I hit rock bottom physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I realize that there are others who have had it worse than I did, and sometimes I feel foolish to say what trial constitutes my hardest days, but all comparisons set aside, I really experienced some dark, sad moments.
A refiner’s fire.
There is reason to believe that God does in fact have the ability and desire to deliver us from the pain these moments might cause.  He is the Creator of worlds without number.  The great God of heaven who could have delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego from the fire could also deliver you and I from heartache, trouble and despair or any other of life’s tests of faith.  But that isn’t always what takes place.  The message from these great young men is that God might have the ability to deliver us from affliction, “but if not,” we must still trust Him.
One of the most powerful moments in this episode happened in the moment when the boys were in the midst of the fires.  After being thrust in, each boy fell down into the scalding ash—I wonder if they were kneeling?
“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” 
The story of these three boys stands as an everlasting testimony that the Savior will stand by those who stand true to Him—always.  In every trial.  He was not involved in this story as a heavenly spectator, but rather as a participant. I love how this story so clearly teaches the loving truth that in the middle of the burning tests of life, there is a fourth man walking in the midst of the fire.
Perhaps each of us experiences the refiner’s fire for just one reason to come to know the Refiner.  And through the proving process, to understand that Christ is always there.  In the darkest hours of the night and the longest hours of the day, He is there.
In the hours of suffering perhaps the greatest comfort comes in the realization that we are not alone.   Christ has said, “Ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions”
Whether Christ delivers us before we face our trials, in the very midst of our trials, or after we have passed through them, He always delivers.  We must remember that in the beginning, middle, and end of every fire we pass through …Christ is there.
It was in the middle of a dark night when this truth sank deep into my heart.
It was not only that He understood my pain, but that He was with me during it.  All of it. I realized then that I will never know what it is like to be alone. It is comforting to me to realize that because Christ faced Gethsemane totally alone, no one else would ever have to.  Ever.
In the midst of your refiner’s fire perhaps you might remember
“The Lord will be always near you.
He will comfort you;
you will feel His presence in the hour of your greatest tribulation.”
Heber J. Grant

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs

 
 
 
 
The peace of God defies the logical mind.
 
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,
give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
 
Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
 
 
They say that good things take time, but great things happen is a blink of any eye.
 
 
The miracle we hope for is not always the miracle we receive.
 
 
“…Our Heavenly Father is aware of our needs and will help us as we call upon Him for assistance. I believe that no concern of ours is too small or insignificant. The Lord is in the details of our lives.”
 
Thomas S. Monson
 
 
Can’t sleep instead of counting sheep try talking to the Shepherd.
 
 
He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
 
 
Love is the Master key that opens the Gate of Happiness
 
 
Jesus hears our tears, like a prayer.
 
 
 
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.
 
 
God is Great but sometimes life isn’t good and when we pray
It doesn’t always turn out like we think it should, but do it anyway, do it anyway
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, March 25, 2013

He will hear our prayers



It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. … If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

Gordon B. Hinckley


Step follows step. Hope follows Courage.


What God knows about each of us is infinitely more important than what others think about us.


“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small.  Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own.  Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”

Henry B. Eyring

Sometimes life is uncertain. In those moments, no matter how hard we look,
it seems a clear path might never be found.
So there is unrest, and unease. Perhaps we have a wounded heart.  Maybe we long for solace.  Whatever the case may be, it is a time of soul searching, of drawing apart. To find peace amidst the uncertainty. We should pray.
The Savoir prepared Himself  in prayer and fasting.
by Emily Freeman
1.  ”And in the morning, rising up a great while before day…”  One of the first things the Savior did on that morning was to pray, a great while before His day was to begin.
2.  ”He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed…”  I love this example of living deliberately.  Not only was the appointed time deliberate, the place was deliberate.  A solitary place, where He could communicate freely with God.
Then came the moment when a decision had to be made…Peter approached the Lord and said, “All men seek for thee.”  
With so many longing for what only He could give, where would He go?  Where did His Father want Him to be on that day, and what did He need Him to do?
3.  ”And he said unto them, Let us go to the next towns, that I my preach there also; for therefore came I forth.”  Why did the Savior come to that solitary place so early in the morning to pray?  Perhaps it was to find out where He should go, to find out what His Father needed Him to do.  To help Him make the decision.
….think of the leper who we are introduced to two verses later in this same chapter.  The man who came beseeching, kneeling down, hoping.
What if the Savior had not come to his town on that day? From these few verses We begin to understand the power of deliberate prayer.  Both for those who are seeking direction, and for those who are seeking solace.
Isn’t it interesting that two lives were blessed by that one prayer?  Both the One who was asking for direction, and the one who came pleading for healing.
He sought His Heavenly Father’s guidance.
when we find a solitary place to pray we have the opportunity to ask The Father for direction.  He knows our hearts, He knows our uncertainty, our longing for healing, and the need for solace.


Change your thoughts and you’ll change your World.


Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.


Live a humble life that pleases God not men.

Friday, March 22, 2013

My cup with blessings overflows

      

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

He'll bring light into our darkest hour; He'll bring rain into the dry places.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:10


Have you ever tried to imagine a life that is OPPOSITE OF PSALM 23?

If The Lord were not our Shepherd. We would have unmet needs. We would not lay down to rest and would have no peace. God wouldn't lead us near "the water" We won't be refreshed. He wouldn't restore our soul. We would be worn out. He wouldn't lead us on the righteous path. When danger and trouble happen, We would be near death. We would feel fear and Jesus would not be there to protect us. We wouldn't be comforted.. ..danger would paralyze us. We won't be comforted and healed. Our blessing's from God would "dry up".

Wickedness and hatred would follow us all the days of our lives.

But He is the Good Shepherd

My Shepherd will supply my need: Jehovah is His Name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed, beside the living stream.
He brings my wandering spirit back when I forsake His ways,
And leads me, for His mercy's sake, in paths of truth and grace.
When I walk through the shades of death thy presence is my stay
One word of Thy supporting breath drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes, doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows, Thine oil anoints my head.
The sure provisions of my God attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode, and all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest, while others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home.
"We each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation.
We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do,
we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal difficulty."
Neil L. Andersen
"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."
Thomas S. Monson

"A grateful heart, then, comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives. This requires conscious effort at least until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude."
Thomas S. Monson
     
"No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
        

Possibilitarian:  No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are,
raise your sights and see possibilities, always see them, for they're always there."