Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

Just wanted to share with you this wonderful movie of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we have ever been…”

I have been spending much of my time the past few evenings, clearing up some falsehoods and misconceptions about our beliefs posted by another blogger. I am hoping it has helped readers to know the truth.  However, it has put the post I am working on, on the back burner.

I am posting this video, in the meantime, to share how faith in Jesus Christ has enabled another blogger, Stephanie, to face the challenges she faces, with joy and peace, after her tragic accident.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve said, “Whenever these moments of our extremity come, we must not succumb to the fear that God has abandoned us. … We must continue to believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray and plead with heaven even if we feel for a time our prayers are not heard and that God has somehow gone away. He is there. Our prayers are heard, and when we weep, He and the angels of heaven weep with us. …

“When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we have ever been in our entire lives. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple.”

Regarding our earthly journey, the Lord has promised:

I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. [D&C 84:88]

That is an everlasting declaration of God’s love and care for us, including—and perhaps especially—in times of trouble. (Jeffrey R. Holland, Sept 7, 2008, CES Fireside)

Foiled Again! Satan’s efforts thwarted…

The Book of Adam and Eve is part of the Pseudepigrapha.   It is a book that was written in Egypt a few centuries before Christ and parts of it are found in the Koran and the Talmud.

The term Pseudepigrapha (Greek, for “falsely attributed”) was given to Jewish writings from approximately the 13th – 3rd centuries BCE., which were attributed to authors who did not actually write them.

It is actually a fun read since it does make you ponder and wonder that there really were more details to Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden then what we read in the scriptures.  That being said, I do not read it as fact, though there are things that definitely could have been.  What I did find while reading was an interesting pattern that we could liken to our own lives.

After Adam and Eve were expelled, Satan was bent on destroying them. He did not want Adam and Eve to succeed in any way whatsoever to please God and regain any of their former status with Him, so he devised many deceptions to thwart their efforts. Each time, they would fall for Satan’s deceptions, and God would have mercy on them and rescue them when they prayed for help.

One in particular was when Adam and Eve, new to the idea of having to take care of themselves, needed food for sustenance. God was merciful and placed two figs in the cave for Adam and Eve. Before they could get to the cave, Satan took the figs and buried them outside, hoping that Adam and Eve would not find them and would then perish.  God, seeing this, defeated Satan by causing the figs to grow into two full-grown trees covered with fruit. Satan was distraught, for here he thought he would destroy Adam and Eve, and instead they would eat all they days of their lives.

The story makes a true point. How many times are we deceived and find ourselves making a mess of things? And yet, how many bad things seem to turn out (somewhere down the line) with a good ending?  We are not perfect. We make mistakes. If we turn to our Heavenly Father, He can turn them for our good. He can take the mess that we are, and grow us into fruitful trees. He can foil Satan’s plan to destroy us.

In Romans 8:28 we are told, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…”

Life is full of trials whether caused by our own choices or not. No one will escape suffering in this life. We will all experience adversity, pain and sadness. Heavenly Father allows us to go through these things so that we can learn and grow.

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so … righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad…” (2 Ne. 2: 11).

Negative things can happen to good people when they make poor choices, but poor choices are not the cause of all of our suffering. Some things are just a part of our mortal life.

Matt. 5:45 “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

By enduring our trials well, we become stronger and more understanding.

Rather than ask, “Why me?” maybe we should ask, “What can I learn from this?”  Think about how God can use us to help others who might go through the same trial. Think about the wisdom and knowledge we gain from the experience. Think about the empathy we now have toward others.

Most importantly, we need to turn our hearts to our Father in Heaven and trust Him. Suffering in this life will soon come to an end and His mercy, justice and judgment will take care of the “whys”.  In Him, we can have peace.  John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

And Psalms 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

Who I Am

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love to read and study the scriptures. I love to search ALL ancient texts, including the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, etc.. “There are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. …Whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; and whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; and whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited.” (D&C 91)  The Spirit testifies of the truths contained in it. I have found that it is also true that the Spirit manifests truth in all things. This I know as I read and study even history and science.   Brigham Young once said, “Our religion embraces all truth and every fact in existence, no matter whether in heaven, earth, or hell. A fact is a fact, all truth issues forth from the Fountain of truth…”  (BY,Journal of Discourses, 14:117)

Lately, through my scripture study, I have been drawn to learning about “light”. We know through the scriptures that each of us is born with a portion of the Light of Christ in us.

 “I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” Christ said.”The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things.”  This light is that which “inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” and is “given to every man, that he may know good from evil.” (John 1:9; Moroni 7:13; Moroni 7:19)

D&C 93:36,37 tells us that, “The Glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one.” In the New Testament, John tells us, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”(1 John 1:5)(emphasis mine)

Through study, I have learned that we can receive more light through prayer, meditation, studying the scriptures, fasting, as well as from serving, living the gospel and obeying the commandments. “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light,” said the Lord, “and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” (D&C 50:24)

D&C 84:45 teaches us, “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.”

Jesus is our perfect example. Through His atoning blood, He makes it possible for us to receive light. He said, “for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.” (2 Nephi 10:14)

John tells us in the Doctrine & Covenants, section 93, that “I saw His glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was…” that “He is the Light and Redeemer of the world, the Spirit of truth, who came into the world…and in him was the life of men and the light of men.”  John also said, ” And I, John, beheld his glory as the Glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth…”   But He received not a fullness at the first, but continued until he received a fullness, and after he was baptized the Holy Ghost descended upon him and he received a fullness of the glory of the Father and he received all power both in Heaven and on earth, and the Glory of the Father was with him…”and if we are faithful, we too can come unto the Father in Jesus’ name and in due time receive of His fulness. The scriptures say, “For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.” (D&C 93: 20)  

So as we journey on this earth, we learn to seek Him. To seek more light. To come to know Jesus Christ and follow him and do those things which He has commanded us, which gives us the opportunity to receive more light, grace upon grace.

As we come unto Christ and desire to become one with Him and the Father, we will continue to be filled with more light.  “And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.” (D&C 88:67.)

Colossians 1:10-12 says, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (emphasis mine)

And remember that Joseph Smith said, whatever principle of intelligence (or light) we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. This I feel pertains to the degrees of Glory after the resurrection.

Therefore, I am a seeker of “Light”.  

My love of the scriptures comes from the desire for more light and knowledge. I have come to know that as we seek more light, we feel more joy, true joy, even amidst the turmoil of this life. I know the Book of Mormon is true and is the Word of God. I also believe the Bible to be the Word of God, as far as it is translated correctly.  

I hope to be able to share with you some of the things I am learning.  If you have sincere questions about my beliefs, I will respond. I will not, however, post or respond to comments that I feel are just the same old anti-mormon diatribe. I will allow thoughtful discussion.

Thanks for reading my blog!