Tuesday, January 24, 2012

How can I relate The Atonement to myself better than just "He Died and Suffered for Me"

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When asked about the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so many of us just say:
"Well he died for me and he suffered for me..." 
     Which, yes, He did die for us and He did suffer for us. But do we really understand what ALL He went through? Just like when you tell a sad story about a loved one, we get emotional and tend to feel what they felt at that time. So, if we really do understand what all Christ went through, then we would feel as He did when asked that question.

     Imagine that you are standing outside your house and you see a large crowd down the street. your trying to stand on your toes so that you can see what is going on. But there are so many people around that you can't. So you kinda feel left out. 
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     As the crowd gets closer to you, you notice a man in the middle of the crowd. You look at him and see blood dripping off his body. You see him panting for air. He is so thirsty that his mouth is bone dry. On top of that he is holding on his back a huge board like a railroad tie. Your trying to see if there is anyone helping him but no one is even trying to. So you try to get out there but the crowd is so packed that you cant get to him. You think that he doesn't even know that you want to help.
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     As you are struggling with trying to understand what is going on, he finally makes it by you. He falls to his face because of the weight of the baord on his shoulders and the beatings that he has taken. He then gets wipped to stand back up and keeps going. He see's you watching, lifts his head, looks you in the eye and says, "This is for you!" Then stands back up and puts that board on his shoulders again and takes another step. He keeps looking at you as he continues down that road.
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    He finally makes it to the hill where the crowd has him place the board on the ground and then nails his hands and feet to it. He is then lifted in the air for all to see. As the blood from off his wounded body falls to the earth he thinks of those that he is doing this for. Your name is first.

     Christ remembers each one of us. He knows what we are going through. As we read the scriptures we get to learn of the things that he has done for us. Now it is our turn to not let all of that pain that he went through to go to waste. He died for us, we need to live for Him. Now share with someone else what The Atonement of Jesus Christ has done for you. I can promise you that you will gain a much stronger relationship with Him as you do so. I know that He suffered for me. I know that He called out my name when he was on that cross. I know that He thought of me when He fell to the earth and had to stand back up. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Look at the Postitive, The Negative is NOT the Answer

       Unfortunately, there are many who have thought about suicide. They are faced with trials and challenges that lead to feelings of guilt and shame. When we let those feelings torment us we are allowing Satan to take control of us. We are no longer letting Christ's Atonement take hold of the things we have done, or the things that we are stressing over such as: finances, jobs, friends, sins of any kind, and whatever else we have to deal with.
       All throughout the Book of Mormon this phrase pops up; "And it came to pass..." this doesn't say "And thus it continued..." It says and it came to PASS. "Pass" is past tense. Every trial we are faced with will eventually pass by just as they did in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible. If we continue to ponder on the bad in our life then we will pass by the good. Our purpose in this life is to gain knowledge so we can be like our Father in Heaven. He loves each one of us and knows what it is that we are going through. These things will come to pass. Here are a list of different quotes and sayings that have helped me to understand more of what I can do and what our Heavenly Father will do for us.
       "We may endure pain through the night. But joy will come in the morning, we need to just wait. Wait means to trust in the Lord through faith." (Unknown)
       "He always hears our prayers and will inevitably answer them. However, His answers will seldom come when you are on your knees praying, even when you plead for an immediate response. Rather, He will prompt  you in quiet  moments when the spirit can most effectively touch your mind and heart. Hence, you should find periods of quiet time to recognize when your are being instructed. His pattern causes you to grow. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will grow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between these two: the greater your faith, the stronger your character; and increased in character enhances your ability to excersize even greater faith." (Richard G. Scott)
        "Sometimes the Lord brings us low, before he lifts us higher" (Joseph Smith)
       "The longer we delay corrective actions the longer the needed changes become, and the longer it takes to get back on the correct coarse- even to the point where a disaster might be looming" (Elder Randall K. Bennett)
       "No parent will just sit back and let someone harm their child. Yet we just allow Satan to tear us apart. He slowly binds us with little strings. One or two at a time. We can brake through one or two but when we allow anger, yelling, or any other negative feeling enter into our relationship with our loved one, we are allowing more and more strings to bind us down. This can all be prevented with the simple phrase 'I love you and I'm sorry' Don't let yourself get bound up by hurtful feelings or language in your home." (Elder TJ Owens)