The Best We'll Take

God is our Loving Father in heaven.  In his timing, God plans to give us all that we will accept.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? [Matt 7:7-11]

He has the very best gifts in store for us, and invites us to seek them out so that we will appreciate them when we find them or he presents them to us.  Many have this view that he plans to condemn all but a select few.  The revelations to the prophet Joseph Smith deny this view:

And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received. For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. [D&C 88:32-33]

God is our Loving Father in heaven and if we are condemned it is because we'd knowingly reject the gift he offers us and stop our own progress.

Don't Deserve This

I finish volunteering as a full-time missionary in only a few months.  I've had mixed thoughts about this, between how glad I'll be to be spending more time with family again, and the loss it will be for awhile, not to experience serving the Lord so much and seeing quite so many miracles.  The train of thought continued until I was thinking over some of the miracles I've seen on my mission. 
I've watched people transform their lives, overcoming addictions when they felt hopelessly lost, set their lives straight after making choices which they feared would always haunt them, and repair relationships they thought they'd destroyed.  In each of these the light of Jesus Christ was clearly present and pushing people to make those changes.  I've even changed a great deal myself and become much more patient with other people and our Father in heaven.



At times in my mission, I really needed a miracle and the Lord came through for me, even though I doubt I deserved help in such a grand manner as the Lord chose.  Thinking about what my life will be like after my mission, I feel especially blessed.  It seems the Lord has been tweaking things on my behalf as I've been serving him.  Looking at some of the things that he has done for me, I know I don't possibly deserve all of it.  Today I was reading a verse in the Book of Mormon, which felt like King Benjamin was speaking to me:

And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? [Mosiah 2:24]

I know that our Father in heaven has many more blessings he wants to give all of us.  We certainly don't deserve all of them, but as a loving Father he desires to offer them to us if we will only keep his commandments.  In the long run he desires to offer us immortality and eternal life like he has.  That's certainly not something we can earn on our own merits.

The Purpose of Life - Made Simple (A Must See!)

I've served as an Mormon missionary online for nearly a year.  In that time, I've learned that having something to show makes a big difference when you've got a message to show.  I love the videos produced on the Mormons Made Simple site.  They are often the perfect thing to share with someone who has questions about our church, or isn't sure what to expect when they visit.
Recently, they launched a video that everyone should certainly find interest in, "The Purpose of Life."
Our unique understanding of the purpose of life is something that sets Mormons apart.  The answer to life, the universe, and everything is a great deal more fascinating than "42."
So sit down with a snack, be prepared to take a note or two, and enjoy the show!



This is a great clip to share with a friend.  If you have questions about this plan, and I hope you will, feel free to chat with a Mormon missionary.  Ask away.  :-D

Unity in Testimony - Christ's Doctrine

I made this chart as a visual aid to follow what Christ said in 3 Nephi 11:32.  

  Tell me about what you see going on it it.

And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

[3 Nephi 11:32]