"God Himself shall be with them, and be their God."

Today was my last class of New Testament with Brother Griffin. Although it is relieving to finish the semester, I can't help but feel a little sad that this class is over. I was very touched by the principles found in the New Testament, and I am grateful I can continue to read and learn about it as I go throughout my life. As a final post, I felt that the following verses were appropriate:

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:3-4)

The time spoken of above has not yet occurred. None of us need reminding that we live in a world full of sorrow and pain. All of us have experienced it to one extent or another, and all of us will have future heartache and sadness. However, we all need to face or look in the direction we want to go. If we are constantly looking down at our past frustrations, disappointments, and mistakes our spirits start to lower, and our faith and hope decrease. This is what Satan is pushing us towards. He does not want us to forget our frailties. He wants us to wallow in our regret and pain until it consumes us. The Savior, on the other hand, pushes us towards our future. He wants us to look upward towards a future of peace, eternal love, and ultimate joy. It is through Christ that we can let go of our painful past, and move forward to a brighter future. If we face Christ we can look forward to a day where there will be no death, sorrow, crying, or pain. No matter how big or how painful a past may be, there is hope. Christ can lift us up, and make us more than we can be alone.

Battles vs. Wars

As we began studying the book of Revelations, my professor pointed out a theme present in this book. This theme is that Satan is always the one who brings the war. However, Satan may win a few battles, but God wins ALL wars. This is not only a message of peace, but also of empowerment. We get to choose who's side of the war we are on, but luckily this is made easier because we already know the outcome. Elder Holland said:

“The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear!” 

Understanding that every battle is not won, allows us to be encouraged to stay close to God. We do not have to win every battle, we just have to win the war. Recently, a person I barely knew, was quite rude to me. Without being courteous enough talk to me face to face, she posted a very inconsiderate and harsh message on the door of my office. I had hardly spoken a word to her, however she treated me as ignorant, selfish, and incompetent.  I was completely astonished. My first reaction was to write an angry email, or knock on her door and give her a piece of my mind (I know this does not seem like me, but I can be quite feisty in my mind ;)). As I ran through scenarios in my mind of what I would say and how she would realize how immature and selfish SHE was being, I realized I did not want to bring on a war. Sure, I could reason that she had started it. But I knew that I had control over how much contention I was going to allow this little subject to bring. Once I realized the control I had over the situation, I surprisingly felt like I had won a battle. I don't think it was necessarily the battle against this person (she probably was unaware of how hurtful her blunt message was), but I believe it was against my own pride and the temptation to retaliate. I had overcome the urge to stir up contention, and I finally felt at peace about the entire situation.

From this experience I was reminded of 3 Nephi 11:29:  "For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another." Sometimes winning our own battles, comes from ignoring the temptation to fight.

Love One Another!

Recently, I've thought a lot about what it means to love. Often love is taken to two extremes. Either love is portrayed as something so deep, that it is not achievable. On the other hand, the word love is sometimes thrown around without any real meaning attached to it. During my class, and through my own study of 1st John, I felt that I came to understand love a little better, and particularly, the love of my Savior.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be the propitation [or Redeemer] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1st John 4:10-11)

God loves us, even when we are unlovable. His love is unconditional, and is so great that he sent His only begotten son to suffer for our sins. Isn't it amazing, how easily we find reason to not love each other? We make excuses that in comparison have no weight. We are completely unprofitable servants to God. There is no way we can ever repay the debt we owe to our Savior. And yet, our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love us continually. The primary song "I'm trying to be like Jesus" echos our need to learn to love others as they love us.

“I’m trying to be like Jesus;
I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say. . . .

Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”

We are all loved, and we should all love each other, not with our words only. But with our actions. In a world of fear and anxiety, love is a cure-all. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." (1 John 4:18). We may not be able to have perfect love NOW, but Christ does. And when we open our hearts to that love, he can cast away our fear and our doubts. Because of his love, he opens the door for us to love Him and each other!

Cast not away your confidence!

We are living in a world that highlights immediate rewards, and instantaneous gratification. Everyone wants to receive the blessings without the work and wait that is often required for the things most precious. Sometimes the waiting causing me to feel frustrated, anxious, and even afraid. Why am I not receiving this blessing? What have I done that would cause such a delay? Maybe it's my fault, I'm not worthy to achieve this blessing. What if I never receive it? These thoughts are natural, but they are also destructive. In Hebrews 10:35-36 we are told to "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." God has promised us blessings if we keep the commandments, and follow His will. However, along the way we need to learn lessons. One of the biggest lessons to learn in this life, is the lesson of patience. The most beautiful of blessings do not come instantaneously. They come with time and work. Although the wait may seem long, the blessings are always worth it. Don't lose hope. Don't allow yourself to become discouraged. Do not forget the love God has for you. He wants to bless you. But like a Father, he has a desire for us to become better through our experiences. We all have need of patience. So "cast not away therefore your confidence," keep the faith, love God, and have hope!

In Paul's final epistle, Second Timothy, he writes the familiar and comforting words: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim 1:7). I find the context of this verse gives me greater appreciation for this simple truth. Paul was preparing himself for death. He knew that he did not have much time left before he would be killed. If anyone has a right to be frightened, I think Paul, knowing he was about to die, would have that right. I do not believe this verse means that he was not frightened at all, but he recognized the source of that fear, and was therefore able to rid himself of it. Similarly, I think of the comparatively minute things that cause fear and anxiety in my life. I get afraid of not getting my internship, or failing an exam. These fear-inducing items, are not life-shattering. My life will go on, whether my fears come to past or not. However, knowing that fear does not come from God, I can see how the FEAR is what could harm me. Fearing the future, is no way to live. God doesn't want us to live in fear. He wants us to  be happy. That doesn't mean there will not be sorrow, but it does mean that God can give us "power, . . . love, . . . and a sound mind," in order to assist us in our sorrow, and to pull us out of our fears.

The past several weeks, I have thought a lot about how our choices, and actions are tools helping us reach salvation. Throughout my life I have read and heard the doctrine "We are saved by grace after all we can do." I've thought about this battle between grace and works, and finally this week, I hit a breakthrough. To me, it did not make sense that we would be saved without being good people, without having righteous works. Our actions have consequences, otherwise why would we be here? On the other hand, how could we possibly earn our way into heaven. That didn't make sense to me either. We are nothing compared to God. How could we ever live lives that are good enough to earn salvation? The answer is, we cannot. So where is the balance between grace and works? Which saves us? The answer: Grace does. The Grace of our Savior. He is the only reason we can be saved. However, in order for Him to save us, we need to come unto him. We come unto him through faith-filled works. That is how His Grace and our works are connected. And THAT makes complete sense to me. Christ suffered for us, so that we could be redeemed from our sins. He did what no one else could. It is only through Christ that we can be made clean, and "no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God." However, Christ cannot do it alone. We have to allow Him to wash away our sins.

D&C 19:16-17

16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

To be made clean, we must repent from our sins so that we are made worthy to enter the kingdom of God. But we cannot do that alone. Only through Christ and His Grace, can we be made whole.

Being in school, I often feel pressed for time, and sometimes completely overwhelmed by the things going on in my life. When you add the frustrations of school with the other trials in life, and the goals and aspirations I want to achieve, it can feel like everything is whirling around me and that I am losing control of certain things in my life. In Acts 27, Paul and the men that are carrying him captive to Rome, are in what I perceive to be a similar situation. They are on a boat when the East wind starts to blow and they start to lose control of their steering. In verse 18, the men, "being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, . . . lightened the ship." They did this, by throwing out the excess and unneeded. It is interesting that I almost feel the opposite when my way gets rough. I start to try and do everything at once, and sometimes, I even add things to my list, thinking that it may help with the "must do's". President Uchtdorf gave a talk about this very concept in October 2010. He said

"When stress levels rise, when distress appears, when tragedy strikes, too often we attempt to keep up the same frantic pace or even accelerate, thinking somehow that the more rushed our pace, the better off we will be. . . .[However], there comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks."

When I am going through my own tempest, I should remember the lesson of Paul and lighten my load. Struggles are not reasons to increase my load of work, they are reasons to let go of the unnecessary and excess. They are ques to return to the simple truths and the things that matter most. I believe that when we lighten our loads, we can more easily turn the steering of our boats, to our Father in Heaven. By doing so we will be blessed and we will feel the helplessness, and hopelessness of a storm out of our control pass by us without harm. 

Romans chapter 8 is referred to by my professor, as the "you're okay, you're going to make it" chapter. There are three specific sections in this chapter, that personally help me to know that I am okay, and I am going to make it. First, verses 16-17: "The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Then 17 goes on to describe that because we are His children, we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. I love these verses because it reminds me of where I came from, who I am, and where I am going. In a way, it lays out my road map, and reminds me that to get to my destination I must remember a very significant truth. This truth is that I am a daughter of God. When we really understand and accept this knowledge of our origin, I feel as if our pathway through life opens up and becomes more clear. Not that life necessarily gets less difficult, but that we are now armed to battle the troubles we come in contact with. We are no longer helpless.

The second section in Romans 8, is verse 26. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Through our trials, and weaknesses, we have all felt to some degree, the pain of feeling helpless, and maybe even hopeless. Because of this pain, sometimes we do not even know how to voice or yearnings and pleadings with the Lord. However, we do not have to. The spirit of the Lord can understand the things we cannot articulate. In my mind, this is because he knows us like nobody else knows us. He knows exactly what trials we are facing, and how those trials are hurting us. He knows how to help bind up our wounds, and heal us.

Finally verses 38-39. "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." I feel as if I don't need any other explanation to this verse. It is so beautiful. I feel that at times we may be numb to the spirit, and to the love of our Savior, but numb is the key word. If we are numb to something, it does not mean that it is not present or does not exist. In my opinion, being numb to the love of Christ, is simply caused by ourselves creating a barrier between us and that love. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, except ourselves. 

Reach out and Lift up

In first Corinthians, Paul wrote to the people there, and talked of a man who had committed adultery with his father's wife. He told them to "therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person" (1 Cor. 5:13). However, in 2nd Corinthians 2:6-8 Paul again addresses the problem of those who have sinned and been cast out. He says,

"Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him."

I find this passage of scripture one of the most beautiful examples of forgiving and loving one another. How many of us do not make mistakes? How many of us feel the shame, or the hurt from the consequences of our actions? Elder Holland discussed a scenario of a man, who in case of bad judgement, went out into rough waters, and then after being beaten by the waves, realizes his mistake and tries to come back to safety.

"When a battered, weary swimmer tries valiantly to get back to shore, after having fought strong winds and rough waves which he should never have challenged in the first place, those of us who might have had better judgment, or perhaps just better luck, ought not to row out to his side, beat him with our oars, and shove his head back underwater. That’s not what boats were made for. But some of us do that to each other.”

We are all in the position of both the drowning man and the saving boat. We all sin, and make mistakes we wish we could take back, and we are all longing for loving forgiveness from those around us. A forgiveness that can help lift us out of the sins we have committed and help us to rise above them and become better. However, we are also the holders of the oars. It is our decision whether we use those oars to beat others for their sins, or if we use them to reach out and lift others to higher ground through our own forgiveness and love.

"Teach me all that I must Know, Do, and Be."

In the famous LDS song "I am a child of God." There is a line that originally said, "teach me all that I must know, to live with him someday." Later this line was changed to "teach me all that I must DO . . ." My religion teacher said that if it were to be changed again, it would read "teach me all that I must BE . . . " This procession of know, do, be, is a process. Our actions depend on our knowledge, and our character depends on our actions. I really liked this idea, because it points out our purpose and gives us steps to getting there. My professor posed this question: is our purpose on earth to get somewhere or to become something? In the context of the question (after emphasizing the BE) I was sure that the correct answer was to become something. However, this is a trick question. The answer is BOTH. We are to become like our Savior in order to return to be with Him someday. We should not get so caught up in our purpose to BE better, that we forget our destination and the reason behind becoming. In  order to fulfill our purpose on earth, we need to learn of Christ and what he did. Then we need to come unto Him and do as He does, so that we can become as He is. I know that as I strive to follow Christ that He will help change my heart and lead me to be like Him.

I grew up in a family that consistently observed the Sabbath day. I was taught the commandment of keeping the Sabbath day holy through appropriate activities and church attendance. I was told about the creation and how God rested on the Sabbath day, just as we should use it as a day of rest and spiritual rejuvenation. To this day, I believe in the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. However, this week I was reminded about the true reason for Sabbath day worship, and I was a little ashamed that I had lost sight of the reason behind it all. My professor, Brother Griffin, discussed how the Sabbath day is a day of celebrating and commemorating. Before Christ, they celebrated the most miraculous and important event known to man, the creation. After Christ, we now celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior, which is the most magnificent, redeeming event in all existence. Our Sunday meetings and Sabbath observance are to help us remember and review the Savior's life, death, and resurrection. Everything should point to the savior and his sacrifice for us.

I like Sundays, but I had forgotten their importance. It had become a day to go to my three hour block, not do homework, and to just relax. All of which are good things, but they should be accompanied with earnest effort to open my heart to my Savior. Resting is not the same as slacking off and vegging out. We are supposed to rest from our labors, the things that are burdening us, by turning to the Savior and letting Him lift our burdens for us. Last night I was able to experience the lifting power of Christ in my life. I was feeling extreme anxiety about my first exam review. I felt almost sick with worry, and I couldn't get it off my mind. I did not think I was going to be able to sleep, I felt so awful. Then I found a book I had made last summer, filled with all my favorite quotes. Below is one of the quotes I read from President Hinkley.

We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. 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. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith. In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.

This was so comforting to me. I literally could feel the stress, and anxiety I had been holding onto all evening melt away. The sure knowledge that the Savior lives, loves me, and wants to help me with any problem I may be having helps me to keep perspective. I hope to work harder to take advantage of my Sundays, that I realign my priorities with the Lord and truly rest from my labors.

I am a planner. I'm not too extreme, because i really like to be relaxed and have a "go with the flow" kind of attitude. However, when it comes to major life decisions, and my future, I really like having a plan. Planning helps me put what is in my mind, on paper. It helps me feel secure and motivated. Although planning is great, not all my plans actually work. Like many others I have made plans just to find out that it isn't what God wants of me at the time. And, like many others, that is sometimes hard for me to deal with. How does this all relate to the New Testament? Well, in Act 16, Paul and company are on a mission. They keep  planning the areas they are going to preach, but these plans aren't exactly approved by the Lord. 

 6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

 7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

So, Paul kept making new plans and inquiring of the Lord for where he should go. He then received a vision telling him to go to Macedonia. THIS is the cool part. He IMMEDIATELY left. The reason this is so cool for me, is that Paul didn't sit there and mope about his past endeavors. He let it go. He moved on. Too often, I hold on to my past plans, and what I wanted my future to be, when I should really let go and allow God's plan for my future take hold. He knows better what will make me happy, and what will help me to become the person I need to be. So that's my advice to myself this week, and I guess forever. Let it go. Give it to the Lord and move on. 

 Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

After Peter healed the lame man at the temple, he was asked by what name, or by what power, he had done these things. The above scripture was Peter's response. There is a beautiful, eternal truth in this scripture. God, the Father, raised Christ from the dead, just as Jesus raises us up. Now, Christ is our source of resurrection, but He does not just raise us up physically. Christ lifts our burdens, and helps us rise from our sins, spotless. Without our Savior, we cannot become clean. However, if we answer His call, to "Come unto me" then we can become whole, like the lame man. The word whole has always been one of my most favorite ways of describing the miracles of Christ and His followers. I like it, because it describes someone who is not just fixed, or patched up. It describes a person who is healed as if there was never a problem. They are whole or complete, having all their past afflictions removed. Therefore, as we repent and come to Christ, we will be made perfect through Him. I love that, because it reminds me that even though I am imperfect, and make mistakes, I do not have to carry those mistakes with me. I can give them to my Savior and he will heal me. I have always loved this picture to the right, because, to me, it represents the things I have been writing about. Just like this girl, when we find ourselves in a river, whose current is too strong for us, we can turn to Christ, and he will lift us out and up. I have felt this lifting power in my life, as I have felt my Savior's love and renewing forgiveness. 

Thoughts and Insights this Semester

While attending BYU this semester, I have the opportunity to take a class covering the second half of the New Testament (after the gospels). I have created this blog to allow me to share with all who are interested, the insights or thoughts I have each week on the material that is taught. My professor is Brother Griffin, who I have had before. He is a great teacher and really helps change perspective on well known scriptures. Throughout this blog, I ask you to forgive me for the many errors that will likely appear in my writing. I am human, but I hope they will not distract from the messages I will try to convey. 

This week, I felt specifically touched by the story of the lame man healed at the temple in Acts 3. However many times I have heard this story, I never put it in the context that my professor did. I never thought about how this man had been at the steps of the temple every day, and was therefore likely to have witnessed some of the healings of Christ. I never thought about the pain and the questions of self-worth that may have been consequences of these witnesses. However, I loved the idea of Christ thinking “I want to heal you and there is nothing wrong with you, but it is not the right time and I can use your faith to help bring others to me.” I believe this thought can be applied to our lives in whatever hurt we are feeling. God does not want to withhold any blessings from His children. However, He does see the big picture where we can only see the single moment we are in. He knows better than we do. If we can put our full trust in Him, we can also be comforted and know that there is nothing wrong with us. Blessings come in God's time, and they are not being withheld because we are not worthy. The lame man was an instrument in bringing 5,000 people to come to Christ. If we can have faith like the lame man who was healed, we too can help bring the light of Christ into the lives of others, and like Peter, we can help lift those who in that moment, are weaker than ourselves.