The Savior's Instructions About the Holy Ghost

                                                                                                                             
In this life as we learn, grow, and work our way towards returning to our Heavenly Father's presence, the Lord has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost to help us through our journey. This third member of the Godhead is key for us to gain a true testimony of Jesus Christ and his dealings with men on Earth. In Jesus Christ's Earthly ministry he taught about the Holy Ghost. Here are some of the things that he taught:

• John 14:15-17 - Not only does the Holy Ghost teach us absolute truths, it is also a comforter. When we have a troubled heart, the Spirit can bring comforter to our souls and speak peace to our minds. 
• John 14:26-27 - Along with teaching us all things, the Holy Ghost can also bring to our remembrance the things that we have learned. 
• John 15:26-27 - The Holy Ghost testifies to us Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to our souls. 
• John 16:7-8 - Jesus Christ sent the Holy Ghost to us.
• John 16:13-14 - The Holy Ghost will not teach of himself, but he will teach us of things to come and things at present. The Holy Ghost will glorify the Lord.

The Holy Ghost, which is a personage of spirit in the likeness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, is such a wonderful gift and important tool for us to use as we struggle to become more like the Savior. Although we can only receive the gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism, it can manifest itself unto us before baptism to help us gain a testimony and a desire to be baptized. As the twelve apostles taught of Christ after the Savior's death, they taught by the power of the Holy Ghost and many felt it's burning witness. However, even though we have been given this great gift after baptism, we can only enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost when we are striving to choose the right and are not partaking in activities that are not in accordance with the commandments of God.
This is one of the many struggles that we face as we combat the natural man and Satan who wishes to destroy us. Unfortunately I make mistakes and am not always worth to have the Holy Ghost's companionship. But, I try my best to repent when I make mistakes and seek for the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It's all part of learning right from wrong in this life. Hopefully we will reach that point where we will always be worthy of the Holy Ghost's companionship.
The Holy Ghost has comforted me so many times in my life and I have come to lean on the Spirit's power when I am going through hard times. Especially the last two years as I have been going through that stage of life where you graduate high school, start college, and are deciding the direction of your life. I have a strong testimony that the Holy Ghost is real and that it can be one of the most important companions that we can ever have in this life. Recently I have been called to serve as a missionary in the Philippines and I know that as I serve, I will be blessed by the Spirit, and I will see it bless the lives of those around me. I hope that whoever reads this will seek out the Spirit if they haven't already and let the Holy Ghost bring light into their life.

                                                                                                           

A New Commandment

          In John 13: 34-35 the Savior speaks to his disciples about a new commandment saying: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." For something so simply stated, this has a pretty profound meaning to it. When we love one another, we are able to look past another person's faults and see them as a child of God.
          The savior goes on to say in verse 35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." When we have love for our fellow man, it not only means that we are learning a Christ-like attribute, it also means that we are following at least the majority of the ten commandments. When you look at the ten commandments outlined in Exodus 20, you will be able to categorize the commandments into two categories. The first would be loving the Lord above everything else, which is the greatest of all the commandments of God. The second category would be under "Love they neighbor as thyself." (Both of which the Savior discussed in Mark 12: 29-31.) This is why the Savior taught that this is how we will be recognized as the Lord's disciples.
          So Basically, our actions will show our faith in Jesus Christ. For example, If a person who had a strong testimony saw that someone they knew was being made fun of, they would go and defend that person and help the person to feel good about their self. Or If that same person saw a new person at church they would go introduce their self to the person and help the person to feel welcomed. As someone who tries to follow God's teachings, I certainly try to do these things, no matter who it is. I think it's important to not judge other people. Otherwise it means that we are not truly loving our neighbor. This is a video I found that I think does a good job at illustrating how we can often act in our dealings with our fellow man and what we miss out on:
                                                                                                               

Preparing for the Savior's Second Coming

For this weeks blog entry I would like to talk about preparing for the second coming. In the New Testament of the bible, in Mark 13, the Savior talks about many things that we can watch for to let us know that the second coming is close and things that can help us prepare for the second coming. Here are some of those things that the Savior taught, indicated by verse:

• V. 5 - We should watch out for false Christs who would try to make us believe that they are the real Messiah even though they aren't even close.
• V. 9 - We should watch for moments where our testimonies will be scrutinized and we should be ready to stand firm in our beliefs. 
• V. 23 - We can watch for the events and calamities that will take place all over the world that we have been told are the signs of the second coming. 
• V. 33 - We can not only watch for all these things, but we can pray for guidance and strength so that we may be ready for the second coming. 

The things told in Mark 13 are all true, but they are not the only place in the scriptures where we have been told as to what we should do and what we should watch out for. Here are some scriptures that can relate to the verses in Mark 13 and also shed more light on the subject.

• Doctrine and Covenants 87: 8 - This verse tells us that we should stand in holy places, meaning we shouldn't be partaking in activities or doing things that would go against the Lord's commandments. 
• JS Matthew 1:32 - This verse tells of the coming destruction of the wicked.
• JS Matthew 1:37 - This scriptures tells us that we should treasure Gods words and study them so that we won't be deceived. 
• JS Matthew 1:46-50 - These verses tell us that we should be always trying to prepare for the second coming and be furthering the work of the Lord. 
• Doctrine and Covenants 33:17 - This verse, just like verse 33 of Mark 13, tells us that we should pray often and be faithful.
• Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57 - These scriptures reference the parable of the ten virgins and they tell us that we will be blessed if we receive his gospel and accept the Holy Ghost as our guide. 

As I go throughout each day, I try to live by the commandments that the Lord has given us. I recognize that the Savior could come at any time and I want to be ready for his coming. There are definitely times when I slip up and make mistakes, but that's part of being human. When I make mistakes I repent of those mistakes and try not to do them again. I know that if it weren't for the plan of Salvation and what Jesus did for me, I would be a goner for sure.  As we move closer to the second coming the world is becoming worse, and it is becoming harder for us to strive for perfection. However, I know that If I can endure to the end, the blessings that I will receive will be far greater than any temporal thing that I can receive in this life.                                
                                                                       

The Widow's Mites

                                                                                                                                                                   
          In Mark 12: 41-44 The scriptures give an account of the Savior watching people give money to the treasury of the church. He watches as wealthy men come forward and give large amounts of money and then a poor widow comes and casts in 2 mites. When the Savior sees this he calls to his disciples and tells them in verse 43 "...Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury." This seemingly small act of charity to us was a great act of service in the Lords eyes. Her willingness to give shows that she loves the Lord with all her heart, soul, and mind, because she put him before her earthly desires.
          In verse 44 the Savior further expounds, saying: "For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." So not only did the poor widow give, but she gave all that she had. The most acceptable gifts that we can give to the Lord are the gifts that we have to make sacrifices to give. In the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25:23 it says "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children,  and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know it is by his grace that we are saved, after all that we do." When we choose the right and follow the commandments that the Lord has given us, we do so because we recognize that it is through his grace that we are saved, but we won't be saved if we don't do all that we can first.
          Giving of our money isn't the only way that we can show our willingness to sacrifice and be obedient. We can also sacrifice our time and gifts to serve others, go the extra mile to help someone, or try extra hard to magnify our church duties that we have been given. As a primary teacher, meaning I teach Sunday school to little kids, I try to do my best as I prepare and teach my lessons. I don't have to do this. I have a manual that I could just skim through and read off to them for a lesson, but that wouldn't do anyone any good. As I do my best I know that it strengthens my testimony of God and it makes me more willing to serve and give more of myself. I know that giving of myself more than what is necessary is what the Lord wants, because I see the blessings in my life when I do so.
                                                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                 

Learning Eternal Truths

This week I read through Luke chapters 16-18 and I would like to point out some of the parables found in these chapters and explain what I think the major principle is that the Lord wants us to learn from each parable.

• Luke 16:1-12 The Parable of the Unjust Steward - Although ultimately the steward did wrong, because he made poor use of his steward, we can learn a lesson from what he did to prepare for the future when he knew that he would loose his stewardship. As he prepared for his temporary future by trying to make friends who would take care of him, we should prepare for the eternal future by following the counsel of the scriptures and making friends who would take care of us spiritually and help us regardless of our imperfections. 
• Luke 16:19-31 The Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus - I think that the principle to be learned from this parable is fairly obvious and what the principle is, is that we should be charitable towards our fellow man and give of our substance unselfishly.
• Luke 17:11-19 The Ten Lepers - the principle that can be learned from this parable can be learned by the actions of the one leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus Christ for healing him. When we receive blessings from the Lord, we need to remember to give thanks and credit to Him. When we do remember to do this, our faith will make us whole just as the leper who returned was made whole by his faith.
• Luke 18:1-8 The Parable of the Unjust Judge - The principle that we can learn from this parable is that, if a big important judge who feared nobody would be willing to help a woman who repeatedly asked for help, the Lord would most certainly be willing to help. We must pray and not grow tired of it. We receive the righteous desires of our heart when we pray continually and with faith.
• Luke 18:9-14 The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican -  The principle that I think that this parable is meant to teach is that we need to be humble and not let the pride that we so often feel when we things are going our way interfere with our spiritual growth. The publican was exalted that day while the pharisee wasn't, because the publican came before the Lord meekly and humbly asking for forgiveness while the pharisee came to boast of his self-righteousness.      

I think that these parables teach some of the most simple, yet some of the most important principles that we can abide by in this life. As we go through this life and deal with the many struggles and obstacles that come in our way, we will have a much better chance of overcoming those things and obtaining eternal life if we apply the principles learned from these scriptures into our lives.
                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                             
                                                             

Being a Disciple of Jesus Christ

This life is the time for us to prepare to meet God. As we are preparing ourselves to return to Heavenly Father's presence, we should be striving to become true disciples of Jesus Christ. To some this may seem like an impossible or unnecessary task, but those whole feel this way don't understand clearly what becoming a true disciple of Christ means. Here are some things that I think describe what it means to become a disciple of Christ and examples of why I think so:

• We should diligently seek to hear and understand the words of Christ. A perfect example of this is the story as the end of Luke 10 about the girl named Mary who sat at the Savior's feet listening to what he said instead of working with her sister Martha to prepare a meal for them. Now, we shouldn't be shirking our responsibilities to learn from the words of Christ, but if we put Christ first, we will find time to do all our responsibilities as well. 
• We need to be unselfish with what we are blessed with and be willing to help our neighbor who is in need. This is a principle that I think goes hand in hand with loving our neighbor. A good example of this is the parable of the friend at midnight told at the beginning of Luke 11 where a person asks his neighbor late at night if he could have some food to feed a friend, because he had nothing currently to give.
• We must also treasure the things of Heaven more than our worldly possessions. This is something that many of us struggle with especially now when we have so many blessings and technological advances. It has become necessary for people to have the new best thing for them to be happy. Luke 12: 34 it says "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." This is very true. We should treasure our testimony more than our television.

I try to do all these things, but I think that doing the first principle I talked about can make doing the others a lot easier. Every morning after I wake up I like to start my day off by reading the scriptures, because it enables me to remember who I am and what I stand for as I go throughout the day. Lately I have been forgetting to read every morning, but I am trying to make a conscious effort to be better. Although I am not perfect, I am trying my best and that is what counts. Ultimately, Being a disciple of Christ means that we need to devote our lives to him and align our will with his.

                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                   

The Savior Healed a Young Man

          In Matthew 17, verses 14 to 21, It talks about an occasion where a man comes to the Savior and asks him to heal his son who is having mental issues. This man had previously asked the Savior's disciples, but none of them were able to heal his son from his mental illness that was besetting him. When the Savior heard this he responds in verse 17 "...O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him hither to me." After the Savior spoke these words to his disciples, he healed the boy of his infirmaries.
          After the Savior healed the boy, his disciples asked Him why they were unable to heal the boy, but he was. The Savior tells them that they weren't able to heal the boy themselves, because of their unbelief. He told them that in order for them to have been able to heal the boy of his illness, they would have needed three things. They would have needed faith that they could do it, they needed to fast to be in tune with the spirit, and they needed to pray to receive guidance. Hear are some other scriptures that let us know what it is that we need to do to be able to do miracles:

• 3 Nephi 18: 20- If we pray and ask in faith for a righteous desire, It will be given to us.
• Doctrine and Covenants 50:29- If we repent and are pure in heart, we can do many things in the name of the Lord.
• Doctrine and Covenants 42: 48- If we have enough faith we can be healed by the Lords power if it is the Lord's will.