Commandments : Restrictions or Blessings?

As I was growing up a member of the LDS faith, I would always have friends at school and other activities ask me what were all the rules that I had, and all the things that I couldn't do. I would usually reply with the same rehearsed statement of, " Well I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't believe in being intimate before marriage, I go to church every Sunday, and I go to a church class every morning before school. I don't use foul language and I believe in serving a Mission for my Church and for the Lord when I turn 19. "

The responses to my statements were usually along the lines of this, " Man, you Mormons can't do anything fun !!! " I would then usually proceed to ask them some questions. " What do you do the next morning after getting drunk at a party? What happens to peoples' lungs when they become addicted to smoking cigarettes? How is someones life changed when they have a child in their teen years to take care of? "

Granted, there were times in my life when I felt like the commandments of the Restored Gospel where restrictions. Things that I was told I could not participate in by my Church leaders, just so that I would live a different life, a " Mormon life ". However, after growing a little older, and making some mistakes in my life which cost me the joy of life I had as an obedient child. I quickly came to the realization that the commandments offer us freedom from addiction and from bondage to sin, rather then restricting us from the world's " Fun ".

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated in a recent address, " Sometimes we may feel that people will not be as accepting of us because of the high standards we have set for ourselves. " I sometimes felt like this among my friends in school and in sports. I felt like because I strive to live a different standard of life, I was not included in the group. So because of these feelings I chose to abandon the standards that I had been taught for a time, and to try things in my life that were not obedient to what I new were the commandments of God. I didn't become an alcoholic or anything of that nature. I just chose to not care so much about what was around me, and who I was with. Don't get me wrong, I have always, and will still always love my friends from Highschool. I simply wasn't the example that I know I should have been.

In that same address Elder Perry later made this statement, " I have found that if you live the way you should live, people notice and are impressed with your beliefs and you have an influence on the lives of others. " Because I knew that my decisions had been poor, I one day made a commitment to myself to once again be obedient to the things that I was taught, and to live as an  "example of the believers... " ( 1 Timothy 4 : 12 ) I am glad to say that since I have made this conscience choice and commitment to myself, I have been a much happier person. I live a life of respect towards the laws and commandments of God. I choose to respect the council of the Lord given through his Apostle Paul when stated in 1 Corinthians 3 : 15-16, which reads, “ 15. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 16. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”

I know that our bodies are gifts from a loving Heavenly Father. More then just our bodies, this life that we have on Earth is a gift from a loving God, and a Savior who payed for our disobedience and sin with his own blood. I hope that others don't have to make some the mistakes I made in my life in thinking that the commandments of God are a restriction from a "Higher Power". God does love his children, and he gives us boundaries in life to help us to grow and become the righteous examples of his Disciples to others around us. I am grateful for the blessing of the commandments of God given to men on Earth. I strive everyday to be obedient to those things that I know to be true, and to help others come to a realization of their loving Heavenly Father, his commandments, and the joy of Repentance.

I hope that all of us can one day come together in the knowledge that we are the " Temples of God ". This is my prayer for everyone, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Forgiveness - ( What's most Important )

Forgiveness, something that I think we all search for in our lives, and sometimes feel like we will never get.

 What is forgiveness? What are the steps to receiving forgiveness? Why is forgiveness so important? When should we seek forgiveness in our lives?

I've been pondering these thoughts and questions in my mind now for a few days. I have had experience in my life with seeking sincere forgiveness for things that I am not proud of. I know that many people make decisions everyday with little to no time to think. Sometimes we make decisions that we have plenty of time to think about, but later we look back and wish we had chosen another path. Everyone makes poor choices in this life, if we didn't we would be perfect. Now what would be the sense of that? Sure we are all striving for perfection, hopefully, but we know that we have to make mistakes to learn and to grow, or else we will never reach the potential that God has for us.

When I think of forgiveness, I think of a feeling that brings peace, understanding, and joy to my heart, and hopefully to the hearts of those that I wronged. There are steps to seeking forgiveness. If we truly want to be forgiven of our faults and our mistakes, we must first admit that we are in the wrong. We must then feel real sorrow for what we have done. Have you ever tried to seek for forgiveness in your life for something that you weren't honestly sorry for. If you have, then you know that your desire for forgiveness will never really come, and if you are forgiven by others on their own accord, then your feelings of guilt will still be with you to haunt you as demons in your closet.

How do we overcome those haunting feelings? We must next go to our knees. If we ever want to be clean of any guilt or iniquity in our lives, we must go to him who we offend the most, our Heavenly Father. As we sincerely ask for his forgiveness with a broken heart for the things that we have done, he will give us those feelings of comfort, peace, and forgiveness that we seek. All other feelings in this life are fleeting next to those of love, joy and acceptance that come from our family, friends, and most importantly, a God who is pleased with the heart of one of his children.

With the joy and relief of those feelings, we may think that we are done in our search for true forgiveness. However, how many of us have asked for forgiveness from another, received that which we asked for, and then returned to the same offense in our weakness. The key to finding true forgiveness is to remember to forsake those things which we do wrong to others, to ourselves, and to our God.

In our moments of weakness we all feel dirty or guilt ridden for times when we know that we've fallen short of our true potential. We have an inner "gauge" if you will, in all of us that tells us when we are doing those things that will not bring true happiness, and will in fact hurt us and those around us. Some refer to this as a conscience. The scriptures teach us that we are all born with the Light if Christ : " 16. For behold, the ^aSpirit of Christ is given to every ^bman, that he may ^cknow good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge... 18. And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the ^alight by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same ^bjudgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged. "- (Moroni 7 : 16 & 18). 

If we use this "gauge", or actually the Light of Christ, then we can prevent those times that we are seeking forgiveness. If not prevent, we can at least limit their occurrence. I know that forgiveness is a comfort and a peace in our lives. As imperfect beings we all have to seek for forgiveness at times. I'm grateful for the Atonement of my Savior Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for a loving and patient Heavenly Father. I'm also grateful for loving and patient family and friends. I have been one to seek forgiveness many times in my life. I know that I will continue to be one to seek forgiveness. That is why I will commit myself now more then ever before to listen to the guidance of the Spirit, and to remember the Light of Christ that is in me, so that I can limit in my life, those moments of seeking earnest forgiveness for doing wrong.

"The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I want to thank all those that have granted me forgiveness throughout my life, especially those who have recently forgiven me of my wrong doing, and in doing so inspired this blog. Thank You. I Love You. 

What to write?

You know, I sit here some times thinking what it is I'm going to write as a blog about the Gospel to help people understand my purpose as a missionary, and my testimony of the Restored Gospel. Then suddenly like a rock it hits me, why not just write my testimony. Or even, why not first explain what a testimony is.

A Testimony of the Restored Gospel can be defined as follows: a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today. With this foundation, a testimony grows to include all principles of the gospel. - http://www.lds.org/


These blogs have consisted of my testimony throughout every post. As a member of this Church, I was taught to always share my testimony and my faith with those that are in need of spiritual upliftment. I wish I could say that I didn't wait to become a missionary to share what I know to be true. Unfortunately I can not say that. Dont' get me wrong, there were plenty of times when I answered questions about my faith for others, and when I shared parts of my testimony with those that are not of my faith. It hasn't been until know though that I have been willing to share these things with anyone and everyone. I know that part of that comes with wearing a name tag, and being a missionary. I also would like to say however, that when the name-tag comes off in about a year, I will not stop sharing my testimony the way that I do now. I won't be out on the street knocking on peoples' doors of course. I will be willing to share my faith with everyone that I come in contact with though, and I will strive to live as a better example of one having a testimony of Jesus Christ, and the restoration of His Gospel.

A testimony is a unique thing. It grows best when it is shared with others. So to help my testimony grow I would first like to share it, then close with one of my favorite quotes regarding testimonies.

As a personal representative of the Savior Jesus Christ, I want to world to know that I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and the Redeemer of the World. I know that he lives and loves each and everyone of us here on earth. I know that God is our Loving Heavenly Father, and that he cares for and is aware of each and everyone of his children. I know that we are all spirit children of God. I know that the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and is a blessing meant for everyone to experience. I know that the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon are true, inspired scripture from God given to us through Holy Prophets. I know that Joseph Smith was called to the prophet through which the Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored. I also know, and am eternally grateful to have a family that will be together forever through the sealing power of the Restored Priesthood of God on the earth. I am so grateful for Holy Temples where sacred saving ordinances can be and are performed for the children of God. I love this Gospel, and I love my Savior. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ truly is an infinite atonement through which all men can be cleansed of iniquity, sin, pain, and sorrow.

I am grateful  to be a missionary in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that this Church is the Lord's Kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah. I wish to let everyone know my testimony of this great work, and I hope that we all take the advice of President Thomas S. Monson when he once said: 

“Regarding one’s testimony,

remember, that which one

willingly shares he keeps,

while that which he selfishly

keeps he loses. . . . Teach and

testify. There is no better

combination."
PATHWAYS TO PERFECTION

– ELDER THOMAS S. MONSON

 [1973], 100–101

" Greater Love hath no man... "

Recently I heard of the death of 31 US soldiers, and 7 Afghan soldiers who were with them in an unfortunate helicopter crash. My heart was touched by the sacrifice of these men for their countries and for the good and freedoms of others. So many people will go on in a mortal life that these men will no longer be a part of because of their willingness to put there lives on the line for others safety.

The Savior taught that we are to " ...love [our] neighbor like [our]selves... " - (Matthew 22 : 39). He always taught by way of example the things we should do. As we model our lives after that of the Savior Jesus Christ, we will begin to experience the blessing of having true Charity in our lives.

In the Scriptures we learn that " ...^acharity is the pure ^blove of Christ,... " - (Moroni 7 : 47 ). As we experience charity for others in our lives, we begin to see and experience the world in the manner that the Savior intended for us. As our charity grows we can express that love to others in many ways. We do this by service, by being " ...^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— " - ( Mosiah 18 : 9).

It is my prayer that we will always remember to express our love to those who do or do not express their love towards us. I feel blessed to live in a country where I am free to worship God how I choose. I am grateful for those men who put there well being and lives on the line to offer that great freedom to me, along with all the blessings and freedoms that come from their sacrifices. I also wish to offer my gratitude and my solemn prayers to the families of those soldiers who do not see their loved ones again. You will always be in my heart and in my prayers.

In conclusion I want to offer a scripture that expresses my love for these men and women, and there love for others as expressed through their actions. Taught by the Lord and Savior himself, we read : " 13 Greater ^alove hath no man than this, that a man lay down his ^blife for his ^cfriends. " - (John 15 : 13).

"Deliverence"

We all fall subject to sin. We all will find ourselves in times and places that we know will look back on and regret. We will think to ourselves, " Why was I so week? Why couldn't I just say no, or just not go there in the first place? "

Most of us don't go looking for sin and struggles in our lives. There is a God in Heaven, and because there is a God in Heaven there is also opposition to the love and goodness that he offers. Satan is very real. He is not a childish antagonist. He is not a second rate hustler or con-artist. He is the best at what he does, and he has had pleanty of experience over time to become that way. We read in 2 Nephi 2:27 of the Book of Mormon that the Devil "...seeketh that all men might be ^hmiserable like unto himself."

Just as described by an Apostle of the Lord, Satan is a master at what he does.

The good news is just as Elder Ballard says, " I testify to you that your body, mind, and spirit can be transformed, cleansed, and made whole, and you will be freed. " This is possible only in and through our Savior Jesus Christ. There are many people who have already experienced this great blessing. It is available for all to partake in. Examples can be found anywhere, if you're willing to look.

"And for those of you who have fallen prey to any kind of addiction, there is hope because God loves all of His children and because the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ makes all things possible." - Elder M Russell Ballard.