"Ask, And Ye Shall Find"

So, my little brother has this thing about Calvin and Hobbes. It's pretty adorable...I found this a few weeks ago, and I could not resist putting it up here! Love you, little man!

 

How many of you, both members of the church and not yet members, have ever passed a set of young men in suits, sweating it out on bikes? Or seen two girls in skirts walking down your street? How many of you have either run back inside your homes, or gone out to speak with us?

 

I love questions. I love asking them, and I love being asked them. As a missionary, I spend all of my time, talents, and interests on helping others find answers to their questions through the teachings of Jesus Christ, namely through the Book of Mormon. That book is something that I have mentioned here before, and I want to take a minute to explain a little more about what it is.

 

Many claim that we, as "Mormon's", use the Book of Mormon as our own Bible. However, by taking a peek at the introduction, we read that-

 

"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel."

- Book of Mormon Introduction, paragraph 1

 

The Book of Mormon is another volume of scripture, preserved by the hand of God to be a second witness to the Bible. It is not meant to replace the Bible in any way. If we didn't have the Bible, we wouldn't have all of those incredible stories of Jesus Christ. Those accounts of the Savior are so precious, and are taken from eye witnesses of His earthly ministry. The job of the Book of Mormon is not to replace the Bible, but to testify of Christ right along side it. Again from the introduction, we read,

 

"The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the [American people] soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."
- Book of Mormon Introduction, paragraph 3

 

In my current study, I am boxing how many times the names of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are mentioned. I've included a picture of some of those pages here. See all those boxes? Those are all the times it talks about our Redeemer, or God. How can I say now that this Book does not testify of Christ? How can I read it and not rejoice in he who is mighty to save? Reading the Book of Mormon, and then cross-referencing to the Bible, has increased my testimony of the divinity of Christ, and the reality of His ministry. It truly is a book that explains in plainness the teaching of Christ!

While I could tell you all day long (or in this case, you would have to read several pages...) how amazing the Book of Mormon is, you have to know for yourself. And you can. At the end of the Book of Mormon, we read a promise given by the last prophet, named Moroni. He implores that-

"...when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them...ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
- Moroni 10: 3-5 (Book of Mormon, page 529)
(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng)

This book is a book with a promise. Moroni is saying that if we read this, and honestly desire to know of its truthfullness, we will recieve an answer. There is no if, ands, or buts about it. We are guarenteed the promise of an answer from God, and that immense promise was made from the lips and a true prophet. Moroni's promise will never fail us, but we may fail it if we do not earnestly ask for a witness of the Book of Mormon from our Heavenly Father. I know that this is true, because I have done it, and I cannot deny the feelings that I have as I read and as I talk to the father of my spirit. I promise you that if you have never asked, you can get an answer now. If you once knew and have forgotten, you can get an answer now. If you have strong faith and haven't thought to ask in a while, then ask for reassurance. It will be given to you, and it will become an anchor for your soul when hard times come. It has been a source of strength to me, and as I read, I feel the love of God in my heart. I plead with you to gain that witness for yourself! It will only bless and strengthen your life and testimony of the Savior of the world, the Son of the true and living God, even Jesus Christ.

The Great Identity Crisis!

Have you ever asked your mom or dad a question, and they call you every name in the book (including your dog's name), except for yours? That is a common occurrence in my house! Wouldn't it be nice to be remembered by someone all the time?

In the world today, it is easy to get lost in ourselves, and the world. There are so many ads, commercials, shows, magazines, and people of influence telling us that if we don't have something, we are nothing. The latest and greatest possessions become your identity. As a girl, I can definitely attest to the fact that the pressure is everywhere to conform to society in the way that one dresses, acts, speaks, and the things we possess. It can be hard to figure out who we really are, without those things.

Take a minute to think about these questions, posed in a talk given by Lawrence E. Corbridge in June of 2002,

  

"What kind of person will you become? By this I do not mean what role in life will you take. I don't mean will you be a cowboy, lawyer, surfer, homemaker, engineer, computer programmer, accountant or the like. I do not refer to what kind of car you will drive; what kind of clothes you will wear; what kind of house you will live in; what kind of spouse you will marry or what kind of family will you raise. I mean, when all of that is removed and there you stand alone, who will you be? I mean, you.What personality will you have; what strengths; what knowledge; what character; what emotional state; what presence; what qualities; what virtues? What will you look like? What will you sound like? What will it be like to be around you? Who will you be?"

(http://www.scribd.com/doc/34660140/The-Fourth-Missionary) 

We are children of God. In a talk given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf in October 2011, he said,

"This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God...we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation...And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it."

(http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng)  

There is so much more in store for us than what we own here. If we are faithful to the end, and-

 "... press forward with a steadfastness  in Christ, having a perfect brightness of  hope, and a love of God and of all men...if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/31?lang=eng)

These are the blessings that are promised to us. We are children of God, each of us, and with that divine heritage, we are so much more than the finest set of jeans or the fastest car made. None of these possessions will follow us into the eternities. What will follow us will be our knowledge and, if treated right, our families. I know that as we work on our divine qualities, and strive to be like God, the very Father or our spirits, we will feel more fulfilled in our lives. We will have peace in the Savior's promise that,

 "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

(http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/13?lang=eng)

My challenge to you is to pick an attribute that you want to work on. Patience, kindness, happiness, love...those kinds of things. For a week, make a daily goal for yourself of how you want to increase in this attribute. We are spiritual beings sent here to have a mortal experience. These are all qualities that we already have, but that require more refinement during this time we have on earth. I promise that as you as you do this, people will notice a difference. You will be happier as you trust the Lord to help you change and become the person that He already knows we can be.

(https://www.lds.org/youth/video/christlike-attributes?lang=eng)