A God Of Miracles!

In my most recent studies, I have made more of an effort to study the Bible and the Book of Mormon together. It is so amazing! It has strengthened my testimony of the divinity of Christ, and God's love for us.

My family! I see God through them all the time =)

God is our loving Heavenly Father. He is happy with us, and sad with us. He desires nothing but the very best for His children! Because of that desire, He has blessed us to come down to earth to learn and grow. He has a plan for us, and that plan is centered on Jesus Christ. Another major part of that plan was to gain a family. When a family is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, having the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end), they can be strengthened and unified. A family is the best place to teach and learn the principles of Christ's teachings. It is through prophets that we learn of the plan that God has for us and our families.

Prophets are men called of God, who are given the priesthood (or the authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of His children) to lead and direct His people. In the book of Amos, we read that,

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets."

(Amos 3:7)

The prophets learn the gospel of Christ through revelation, and in turn, teach it to His children. They are witnesses of God & Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. Through out time, God will call a prophet such as Moses, Abraham, Jeremiah, and Noah to teach His people what they should do. Over time, the people make the choice to reject the prophets and their teachings. This is a state called apostasy. Whenever the choice is made to reject God's prophets, God will withdraw his priesthood authority for a time until the people are ready to listen again. Because God loves us, He will return to us prophets and priesthood so that we can learn how to return to live with Him. This pattern of God calling prophets, prophets being rejected and removed, and God calling another prophet after a time is something we see over and over again as we read the Bible.

All of the prophets taught of Jesus Christ, and bore powerful witness to His divine mission. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Jacob stated,

"For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had  hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us."

(Jacob 4:4)

When Christ came to the earth as the Son of God, He came to do the will of his Father in heaven. During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ preformed many miracles such as healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead through priesthood authority. He was also baptized by John the Baptist, in order to show us the way. He taught his gospel, and called twelve apostles. He ordained them, and gave them authority to teach his gospel, preform saving ordinances, and establish His church on the earth. Christ also preformed the atonement, where He took upon himself the sins and pains of the world. After He had done all His Father had required of Him, the people rejected and crucified Christ. 

After Christ's death, His apostles were also persecuted. Many of them were killed. With their death, the priesthood authority of God was again removed from the earth. The world then entered a great apostasy. This time was prophesied by Amos when he said,

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

(Amos 8: 11-12)

The apostles had been able to keep the doctrine of Christ pure, but with the absence of priesthood direction, the teachings of Christ began to be changed. Without revelation, people relied on their own wisdom to figure out what the scriptures and other doctrines meant. Many people known as reformers sought greater spiritual guidance, even speaking of a needed restoration. However, known of them claimed to be prophets. These movements opened the way for our Heavenly Father to once again bless his children with the fullness of His gospel. When the time was right, God again called a prophet to lead and guide his children.

In 180, a young boy named Joseph Smith was living in Palmyra, New York. At the time, there were many religious conflicts. His family was very religious, and so they attended many churches. Joseph often wondered which one was correct, because each seemed to look at a passage of scripture very differently. He knew that, in Ephesians, it states that,

 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism..." 
(Ephesians 4:4-5)

In a quest to find an answer for himself, he turned to the Bible. One day, he was reading the epistle of James, chapter one, verse five. This particular verse encourages all to ask God for wisdom if they need it, and He will give it to them freely. Joseph Smith, from his own account, said,

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know...At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture."

(Joseph Smith History 1:12-13)

On a beautiful spring morning, Joseph went to a grove of trees, and offered up his first vocal prayer in his life. As he prayed, he received an answer as James had promised. As you read his account, pay attention to how if feels to do, and what thoughts you have as you read. In his own words, Joseph says,

I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

(Joseph Smith History 1: 15-17)

God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. As he posed his question, They told him that none of the churches were completely correct, because they no longer had clear doctrine, or priesthood authority. They told Joseph Smith that, in time, he would be called to be a prophet to bring forth Christ' original church.

Later in his life, other heavenly messengers such as Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith. They conferred upon him the authority they had held on earth to preform all saving ordinances. With that authority given to him, Joseph called twelve apostles and organized Christ's church on the earth once more. That authority has continued since then, with Thomas S. Monson as the living prophet today. 

God knew that the Bible would be changed, so through Joseph Smith He brought forward another volume of scripture known as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (see my post called "Ask, and Ye Shall Find"). It is a companion to the Bible, and gives us the fullness of Christ's gospel once again. It is also evidence that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. It contains a record of the people living on the American continent 600 years before the birth of Christ, and 400 years after His death. After Christ was resurrected, He appeared to those living in the Americas. That account can be found in the Book of Mormon.

In order to know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, one must read, ponder, and sincerely pray about it. The Book of Mormon is a book with a promise. In it, we read that,

 "...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: 4-5)

I testify that God has again reached out in love to us as His children. The gospel of Jesus Christ has again been restored to the earth! There are living prophets who speak to us today. I have gained my own testimony of this by reading the Book of Mormon, and earnestly asking God if it is true. I cannot deny the feelings of peace and comfort that come to me as I follow Moroni's promise. I extend that same invitation to you. I promise that if you will read and pray with an honest heart, God will answer you!