One of my companions used to tell me all the time that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the universal answer to individual problems. As I have been out on a mission, I have seen a lot of problems. So many people with so many worries, and many of them really are troubling concerns. However, I have not found a problem that the Gospel of Jesus Christ cannot answer. All of the things that we struggle with on a daily basis can be answered within the gospel; having faith in Christ, changing through repentance, making covenants through baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, enduring to the end.
Faith- When we have faith in Jesus Christ, we trust him and rely on Him. That trust becomes an anchor for us when we struggle through hard times or unstable situations. He is always constant! We come to know with a surety that he is the Son of God. Like Elder Stanley G. Ellis has said, we too can trust in the fact that,
"Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, who through the Atonement made it certain we will overcome death and live again and possible for us to be exalted and have eternal life..we are not spiritual orphans! We are not alone."
Repentance- As we learn to have greater faith in Jesus Christ, our desire to more like him will grow. Things in our lives must change in order for us to do that. The way that we do that is by repenting, or changing our lives to be more in line with the will or God. The more we change our lives to reflect the example of Christ, the happier we are. In the Book of Mormon, we learn over and over that wickedness is not happiness. By changing our lives to be more in line with God, we receive true personal peace and happiness. No matter what goes on, we know that we are right in God's eyes because we are striving to become who God knows we can be, and we are doing it to the best of our ability.
Baptism- Repenting leaves us with a greater desire to do what the Savior taught by example. There are so many blessings that come to us as we follow Christ! One of those blessings is baptism by the proper authority of God. Baptism is an essencial ordinance. In Matthew, we read,
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him...And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
(Matthew 3: 13-17)
When we are baptized, we make promises (also known as covenants) with God. God has always required His children to make covenants with Him. We promise to be obediant, and our Heavenly Father promises to bless us. With baptism, we promise God that we will stand as a witness of Christ, and Heavenly Father promises to pour his Spirit out on us!
The gift of the Holy Ghost- Just as we read in Matthew's account, God kept his promise of his Spirit when Christ was baptized. It is no different for us! In order for baptism to be complete, we must recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. When we recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost, he stays with us as long as we remain worthy of it. They Holy Ghost will be there to comfort us and to affirm of God's love for us. He will help us to remember things that we have learned before. One of my favorite verses of scripture from the Bible come from Christ as he dines with his diciples during the Passover.
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
(John 14:26-27)
Having the promise of the Holy Ghost as my constant companion has been such a blessing in my life. No matter what I go through, I know that because of Christ's promise, I will never be alone through anything. I know of a surety that my Heavenly Father has never broken a promise, and I take heart in knowing that I can recieve peace, comfort, and council from a member of the Godhead as I live righteously.
Endure to the end- Armed with all the tools of the gospel of Christ, we have the ability to make it through this life with confidence. We continuely strengthen our faith and trust in Christ, and excersice that by changing our natures through repentance. Because we can only be baptized once, we renew our covenants and are cleaned each week by taking the sacrament. With that, we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost with us as a guide and protector. Lives built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ not only have the ability to endure, but to prevail!
I promise that every trial or problem that we face in this life can be overcome as we rely on the Savior and his teachings. I have learned for myself that going through hard times by myself cannot work. We can't do this without Jesus Christ. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Applying his teachings to our life will bring you closer to him, and closer to the person that God knows you can be. The gospel truly is the universal answer to individual problems!
