An Attitude of Gratitude

One of the greatest chapters exemplifying the proper attitude of gratitude is, in my opinion, Alma chapter 26. I cannot read this chapter without feeling the desire to rejoice myself, with Ammon and his brethren, and find my self wanting, as it were, to shout praises to God from the housetops.

In pondering on this chapter, who can help but wonder, along with Ammon, at the great success that he and his brethren had in bringing thousands of Lamanites to the truth. Who can read of this miraculous change of heart, among a blood thirsty people full of complete hate an animosity toward the Nephites, and not feel to rejoice and give praise to almighty God for His everlasting mercy and grace. Well may we ask, along with Ammon, what are the reasons for rejoicing. Here they are as given in this wonderful chapter:

• God saw fit, in His infinite mercy, to deliver Ammon and his brethren from their own sinful and polluted state and made them instruments in the hand of God in bringing thousands of the Lamanites to a knowledge of the truth
• Ammon and his brethren were given the same promise that has been renewed in our day that if they would "thrust in their cycle with their might" they would bring in a great harvest; this promise was literally fulfilled
• The converted Lamanites were gathered into the garners of the Lord of the Harvest and kept safe
• In God's strength Ammon and his brethren were able to work many mighty miracles in the land
• Thousands of Lamanites were brought to rejoice in Christ's redeeming love because of the power of God's word
• Those who truly repent, exercise faith, bring forth good works, and pray continually can be instruments in God's hands to bring thousands of souls to repentance just as Ammon and his brethren did
• Ammon and his brethren had the courage to come up out of the Land of Zarahemla, despite the taunting of many of the Nephites who laughed them to scorn and said it would be better to destroy the Lamanites out of the land rather than try to convince them of their wicked ways and convert them to the Lord
• When Ammon and his brethren were depressed and discouraged in the wilderness, God comforted them and gave them the strength and courage to go forward with their mission
• Through all their travails of teaching the Lamanites, going from house to house, going to their temples, teaching them in their streets, being mocked and spit upon, being smitten on their cheeks, being stoned, being in bonds and cast into prison, the Lord sustained and strengthened Ammon and his brethren
• Because Ammon's and his brethren's efforts among the Lamanites, their converts had a great love toward each other and toward them -- so much love that they were willing to lay down their lives rather than do harm or hurt to another
• God has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding and his everlasting love and mercy are extended toward all those who will repent and believe on his name

Oh the goodness and mercy of our God! What a blessing for us today to be able to read this wonderful account of Ammon and his brethren. Does it not give you pause to think that the same blessings that came to them can come to each of us if we will follow the formula described--repenting, exercising faith, bringing forth good works, and praying continually. Is not the field just as white and ready to harvest now as it was then? What of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, China, India, Indonesia, and dozens of other locations where, at present, Christ's teaching have very little influence, and where thousands, if not millions, of misguided individuals bear a hatred towards Christians, particularly American Christians, not unlike that of the Lamanites. On more than one occasion President Monson has admonished members of the church to pray that the gospel can move forward in those regions. In this past conference, in his opening address, President Monson stated:

I would ask that your faith and prayers continue to be offered in behalf of those areas where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely at this time. Miracles can occur as we do so (Welcome To General Conference, Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov. 2010 6).

How marvelous is the opportunity we have and how great the responsibility! May we be blessed to live up to it.

Great Address

I just listened to a fantastic CES Fireside by Elder David A. Bednar. He spoke of the sacredness of our bodies, taking an approach that I hadn't considered before. Of particular interest to me were his words describing the way in which Satan strives to diminish the importance of our physical bodies, and our relationships with those around us, through enticing us to become addicted to technology such as video games, social networks, and other mediums of virtual reality. He spoke plainly and raised a powerful warning voice. I highly recommend his address to everyone. Here's the link:

http://lds.org/move/index.html?type=ces&event=1&lang=english

Enjoy!

Stand Fast

Helaman's "sons," as described in Alma chapter's 56 and 58, have always been an inspiration to me. Alma 58:40 is one of my favorite verses.

But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.

This verse causes me to ponder on several levels. What does it mean to "stand fast"? To me it means to be firmly rooted in Christ. It is only through him that we can truly be free. How do we stay rooted? We stay rooted by remembering God from day to day and strictly keeping His commandments.

We also look forward, as this verse implies, with a brightness of hope and faith in the prophecies of that which is to come. In ancient America, that meant looking forward to the advent of Christ's birth and later appearance among the Nephites. Today, it means looking forward to Christ's second coming and His millennial reign on the earth.

I love this verse. It strengthens me in my determination to keep the Lord's commandments to ensure that I am firmly rooted in Christ. How does it affect you? What are your thoughts and feelings when you read this verse?

Hope for Deliverance

Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies...

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him (Alma 58:10-11)

As I ponder these verses, the spirit whispers peace to my soul. What a blessing to know that if we pray with faith, the Lord will hear our cries and strengthen us in the face of adversity. We truly can hope for our deliverance in him.

How do these verses affect you?

In Troubled Times Like This

As we contemplate the current situation in our country and in the world, it might be easy to get discouraged. We are, for the most part, bombarded with waives of negativism on the main stream media news, in the newspapers, in magazines, and online news sources.

Yet through the gloom and doom of our times, the glorious gospel light pierces the darkness, as the lighthouse on a hill, guiding all those who will follow it to the path of peace and rest. Aside from the comforting words of living prophets and apostles, nothing brings the gospel light to our hearts like the uplifting language of the scriptures.

The following verses are from Psalm 37. It is a long Psalm so I will only quote some of the verses. I also recommend Psalms 34 and 36.

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.

30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land...

37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

I love these verses. I love the desire they inspire in my mind to trust in the Lord, to delight in the Lord, to commit my way to the Lord and bring forth righteousness that I, and all those I can influence for good, might find rest in Him. They strengthen my feeble knees, buoy up my drooping heart and lift my hanging hands. What a blessing to have the scriptures! What joy to be able to feast at the table of the Lord everyday--a banquet of the most delicious and soul satisfying dishes on a table that is never empty! Oh that we might all hearken to the words of Nephi in 2 Nephi 31:20 and "feast upon the words of Christ" daily!

How do you feel about these verses? Do you have favorite verses from the scriptures that are a strength and a comfort to you? Would you be willing to share them with me? If so, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to comment here or email them to me and, if you are comfortable with me doing so, I will post them.

Feast of Comfort

I've been greatly concerned, am greatly concerned about the state of affairs in our great country, the United States of America. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I cannot see and hear and read about what is happening and sit idly by doing nothing. My covenants with God prohibit me from doing so. Rather they obligate and motivate me to action. To that end I've been working hard on a blog ttoliberty.blogspot.com; I've gotten involved with AmericaC2C.org and LDS Taking Back America, and I've been writing articles with the hopes of getting them published by Meridian Magazine. I've also been doing a lot of reading to educate myself more fully in the words of the Founding Fathers.

In doing all this, and then in watching and reading the news, it has been difficult, at times, not to let myself get discouraged. What a wonderful blessing it is to be able to turn to the scriptures and "sweet refreshment find."

As I've read over the past several days, I've come across some wonderful nuggets that apply directly to our current lives.

First, D&C 98:4-11

4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.

6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;

7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.

8 I, the Lord God, make you, free therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.

9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.

10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.

11 And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.

These verses give us the Lord's prescription for freedom.

• Observe and keep God's commandments
• Constitution is for all mankind
• Befriend the constitution (study it and understand its principles)
• Anything more or less than the Constitution is evil
• We are free in God and also through the Constitution
• Seek honest and wise men [and women] to hold office -- anything less comes of evil
• Forsake evil and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

If we follow this prescription, we will be free. If we don't, the wicked will rule and the people will mourn.

In D&C 21:4-6 we read:

4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

6 For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.

I love these verses. They are marvelous comfort in these challenging times. If we receive the words of the prophet in all patience and faith, meaning with humility and the determination to act given that faith is an action word, the gates of hell shall not prevail. God will disperse the powers of darkness and the heavens will shake for our good and his glory! Wow! That electrifies me!

In the Book of Mormon we read, in Alma chapter 46, of Amalickiah and his aspirations to be king over the Nephites. Amalickiah, through much flattery, lead away many Nephites to support him in his efforts to become king—even many members of the Church of Christ. The Nephites were in great distress. Yet we also read that Captain Moroni rallied the Nephites to stand up to the challenge.

So it is with us today. We find ourselves in a very dangerous and precarious position, facing challenges similar to those of Captain Moroni and the Nephites. From within our own nation, we face an enemy that is every bit as real as Amalickiah and his followers – people in high places seeking for power. The weapons they use today are different, however their intent is the same: destroy the foundation of liberty—namely religion, peace, freedom, family, and especially God. Through great subtlety and flattering words they bray forth their message as they ignore the U.S. constitution and seek to further entrench a socialistic welfare state and a government sponsored religion of secular humanism and moral relativism throughout our nation.

How can we hope to combat them? D&C 27:15-18 gives us the answer.

15 Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.

16 Stand, therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;

17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;

18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be faithful up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.

What is the Lord's answer? How do we withstand the evil day? By putting on God's armor. What is that armor?

• Truth
• Righteousness
• Testimony
• Faith
• Knowledge of the plan of salvation
  
• The Holy Ghost
• Unity
• Faithfulness

We live in troubling times, but if we will follow the the counsel given in these verses, we will, along with Paul, be able to say:

8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;

9 Persecuted , but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

God is at the helm. Truth will prevail.

New Blog

Just a quick note. I removed my video testimony and moved it to my new blog pure-testimony.blogspot.com. Anyone interested in sharing their testimony, please email me at puretestimony@gmail.com