The Pure Love of Christ

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him" (Moroni 7:47).

Yesterday in class we talked about how charity is sometimes thought of in the same way as the Atonement. It seems like a inanimate object that is a bit untouchable. Something that is just there. However, we talked about how, in actuality, Christ is the embodiment of charity. He is made of charity, because charity is the pure love of Christ. 

When charity is acting upon us to do something, it is actually Christ's love acting in our lives. We feel His love work within us and we choose to go out and show this love to someone else. 

If you take verse 45 in chapter 7 of Moroni and replace the word charity with Christ it gives us another perfect understanding of how Christ really is. Just try it. 

When I think of the word "charity," I am reminded of the phrase: "Charity never faileth." Because it doesn't. Here, again we can replace charity with Christ. "Christ never faileth" is also very true. 

If we apply these things in our lives we will have a better understanding of the power of charity. 

Revelation

This week we discussed the story of the brother of Jared and the revelation he received from the Lord in behalf of the Jaredites. The Jaredites were preparing to cross the "great waters" and so the brother of Jared asked the Lord how they would steer the barges they had built, how they would breathe in the said airtight barges and how they would be able to have light as they traveled across the water.

The Lord answered each one of these questions differently. From the answers He gives, however, we can learn to recognize the personal revelation that we receive.

In relation to the question on how the Jaredites would breathe as they crossed the water, the Lord gave them a direct answer, giving them the exact directions they would need to bore a hole and stopper in both the top and bottom of the barge. This way, they would always have the air they needed available. Sometimes, the Lord gives us exact answers to our questions.

As for the light, the Lord gives the brother of Jared the option to choose. Agency is another way that the Lord answers our questions. Often, He can see that we are smart and able enough to choose the right way or figure out the right answer. Sometimes, like with brother of Jared, we have to do some extra work in preparing our choice before we get the help we need.

With the last question, the Lord tells the brother of Jared that they don't need to worry about how they will steer the barges. The Lord promises that He will steer them. Our answers from the Lord can be like this as well. This is where our trust in the Lord comes into play.

 If we give the Lord the reins, (or helm, per say) He will guide us where we need to go. We need only to trust in Him and follow His precious guidance. Personal revelation is how the Lord communicates with each and every one of us, His sons and daughters. If we learn to recognize better his answers to our questions, we will come closer to Him.

Fasting and Tithing

Fasting and tithing. Both are two huge commandments. Both are feared/dreaded by many. Both are extremely important to salvation.

We do not, as God's children here on earth, understand His reasoning for all of the commandments given to us. It is hard to see how doing certain hard things can make us better. This week in class, however, we learned more about how both of these commandments really do have a lot to do with our spiritual growth in this life.

We have the opportunity to let our spirits rule our flesh when we fast. The spirit does not need to eat or sleep. Our bodies (flesh), however, needs both of these things and more. Fasting is an opportunity where, instead of the flesh making decisions, the spirit decides what will happen. Going without food for a long time is not easy, our bodies groan and growl, demanding that they be fed. We learn self-control and have the opportunity to become closer to our Heavenly Father during this time.

When we pay tithing we are showing that we love God more than we love money. We do this as we give back some of the material wealth that God has blessed us with. He does not care about the amount of money. If we give what we have then He will be satisfied. He does not need our money to build His kingdom here on earth. If our hearts are thankful and open as we pay our tithing then we will receive more blessings than we are able to hold.

In short, we should not look at these two commandments as times to suffer. They are beautiful opportunities that God has given us so that we might be better. I am grateful for the law of the fast as well as the commandment to pay tithing. As we study and live these commandments to the fullest, we will be blessed with a greater understanding of God's plan. I am looking forward to fast Sunday and I can't wait to pay my tithing!

One by one

There are few words that are as powerful as a few written about Christ's appearance in 3 Nephi 11. Three words, to be exact. "One by one" is how the Nephites approached Christ. Each of them had a sacred, face-to-face, personal experience with Jesus Christ. Even though Christ is not with us here on earth, we can have the same relationship that they had. Christ is our Savior. He knows each of us personally. He atoned for each one of us, one by one, and so knows exactly how we feel when we are going through hard times. He is, by the way, the only one that truly understands us.

I remember reading this chapter with investigators and members on my mission. I always, however, stopped the reading at this verse that we could talk a little more about how the Nephites came up to Christ one by one. We would explain that Christ's church is a church of individuals. To illustrate this, we would often talk about how the saving ordinances, like baptism, are done individually. We could easily get a large pool and baptize a whole hoard of people at the same time. Both the investigators and members, when we described this to them, would agree that the idea of mass baptism was a bit strange. It is an interesting way to look at it, but it does make a point. Christ knows us all, individually. "One by one" is His way.

This "one by one" phrase is something that we need to remember today. It can be hard to feel that Christ loves each one of us individually. Prayer and study is a good way to feel Christ's love for us. It can help us feel, every last one of us, that He is our personal Savior.

Stripling Warriors

We have heard of the word stripling as way to describe the young sons of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. For a long time I thought it meant strong or warrior. It turns out that stripling means young boy. In fact, when I looked it up in a dictionary it gave an example of stripling being used in a sentence with the word mere before it as an adjective. Just so we understand, the stripling warriors were like a bunch of deacons, teachers and priests going up against the seasoned lamanite warriors to fight to the death.

They are a great example to us because of their amazing faith. It is hard to imagine having that much faith when you are going up against all odds. But these young boys knew they had God on their side and they knew that with His help they would win. 

Although this is a relatively well-known story, I don't think we put in the amount of study that it deserves. It is more than a good story to tell young Primary kids. It is something we should emulate every day in our own lives as we go to fight battles against enemies even more deadly than the lamanite warriors. 

We need the kind of faith that the young stripling warriors had. Like these warriors had their moms to teach them in the ways of the Lord, we too have parents and leaders to help us understand better the commandments of God. 

May we all do our best to emulate these faithful young stripling warriors as we wage our own battles against the evils of today. 

Nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy

Alma 36 is filled with scriptures that can help us understand the pain and sorrow of sin. On the other hand, we also learn about beautiful and clean repentance can be.

This chapter is where Alma the younger is recounting the story of his conversion to his son, Helaman. Alma describes how his sins were great because he was leading members away from the church. It was not a good time for the church, or for Alma's father.

Alma was eventually reprimanded by an angel of God that came to visit him. While Alma lay paralyzed, unable to even speak, he was being racked with the eternal torment of his sins. When Alma describes this we can related how terrible we feel when we sin. He cries out in his mind unto Christ, asking for mercy. When this happens, Alma describes to his son that he was no longer harrowed up by the memory of his sins.

Repentance comes through true sorrow. It is not just when we feel bad because we did something wrong, it is when we truly recognize that we have erred in the Lord's sight and need His help to repent.

From all of this we get this beautiful scripture, "...there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (verse 21).

What would you give to know God?

In the well known story of Alma and sons of Mosiah and their missions among the Lamanites we can learn much about missionary work and its role in the gospel.

One of the things that we talked about in class this week had to do with the king of the Lamanites. There is a part where the king tries to kill Ammon. Ammon defends himself and then holds the king at swordpoint. The king then offers Ammon half of the kingdom if he will spare his life. Here we can see that the king saw his life as equal to half of his kingdom.

Later, when the king is being taught by Aaron, the king desires to know God. He prays and says that he will give up everything to know God. It is interesting to see how knowing God, according to the king, is worth giving up everything.

As we talked about this concept during class, I could see how we could apply that same principle in our own lives.

What if we've been wronged?

This week we had a beautiful discussion on wrongs, both perceived and real. We talked about how we react to being wronged, whether we were truly wronged or we just imagined ourselves to be.

We can see the two result of being wronged in the Book of Mormon. We know that Laman and Lemuel had a hard time when they traveled to the Americas from Jerusalem. They felt that they had been wronged because of all that they had to endure. They murmured and refused to keep the faith. Their perceived wrongs led them to feel wrath. This wrath festered and grew into hate. Later, (about 413 years later) the descendants of Laman and Lemuel still hate Nephi's people because of these perceived wrongs. How long can someone hold a grudge?

On the other hand, Nephi was actually wronged by his brethren. They treated him terribly. Laman and Lemuel tried to kill him several times. Nephi, however, did not become wrathful because of his wrongs. Being wronged led him to love more.

What side will we choose if we are wronged?

Minha Alma Ficou Faminta

In my reading this week I read the well known story of Enos. The book of Enos is a short one, just one chapter, but a lot can be learned from him and from his experience.

One of the biggest things that I learned this week was that Enos was praying for a remission of his sins. Often we use the story of Enos to describe how one can get a testimony. However, Enos went to the forest to pray for a totally different reason. As he was hunting, he was thinking about all that he had learned from his father about eternal life. His soul hungered and he wanted to know if he could be forgiven of his sins.

His very, very long prayer is eventually met with an answer. Because of his faith in Christ, his sins are forgiven!

Something that I realized as I read this was that people that lived before Christ was born had to have faith in Him too. Can you imagine having faith in someone that hadn't even lived yet? Sure, it is hard for us to have faith and to rely on the Atonment, but we know it's already happened. Having faith in someone that hasn't even come to the earth yet to preform the great sacrifice sounds a whole lot harder to me. Enos truly showed some faith here.

I am grateful for this story because it taught me more about how I should pray. Also, if I expect to receive answers, I better be praying with some faith.

We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ...

This week in class we finished up the last parts of Isaiah. We are moving quickly through the Book of Mormon! The two biggest parts of scripture that stuck out to me this week were 2 Nephi 25:26 (hence the title) and 2 Nephi 31. These are such powerful pieces of scripture!

We talked a bit about how everything in the gospel points to Christ. (It is His gospel). I remember sharing this specific scripture with people on my mission when we wanted to tell them more about the purpose of the Book of Mormon. This scripture is the perfect description of why Nephi and the other prophets were writing books of records/scripture in the first place. They wanted to help people understand better our purpose here on earth and how everything we do is centered on Christ.

Chapter 31 is one of my very favorite chapters. I have read it and reread it. It had a special meaning to while I was on my mission. This chapter is, in essence, the doctrine of Christ. Here Nephi outlines the basic parts of Christ's doctrine and how they apply in our lives. Repentance, baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost,...everything has its part. I loved that the professor pointed out that repentance is the gate by which we should enter. Repentance is the first step that needs to be taken to enter in so that one can walk the strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life.

But for me the climax is in verse 20 of this chapter. It is beautifully written.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, 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."

This verse gives me the hope I need to "press forward." May we all do our best to embody this verse as we make our way back to our Heavenly Father so that, one day, He shall say to us, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, ye shall have eternal life."

Poetry and Isaiah

This week we had the amazing opportunity to go over what is considered some of the most difficult material in the Book of Mormon. Yes, I am talking about Isaiah. The writings of Isaiah are not like the rest of the Book of Mormon. A little more effort is needed to sort out what he is trying to say. This is because he is not writing in the typical story line style. Isaiah, in fact, was a Hebrew poet, and so his style of writing and the way he words the gospel is much different than we are used to.

Let's take for example one of Isaiah's most well known verses:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

What does this scripture mean? It means that even though we have sinned, we can be forgiven. But why doesn't he just say that? Why does he word it like a metaphor?

This week I learned it was partially because it has more meaning this way. Isaiah, also, does not write with just one thought in mind. There are many ways that this scripture can be interpreted. This is the beauty of Isaiah's writing!

I am grateful for the opportunity we had this week to break down Isaiah's words so that we could understand them better. I feel more prepared to read through those difficult chapters. Jesus did say that we were to study the words of Isaiah, and if we have the tools to do so it can really be a very spiritual experience.

The Infinite Atonement

I am grateful for quiet Saturday mornings. It is a special time to reflect on the past week and ponder on all that I have learned.

There were some powerful things said in my Book of Mormon class this week. I wish I could accurately express all that I felt as Brother Griffin taught us the deep beauty of the Infinite Atonement. The Spirit was strong.

In Chapter 9 of 2 Nephi there are some beautiful verses of scripture that help us understand better the Atonement. It was not a simple or easy thing. For many of us, we are comfortable with the idea that Jesus Christ died for our sins and if we take His name upon us, we can be forgiven and cleansed. However, the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes much deeper than this. First of all, it was infinite.

Without the Atonement being infinite, there would be no way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. We would have no way of truly repenting of our sins. God is the perfect example of both mercy and justice. Justice requires that a price be paid for our sins, mercy gives us Jesus Christ, who could take that punishment for us. This does not give us a free ride to heaven! We must do our part and show our love to Him by keeping His commandments. It is, however, through grace that we are saved, even after all we can do.

I hope that we might always have that idea with us. We will do our very best, but nothing, nothing we do here on earth qualifies us for eternal life with Heavenly Father. Nothing. Grace is what will save us in the end. This is where gratitude comes in. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Christ's Atonement and grace. I am grateful for the love I feel as I strive every single day to be a little better.

The Center of Tudo (Everything)

This week we had the amazing opportunity to look deeper into a popular story in the Book of Mormon. Those that are familiar with 1 Nephi know that Lehi's dream can be interpreted as an interesting look into our life here on earth.

The most interesting thing that I learned this week from our discussions on this story was how Christ really is the center of everything in this story. We often talk about how the tree represents the love of God, the rod is the word of God, the path is the gospel....etc. But, actually, deep down, all these things are symbols of Jesus Christ and His mission. Think about it. The love of God? That is Jesus Christ. He is the gift that our Heavenly Father has given all of us. Jesus Christ is the way (the path) and He is the word. No matter what you may consider each of the symbols to be, all of them will come back to Christ and all that He embodies.

It is the same in our life here on earth. Christ is the center of everything. He is the way, the truth, and the light.

This week was enlightening in so many ways. My testimony of Christ and His Atonement was strengthened as I studied the scriptures and reflected on the idea of repentance, forgiveness, and mercy.

I am so grateful for the insights that came from my classes this week. There is something that is so comforting about taking a few hours each week to sit in a religion class and learn about the gospel (and the Book of Mormon in particular). It reminds me of how easy it is to make Christ a bigger part of my day.

Week 1: New Beginnings

It is interesting to be starting the Book of Mormon here at the beginning of a new year. It gives me another perspective on life and how I can make 2017 even better than the rest.

First of all, I wasn't even planning on taking this class in the first place. It kind of just...happened. I have taken a class from this professor before, and I knew his class was spiritually enlightening. And that is exactly what I have been needing.

Today marks exactly 10 months that I have been home from my mission in Maceió, Brasil. It was an amazing, spiritual time that I can never replace. As such, I have been doing all my scripture study in Portuguese since then. I learn different things when I read in Portuguese. I can still remember, quite clearly, teaching out of the well-worn book on dirt streets to the special people of Brasil.

When I hear someone reading the scriptures in English, my mind automatically fills in the corresponding words in Portuguese. In class we read, "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents..." and I heard in my head, "Eu, Néfi, tendo nascido de bons pais...."

What a beautiful way to start the Book of Mormon. I have read that verse over and over again with dozens of investigators as they started reading of the Book of Mormon themselves. We would read that verse, just that verse, and talk about it with them, explain it, and ask for their thoughts. Some would disregard it as trivial, but others saw the importance of it, and were drawn to the knowledge that lay ahead.

Just as Lehi and his family started their journey, so we too start our own personal journey every time we open the scriptures. We start a journey of learning and growth that we carry with us throughout the rest of our life. I am so grateful for these small journeys that ultimately make up the most important journey, our life here on earth.