He Is Risen!

At this time of the year the flowers bloom, sun breaks through the clouds and the streams flow.  There is beauty all around and God's creations are everywhere to be seen.  Even with all this transforming beauty the best part of it all is the celebration of our risen Lord.  We celebrate the wonderful and joyous phrase that Matthew gives, "He is not here: for he is risen".  Christ who had died for all of us was resurrected three days later and even now does live!  As a hymn says, "He lives, he lives, who once was dead".  What great hope that gives us, knowing that because Christ overcame death we can too and death is not the end.  This is one of the things that I love about the Gospel is that it is full of hope for us, a future to look forward to.  That is what the resurrection of Christ offers, a hope for the future. I know that Christ lives.  He truly is our Savior and Redeemer.  Without Him we would all be lost.  We do not need to be as Thomas when he said, "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."(John 20:25)  We can know He is the Risen Lord if we just have the faith.  Thomas was allowed to feel the marks of our Savior but the Christ said to him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."(John 20:29)  Let us believe without seeing, we can know and "feel" those marks without actually seeing Jesus Christ.  I have a knowledge of this,  He does live and He is the One who sacrificed Himself for us and rose the third day.  Enjoy this Easter season for it is a time of gratitude, joy and hope!

Another Testament

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is a volume of scripture comparable to the Bible and is the word of God.  I love the Book of Mormon so much.  I have grown up reading and studying from it and I have always loved it.  However it wasn't until recently that I gained a true passion for the book.  The Book of Mormon begins with a family who left Jerusalem before its destruction and was guided by the Lord to the American continents.  It is a history of their descendants and their dealings with God.  This ancient record was abridged and compiled on plates of gold by a prophet, Moroni, who hid them in a hill in western New York.  The prophet Joseph Smith was shown where they were by the then angel Moroni and afterwards translated the record by the power of God into what we have now as The Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is convincing evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that The Church of Jesus Christ is the Lord’s kingdom here upon the earth.  Also as the title says it is a testament of Jesus Christ.  Through the book we can strengthen our faith and our knowledge in the Savior of the world.  By reading and praying about the Book of Mormon is how we come to know it’s true.  In the introduction to the book it reads,  “We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (See Moroni 10:3–5.)  I know that this is true, for I have taken this invitation and I now know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I extend the same invitation to find out for yourself if the book is true, it can answer the many questions of the soul that you might have.  If you already know its true then continue to study and read from it, you can strengthen your own faith and testimony by doing so.  Once again I testify of The Book of Mormon, it is true!  It can bring so much peace and happiness to the life of the reader, for it has to mine.  I love that book and will defend it forever.  I owe the truth found within my life and my great joy.  Watch this video and hear an Apostle of the Lord testify of the divinity of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Truth Found Today

 A previous post was about the organization of Christ's church when He was upon the earth and today is about how we have that same church today.  First we must understand that after the death of Christ and His Apostles the truth was lost and people were without the true church of Jesus Christ.  Amos, in the Bible, compares this to a famine, "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)  If you have ever been hungry or thirsty this is easy to relate to, but they could not find what they were looking for, the truth and the true Church was not found upon the world, until the early 1800's.  In western New York there was a young man who was searching to find which of all the churches were right for him.  His name was Joseph Smith.  His family was Christian and believers in the Bible.  Being so confused in which church to join, he wanted answers.  One day he was reading the Bible and found this, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."(James 1:5)  Believing the Bible to be the word of God, Joseph took this verse to heart and decided to ask God.  One spring morning Joseph went into a nearby grove of trees where he could be alone to ask God the question of his heart.  He did so and what happened next changed the world.   

Joseph described his experience as this." 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!" 

In answer to his prayer, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph.  I testify to the world that this did happen and is true; I know it for myself, for I did as Joseph and asked God if it is true.  Jesus Christ spoke to Joseph Smith and told him that he should join none of the churches for they were not His church but informed him that he would restore His true church to the earth once again.  He did just that, with the priesthood authority, a prophet, and apostles.  Through Joseph Smith, Christ brought back His gospel, including the correct way of baptism.  We have this truth today and it can bless everyone’s life.  This knowledge comes from God Himself and will give direction to our lives.