Unforgettables

Are there some unforgettable things that have happened in your life that have left such a lasting impact on your life that your life has literally been changed because of it?

Sadly some of these unforgettables leave a horrible, negative impact, like crime, war, death. Even if the sting fades over the years, there is no denying that they happened.

But what about the wonderful and positive unforgettables in our lives? Even their memories may fade a little with time, but the positive impacts are very real and undeniable.

Whether they are once-in-a-lifetime experiences or daily occurrences, these very real and unforgettable things really do happen to us.

Now you can come to know the truth of Joseph Smiths unforgettables. You can come to know the truth of Joseph Smiths unforgettables as you experience some of your own. The truth you seek is tied to the person you are. When your life becomes a fountain of integrity, you will drink from the eternal and living waters freely, and you will come to know, like any real and unforgettable moment in your life, the undeniable reality of Jesus Christ, his life his gospel and his atoning sacrifice.

As surely as any wonderful thing that has ever happened to you, you can know that Christ lives. that Noah built an ark, that Jonah met a whale, that Moses walked in the valley of a parted sea, that Daniel survived a den of lions, and Joseph Smith had a most sacred and unforgettable experience in a sacred grove.

Remember the truth you seek is up to you--where your heart is, there will your treasure be also. The fountain of youth may not exist, but the fountain of truth does. Come drink of living water and never thurst. But your cup must be clean. “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord”.  The Lord will not put new wine in old bottles.

May it be said of you: he hath clean hands and a pure heart.

He Knows How The Story Ends

One of the great truths, central to the atonement, is the perfect foreknowledge of God.  We know from scriptures that God knows the end from the beginning.  He knows how the story ends. He knows what we will do, when and where we will sin.  

We cannot begin to fathom the pain Christ suffered as he atoned for the sins of the world.  Although we cannot comprehend his suffering, it is possible, in some small degree, to appreciate some of the process.  This process included the revelation of all sins from God to Christ.  How awful and shocking and horrifying, to the sinless Son of God, it must have to been to behold every last sin of every last one of us. Christ didn't remember our sins, he experienced them firsthand.

Christ paid the ultimate price for all sins, including the trillions of sins that would occur after his sacrifice in Gethsemane.  How was it possible for God or Christ to know what sins would occur in the future?  Because God the Eternal Father is an all-knowing God, He has a complete knowledge of all things, even things yet to come. He was perfectly able to include all the sins, past, present, and future, in the bitter cup, leaving out no sinner and leaving no sin unaccounted for.  

Christ not only experienced the overwhelming shock and sorrow of all the sins of mankind, but also endured the eternal punishment affixed to those sins.  Again his all knowing Father, author of the perfect plan,  unleashed the full fury of justice to meet its demands.

We can show reverence to the Savior for His sacred atonement without sensationalizing his suffering, but instead recognizing the infinite power of God to account for and atone for all of our sins.

Sweet Above All

Because we have a tendency to take our blessings for granted, sometimes we have to taste the bitter to prize the good. When we recognize the difference, when we recognize that all the good we have received is from God, we can have greater gratitude for the tender mercies of the Lord. We can recognize more readily and more frequently that He is a God of tender mercy, that these tender mercies from God are a witness of His love. Yes, we taste bitter and sweet in this life, but we can come to know, and even receive a sure witness, that God’s love is sweet above all that is sweet.

I Love The Lord

"I Love the Lord"
(2 Nephi 4:16—35)
I love the Lord. In him my soul delights.
Upon his word, I ponder day and night.
He's heard my cry, brought visions to my sleep,
And kept me safe o'er deserts and the deep.
He's filled my heart with his consuming love,
And borne me high on wings of his great dove.
Yet oft I groan,"O wretched man am I!"
My flesh is weak and I'm encompassed by
A world of sin, which holds me in its thrall,
If I give in and to temptations fall.
Then strength grows slack, I waste in sorrow's vale.
My peace destroyed, my enemies prevail.
Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin.
Rejoice, my heart! And let me praise again
The Lord my God, who is my rock and stay
To keep me strict upon his straight, plain way.
O let me shake at the first sight of sin
And thus escape my foes without and in.
Adaptation: John S Tanner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1UtCbsg_Sk

He is Risen

Think of all the people you know that use to believe in something and now believe in something different. The new view, however convincing, when compared to the old view can still be wrong. When someone is convinced of something, even something new, it is the closest thing to impossible to convince them otherwise.

Miraculously, the Lord, thru the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost, has been able to reach out and touch a person’s mind and heart in such a way that the spiritual impact changes beliefs, yet again, and changes lives.

Some of my strongest held beliefs and deepest convictions have melted away in the sunlight of God's divine truth. Mercifully, God moved mountains of darkness and deception to save my soul from the vilest of sins, beliefs, and behaviors.

Christ, through His atonement, has rescued me, and He can rescue you.

He is risen, the very Son of God is risen!

Happy Easter!!

Self Mastery

Self mastery is the result of self control. Self control is disciplined agency: it is to act instead of being acted upon. Self discipline is the key to personal freedom. The more we have control over the more we have freedom from. Growth is the result of harvesting our efforts in areas we have control over. We truly grow when we focus our energy on things we have control over and not waste out time and energy on things we have no control over. Wisdom is to knowing the difference.

Pride keeps us from correcting our character flaws. Our character flaws keep us out of heaven. May heaven help me be humble enough to see my faults before it's too late. Thankfully, His amazing grace is sufficient!

Bad choices are like opening a dozen credit cards: they are easy to open, the allure to use them is intense, the personal freedom to use them is almost addicting, there is a delayed reaction before having to pay them back-- but the compounding consequences can be devastating.

Agency is a double edged sword. Personal freedom is liberating and empowering but the consequences are just as great. The higher the freedom, the higher the consequences. Choices have consequences. Cause has resulting effects. What you sow so shall ye reap.

There is often a "consequence window" between cause and effect. The time between the iceberg and the sinking ship. The time between the earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Personal freedom is appealing, but without some restraint, personal freedom can be dangerous.

The rarest of gems are usually of the highest quality and in the highest demand. Sometimes, like gold, the things of highest value require a refining process to purge and to polish and to purify. We seek who we are and if we seek to be like the Savior we will be the highest quality and we will attract the same. He is the standard of excellence and, no matter what the world can offer, only He can offer Eternal Life.

While it is Called Today

Yesterday I proved once again that I am a self righteous jerk. I said things I shouldn't have said and made things worse.

Today is a new day, and I resolve to repent and do better and not lose out on opportunities to grow. There is a poem and a hymn that reflect the importance of living life each day to the fullest and cherishing the moments of each day.

I wrote this poem and have shared it on this blog before but it is fitting to share it again.

Someday Isle
I charted a ship to Someday Isle
and dreamed of a glorious paradise sun.
I set my sails high and manned the wheel
I hoped for a fast wind and a strong run.
I’d heard of the treasures on Someday Isle
and dreamed of great riches and fame
So I sold all I had for my boat and supplies
but I knew all my wealth I’d regain.
The voyage was rugged, the waves were quite rough
and at times I thought all was lost
But I held on to that wheel and forged on ahead
“I’ll make it, regardless the cost”
One day I spotted dry land close ahead,
So I set my sails high once more.
I didn’t steer clear, enough of the reef
and I crashed far from the shore.
I’m stranded here now on Someday Isle
with no hope of rescue in sight.
But someday, I’ll make it back home to the shore
and tell of my terrible plight.
Life is a voyage of jewels and success
the foolish sailor will say.
But I realize the real jewel now
is the time that I spend with today.

And here is the hymn

Today, While the Sun Shines, no. 229

Today, while the sun shines, work with a will;
Today all your duties with patience fulfill.
Today, while the birds sing, harbor no care;
Call life a good gift; call the world fair.

Today seek the treasure better than gold,
The peace and the joy that are found in the fold.
Today seek the gems that shine in the heart;
While here we labor, choose the better part.

Today seek for goodness, virtue, and truth,
As crown of your life and the grace of your youth.
Today, while the heart beats, live to be true,
Constant and faithful all the way through.

[Chorus]
Today, today, work with a will;
Today, today, your duties fulfill.
Today, today, work while you may;
Prepare for tomorrow by working today.

Today is another day and I will try harder to be more like my Savior, while it is
called today.