LEARN OF ME . . . AND YE SHALL FIND REST

The woman was certainly friendly and willing to invite us into her home, but we soon discovered that she didn't share our belief that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world. To her, the concept of salvation is unnecessary, since humans are not sinful. Therefore, they don't need to be saved! Such is the belief of someone who is practicing Celtic paganism . . . more commonly known as witchcraft. Celtic paganism, which has its origins in the ancient religious beliefs and practices of the Iron Age peoples of Western Europe, is polytheistic, believing in many deities, both gods and goddesses, and even trees.

Regardless of her own belief in multiple gods and godesses, along with other pagans like her, such is not the case. Just because someone believes something to be true based upon old cultural traditions, personal wishes or intellectual studies doesn't make it true.

As authorized representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, we solemnly declare that there are no substitutes for gospel truth or any private interpretation of the revealed Word of God found in the holy scriptures. There is but one God the Father, and He so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (see John 3:16-17)

. . . Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that the earth will be cleansed from sin when the Son of God returns here to personally reign during the Millennium. Pagans see no need for this considering the universe is just fine as it is. It is essential to understand that for those who subscribe to pagan beliefs, not only is there no sin in the world (according to them); but as a result, no one is then personally accountable for their behavior regardless of how bad it might be.

 

The 17th chapter of Acts gives an account of the Apostle Paul’s visit to Mars Hill in Athens. Elder Quentin L. Cook, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, tells us, "Athens had been in a long period of decline but still was proud of its philosophical traditions." These were a people who believed in raising statues to worship every imaginable God, so as to not offend any of them. As Elder Cook points out, "Paul attempted to gain their attention by referring to an altar that contained the inscription “To the Unknown God.” But his real message was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ."

. . . Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 -  Matthew: 11:29           

Let no man deceive you into believing that there is no Christ. Using the words of the Apostle Paul, I say to all who believe in multiple gods as do those who practice paganism, "I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious . . . whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." (see Acts 17:22-23). We must not attempt to substitute the philosophies of men for gospel truths. Instead, we must accept the plain and simple truths of the gospel for what they are; because our eternal salvation and happiness depend upon it.

. . . AND BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN

For the past several weeks, Sister Lindsay and I have been teaching the gospel to a young mother of three little children who has a learning disability and virtually no previous experience with the holy scriptures or any prior affiliation with a church. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't want to learn about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8)

We have taught her how to pray during our lessons together; and although her messages to Heavenly Father are short and expressed in simple words, there is a child-like innocence in the way she expresses herself to God that makes us certain that He is listening to every thing she says.

From what we have been able to learn about her childhood as well as witnessing the very difficult circumstances she struggles with now, this sincere woman has great need for the fullness of the gospel in her life. As we read scriptures out loud together, she will stop us to ask questions; because some of the words have not been a part of her vocabulary until now.

Although it takes much time and effort on her part between our teaching appointments, our investigator has read every missionary pamphlet we have given her. And there is a quiet miracle underway in her life. The sincerity of her search for truth is beginning to enlarge her soul.

. . . Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.                                                                       - Matthew 18:3

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church says, "Daily simple, sincere, and mighty prayers lift our lives to a higher spiritual altitude. In our prayers we praise God, give thanks to Him, confess weaknesses, petition needs, and express deep devotion to our Heavenly Father. As we make this spiritual effort in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, we are endowed with increased inspiration, revelation, and righteousness, which bring the brightness of heaven into our lives."

Prayers are a matter of the heart, for Heavenly Father truly does read the heart and not the lips of His children. This young mother is learning to communicate with Heavenly Father in her prayers just as a child would speak to his or her parent. We are gratefully watching as she slowly gains confidence that will allow her to trust God to listen and provide answers to her prayers. Our hope is that she will recognize the imprint that He is placing upon her heart to do what He will ask of her in the future.

MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE . . .

Fresh apples from eastern Tennessee

Since Adam and Eve first inhabited the planet, it has been known that among the children of men some people eat to live while others live to eat. To be sure the human body does require ample nourishment to sustain life from the time when we are born until the end of our days here on earth. But not all food is of equal value in providing what the physical body needs.

I love apples and would gladly eat one every day, but I readily admit to also enjoying some other edible items that I should probably for the most part avoid eating altogether. When we first arrived on our mission here in Baltimore, for instance, I was thrilled to see a Tastykake truck on a nearby street in our area, which is something I have never seen during the past 24 years we have lived in Greensboro, North Carolina. From the days of my childhood, I fondly remembered enjoying Tastykake cakes and pies every time we visited Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, my mother's home town and the longtime headquarters manufacturing location for this company.

There's a distribution center less than two miles away!

On a more serious note, the physical body when it is combined with the human spirit becomes a living soul. Spiritual nourishment for the well-being of the soul is just as essential as fruit and vegetables are for the body. Jesus said:

" . . . It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."  (Matthew 4:4)

As Sister Lindsay and I work to help less-active members find their way back into full fellowship within the Church, as well as bringing new souls to Christ, we try to teach correct gospel principles to help both individuals and families understand the importance of obtaining spiritual food, so they won't suffer from spiritual malnutrition.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells us that the principal sources of spiritual food are prayer, studying the scriptures, attending inspirational meetings, singing hymns, serving other people, fasting, partaking of the sacrament, and making other covenants (such as we do in the temple). He also warns us that anything that drives away the Spirit of the Lord, such as pornography, profanity, or anger, will prevent us from obtaining the spiritual nourishment we need from experiences that would normally be effective as spiritual food. We must make sure that our children have sufficient spiritual food and that they are protected from those influences that will prevent this food from being assimilated into spiritual nourishment.

We must always desire to feast upon the Word of God and to nourish others by sharing the truth that has so freely been given to us. And all of this, so our families, friends, and associates may see the light of Christ through the way we live our own lives.

OH GOD OF SECOND CHANCES, HERE I AM AGAIN

Who among us does not stand in need of repentance for the many things that we have done wrong to offend God and cause His Spirit to withdraw from us in times past or even now in this present day? These are the sins of commission. And then, there are also the sins of omission . . . those good things that we have known we ought to do but have not chosen to do.

Even so, Heavenly Father loves us, and His arms are outstretched still in hope that we will come unto Him through repentance and the atoning sacrifice of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. So great is our need to be forgiven on a day to day basis that our heartfelt prayers might well be expressed in these words:

"Oh God of second chances, here I am again."

The gospel net is capable of catching the great and the small of God's children here on earth; and we have a sacred responsibility as missionaries to share without judgment the good news of the Gospel with anyone who is willing to listen to our message. Who would have believed that Saul of Tarsus, an enemy to the early Christian Church, would be chosen by the Savior Himself to become the Apostle Paul?

We are currently teaching a man and his wife who have virtually no background experience with either the holy scriptures or any church. They have three young children all under the age of 7, are financially destitute, and spiritually impoverished. The father has stage four cancer, and the prospects for his survival through his health crisis are not promising. He sadly admits that through past years opportunities existed for him to learn of Christ, and he ignored them. Now, his situation is precarious, time appears to grows short, and this man becomes more and more concerned for the future well-being of his family.

His wife who is many years junior to her husband's age is almost child-like in her comprehension of the truths that we patiently teach in our lessons. Frequently, she stops us to ask the meaning of a word that has just been read from the scriptures. There is no denying, however, that this young mother sincerely wants to know about Jesus Christ and the path to salvation.

We do not know how much time we have to prepare to meet God

COME UNTO JESUS

          Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden, careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed.

          He'll safely guide you unto that haven where all who trust him may rest, may rest.

          Come unto Jesus; He'll ever heed you, though in the darkness you've gone astray.

          His love will find you and gently lead you from darkest night into day, to day.

                   

          Come unto Jesus; He'll surely hear you, if you in meekness plead for his love.

          Oh, know you not that angels are near you from brightest mansions above, above.

          Come unto Jesus from every nation, from every land and isle of the sea.

          Unto the high and lowly in station, ever he calls, "Come to me, to me."

                                                                                      -  Orson Pratt Huish (1851-1932) 

For this family there is a sense of urgency as Sister Lindsay and I do our best to prepare this couple for baptism before the effects of the disease and the treatments being employed to combat it overwhelm the man's ability to complete the requirements necessary for this ordinance to be performed. We earnestly pray that, if it is the Lord's will, there will still be time for him to enter the waters of baptism.

THE STANDARD OF TRUTH

The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; … the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

In the shallow thinking of today's society there are ever-changing values that seem to be constantly redefining what is acceptable, politically correct, or even right and wrong. If the truth be known, individuals seem more interested in what other people think than they are concerned about what God thinks about their behavior!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints openly subscribes to the gospel principle that Heavenly Father has given every living soul moral agency to choose his or her own standards. It is critically important for us to also know, however, that not even God can alter the consequences of the choices we consciously make in this life.

 We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

                                                                                                           - 2nd Article of Faith

Perhaps given the present status of the crumbling moral fiber in the world around us we ought to ask ourselves a soul-searching question:  If I'm not living as close to God as I once was, who moved?

Elder Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught, "We do not set the standards, but we are commanded to teach them and maintain them . . . However out of step we may seem, however much the standards are belittled, however much others yield, we will not yield, we cannot yield."

It may be in the future that the whole Church may stand alone in defense of these standards. But we are not the first, for there have been other disciples of Christ in earlier dispensations who have also stood alone as they valiantly testified of the truth even at the peril of their own lives against the opinion, judgement, and condemnation of their fellowmen.

Missionaries must first seek to know the Word before they teach

The missionaries of the Church in today's generation must be standard-bearers of the truth in all places wherever they may be and under all conditions and circumstances. Standard-bearers march at the vanguard of a worthy cause. They represent that which is good and noble. They are identified as authorized representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ by their black and white name tags and unified in their purpose, which is to declare the fullness of the Restored Gospel to all who are willing to receive their message.

BLESSED ARE YOUR EARS, FOR THEY HEAR

Some of the more important parts of the human body are relatively small like our eyes and ears. There are many references in the scriptures to the human ear, which allows us to use our sense of hearing.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear

                                                                                                    (Matthew 13:16)

But not everyone is blessed with the ability to hear due to birth defects, accidents, or illnesses that can occur at any time in one's lifetime. The Chesapeake Ward, where Sister Lindsay and I are serving our mission, has been designated as the congregation where deaf members within the Baltimore Stake should attend meetings. One of the four young missionaries working with us here is a certified instructor in American Sign Language (ASL), and he regularly translates for deaf Church members during our services on Sundays.

Missionary instructor teaching sign language to Church members

Although there are a couple of local Church members who are able to assist in this translation work, there is an ongoing need to have more people learn how to sign, because there will come a time when this missionary will either be transferred to another area or will complete his two year mission. The missionary instructor is now teaching a weekly ASL class to others who wish to learn this skill.

Not being able to hear due to a physical problem with one's ears is one thing that can be remedied through the reading of another person's lips or by using sign language to communicate. There is a second problem with hearing, however, that has eternal consequences.

God’s prophets have always told people the things that Heavenly Father wants them to do to be protected and to live happy lives. But often the people haven’t had "ears to hear," which means that even with functioning ears, they haven’t wanted to listen and obey what the prophets have said.

In ancient times the prophet Noah told the people that they needed to repent, but only some members of his family "had ears to hear" and were willing to act upon what they heard. When the rains came, those who ignored the warning were drowned in the ensuing great flood that came upon the earth.

As teaching missionaries, Sister Lindsay and I are doing our best to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with those whom we meet; but so many of the people we encounter do not respond to the urgency of our message . . . sadly, they choose not to hear. Before the Lord's Second Coming, the time will surely come as prophesied in God's Word through the ages when He will preach His own sermon rather than through the voice of His servants. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

HAVE YOU STOPPED TO CONSIDER ?

Like it or not the calendar has again come full circle, and we find ourselves once more at the place of new beginnings . . .  January 1st. Where has the time gone so quickly, you might ask?

                        The supply of time although gloriously regular is restricted.

                        We have, and always have had, all the time there is!

                                                                                             (unknown author)

With all of the uncertainty regarding what tomorrow and the rest of 2012 may bring into our lives this much we can know for sure - all of us on the planet will have the same 24 hours each day to live as well as the ability to choose what we will do with that time, which God has provided for our use. Someone has suggested that life is a grindstone. Whether it wears a man down or polishes him depends on the stuff of which he is made!

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said, "The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been." Have you stopped to consider how many New Year's resolutions are made on or around January 1st each year and subsequently broken and abandoned in less than 30 days? A cartoon appearing in the Washington Times some years ago suggested, “The road to ruin is paved with good intentions, and you keep making potholes."

Many of us fail in our efforts to change because we haven't learned that the past is to learn from rather than to live in as we often seem to do. To continue on the same course we have already been traveling  while expecting different results is a good definition of insanity. To redirect ourselves into a new path that offers the promised hope of measurable positive change, requires faith and diligence.

Elder Holland points out that faith always points to the future, which means that we cannot expect to arrive at a new destination while we remain seated in the soft easy chair of our past experiences. The Gospel of Jesus Christ requires that we earnestly seek to become more like the Savior by acquiring Christ-like attributes to replace our past sins, weaknesses, and bad habits.

As missionaries, Sister Lindsay and I wish to help bring positive, permanent change into the lives of other people. We must each live every day in such a way that we can see firsthand how the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and unconditional love, can change our lives for good. Now that's a New Year's resolution we should want to keep every day in 2012!