Gratitude for Our Savior

I feel a deep sense of gratitude for our Savior Jesus Christ in so many ways. Jesus Christ, a member of the Godhead, willingly came to live on the earth to teach us, live as an example for us to follow, and to die and resurrect so all who come to earth could also live again. Most importantly, Jesus suffered and atoned for our sins so that it would be possible to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father clean and pure and without us having to go through this same suffering for our personal sins in a place where our Heavenly Father cannot be (Hell).

Some mistakenly believe that Mormons are not Christians. I assure you, that as a Mormon I am a Christian. I have dedicated my life to trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and work to become as much like Jesus as I can (obviously I am not very good at it - but I am trying). Perhaps most importantly, I try hard to seek the will of our Father in Heaven and willingly submit my will to His will, just as Jesus did and taught us to do.

I stand in awe of the great spiritual capacity of our Savior. I know that the life of our Savior on earth was full of great challenges, temptations, and trials. Yet because of his incredible spiritual capacity, he was able to live perfectly through all of it. When the time came for him to suffer for our sins, a suffering which caused such pain and agony that he bled from every pore, Jesus said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus then willingly went forward with this most difficult mission. He never uttered a word of complaint or regret. Later as he sat in terrible pain on the cross because of false accusations, being mocked, He asked Heavenly Father to, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." What incredible and amazing love and spiritual strength and understanding!

Jesus now stands ready, able, and eager to help all of us through our trials and challenges with a perfect understanding of how we are feeling through ALL of our difficulties. What a blessing it has been for me to have been taught and given a knowledge of my Savior - and understand that He can guide me through my life with a perfect knowledge and understanding of what I am facing.

To learn more about Jesus Christ and/or His church, please visit http://www.mormon.org/ or http://www.lds.org/.

Sources of Truth

All of us, as children of God, have access to learning and understanding truth through direct communication with God. We can pray to God and ask Him to reveal truth to us, and our prayers can be answered. I have had special spiritual experiences when this has happened to me, and I am so grateful for them. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have gained insights and instruction on how to effectively use this channel to learn the truths of God.

However, there is another channel or source of truth God has given to us to help us have success in this life and in the next. That source is through living Prophets and Priesthood Leaders.

God has ordained and appointed living men, to act as another source of truth for us. These men help us understand the true nature of God, the doctrine of Christ and of salvation (there has been and still is an obvious need for clarification on these matters in our world today), and the proper administration of the church of God on the earth. Additionally, these same men are given authority from Jesus Christ to administer the ordinances of salvation which will help us return to our loving Father in Heaven.

God has always used this other channel to guide and bless those on the earth throughout the hisotry of mankind. We have the writings of a few of these prophets from history which have been compiled and published together as The Holy Bible. Those men guided God's children in their day. We have men appointed to do the same for us in our day. What a blessing this source of truth has been for me!

To learn more about living prophets and Priesthood Leaders, please visit www.mormon.org or www.lds.org.

Gratitude For God

For my first post, I wanted to express the deep gratitude I feel to my Heavenly Father. He has guided my life and blessed it in innumerable ways. I feel of his love regularly and continue to be amazed that He knows me and each of his children!

Jesus Christ taught us that our Heavenly Father loves us so much, that He sent his only begotten son (Jesus Christ) to the world. I am so grateful for His love and for my Savior Jesus Christ coming here to earth.

Because of this great love, I try to show love and respect to others - ALL others (regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, nationality, etc). Of course, I fail at times - especially when it comes to those I am most close to! But I never stop trying.

Finally, I am grateful for prayer and the opportunity I have at any time and in any location, to communicate with my Heavenly Father. I do not claim to understand how He can do this, but I have had many personal experiences which has shown me this is true. I love my Heavenly Father.