Our Weekly Promise to God

This morning I was studying my scriptures and I had the thought of working on my Duty to God a little bit. I love the new format! It really does prepare the young men for our missions. Anyways, I was studying about the sacrament prayer and it came to my mind that this would be a good blog post to do! I feel like sometimes some members of the Church (and even me), take this sacred ordinance for granted. We get to receive a cleansing of our sins every week! That's so awesome! I'm so grateful for that. We start off our week with a new start. I love it. So to understand what really happens I thought I would include the sacrament prayers and discuss them a little. 

Doctrine and Covenants 20:77,79:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen."

So, these prayers are really powerful if you study them closely. When we partake of the bread and drink of the water, we promise to always remember Him, keep His commandments, and take His name upon us. In return, if we do this, we will always have His spirit to be with us! Isn't that sweet!?! And we are not perfect, so as long as we are willing and striving to do these things, we will have the Holy Ghost with us. 

In today's world there are so many distractions and it can be hard to always remember Jesus Christ. Luckily, the Church has numerous resources and helpful reminders! I ordered my own CTR ring (Choose the Right), and it always helps me remember who I am representing and who I am indebted to for giving me the opportunity to live with God again. Jesus Christ paved the way for you and I, and without Him, there would be no way to return. I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father was willing to give up His Only Begotten Son. For ME! :) Another resource is seminary for youth. It's so awesome waking up every morning and hearing a message about the Gospel. My day is different without it. Those who aren't in seminary? Set aside a time each day to study your scriptures. Whether it's for 5 minutes or 20, that time spent will give you the power and the strength to get through your day. 

One of my favorite ways to receive strength and one that I lean on the most is through prayer. The Bible Dictionary gives great insight on prayer: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God, then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them." 

And when we use these many things that God has given us to get through our hard weeks, we will still fall short. We will still sin. But, we need not be ashamed. Because last that I heard, our Church isn't for perfect people. We are all imperfect. We strengthen each other as we work our way back home. Dieter F. Uchtdorf says it much better than I can: "Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely. ... He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”

I know that we can receive strength through the sacrament prayer. If we are just willing to do those three things, we will be blessed with the Spirit. And with the Spirit, nothing can stop us. I know that Christ is my Redeemer. Without Him I would be lost forever. I'm so grateful for how much Heavenly Father loves me, though I have imperfections. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

It is The Last Days...

We're finally getting a good snow in Ohio! :D And it is definitely Christmas time! Make time for Christ. I loved listening to the Christmas Devotional this past weekend. President Thomas S. Monson said, "To catch the real meaning of the Spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ." So drop that syllable! :) 

Life is flying by so fast! I feel like just yesterday it was summer. This past month has been so uplifting and it has helped me a lot with all the chaos going on around me and all of us. You can't walk for 10 seconds and you don't hear something inappropriate. We need to keep our eyes focused on our ultimate goal of returning to Christ. Put God first. If you don't put the most important person in your life first, the adversary will have that many more chances to persuade you to sway on the path back to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. 

We need to remember who, what, and how. Who should we follow? Should we follow Our Brother who set the perfect example for us and who made it possible for us to return to heaven to live with our families together for all time and eternity? Or, should we be on cruise control, and follow what we feel like? Wrong. There is no gray area anymore. We must choose. Choose who you will serve. As for me, I'm serving God. Are you going to join? 

What: What are we going to do once we choose? We must become a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places. That is what we promised to do when we entered the waters of baptism. That we will keep His commandments. We chose to serve Him. "If you have not put the Kingdom of God first, it will make no difference what you have chosen instead." So what will you do?

How: How will you do this? There are many ways. Whenever you serve others, you are serving God. When you serve, you are filled with the light of Christ. You will choose wisely. So for me, I like to serve others. It keeps me focused because I know that that is what my Savior did for His whole time on this Earth. There are numerous ways. Find the one that helps you the most. 

The key in not getting lost along the way during the last days: TGIF. 

Today    God     Is     First

"The time will come when only those who believe deeply and actively in the family will be able to preserve their family in the midst of the gathering evil around us." (Spencer W. Kimball). If you're wondering, that time HAS COME. Raise your families in righteousness. Make your home a place of refuge for your children. Make it a home of order and of love. I know since I have read this that I will not marry my wife unless she is fully devoted to raising righteous children. I suggest to those of you that have not entered the temple to be sealed yet, to join me! Write down what your standards will be for your spouse and don't compromise. 

I know that we can make it. We were sent on this Earth because we were the strongest. He needed us for this time. Let's show Satan what we got! Make Christ your number one priority, and all else will be easy when you rely on Him. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Baptism: The First Step on the Path to Eternal Life

Tonight I will be giving my first ever talk at one of my friend's baptism! :) Hope you enjoy!

What is baptism? Baptism is “the first saving ordinance of the gospel and is necessary for an individual to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and to receive eternal salvation. All who seek eternal life must follow the example of the Savior by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.” [Church definition] (A good scripture: Alma 7:14-15). When we are baptized, we promise God that we will take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, keep His commandments, and serve Him to the end. How do we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ? We do so by striving to be like Christ in our everyday lives.

From the bible, we learn that Christ is a Counselor, a Friend, and the Light of the World. In our day-to-day lives, we can be like Christ. A Counselor, a Friend to all, and a Light to the World. How do we keep his commandments? We try to be the best people we can be. We try to stay in safe places where Satan cannot tempt us. We can serve Him by serving others. In Matthew 25:40 it reads: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” No one on this Earth is perfect. But as long as we try, we are blessed. We get the opportunity to be cleansed and renew our baptismal covenants every week with the sacrament. Every time we take the sacrament, we have a clean slate. It’s like being baptized all over again! And we can take it every week!

And when we are baptized, we must press forward. In 2 Nephi 31, it explains it much better than I do. “And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. 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.” I know that this Gospel is true. We  can live with God again. Families CAN be together forever. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.