Living with No Regrets (6/30/2009)

Today, I would like to share with you an account related by Elder Russell M. Nelson.

"Years ago, while I served as a young intern in a large medical center, I attended a Christmas party. The host was the chief of surgery. I had made a major commitment to work for and be loyal to him and his world-famous institution, which had produced many of the great surgeons, scholars, and researchers of our generation. At the party, the chief's head resident offered alcoholic beverages to Sister Nelson and me. Of course, we politely declined.

"Minutes later he returned with a more persuasive pitch: 'Take a drink,' he said, 'or the chief will be offended.' Again we declined. Our refusal infuriated the head resident. Red-faced and indignant, he said, 'Nelson, you take this drink or I'll make life around here mighty miserable for you!'

"I simply replied, 'You do what you must, doctor, but I will do what I must.'

"I fulfilled my promise, and he fulfilled his. He saw to it that I had no vacation that year. His responsibility to prepare the schedule of assignments and on-call duty bore the stamp of his vitriolic vengeance against me. But now, as I reflect on this matter some forty years later, I would not trade places with him today, or ever."

Those who subscribe to the ideals of the world will always try to bring us to their level because it is easier than trying to lift themselves up to where we as the followers of Christ are. I am certain that each of us has faced or will face opposition not unlike what Elder Nelson did in this instance. It is my hope that we will be strong so that when we look back upon those times, we will have no regrets.

Gratitude in Tribulation (6/29/2009)

"And it came to pass that when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water. And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God." (1 Nephi 2:6-7)

My daughter shared this scripture with us last night in our family council. I was impressed by it because it reminded me that I should be thankful, regardless of what is happening in my life. Here we have Lehi who, from what we know about him, was rather well off. He had at least money enough to purchase the Plates of Brass, a home, and the comforts that come from living in a large city. When the Lord commanded him, however, he packed up his family and left for the desert.

His obedience is commendable, but what impresses me even more about this account is that he was able to give thanks for the position in which he found himself. I know that we will all face challenges in our lives, but I hope that when we do, we will still take the time to express our thanks to our Father in Heaven for the many blessings - both seen and unseen - that are in our lives.

Another Apology

This week has not turned out at all like I planned. I have been involved in upgrading the application our Labor and Delivery department uses, and that has taken my full effort most days this week. That is why I have not been able to send/post the daily thoughts. Next week will be sporadic as well, as I have to help with Young Women's camp on Wednesday and will be off for the July 4th holiday on Friday. Thank you for your patience and support!

-paul

Apology

It looks as though hotmail.com and msn blocked my e-mail today because it had "spam-like characteristics." I'm sorry if you have a hotmail or msn e-mail address and did not get the thought. And I apologize to the makers of Spam for somehow making my thought seem like a meat byproduct. :)

Proclaiming the Gospel (6/24/2009)

"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." (Jacob 1:19)

One of the things we as members of Christ's church have been asked to do is to proclaim the Gospel. Such a task can be difficult, especially in these days when so many are more interested in the secular than they are in the things of God. Unfortunately, the opinion of the world does not excuse us from our calling. It does not fall to most of us to go door to door trying to find those who are seeking the Gospel, but there are things we can do to share our beliefs.

We can start by living our religion, standing up for those things we believe in and showing others through our example how the Gospel can bring joy into our lives. The Gospel can be shared by showing charity for all in our lives, treating them as Christ would treat them were He here. One of the other things I have done is let people I know that I am a member of the Church, and open the door for discussion if and when they are interested. And yes, there have been those who have taken advantage of that invitation.

These are just a few of many ways that we can share the Gospel with others. I think the important thing, however, is to just do it. That way, when we all face our Father in Heaven again, we can, in good conscience, say that we did everything we could.

Doing All the Right Things (6/22/2009)

"It is clear that no one who has an inclination to live the commandments of God would intentionally do things that would separate him or her from the Lord. I am confident you have the intention of doing all of the right things. Yet I wonder, are you doing them as fully and as completely as you are capable of doing? That is not an accusatory question. It is one asked in sincerity to help you, if needed, to open your eyes and evaluate each day's decisions to confirm that what you are doing will lead you to where you most desire to be. Be certain that you are not being led 'carefully' from the main track to happiness onto a sidetrack that can, in time, result in the loss of that which is most precious." - Elder Richard G. Scott

Lately I have reflected a great deal on the transient nature of things in this life. Elder Scott's quote here struck a chord with me, reminding me of the need to do everything I can do, and doing it to the best of my ability. With every decision we make, I hope that we will take the time to consider whether that choice will bring us lasting joy, or whether the happiness that decision brings will be fleeting.

Reaping More Than We Sow (6/19/2009)

"If we sow thistles, we don't really plan to get strawberries. If we sow hate, we don't really expect to participate in an abundance of love. We get back, in kind, that which we reap. Then another thought came tumbling as I thought of (the prisoners I had just visited): it's one things to reap in kind, but we reap, somehow, always in greater quantity. We sow a little thistle, and we get a lot of thistle - years and years of it, big bushes and branches of it. We never get rid of it unless we cut it out. If we sow a little bit of hate, before we know it we've reaped a lot of hate - smoldering and festering and belligerent and finally warring and malicious hate." -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

This quote comes from a talk by Elder Holland that I have always enjoyed. I think that his thought here is correct - we often reap more than sow. The point I would like to share though is that this goes both ways. Just as he illustrated how sowing ill seeds results in a larger harvest of ill, I believe that as we sow seeds of good, we will see a bounteous harvest of good. When we are kind, when we are charitable, we not only help bless the lives of others, we also reap the good feeling that comes from knowing we have done good. Additionally, we receive the blessings that our Father gives us for following His commandments to care for each other.

The list of benefits that come from sowing good seeds goes on, but Elder Holland's statement is true - for good or for evil, we will always reap far more than we sow.

Sharing What We Have (6/17/2009)

"Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good - to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted." (Jacob 2:17-19)

The saying goes that money is the root of all evil. According to this scripture, though, the problem might not lie with the money itself but in what one chooses to do with it. When we stop and realize that all we have comes from our Father in Heaven, it becomes clear that we need to use the resources and talents with which we have been blessed to help all of His children here on Earth. As we do so, not only will we enrich the lives of others, we will also find that our lives are better because of our choice to share.

Satan's Subtle Ways (6/16/2009)

"The enemy of righteousness... works in little steps - steps so small that they are hard to notice if you are thinking only about yourself and how great you are. Just as truth is given to us line upon line and the light brightens slowly as we obey, even so, as we disobey, our testimony of truth lessens almost imperceptibly, little by little, and darkness descends so slowly that the proud may easily deny that anything is changing." - President Henry B. Eyring

This is a lesson that I often share with my children. Satan knows that if he comes to us and asks us to do anything we know to be patently wrong, we will walk away from that temptation. If he can get us to do something that is not THAT wrong, however, then it is an easier step to doing something else that's not THAT bad; and if we are not careful, before we know it we will have allowed ourselves to be led to do things that we once never would have dreamed of doing. I hope that we will heed President Eyring's warning and be vigilant against the subtle tactics of the devil.

The Source of our Blessings (6/15/2009)

"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

"Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

"Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you." (Alma 34:17-27)

Last night, my three year old started to ask me where things came from. Who gave us our house? Who gave us the food we were eating? Who gave us the cars? You get the idea. Each time, we answered that our Father in Heaven blesses us with those things.

She could not reconcile that with the fact that we bought the house from Mrs. Gentry, or that she was with us on Friday night when we purchased the groceries, so we explained to her that Heavenly Father blesses daddy with talents so that he can have a job that helps us pay for everything we have. I am not sure how much of that she understood, but it caused me to reflect how dependent we are on our Father in Heaven.

As Amulek stated, our Father will bless us in a wide range of things - our work, our gardens, with protection against those who would do us harm - as long as we seek His help. I hope that we can always remember that He is the source of all of our blessings, and may we be humble enough to acknowledge His hand in all things, and have faith sufficient to call upon Him for those things we and our neighbors need.

Success (6/11/2009)

"We are accountable for what we do - first to ourselves, then to our parents, and, most important, to God. We all carry a trust. We must ask ourselves, 'What is success?' Is it achievement? Is it fame? Is it position? Is it dominion? The prophet Micah defined it very simply: 'He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?' (Micah 6:8)" - President James E. Faust

The world today pulls us in a myriad of directions. To achieve success in the eyes of the world, one must constantly work to hit an ever-moving target, and even once that target is hit, there is no guarantee that the success achieved will last. That is why it is vital for us to maintain an eternal perspective. As long as we strive to do all those things the Father has commanded us - His fixed target rather than the moving target the world would try and have us hit - we will achieve success where it matters most.

Using the Scriptures (6/10/2009)

"O my sons, I would that ye should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are true. And behold, also the plates of Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their surety because we have them before our eyes.

"And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers." (Mosiah 1:6-7)

If I have a cookbook that tells me how to make the best spaghetti in the world, I will starve to death if I do nothing to obtain the ingredients or cook them. If I have a book that shows me how to build a house, if I do not buy wood and a hammer, I will still be exposed to the elements. Books can impart a wide range of knowledge to us, but if we never act on that knowledge, they will never avail us anything. This is especially true of the scriptures.

Our Father in Heaven has taught us through His prophets the things that we need to do so that we can live with Him again after this life. Reading the scriptures can tell us what these things are, but only when we study them and do what we are taught can they help us.

All People Being Equal... (6/9/2009)

One of the thoughts that has occupied me lately is the real danger that takes place when I start to think that I am better than someone else. King Benjamin said it best in his discourse when he asked:

"...Are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?" (Mosiah 4:19)

When cast in that light, it is a good reminder that in the sight of our Father in Heaven, we are all equal. Race, language, intelligence, or any of the other factors that make us distinct do not matter to our Father in Heaven. We are all His children, and He loves us all equally. What's more, if we are to return to live with Him again, we need each other, for if we fail to learn to love and serve our brothers and sisters here on this Earth, there is no way that we can ever expect to become as our Father is.

Alma's Test (6/8/2009)

Yesterday I was going through some papers that I collected during my mission, and I came across the following "Personal Examination" that made me reflect on how I am doing. Put in the perspective of this checklist, it became quickly evident that I still have much work to do.

1. Have you been spiritually born of God? (Alma 5:14)
2. Have you received His image in you countenance? (Alma 5:14)
3. Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts? (Alma 5:14)
4. Do you exercise faith in the redemption of Him who created you? (Alma 5:15)
5. Do you look forward with an eye of faith and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? (Alma 5:15)
6. Can you hear the voice of the Lord saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness? (Alma 5:16)
7. Have you walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? (Alma 5:26-27)
8. Could you say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that you have been sufficiently humble? (Alma 5:27)
9. Have your garments been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem His people from their sins? (Alma 5:27)
10. Behold, are you stripped of pride? (Alma 5:28)
11. Behold, are you stripped of envy? (Alma 5:29)
12. Do you make a mock of your brother and heap upon him persecutions? (Alma 5:30)
13. Do you persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? (Alma 5:53)
14. Do you persist in supposing that you are better than another? (Alma 5:54)

Working for What We Want (6/5/2009)

"It is not easy to go without - without physical gratifications or spiritual assurances or material possessions - but sometimes we must since there is no guarantee of convenience written into our Christian covenant. We must work hard and do right, as Abraham Lincoln said, and sometimes our chance will come. And when we've tried, really tried, and waited for what seemed never to be ours, then 'the angels came and ministered unto him.'" - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

We live in a world where we can have almost anything we want when we want it. Many become frustrated when they are told that they will have to wait to receive something, even if that wait can be measured in hours or even minutes. I think that what many neglect to remember in all this is the fact that the things that have the greatest value are those for which we have to work hardest. Only when we put forth our greatest effort will we be able to experience that satisfaction which comes with that effort.

Opinions vs. Facts (6/4/2009)

"And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ. Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation — behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God — then will ye say that there is no God?

"Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?" (Mormon 9:1-3)

There are those who count us foolish because we believe in God. I am certain there are many among us who know people who do not believe in Jesus Christ as the literal Savior of all mankind. Some of these people are even able to convince others that believing in things holy are farcical. The fact of the matter is that in the end, those opinions will not matter. At some point, every individual - regardless of their opinions today - will face our Father and have to account for their actions. I hope that when we face opposition from those who choose not to believe, we will take comfort in the fact that we will one day receive a reward according to our faithfulness.

The Simple Plan (6/3/2009)

Today, I would like to share with you some words from President Eyring:

"'Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.' (D&C 112:10) The Lord always wants to lead us to deliverance through our becoming more righteous. That requires repentance. And that takes humility. So the way to deliverance always requires humility in order for the Lord to be able to lead us by the hand where He wants to take us through our troubles and on to sanctification."

One of the beautiful things about the Gospel is its simplicity. We begin with faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe that He has made it possible for us to return to live with our Father in Heaven again. Once we cultivate that faith, we humble ourselves and commit to live our lives the way that He lived His. Then through repentance and baptism, we demonstrate our ongoing commitment to stay the course back to our Father in Heaven. I hope that wherever we are on the path, we will follow these simple steps to help us reach our destination.

Drawing on the Strength of The Lord (6/1/2009)

In his address to the priesthood last General Conference, President Monson shared three ways that we can successfully navigate the pathway of this life - study diligently, pray fervently, and live righteously. He then concluded his talk with this counsel:

"Let us never despair, for the work in which we are engaged is the work of the Lord. It has been said, 'The Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it.'

"The strength which we earnestly seek in order to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world can be ours when, with fortitude and resolute courage, we stand and declare with Joshua, 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'"

Discouragement is one of the great tools used by Satan to make us believe that we cannot return to live with our Father in Heaven. I hope that we will listen instead to the counsel of our leaders, and draw on the strength that the Lord offers us through righteous living to overcome the world in these last days.