The Love of Christ

If there is one thing I'm sure of, it is that Christ loves all, no matter what their circumstance.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

"As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,


"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39)

I testify that we have a loving Father in Heaven, and His Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot comprehend the infinite love that They have for us. Whether we are the most righteous saint, or most vile sinner, the verdict is the same--each person is a beloved son or daughter of God.

Past Feeling

In the book of Mormon, the prophet Nephi has two wicked brothers, Laman and Lemuel. He continually tries to persuade them to be righteous. In 1 Nephi 17:45, he tells them:

"Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder."

This scripture helps us examine ourselves. Are we past feeling? Have we become numb to the promptings of the Holy Ghost? We must carefully consider the choices we make on a daily basis and ask ourselves; if the Spirit were to talk to me right now, would I be listening?

I testify that there are things on a daily basis that Heavenly Father would have you know--we just need to make sure that we are listening.

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is the most convincing evidence we have of the truthfulness of this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the keystone of our religion.

In the introduction to the book, it reads:

"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3-5)"

 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve, adds his own testimony of the Book of Mormon in this video.

I add my testimony to that of members everywhere. The Book of Mormon is true. The book testifies of the divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It truly is the word of God. For those wondering what it's all about, click here to order a free copy.

Let Us Labor Diligently

Anything worthwhile requires much diligence. This is especially true for living the Gospel. It is not always easy to do the things we are asked, but there are many blessings in store for those who remain diligent.

 In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon writes:

"And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. " (Moroni 9:6)

 "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become." -Elder Richard G. Scott

So, you want to be a better singer? Start singing. You want to be a better runner? Start running. Above all, if you want to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ, then start doing the things that He would have you do. Read your scriptures, say your prayers, attend church, keep the commandments, and most importantly, do what Christ would do "at all times and in all things, and in all places". (Mosiah 10:9)

Be diligent to the end.

Don't Look Back

It can be easy to dwell on our past. Everyone has one. We have all made mistakes in our lives and done things that we probably regret. Even after we have repented, we may still think about our sins and the guilt that is associated with them.

The beauty is, we don't have to.

The apostle Paul spoke in Phillipians 3:13-14, saying:

"...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Everyday is really a new day for us all. Heavenly Father is always willing to give us another chance, as long as we are willing to repent and try again. We must wake up and keep our eye on the goal; getting back to our Father in Heaven. No real success ever came from dwelling on our past. We all need to stop looking behind, and just look up. 

It Will All Work Out

As the school year comes to a close, many people have exciting plans for their future. There are also many people who may just seem a little unsure of themselves. Maybe you're worried if you picked the right college, your friends are all moving away, or maybe you just feel stuck while others seem to have much more exciting plans for their future.

Remember--it will all work out.

If you trust in Heavenly Father, all your worries about friends, money, career plans, housing etc. Will all work out.

Heavenly Father has a much more exciting plan for you than you've ever dreamed of. Choose today to trust in Him and what He has in store for you and I promise you can find all the peace and fulfillment you're looking for.

Experiment Upon the Word

Gaining a testimony of anything requires faith. You may feel like you don't have sufficient faith, or maybe you feel like you don't have any faith at all. To those people who are struggling to gain a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, listen to the words Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, teaches:

"And now as I said concerning faith--faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true."

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." (Alma 32:21,27)

As Alma said, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things. You may feel like the most cynical or disbelieving person, but I promise that if you will take Alma's promise to "experiment upon the word" and "exercise a particle of faith", you too can find the peace and happiness that only the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings. After all, Christ did not come to redeem just some of mankind--He came for you too.

"Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow"