Comfortable in your sins?

This is an excerpt from Jeffery R. Holland entitled "The cost--and blessings--of Discipleship."  It was given in April 5, 2014 at the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

It is as the Lord Himself lamented to the prophet Isaiah:

“[These] children … will not hear the law of the Lord:

“[They] say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

“Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”   (Isaiah 30:9-11)

 

Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds. Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?........... Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them. A long history of inspired voices, including those you will hear in this conference and the voice you just heard in the person of President Thomas S. Monson, point you toward the path of Christian discipleship. It is a strait path, and it is a narrow path without a great deal of latitude at some points, but it can be thrillingly and successfully traveled, “with … steadfastness in Christ, … a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.”  In courageously pursuing such a course, you will forge unshakable faith, you will find safety against ill winds that blow, even shafts in the whirlwind, and you will feel the rock-like strength of our Redeemer, upon whom if you build your unflagging discipleship, you cannot fall.

 

 

 

 

pure in heart

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

Who are the pure in heart?  The pure in heart are those who have had their hearts and souls cleansed by the word of God. They are free from impurities within their souls, they have motives and desires that move them towards Christ.

 

When we come unto Christ and begin to have hope and a belief in him it changes us. We begin to have new desires and motives that change who we are, what we do, and why we do it. It changes our thought process. Our minds become constantly focused on him and his words. It is an amazing transformation that happens as we become more like him and our thoughts and lives are directed to his words and work.



Read the following scriptures and note the highlighted portions.

1 John 3:1-3
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.


 Romans 10: 4-11  Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
⁵ For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
⁶ But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
⁷ Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
⁸ But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
⁹ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
¹¹ For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 

To be pure in heart it begins with a hope and belief that the words of Christ are true. Hope then fuels the fire of desire. This desire prompts changes inside of us that often are hard to express especially to those who find no value in these things. 

The world (Satan) would have you hope for, desire, and find value in riches, fame, fortune, praises for your efforts etc. God would have you desire and hope for eternal life with him, and to find value in laying up treasures in heaven.  Those who are focused on the worldly treasures with desires only to get gain for themselves and not the good of others often do not understand and mock those who are building and gathering the heavenly treasures.

Pay no mind to those people who would mock you, for God will take care of them. Keep yourself focused on the goal,  keep yourself strong amidst afflictions it will be well worth the efforts.   In the meantime............

 

Fuel your life with good books. Fill your life with the sounds of worshipful music. Surround yourself with Goodness. Read the words of Christ. Love the words of Christ.  Live the words of Christ 



Do these things and you are well on your way to being pure in heart. Your motives and desires will become closely in line with him.  You will be happy and joyful as you lay the foundation for a wonderful future with Christ.


Blessings to you as you journey toward Christ,

Happy momma

Is it OK to challenge your beliefs?

I had a friend who grew up in a community and a home where religion was a mainstay. In her home there were many rules and everyone was expected to adhere to those rules. This is how it was. As she grew older she became aware that there were others who did not share in her beliefs nor live by those same rules. She began to question her faith, and to her parents dismay, she has strayed far away from those rules and traditions that she was taught, even to the point of publicly mocking her family, close friends, and others who follow any religion.

It is a pattern that we see so often in life. There are many who follow the rules, regulations, and religion taught to them, and then.... when exposed to something different, get swayed by popular opinions and begin to believe something different than what they have been traditionally taught. I have heard it said that any belief is nothing more than a thought or opinion that you have come to treat as automatically correct. Once we label it as a "belief" we convince ourselves that it is different and must not be questioned.  I would ask, is this true?


I grew up in that very same religion this friend mentioned above but, I was taught in a different manner. We were given many of those same rules to live by, but we were not forced and coerced into living them. We were taught that these rules were there to guide, protect and help us. We were given the opportunity to live by the rules. We were given the opportunity to choose to live in righteousness, for righteousness is chosen and cannot be forced. We were taught to govern ourselves within the boundaries that God has set for they will never change. We were taught in the same manner as the Savior taught when he invited the those who would be his apostles to "come follow me"  He did not force them to come and be a disciple but called out to them who would hear and follow.


Jesus Christ himself challenged the popular beliefs of those in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. He challenged those who "professed to believe."  He set the pattern for us to follow. We cannot fall prey to the idea that something must be true because that’s what lots of people believe. The number of believers has no bearing on how correct it is. There was a time when just about everyone believed, in fact they knew for an obvious fact that the world was flat. That didn’t make them right. How can we tell if our beliefs and actions are correct?  How do we know we are on the correct path? I would suggest asking questions? If we do not question, if we do not challenge our beliefs we are easily swayed by popular opinion.

 
From my friend Caleb Warnock's blog

Two years ago, I was at a local university to hear a speech by New York Times editor and writer Tom Zeller Jr. While taking questions from the audience, he was asked about how the media is doing when it comes to helping the people understand complex issues.

His answer jolted me.

Media has changed, he said -- and so have we, the consumers of media.

"It is easier than ever now for individuals seeking information to find only information that affirms their preconceived notions of an idea," Zeller said. "It is very difficult to be exposed to information that challenges your point of view."

This answer was interesting to me. We live in a world of information that is mind boggling. It is easy to find people that believe the same way you do. It is also very easy to let that be a way to excuse ourselves into thinking that what we are doing is right. It makes it easier to let sin creep into our lives. It is easy to find someone who will stand with you in the wrong. I would suggest that the time is now to question some of your beliefs and habits to examine where you stand with God and Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if in man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. Have you become changed through your belief in Christ? Are you following Christ, or the things of the world? Are you becoming a new creature in Christ, or are you an old creature of habit?

In the United states it used to be that the Christian ideals were upheld in society itself. It was easier to live a Christian life because it was popular to believe and uphold those values. It was a part of everyday life and society. Things have changed. We have come to a point that upholding Christian faith takes much more strength. It is not popular to be a Christian anymore, but as a Christian I still stand. Who is standing with me? If you have not decided for sure, I would suggest that now is the time to decide and show whether you are on the Lord's side.  You cannot stand with the world and Christ too.  They are not compatible, society does not uphold the things of Christ anymore. The time has come to choose sides.  "Choose ye this day, whom you will serve....... but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord"

May the Lord bless each of you as you examine your own lives and strive to come closer to him.