Looking Good VS. Being Good

I've been putting a lot of thought lately into the difference between looking good and being good. The world would tell us that the most important thing in life is to look good, to impress, to always show forth a good face. While the concept of putting your best foot forward has many righteous and proper applications, it is important to remember that what is really important is actually being a good person--on the inside.
As Christians there are many things that we do that can be done either to look good or to actually be good. One example of this is serving the poor, many church congregations, including Latter Day Saints, make great efforts to serve the poor an the needy in their community. But when we do such service are we doing it because we have a sincere desire to serve those in need? Or are we doing it because we want to look good to our Bishop (or pasture), and our fellow church members? If the latter is the case I think we need to reconsider our actions, for the savior tells us
" 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
So next time we go out in do service, let us remember whom we are serving, an let us serve in the way that He did. Out of love and charity for His fellow man.

Modern Prophets

This past weekend was general conference, and i fealt very strongly the spirit as i heard the modern prophet and apostles speak. I was amazed at how up with the times these men are, evan at 70, 80, and 90 years of age, they are as in touch with world events as much, or even more, than most political leaders of our day. But in addition to that, they are able to see the moral hazards beggining to build up in our time, and the struggles that people are going through. Perhaps even more miraculously, they are able to give practial solutions to these problems, and ways to avoid the pitfalls that are comming ahead. If any a time in history needed a prophet of go so desperatly, it is our time. I am greatfull that we have modern prophets living on the Earth today, and I am greatful for the inspired council they give us.

Like a Fire is Burning

The other day I had the opportunity to attend the dedication of the Draper Utah Temple, and just after the dedicatory prayer and the hosanna shout (a part of the temple dedication) we sang "the spirit of God like a fire is burning," and as we sang the spirit washed over me and brought me back to a time in my childhood when I was three years old. I was in a church meeting where those same words were sung and I felt then, just as i did a few days ago, that great manifestation of the spirit that the song portrays. I did not know, when I was a child, and wish someone had told me sooner, the significance of those words or the feelings associated with them. But later, much later, I was taught of the importance and significance of those feelings that come to our hearts. I was taught that those feelings are truly the Spirit of God, testifying to us of the truthfulness of the message. The message in this case is the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that "the latter day glory" is beginning to come forth. Though I still don't fully understand the impact of that message, I know that Jesus Christ appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and gave unto him many plain and precious truths that have been hidden and lost over the ages. And I know that Christ's Church is restored on the Earth once more.

Need for More People

This past week I have been noticing the need to include more people in
my life. The Savior devoted his life to others. He left his home and
His possessions to teach the gospel—to fulfill His Mission as the Son
of God. His disciples did likewise. We learn in Mathew chapter 4 vs
18-22 that Peter, Andrew, and James all “left their nets” to follow
the Savior. In other words, they left their work behind to follow the
Savior and share the gospel with other. While not all of us are called
to serve missions of the sort of Peter, James, and Andrew, each of us
are presented each days with choices of where or not we are going to
serve the Savior in the places we live and work, to “Lift where we
stand” as modern prophet have taught us. So I’ve decided to make a
greater drive to serve as the Savior did by being the best the can and
once in a while, to leave work, school, or homework behind to lift
where I stand.

A Time for Rest

This week I managed to get a lot of things done early: homework, tests, etc, even though this was one of the busier weeks of this semester. It's now Friday, and I'm able to look back on the things i accomplished over the week and rejoice in the time that i have to rest and play. This rejoicing makes me think of the relationship in the gospel between work and rest. The Book of Mormon: Another testament of Jesus Christ, teaches us that "this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God, yea ... this life is the day for men to preform their labors" (Alma 34: 32). It also teaches us that after this life, the righteous will enter into a "state of rest" (Alma 42: 12). Thus the beginning of this week was like mortality, and now that it's the weekend, and i worked hard and got my work done, the weekend is like a state of rest.
We see another example between work and rest in the scriptures in Genesis Chapter 1-2. In Genesis chapter 1 we learn that God created the world in 6 days. In Genesis chapter 2 vs 2 we learn that "he rested on the seventh day from all his work." Thus we see the pattern in the Gospel of hard work for a time and then rest.

Omnitianc of Christ in Mortality

The other day I was at Home Evening (an institution set up by Church to promote family unity, usually called Family Home Evening but, since were collage students and not technically a "family", accept in the sense that were all children of God, we call it Home Evening in stead) and someone game a lesson on the intelligence of Christ. He started out by asking the question, "How smart was Christ?" At first i didn't know how to respond. "Smart" wasn't a word that I often associated with the Savior, I often thought of him as wise, the child who astonished the priests at the temple . But as we discussed the topic the fact that Christ was not only wise in laws and eternal truths, but also very knowledgeable of laws and customs of his people, in fact, on many occasions (if not all occasions) he knew more about the laws of the people than did the Pharasies and scribes. So we know that Christ was knowledgeable of the customs and legal principles of His time.
These things being said, we also know that Christ was not all knowing during his mortal ministry. In the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of latter day scripture, we learn that "He [Christ] received not of the fullness at first, but received grace for grace," or in other words, Christ had to learn bit by bit just as we do.

"Doers and Not Hearers Only"

Recently i have been reading through the gospels in the New Testament. I have found some common themes that i had not been as familiar with before. One pattern is the pattern the Lord set of rewarding the doers and not just the hearers. Many of his parables teach this principle.
One great way in which the lord teaches this principle is with the parable of the two sons in Mathew 21: 28-31 where the Lord says:
"28 ¶ But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

We see clearly here the lords disapproval for those who say they will do and do not. Another example is seen in the lords parable of the unwise servant in Mathew 25:14-30. To summarize the parable, the Lord sends out 3 servants and gives each a portion of money. After a time the servants came back and the first had returned with the money he was given, plus what he had made when he was away, the second had done the same returning twice the amount to his lord that he was originally given. But the third had hid his portion and done nothing with it. Upon his return, the third servant was severely chastised and "cast... into outer darkness." (mat 25:30). We see once again that the Lord expects us to do something with what he has given us and not just sit around doing nothing.
The final example is also in Mathew 25, the parable of the ten virgins. All were invited to the Lords wedding feast, all excepted the invitation. But when the day of the wedding came, only 5 had properly prepared themselves. The Lord allowed the five who had prepared into the feast, while the other 5 were left out.
Thus we see that the Lord expects us to as James directs and be "doers of the word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22).