His Hand is Stretched Out Still

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”--Matthew 14: 31

Do you ever feel this way? Do you ever feel like the impetuous Peter, assuming intent, and with your best intentions walk out into situations you do not fully comprehend? If our actions are based in righteous desires to fulfill true principles, we can be assured that the Savior will stretch out His hand, and will pull us out of a seeming destiny of destruction. This is the essence of the Atonement, that supernal gift that keeps on giving if we truly receive it.

In the Old Testament, the Lord spoke through Isaiah in a similar vein. Isaiah Chapter 5 outlines a great cursing to the House of Israel, how we will suffer if we are carnally minded, proud, and in all things make the darkness seem as if it were light. But at the end of this lashing we see this great scripture:

Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. --Isaiah 5:25

How great it is to know that the Savior's hand is still stretched toward us, even as the hills do tremble on account of our sins! Let us strive each and every day to be properly grateful for this fact. For it is a fact, and we cannot hide ourselves from the perfect love of the Savior, even despite our best efforts to do so.

In the scriptures we see examples of this all the time, where individuals were pulled out of the seas, helped that they might fulfill their earthly missions. When we think of this type of redemption, we think of Jonah, Saul, Enos, Alma the Younger, the Sons of Mosiah, and Corianton. They all started, faltered, but finished in strength. Quoth the Apostle Paul at the end of his earthly ministry:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. --2 Timothy 4: 6-7

Now, not all of us are meant to be apostles. So what, then, is our course? We read in Moses 1: 38-39:

And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

As children of our Heavenly Father, his work becomes our work, and his course also becomes our course. We are to bring about the salvation and exaltation of those around us, starting with our families. The apostle Russel M. Nelson said:

Individual progression is fostered in the family, which is “central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” ⁹ The home is to be God’s laboratory of love and service. There a husband is to love his wife, a wife is to love her husband, and parents and children are to love one another.

Throughout the world, the family is increasingly under attack. If families fail, many of our political, economic, and social systems will also fail. And if families fail, their glorious eternal potential cannot be realized.

Our Heavenly Father wants husbands and wives to be faithful to each other and to esteem and treat their children as an heritage from the Lord. ¹⁰ In such a family we study the scriptures and pray together. And we fix our focus on the temple. There we receive the highest blessings that God has in store for His faithful children.

Thanks to God’s great plan of happiness, ¹¹ families can be together forever—as exalted beings. Our Heavenly Father declared, “This is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” ¹² Both of His objectives were enabled by the Atonement of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. His Atonement made resurrection a reality and eternal life a possibility for all who would ever live.

I know that as we cultivate righteousness, we also will become righteous ourselves. We will overcome the natural man, and partake of the Atonement, drawing from the well of Living Water that never runs dry. It truly is amazing the love Jesus offers all of us. It is my testimony that His hand is still stretched out, and will be as long as we are willing to accept it.

Have a great week!

Obtaining and Maintaining a Testimony

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!
--Doctrine and Covenants 76:22

It is a great pleasure to write today concerning how to obtain and maintain a testimony. I hope that these words will be of inspiration to you on this topic.

Testimony Comes of the Spirit

Near the end of his ministry in the Holy Land, the Savior left his apostles words of consolation, that they might be yet strengthened in His absence:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. --John 14:26

What great joy it gives me to know that the Savior left this Second Comforter for me that I might know, by the power of the Spirit, that He is the Christ, the Savior of all mankind. If we believe in Christ, we must believe that he left the Holy Ghost to teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance. But what comprises "all things?"


Our Testimony is in Christ

In Moroni 10: 6-7, we read:

And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.

And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

If I may be allowed interpret this scripture, I believe that it means that knowing "all things" means we know the difference between good and evil, and understand that all those good things come from the Savior, and testify that He is the Savior. We know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus is the Christ. But what does this mean, to be "the Christ"?

James E. Talmage, a great saint and Church scholar, wrote the following:

"Christ is a sacred title, and not an ordinary appellation or common name; it is of Greek derivation, and in meaning is identical with its Hebrew equivalent Messiah or Messias, signifying the Anointed One...these several titles are expressive of our Lord's divine origin and Godship."

To be "The Christ" means to be set apart beforehand for a special work, specifically that of saving the people from their sins (see Matt 1: 21). But, why is it that we need to be saved from our sins? Can't we just be sinners and be okay with that?

A Testimony Takes Work

The answer to this lies in the essential, fallen nature of man. We experience hardship, blood, sweat, and tears as a result of the transgression of our first parents, Adam and Eve. This brought about two types of separation (i.e., imperfection) from God: death and sin. We read in Alma Chapter 12 the following:

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

...And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they

would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.

...Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good— Alma 12: 24, 26, 31

These passages are rife with true doctrine; I would like to focus on the fact that although we are currently in a fallen state, our days have been prolonged here on the earth that we might prepare. What does preparation feel like, exactly? Well, it involves acting, and not being acted upon.

A great example of this comes from one of my all-time favorite movies. Miracle portrays the true story of the 1980 U.S. Men's Hockey Team, which defied all odds in beating the powerhouse Soviets in route to a gold medal. In one scene, their preparation is made painfully apparent, as they skated "Herbies" (line-to-line sprints, named after their often-callous head coach, Herb Brooks) for hours after tying an under matched Norwegian squad. Although they suffered in that moment, the team suffered as a family, and was eventually able to overcome all hardships that they faced, even playing against the Soviets.

Let Us Be Well-Conditioned Saints

Likewise for us, a testimony takes hard work to obtain and maintain. We must be "well-conditioned", having the Spirit with us at all times, that we may work through the nuances of life as the Lord would have us do. A testimony comes from being our brother's keeper, from fearlessly showing love toward the children of men (see 1 John 4: 16-21) as much as we do for God. The Savior taught that if we truly love him, we will bring about His work and glory, which is to help bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (see John 14: 15, Moses 1: 39). I know that as we strive to do so, understanding that the refiner's fire does take work to endure, that we will be blessed, and our testimonies will grow, and we will feel closer to the Savior than ever before. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said in the April General Conference in 1985:

"And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.

I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way."

I could never trump Elder McConkie's humble testimony, but I do also know that what he said is true. I know that there comes a purifying power as we repent and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives. I have felt that purifying power in my own life, and have felt to sing the song of redeeming love (Alma 5: 26). And I am happy to say that I can feel so now, that today I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that by and through him we may be saved from the first and second deaths, to be brought up in the final day, exalted sons and daughters of God.

Have a great week!

What will YOU do with the time?

"It is our duty to make popular
that which is sound and good."
--Joseph Smith

Yesterday was a special day for me. It marked 17 years to the day since I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now, I know that for many who read this such a milestone may seem trivial or minute, but the anniversary for me nonetheless caused me to reflect, and ask this question: "What have you done with those 17 years?"

Such a question in all of us should conjure up in our memories the promises we have made to follow the Savior, described well in Mosiah Chapter 18:

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? --Mosiah 18: 8-10

According to this passage, "following the Savior" can be measured by committing oneself to being numbered among His people, bearing one another's burdens, showing empathy unto those who are pained, comfort unto the comfortless, and standing as a witness of God in all aspects of life. This includes all times; that is, we should stand as a witness of God in every waking moment of our lives, including when no one is watching.

It is this type of virtue that gets noticed, observed, and eventually becomes the object of curiosity, even amidst a world in which sin becomes more prevalent, and dreadfully more accepted in the public eye. Thirty years ago, Elder M. Russell Ballard said to youth of the Church:

There have been some who have predicted earthquakes and destruction of all kinds to be upon us momentarily. The Savior himself tells us about many devastating times that lie ahead. (See Matt. 24.) But none of us knows exactly when those times are going to occur. So I would suggest that you follow the advice that I once heard Elder Boyd K. Packer give. He said something like this: “Plant your fruit trees. Cultivate them, fertilize them, watch them grow, and enjoy the fruit thereof. If the end comes during the process, so what? Do not deprive yourself of enjoying the fruits of your labors by living in fear of the world’s problems that lie ahead.”

On a day to day basis, we are flexing the time given us by staying the course in spite of hardship that might ensue. As true saints of Christ's true church, we don't give heed to the ways of the world, because we remember the covenants we made at baptism and beyond, and are in constant touch with the promised blessings from staying true to those covenants. We follow the eternal Compass, even when the adversary puts way points in our immediate path, for we know that if we look upon the Savior, we might gain eternal life (see Helaman 8: 15; Alma 33: 19; 37: 46). As we do so, people take notice of our peculiarity, but only when find joy in serving and striving to live the commandments. Elder Ballard continued:

If I were your age and thinking about life and its meaning, there is one characteristic that I would strive to develop. That characteristic is to have a positive attitude.
...I believe in the principle that you ought to act “as if” you were the person you would like to become. As you do that, you will grow into that kind of person. Ultimately your very actions, your attitude, will lead you into being the kind of person that you want to be.

...There should not be anyone here tonight who has a low self-image. How dare you or I to have a low self-image! We are the sons and daughters of God! We belong to Him. We are His children. He gave us birth. He gave us life. That knowledge alone causes every man and every woman, when they understand it, to rise and walk with their head held high.

As we do this, we follow the Prophet Joseph's admonition to make popular that which is sound and good. Yes, I believe this is what we should do with the time we are given. We spread the light of the Savior everywhere we go. It means sharing a simple testimony of our knowledge of the Savior, His divine mission, and the restoration of His true Church. It means becoming aware of the great impact that living righteously has on others. It means being constantly in tune with the Spirit, that we may know when it is prudent to take advantage of this awareness, that we might pierce the hearts of the children of men, that our testimony of the Savior might hit to the very core, Spirit speaking to spirit.

After receiving a simple, hour-long training on how to conduct therapy at the clinic where I work, our supervisor simply said, "go get 'em, guys." At first, I was disconcerted, because I knew nothing about how to really be a therapist. But as I pondered on the simplicity of the thing, I realized that my superiors trusted me to do good, as I had made it this far. Likewise, you who read this have made it this far, and have all the tools necessary to follow the admonition to make popular that which is sound and good.

It comes as the Lord trusts us to follow Him, and take part in the supernal gift that is His Atonement. I know the Atonement is real. It brings me out of my lowest points on a daily basis, and helps me stay positive amidst a world that denigrates that which is good. I know that the Lord trusts me to be a light unto this world, and that I have been saved for this time for that very purpose. We all have been saved for the latter-days for this purpose. It is my prayer that we be constantly in touch with this purpose.

Have a great week!