Eternal Life for Dummies

I think everyone, at one point or another has wondered, "Will I make it to heaven? What do I have to do to get there?" Really, its pretty simple, let me break it down for you. Simply stated, te only way back to our Father in Heaven and eternal life is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Mormon, we read, "that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Mosiah 3:18).  This gospel is broken down into five easy steps, five things we can do to ensure that we will be welcomed home to peace and rest by God. President Joseph Fielding Smith laid it out simply and clearly in a talk called, "The Plan of Salvation." He said,

"First, we must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; we must accept him as the Son of God; we must put our trust in him, rely upon his word, and desire to gain the blessings which come by obedience to his laws.

Second, we must repent of our sins; we must forsake the world; we must determine in our hearts, without reservation, that we will live godly and upright lives.

Third, we must be baptized in water, under the hands of a legal administrator, who has power to bind on earth and seal in heaven; we must through this sacred ordinance enter into a covenant to serve the Lord and keep his commandments.

Fourth, we must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; we must be born again; we must have sin and iniquity burned out of our souls as though by fire; we must gain a new creation by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Fifth, we must endure to the end; we must keep the commandments after baptism; we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord; we must so live as to acquire the attributes of godliness and become the kind of people who can enjoy the glory and wonders of the celestial kingdom.

Now I thank the Lord for his goodness and mercy and grace in revealing anew to us in this day the terms and conditions upon which salvation may be won. I thank him for the restoration of the priesthood and power which enable us to perform the ordinances of salvation so they will be binding on earth and sealed everlastingly in the heavens."

(The full talk is amazing, I reccomend you all read it)

When I read this, it really helped me put everything I do as a missionary into perspective. The process of obtaining eternal life is easy! We must first have faith in Christ and the hope he offers. Then we must act on that faith, and repent, or change, to be bring our lives in closer harmony with His teachings.  To show Him that we are truly repentant, we enter into a covenant with Him and are Baptized. Because we promise to always follow Him, our Heavenly Father promises to give us the Holy Ghost, which we recieve through the priesthood authority. With the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are then well equipped and able press on through life more easily, always striving to be better and continue repenting. 

I know that through the constant application of having faith, repenting and renewing that promise that we make at baptism, we can continually progress and change until we reach that perfect day. We probably won't get there soon, but because of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we are able to progress. I am so greatful for the price he paid to offer me the wonderful blessing of eternal life. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been able to find peace and joy in this life, and a hope for the same in the next. I know that those same blessing are available to you as you live the gospel as well. 

The Gift of Hope

We have been meeting with a man named Eugene for a while now. When we first met with Eugene, he was down-trodden and lonely, humble and broken. To put it lightly, Eugene had nothing going for him. He would sit at home and wallow in sorrow, finding excuses not to leave. He couldn't find it in himself to trust anyone, and thus separated himself from the world. I could feel the sadness inside of this man, I could feel how much he deeply wanted change. He needed hope.. for himself, for the world around him. It was such a blessing for me to be a part of helping Eugene find that hope he was looking for.

Good Times!

I love the story of Enos. Whether you are familiar with the story or not, there is one principle that I want to illustrate that came to me this morning that has never before dawned on me. To quickly summerize, Enos was the son of the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob, who, while out hunting one day, had an epiphany. Enos had heard his dad talk about the goodness of the gospel of Jesus Christ his entire life, but had failed to really grasp it and apply it into his life, so he decided to pray. In his own words (verses 2, 3 and 4 of his own book) he says,

Enos in "mighty prayer"

"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens."

First, I want to point out that Enos describes this experience as a wrestle with God, and cried out to Him in mighty prayer... Everytime I read that, I think back to times that I truely wanted something and pleaded my guts out with the Lord through prayer that he might help me out. I dont think when Enos uses the word wrestle he is talking about the kind of wrestling I used to do with my brothers and beating the Lord into submission, forcing him to give us what we want. No, I'm pretty sure he is referring to the inward struggle when we truely confess and humble ourselves before the Lord. Those prayers are hard to say sometimes, because to make them count they really have to be from the heart. I believe the wrestle he is talking about is not so much with God, but more with himself, beating his own heart into submission so that he can recieve the will of the Lord. I've always felt that way about that scripture though..

The new insight I gained today is that he was out alone, probably doing what he loves most... Hunting! That really struck me. Possibly the most important realization of Enos's existance came when he was spending time getting to know himself doing what he loved in this beautiful world God gave to us. The real message I want to leave today is that we all need to take time to get to know ourselves.

Too often in today's world, people are on the go all the time. With TV, Radio, Cell Phones, Music, Sports, Movies, Games, and really everything else, it sometimes becomes difficult for us to really step back and listen. I know from experiences that when we do turn off the music or TV, we can hear whats really going on inside our heads, and hear what messages God has left for us. I think President Uchtdorf in a talk from last General Conference said it best,



"May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better. Walk in nature, watch a sunrise, enjoy God’s creations, ponder the truths of the restored gospel, and find out what they mean for you personally. Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential."





Ahh good times!



 My challange to each of you would be to take a little time to yourselves this week. For me that used to be a cruise down the canyon on my longboard. For you it could be a walk in the park or on the beach, maybe some time spent in your yard working, or at the gym exersizing. It could be as simple as a long drive without music playing. Be creative! Remember to be open to the thoughts and feelings that come...Because they will come. In my life, the most earth shattering thoughts that have changed who I am today have seldom come at times of excitement. Rather, they have come while I was enjoying my own company and doing something I love to do. Who knows, you could even end up having an experience like Enos that will change not only your life, but history as we know it!

I know that God is aware of all of us, and knows us personally. I know that he has a plan for us that will make us happier then any of us we could ever imagine. Trouble is, most of the time we are too busy to actually listen. We are literally His children, and each of us has a very special role to play in this wonderful world of ours. I know that as we take time to ponder to ourselves, He will let us know what we can do to become most happy through promptings of the Holy Ghost that come as a still and a small voice.

Tools of the Trade...

Everyone has tools. No matter what it is you do, you usually need something to do it with. Musicians need their instruments, Mechanics need wrenches, computer programmers need computers, and scientists need like beakers and Bunsen-burners and stuff... I think... Anyways, you get the point!

As a missionary, I have a lot of tools at my desposal. I have my car, phone, cards, pamphlets, planners, and most recently facebook and blogs... But all of those pale in comparison to my most favorite tool, the one I use most and is most effective at bringing people closer to Jesus Christ... the Book of Mormon.


But what is the Book of Mormon and why is it so important? 

Christ Appears in America

The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of Prophets here on the American continent, who knew about and testified of Jesus Christ and His life. It was written by a family who left Jerusalem around 600 B.C. and came to America to start a new life in the Promised land. They teach their children the gospel and prophecy about the coming of Christ, who at the climax of the record, comes down and teaches his disciples here the same things he taught in Jerusalem and the Bible. Eventually, the righteous people are hunted down and killed (similar to what happened to the primitive Christians) and the record was hid up in the earth by the last Prophet in the family, to be brought forth at a later time...

In comes Joseph who, as a young man was called of God to become a Prophet in these last days (to understand more about Joseph Smith, click here). Part of his calling was to restore the true Gospel of Jesus Christ on the Earth, and bring forth the Book of Mormon. He found the record, and through the power of God translated it. He went on to do much as a Prophet, and through him Christ's church, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon church) was restored.

My tool set!

Everything I do, and the truthfulness of everything I teach relies completely on the Book of Mormon. If the Book of Mormon is False, then Joseph Smith was never a prophet, and this Church is not true. I love that! I love knowing that anytime I teach something that might be difficult for them to understand or accept, they can take all their doubt to the Book of Mormon. I think President Ezra Taft Benson said it best, 

"...The only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For is the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation"

There is a promise at the end of the book that states if you, "... ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost." (Moroni 10:4) I invite all to take that challenge.

I know that the Book of Mormon is scripture from God, and is true. I know that Joseph Smith really was called of God to bring it forth, and I am so glad that he did. Whenever I read the book, I gain that witness. Sometimes I'll find answers to questions I have been wondering about. I always feel the spirit as I read it. The book truely does teach and testify of Christ and just as Joseph Smith said, "...A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book" Dont take my word for it, go and find out for yourself! If you want a free copy, go to the link below, or you can read it online. If you have any questions, let me know on facebook. I talk about this all day every day, and would love to shed some light for ya!

Free Book of Mormon, and more information about it! 
Read the Scriptures Online!