Scripture of the Day 12.15.10

2 Nephi 2:27

 "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself"

Satan is out to get us. Anytime we seek instant gratification at the expense of something greater, we fall into his trap. God gave us the choice, but when we sin, Satan wins. Choose Liberty!

The Lost Psalm

Nephi's Sorrow

As I ate my breakfast this morning, I had the wonderful opportunity of opening up the Book of Mormon in an effort to soak up all the Lord had for me this morning. I am continually astounded as to the things I read in the Book of Mormon but was especially touched by the words of Nephi in what is commonly reffered as his Psalm. The whole Psalm can beread in Nephi chapter 4 verses 16-35, verse 28 really stuck out to me. It reads,

"Awake, my soul! No longer ^adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the ^benemy of my soul."

How often has my soul felt asleep, my heart and mind lonely because I felt I was drooped in sin? How often have I been bogged down because of the Adversary, the great enemy of all our souls? As I read, I could feel Nephi's pain and really related to this rallying cry. I read on, and began to feel empowered when he went on to say,

Scripture of the Day 12.14.10

2 Nephi 2:25

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

'Nuff said. God put us here so we can be happy. The best way to do that, to find that real lasting joy, is by turning to Jesus Christ. What are you doing to find real joy?

Scripture of the Day 12.13.10

1 Nephi 19:23

"And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning"

The scriptures are here for us, so we should start by reading them...  Hah, after you get that down, try relating them to yourself. Next time you read through Alma, put yourself in his shoes. Have you been feeling you need to fix something in your life, or are yoe going to wait for an angel to call you out?

Scripture of the Day 12.12.10

1 Nephi 3:7

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

This is one of my absolute favorites. Anything, I mean anything God asks of us, we can do... The kicker - He will prepare the way. Think about that - If we put forth our best effort and try our hardest,

 He will take care of the rest. Pretty sweet promise if you ask me...

President Henry B. Eyring, "The Gift of a Savior"

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to start off the christmas season by watching the First Presidency's christmas devotional. I have always loved being able to listen to prophets, but this talk really stoof out to me. In a world where Christmas is becoming more and more commercialized, President Eyring truly helped me refocus on what this wonderful time of year is all about; the birth and gift of our Savior Jesus Christ. I just love the spirit President Eyring brings, and his powerful testimony of our Savior. It made me wonder how I can better show to my Heavenly Father that I appreciate such a grand gift.

I know that Jesus Christ lived and died for me. Knowing that has really helped me through the most intense and crazy parts of my own life, where I didn't feel as if I could make it through by myself. Because of those times, I know that faith in Him can help you through all your hard times as well. This Christmas season, I would invite you all to take a little extra time to remember Him, and find ways in your own life to better show Heavenly Father how much you appreciate this wonderful gift. All He wants of us is to come unto him and repent (2 Nephi 26: 27) I know if we all do, we will soon be able to realize the wonderful blessing the Herald Angels sang of so long ago, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14)

Remember who YOU are!

Cute huh? I was thinking the other night about how little Elise Vomocil was with our Heavenly Father just a month ago, and it really struck me. That precious little person was with our Eternal Father saying her goodbyes and promising she would make it back. How long ago was it that you were with Him making the same promise?

That thought is a big one. Let it sink in for a second. You are a son or daughter of God. You knew Him, and He knows you. Before we came to Earth, He understood our personalities, and because of that placed us in positions where we would most likely succeed. This fact is written and portrayed plainly in the Bible, unfortunately many overlook it. In Jeramiah Chapter 1 verse 5 we learn that God knew the ancient prophet Jeramiah well when he says,

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."

God knew Jeramiah, and Jeramiah had obviously done something before He came to earth to merit him becoming a Prophet. If it was like that for Jeramiah, wouldn't it be the same for us? I witness to you that although we may not be able to remember our lives as spirit children of Heavenly Father before we came to Earth, we did live with and learn from Him. We chose to follow Him, and promised that when we came down here to earth that we would do all we could to remember Him, and follow what His servant Jesus Christ taught us.
I think when we begin to understand who we are and where we came from, we start to gain real perspective on life. Little Elise there is a daughter of God, much like you and I, she's just newer at this whole "life" thing than you and I are. When we understand who we really are, we begin to realize what we are truly capable of, and life gets a whole lot more bearable. I would invite you all to ponder on that thought, to try your best to remember who you are.