I love this quote....

"Live in such a way that people who don't know Christ but know you, will want to know Christ because they know you".

H. David Burton

Thy Will Be Done

In reading the Sunday School assignment today, I discovered something I never noticed before. When Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, according to Matthew, he prayed at least 3 times to ask God to "let the cup pass from him". Matthew 26: 39,42,44

That gives me more insight into how Jesus felt and that He really does know how it feels to do something you really don't want to do. It hadn't occurred to me before that Jesus had prayed to Heavenly Father more than once to ask not to have to suffer in the garden.

Sometimes I have felt bad when I pray more than once asking Heavenly Father to not have to do something I don't want to do. Apparently, it is an understandable human emotion that even Jesus experienced.

Loved of God

“Now, this is the truth. We humble people, we who feel ourselves sometimes so worthless, so good-for-nothing, we are not so worthless as we think. There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are children of God and that He has actually given His angels … charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.”

- George Q. Cannon, (Gospel Truths, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist, 2 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1974, 1:2.), quoted in May 1989, Ensign.

In my search today, I found this website: nextdoormormon.com This is where I got this quote.

It reminds me a bit of Elder Holland's quote from Gen. Conf. a while ago:

I testify you are individually loved of God, you are central to the meaning of His work, and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church. The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation. Contrary to the parlance of the day, this is about you. No, don’t turn and look at your neighbor. I am talking to you!

(Because of Your Faith, Nov. 2010 Ensign)

Recognizing our dependence on God....

2 Nephi 20:15

Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!

D & C 59:21

And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

Isaiah for Airheads

I think the book Isaiah for Airheads by John Bytheway is a great book to help understand Isaiah. I would highly recommend it.

The reason I bring this up, is because I am in 2 Nephi where Nephi starts putting in the some of the writings of Isaiah.

Here are a couple links to articles John Bytheway has written:
Link
Link

Desire

I missed this great talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks when he spoke in conference. I am so glad we have the opportunity to study them in the Ensign! This has some powerful messages about desire and the priorities we make in this life. Lots to think about....

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.

Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities.

...it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "Desire" May 2011 Ensign

The full talk

Faith and Diligence

I am reading in 1 Nephi 16 today and it is talking about the liahona and how it worked. Nephi says that it worked according to their faith and diligence. I know what faith is, but I started thinking about what diligence has to do with faith. The definition of diligence is: careful and persistent work or effort. I think it is another way of saying faith without works is dead.

After Nephi talks about the liahona, he gives us an example of how it works. They were trying to find food and they were all at a point when they were very hungry. Their bows were broken or lost their spring. With hunger looming, many started complaining. Nephi, on the other hand, diligently worked to find a solution. Instead of using what little energy he had complaining, he used it to make another bow and then asked his father where to go look for food. This is a great example of faith and diligence. He had faith that Heavenly Father would take care of them, but he did his part to fix the situation. He didn't expect Heavenly Father to do for him what he could do himself. He did what he could do, and then he relied on God. This is a perfect example of what faith and diligence is all about. Nephi showed plenty of examples of this throughout his life. In fact, the motto of his life could be faith and diligence.

Here is a wonderful article on faith and diligence by Elder Gene R. Cook.