A message for You....

   A passage of scripture that has changed my life is found in Matthew 9:9-13, which reads;

"And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

 I am going to explain why that scripture means so much to me.

How many of us have felt at times in our lives, that God couldn't possibly love me. Or have felt that because of our wrong or bad choices, God wouldn't want me anymore. Or maybe you have felt that you have gone to far, there is no way to turn back, and you have past the point of the forgiveness. I know that I have felt that way in the past. And if you have never felt that way, I am willing to bet that you know somebody who has, or does at this very moment.

Its because of those past feelings, that I find so much comfort, peace and solace in these verses of scriptures.

What I believe the Lord is trying to teach us in these verses, is that His atonement, His sacrifice, His gospel, His love is NOT for perfect people! He came to call the sinners to repentance! He is the physician, and he came to heal the sick. Because, "They that be whole, need not a physician."

So, for those of you who have felt the same as I have felt, you must understand that Jesus Christ came, lived, and gave his life for YOU. Don't ever feel as if you are past the point of forgiveness. Christ's whole mission was and still is, to make it possible for all of us sinners to repent, learn from our mistakes, and change so that we may be made clean through the sacrifice of his blood. If you feel like you are to bad, or to far gone for Christ to help you, then your missing the whole point! I recently heard a quote from our Mission President, Larry Gardner, that fits perfectly with this message. He stated, "Church shouldn't be a sanctuary for the saint, but rather a hospital for the sinner." In Luke 23:34, we learn that the Lord was able forgive the very people who crucified him, crying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." No matter what we have done, the the Lord will never forsake us. We can only forsake Him.

That brings me to the other point that I believe Christ was trying to make in these verses, that may not be so obvious. In those verses He states that, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick... I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." Now, I don't believe that the Lord would want us to think that there are people righteous enough that they do not need Him. But what I think Jesus was trying to teach us is that we are all sinners, and all of us need to come unto Him and repent of our mistakes. We are all "sick", and we all need the healing power of the master physician, who is Jesus Christ. The only "whole" person there, was Christ himself.

I know with all of my heart that Jesus Christ is our saviour and redeemer, and that He suffered for each and every one of us, because he loves us. He lives today, and continues to look upon us with that same love and concern for all of God's children. What Christ did, was for each one of us. I know that if I could see into the eyes of each person reading this, that I would see the same truth repeated through each person, and that is that YOU, are a child of God... And he loves you. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Christmas Tree

This Christmas Tree is one that you will find in between the two lanes at a Drag Racing Strip. It is actually a light system used at the starting point of a race. Its pretty simple really, When you pull up to the starting line, the first two lights will indicate when you are in the right starting position, and when the yellow lights come on and count down, you better be ready, because green comes next, and that means "GO"! True, it is a simple concept, but I have learned that there is a lot more to it than just that. With Top Fuel cars that push 7500+ horsepower, and have the ability to run 1/4 mile times in less than 4 seconds, the Christmas Tree becomes a very critical part of the race. In many of these high speed drag races, it is the drivers reaction time that wins him the victory. If a driver "jumps" the start, or crosses the starting line before the green light comes on, he is disqualified, and the win goes to the other driver. This is called a "Redlight", because of the red light that will signal that the driver broke the starting plane before the race/timer began. Drivers must spend lots of their time practicing their "launch" off the starting line, getting their reaction to the lights down as quick as they can without red-lighting. Its has always amazed me how races are often won, just because of that split second reaction to the Christmas Tree.

 I think that our lives are a lot like the Christmas Tree mentioned above. Our lives are also very short in comparison to eternity. We are often tempted to say, "Life is short, so I will do all that I can, and I will do what I want!" But just like the time spent at the starting line is so critical, so is the time that we are given on earth! It is this time that God has given us to prove ourselves. What we choose to do in this life will greatly affect our life hereafter. Just like that split second is so important to the race, our little choices we make in this short life are also so important.

   Every choice we make will have an eternal affect on the welfare of our souls. We must remember what Lehi teaches us in the Book of Mormon, "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. And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;"

We have that privilege to choose for ourselves. It is my prayer that this Christmas season we will remember who to follow, and what choices will bring us nearer to our Heavenly Father. Amen

Hey, did you pray?

     Growing up, I loved motorsports. Since I can remember, I have always loved dirt bikes and ATV's. I was blessed enough to have a dad who had the same interests when he was young. Needless to say, eventaully I got a dirt bike of my own, and the rest is history. To this day, I still love riding almost more than anything else. When I was in Jr. High, I got my first ATV, and have been riding on 4-wheelers ever since.

     When I reached the age of 16, I was so excited, because I could drive, and that meant I could take myself, and my friends out to the deserts of Arizona and ride whenever I wanted. Or so I thought. Of course my dad was worried, and at first would not allow me to do so. I guess I proved to be a little responsible after getting a solid job, and working hard, and couple months before my 17th birthday, my father finally let me borrow his truck and head for the desert with some friends. But he made me promise ONE thing. He wanted me to make sure that I said a prayer, asking for safety, before I left. I quickly agreed, and went on my way, not thinking much of it. But I did as he asked, and prayed for the trip. We had a great time, and everything went smooth. When we returned home, my father was glad to see that we were safe, and from then on trusted me to go without him. But he always made me promise to pray for the Lords protection.

    

 Since that day, my friends and I have been on countless riding trips to many different places. Each time we have gone on these rides, we have been blessed to return in one piece. Our bikes have not always had that same luck. Like many, we have had our fair share of wipeouts, crashes, and breakdowns. But, there was never a time where any of us suffered more than small cuts and bruises. Its kinda hard for me to believe sometimes.

     It wasn't untill this last year or so, that I have really understood what it was that always kept us safe. I am not sure if I remembered every singe time to pray, but I almost always would ask for the Lords protection and safety before these trips. I can see now, how blessed we were for asking the Lord for that help. It may have been easy to believe that we were just good riders, or really cautious, or that we were just 'invincible", even during the hard falls. But I know that it was our Father in Heaven watching over us that kept us safe and returning home.

    There is not a good thing in this world that we are given, that does not come from God. Because of that, I know that we can call upon his help for anything and everything. He wants us to, and blesses us when we do. Dont ever shy away from calling upon your Father in prayer. We should remember to pray always, even if we dont feel like it. Like the saying goes,"If you don't feel like praying, pray untill you do..."
    
       

Freedom...

We all want to be free right? Then why do we so often allow addictions and bad behaviors controll us? Its kinda crazy how easily Satan can get a hold of our lives without us even knowing it! Any addiction of any kind, that takes away our ability to think and act freely, is not of God, and must be from the adversary right?  Elder M. Russell Ballard uses the example of a skilled fly fisherman to show us how satan can "catch" us, and what we need to do to escape the grasp of the "father of all lies", and how to come unto Christ.... Check it out...

Trust?

I sometimes find it hard to put my trust in anyone or anything. Whether that's completely good or bad, I can't tell, but with the crazy world that we live in, and the trying times that may lie ahead, I know I find it hard to put trust in anything. But that's no way to live... right? Who wants to live in total fear, or sadness with no hope for the good? That is why we must put ALL of our trust in the Lord... In the Book of Mormon, we hear the testimony of the prophet Alma to his son..., "And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

Trust in the Lord is much more than just believing that He will someday save us, and that we will someday see His love... As Alma said to his son, the Lord will support us always in our trials, and day to day struggles, just as often as we put our trust in Him. The Lord is always there to "lift us up," we just have to first show our faith and trust in Him. I know that the Lord knows and loves each and everyone of his children. He has showed his love for us since the beginning of time, revealing His love and His word through his chosen servants, the prophets. It is my testimony that He continues to direct and guide us in these days, when we need His help ever so badly. We have the Book of Mormon, written for these Latter Days... It is for US... Put your trust in the Lord, and read from the Book of Mormon today. The Lord has something to say to you today...

Power of Prayer

     The power of prayer is amazing. I have truly come to appreciate the opportunity and privilege that we all have to communicate with our Father in Heaven. Many of us talk with God everyday. But I think many of us may not really feel like He ever talks back. I know I have felt that way at times in my life... Does God really answer prayers? The answer is, YES, He does. The Saviour himself said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh recieveth; and he that seeketh findeth;and to him that kocketh it shall be opened."(Matt. 7:7-8) Prayer is absolutely a two-way communication. God answers our prayers, but are answered in so many different ways. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul said concerning the Holy Ghost, "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifistation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. (verse 4-7)
 

     So even though we may all recieve different manifestations or administrations from the Holy Ghost, it all comes from the same Spirit. I can testify to everyone that God hears and answers our prayers. It is up to us to listen to the still small voice that is the spirtit, and to search for the answer that the Lord gives us. We have to do our part in searching for answers, through the scriptures, more prayers, through our daily lives, and through others. We must also be willing to accept the answer we are given, even if its not the answer we hoped for... The Lord knows us and loves us, and will only do what is best for us, so put your trust in him, and pray always...