What Am I Thankful For?

I love Thanksgiving. The holiday itself is wonderful for the time it allows for loved ones, the food and the break from school. But most importantly for the reminder that we have so much to be grateful for. I love how King Benjamin puts it in the Book of Mormon:

I say unto you ... that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has gratned that ye should live in peace one with another--
I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another--I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

Mosiah 2:20-21

King Benjamin goes on to explain that all God asks of us is to keep His commandments, and when we do so He immediately blesses us, so that we are in debt to Him again. His point is that we have no room to boast of ourselves, but only to be full of gratitude for all He has done and continues to do for us.

There's so much I'm thankful for. On the top of the list is the knowledge I've been given of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I've come to know my Father in Heaven and the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son far better than I otherwise could, if I did not have the words of the prophets He has sent both in ancient and modern times. I'm also grateful for my family, and knowing that I can live with them throughout eternity. That understanding has helped us to work harder on our family relationships now, because we know it is an eternal investment. There are many more items on my list, but I'll keep it at that for now.

The Holy Scriptures: A Catalyst for Revelation

I love studying the scriptures. I love to do so because they are the direct word of God, and learning His word is a wonderful experience. Another reason I love studying the scriptures is because doing so gives Father in Heaven an opportunity to speak directly to me. Or rather, doing so puts me in the correct frame of mind so that I may receive the revelation He wants to give me.

Earlier this week I was asking Him for help with a particular matter, and He answered with the simple thought, "Alma 32," which is found in the Book of Mormon. Now, I've read this chapter perhaps hundreds of times. It contains a beautiful allegory on faith, comparing it to a seed which must be planted and nourished in order to grow. I decided that even though I was very familiar with the discourse, I should read it again and see if I could pull anything new out of it.

Father in Heaven taught me a great deal as I read the chapter this time. I didn't learn any new principles or doctrines - they were all just as I had understood them before. But I had never before applied them to the question I then had at this particular time, and it turns out that they were extremely applicable. I was filled with gratitude for the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it applies to every aspect of life. But I was even more grateful for my Father's love for me and being willing to teach and comfort me. He wants so badly for us to learn of Him so that we can become the type of people that can return to live with Him again. The scriptures, His word, provide such an opportunity for us to learn His ways and His doctrine, but perhaps more importantly they provide the opportunity for us to feel His love as He gives us very personal and direct revelation.

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

There's a bit more that needs more that needs to be added to the last post. God calls and gives authority to prophets and apostles in our day, just as He did in ancient times. With those prophets, He has always given ways for us to test their validity. In Matthew 7, the Savior teaches us how we can discern between true and false prophets. He tells us that "Ye shall know them by their fruits," or by the works that they bring forth.

The fruit of the prophet Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon. He was directed, by an angel of God, to where an ancient record was buried. The record contained the writings of ancient prophets that lived here in the Americas. By the power of God, Joseph Smith translated the record into English, and it is known as the Book of Mormon.

I cherish the Book of Mormon. One of my favorite passages is 2 Nephi 25:26, where the prophet Nephi shares his love for Christ. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, and we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." I love the Book of Mormon because of my Savior's love that is manifest to me as I study His words therein.

Now, saying the Book of Mormon is God's word does not mean that the Bible is not. We love and study from the Bible regularly. The Bible contains God's word given through His ancient prophets in the Middle East, and the Book of Mormon contains His word given through His ancient prophets in the Americas. God loves all of His children, and therefore gives His word to all who will listen, both anciently and today. We should rejoice at the opportunity to receive more of His word (see 2 Nephi 29:6-14).

We Mormons tend to put so much emphasis on the Book of Mormon because it is the fruit of Joseph Smith. We can study it and ask God if it truly is His word, just as we can do with the Bible. But if the Book of Mormon is true, then that means that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. If Joseph Smith is a prophet, then the church he founded, under Christ's direction, is the true Church of Jesus Christ, restored in its fullness. That is why we emphasize the Book of Mormon so much - it contains the same gospel truths the Bible contains, but its implications run far deeper.

I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that it was brought forth by God's power. Through it, and all that comes with it (as mentioned above), I have developed a relationship with my Father in Heaven that I could not have otherwise attained. He wants all of His children to have that, and He has provided the way. That way is through His Son, Jesus Christ, who gives His word through His prophets, both ancient and modern.

Christ's Church Restored

As we look through the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, we see a pattern of God calling prophets. Those prophets have authority from God to speak His word, as if He Himself were speaking. Prophets were necessary for not only revealing God's will and word, but helping His children learn how to live so that they could return to Him again. People could know exactly what God wanted for them, because His messenger, the prophet, spoke on His behalf. These prophets were often rejected and even killed, so God would call another to continue the work.

Jesus Christ eventually came to minister, and organized His Church as we see it in the New Testament. He called Twelve Apostles to carry on His work after He was crucified, and they did so. Eventually, however, those apostles were also rejected and killed. God did not call any more prophets for a time. He waited until His children were ready before He again called prophets and invested in them His authority.

The time came in the early 1800s. Joseph Smith was called and given authority to restore Christ's Church back on the earth again, with the same organization that Christ Himself and established - with prophets, with apostles, and with authority. Just like the prophets before him, Joseph Smith was rejected and killed, but the authority has been passed on to prophets and apostles, just as before. There is a man, Thomas S. Monson, who speaks to us in God's behalf, just as did Moses, Isaiah, Peter and Paul. He is God's spokesperson in our modern times.

Knowing this, that God calls prophets and apostles today, has enhanced my life in countless ways. Not only do I have the word of God through His ancient prophets (found in the scriptures), but I have the word of God direct to us today, through His modern prophets. They have taught me life's purpose, how to find happiness, and they have given me perspective on life. God wants all of His children to hear His word, so that they can return to Him. These prophets are the instruments in God's hands to accomplish His work.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Sometimes I'm tempted to think that what I do doesn't matter, that what we see before us is all there is to life, that when we die it's all over.

But those are momentary temptations. There is a God and He is very literally our Father, and there is nothing He wants more than to have us, His children, back with Him. He said, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immorality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

Of all of His children, He had one Son who was perfect. This perfect Son offered to sacrifice Himself, to reach down and help the rest of us up, so that the rest of us would be able to make it back to Father in Heaven. He was the only one who could do it, because He was the only one righteous enough. He is our elder brother, Jesus Christ.

We are often tempted, by the adversary, to think that you can't do it, to give up, that you're not good enough. In short, by ourselves, we really aren't good enough. But with Jesus Christ, we can make it (see Philippians 4:13).  He has descended below all things to lift every single one of us.

There was an occasion when I felt complete despair, and my thought was "What's the point? Everything I have tried to do right hasn't amounted to anything. I might as well give up." Deep down, however, I knew that I should not give up, but I also knew that I didn't have the strength to continue on my own. I did the only thing I could do, and that was to call upon my Father in Heaven for help. And then He gave me the help I needed. He poured out such a feeling of peace and assurance on me that I will never forget it. He gave me the confidence and strength I needed to keep going.

I know that my Heavenly Father lives, even though I cannot see Him. I know that through the atonement of His perfect son, Jesus Christ, we can be strengthened in all things and ultimately return to live with Him again.