Use the Spirit to Come to the Lord

2 Corinthians 3:6 teaches us that “the Spirit giveth life.”  Conversely, Romans 6:23 teaches us that "the wages of sin is death."  It is essential that we do our best to invite the Spirit into our lives, to avoid sin as much as possible, and to repent when we fall short.

2 Corinthians is full of information and teachings of the Spirit and how we can become closer to God.

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 - We must be hopeful as we face life by always having Christ in our hearts and minds.  God is our strength and will help us overcome everything.  

2 Corinthians 4:14-18 - Gratitude will strengthen us and bring us closer to God.

2 Corinthians 5:7-10 - We must walk by faith rather than sight.  This means putting our trust in God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - We must be ambassadors of Christ, bear testimony and witness of Him.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 - We must strengthen each other, help each other, and be united in faith.

2 Corinthians 7:1, 9-10 - We must cleanse ourselves through sincere repentance and strive to always to better.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 - We can face difficulties and trials with strength as we rely on Christ.

I know that as we strive to live with Christ's Spirit in our lives, we will be strengthened in our daily lives and feel the presence of God with us.  We are so blessed to have a God who loves and cares about us and will help us when we need Him.

Del Norte County, California
Photography by my mom :)

The Day of Pentecost

The Pentecost was a Jewish celebration that occurred 50 days after the Passover feast.  The name itself comes from the Greek work “pentekoste,” meaning “fiftieth.”  Other names it was referred to as include “Dayof the First Fruits,” “Feast of Harvest,” and “the Feast of Weeks.”

The day of Pentecost, found in Acts 2, was an incredible event.  Peter taught the multitude that this pouring out of the Spirit was a fulfillment of prophecy, that God said He would pour out His Spirit in the last days.  He taught them of prophecy, miracles, and gifts of the Spirit.

Peter testified of Jesus Christ and His power.  He invited the multitude to repent and be baptized in Christ’s name and to receive the Holy Ghost.  His testimony strengthened many and 3,000 people were baptized!

Many spiritual gifts were made apparent that day.  They spoke in tongues and prophecies.  They understood each other, even if they spoke different languages.  They were filled with the Spirit of God.  They were filled with a desire to follow God and be baptized.  They were filled with love for each other, served one another, and took care of each other.

I am grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and that it continues to be on earth today.  It’s been a blessing throughout my life and has been a source of strength and comfort.  I know that God works great miracles through the Holy Ghost and that gift truly shows of the deep love He has for each of us.

The Savior's Instructions About The Holy Ghost

John 14-16 has some wonderful teachings of Jesus Christ about the Holy Ghost.  He was teaching his disciples about what the Holy Ghost does and what they must do to receive it.

The Holy Ghost:

Comforts

Teaches

Brings things to remembrance

Brings Peace

Guides to Truth

Testifies of Christ

Reproves sin

Inspires us to live up to our full potential

Serves as a messenger of God & does His will

To Receive the Holy Ghost:

Keep the commandments

Be not troubled or afraid

Share testimonies and be a witness of Christ

The Holy Ghost was vital in the continuance of the gospel after Christ’s resurrection.  The Holy Ghost was able to direct, strengthen, and comfort the Apostles as they continued their ministries.  The Holy Ghost was able to bear witness to their words as they shared their testimonies and Christ’s teachings.  They were able to feel of God’s presence with them through the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost has been a wonderful blessing throughout my life.  I remember having a difficult time at the very beginning of my mission.  I felt like my trainer hated me and that I shouldn’t be there.  But as I prayed and asked God for help, I felt the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost.  I knew that God was with me during this hard time, and that strengthened me.  I’m grateful for this experience because it continued to help me throughout my mission.

The Beatitudes

I love the Beatitudes – they are one of my very favorite parts of the New Testament.  Matthew 5:1-12 contains the beautiful Sermon of the Mount that Jesus Christ delivered.  This Sermon is the greatest sermon ever given.  It contains blessings known as the Beatitudes.

The word Beatitude comes from the Latin word beatus.  The word beatus is defined as “to be fortunate,” “to be happy,” or “to be blessed.”  I think this word is very fitting, due to the truth of each Beatitude and the blessing accompanying each one. 

In the Beatitudes, you will find a lot of “blessed” and “blessedness” going on.  According to the LDS Guide tothe Scriptures, blessed and blessedness is explained “to confer divine favor upon someone. Anything contributing to true happiness, well-being, or prosperity is a blessing.”  This stands true for the Beatitudes.  They definitely are a divine favor to each of us and they definitely contribute to true happiness, well-being, and prosperity.

The Beatitudes

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

Blessed Are They That Mourn

Blessed Are the Meek

Blessed Are They That Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Blessed Are the Merciful

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Blessed Are They Which Are Persecuted

That is obviously a very basic list of them.  I want to focus on three of them and share more about them.

1. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4

This is a blessing that is present in anyone’s lives.  And we all can receive comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ.  He knows exactly how we feel as we face difficulties or challenges and He knows exactly how to help us.  As we turn to Him and rely on him for strength and help, we will be comforted through the Holy Ghost.  I know that because of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, I will never be alone or helpless.  Jesus Christ will always be there for me and I can receive peace and comfort from the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

 2. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6 

As we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will be lead down the path of Christ.  As we seek out to study, pray, take the Sacrament and attend the Temple, our spirits will be filled.  I’ve seen this to be true in my own life – as I make a continued effort to pray daily, study God’s words in the scriptures,  go to church and the Temple, I have an increased desire to follow Christ and to come closer to Him.  I also feel closer to Him and feel the Spirit more strongly in my life.

3. “Blessed are peacemakers: for they shall see God.” – Matthew 5:8

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace.  It is through following Jesus Christ and His example that we can return to God.  As we strive to be peacemakers in our own lives, we will be blessed with peace and the happiness that comes from following Christ’s example.  When I’ve had the opportunity to be a peacemaker at home, work, ,or school, I have benefitted from the peace of mind and heart that follows.  I know that I can be a good influence and make a difference in the lives of others, as well as my own.

I love the teachings and principles that Christ taught and I know that following them will bring us happiness and peace.

We Must Be Born Again

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”  - John 3:3

What is the difference between “seeing” the kingdom of God and “entering” the kingdom of God?

First of all, you can see a place without actually entering it.  For example – Temples.  Many people visit temple grounds and see the beautiful Houses of the Lord.  They even feel His spirit there, but it takes more than just seeing the temple to receive the numberless blessings it provides in our lives.  We must do more – we must be doing all we can to follow Christ’s teachings.  We must obtain temple recommends through proper authority that signifies our person worthiness and efforts in living the gospel.  We must be willing to make promises to follow God.  And as we make these addition steps, not only will we see the temples, but we will enter the temple.  I think the same holds true for the kingdom of God.  It’s one thing to see it, but it takes more to enter.

What did Jesus Christ teach Nicodemus that he must to do enter the kingdom of God?

• Jesus taught that we must be born again.  He said we must be born of water and of the Spirit.  Mosiah 5:7 sheds some addition light concerning being “born again.”  It says that as we make covenants (promises) with God, we become His children, sons and daughters, and our hearts change and we are born of Him.  So as we change and improve our lives and make promises with God to follow Him, we can be “born of God.” 

What does it mean to be “born of water?”

• Being “ born of water” indicates baptism.  Jesus Christ gave us the perfect example of the necessity of all to be baptized.  As we make the promise to follow God as we are baptized, it is a symbolic rebirth, as we are immersed into the water and come up fresh and new.

• Moses 6:59 demonstrates a ways that baptism is a symbol of rebirth by discussing how transgression brings the fall (death).  Being cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ is the way for us to live again.  Just as we come to earth, we must be cleansed and born again through water (baptism) and live again with God.

• Romans 6:4 exemplifies baptism as symbol of death by describing “we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”  I like this illustration of newness that comes from baptism.  We go into the water, symbolizing death, and we are raised out of the water as a new being.

What does it mean to be “born of the Spirit?”

• Being born of the Spirit indicates the gift of the Holy Ghost.  That is the next step after baptism, or being born of water.  We receive this gift by the laying on of hands by those with authority to give the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  As we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we will have the blessing of guidance, direction, comfort, and knowledge in our lives.

• God compares the Spirit to the wind in John 3:8.  The wind blows where it will.  We can hear the wind, but do we know where it comes from or where it’s going?  This is a good comparison because we can hear the promptings of the Spirit and feel its presence in our lives, although it is subtle like the wind.  But also like the wind, it comes from something greater, and is going on to do great things.

To end, there are a couple of meaningful passages in John 3.  Verses 14-17 and 35-36 show of God’s great love for the world and all His children.  He loves us so much that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  He gave His Son that we can be saved and return to Him.  He loves His Son as well, and He trusted Him to do His will.  And if we accept and follow and believe in Him, God promises everlasting life and salvation.  This is a beautiful promise and I’m grateful for this knowledge that I have.  I know that we are children of God, that He loves each of us, and if we follow Him, we can return to Him through the Atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.