Faith!!!

Faith is an amazing thing. When I think of Faith my first thought takes me to Alma 32. It compares Faith to a seed. And how we need to plant our seed and nourish it and take care of it and then it can grow. Almost everything we do in life we take a step of Faith. Some people don't think they have Faith but really they do. The Definition of Faith that I like to use is found in Alma 32:21 "And now as I said concerning faith, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." What a great Scripture. Also when I think of Faith of the Primary song called Faith. http://lds.org/churchmusic/detailmusicPlayer/index.html?searchlanguage=1&searchcollection=2&searchseqstart=96&searchsubseqstart=%20&searchseqend=96&searchsubseqend=ZZZ I post a link to that song if you would like to check it out.

There is a lot on Faith in the Bible Dictionary. These are just a few points that I was able to pull from that. First, Faith must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. Second, To have Faith is to have confidence in something or someone. Third, Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith. Fourth, Faith is a principle of Action. Fifth, Where there is true faith there are miricles, visions, dreams, healings, and all other gifts of God that he gives to saints. Sixth, All true Faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the disired results.

I think the point that stood out to me most was the fifth one.  Where there is true faith there are miricles, visions, dreams, healings, and all other gifts of God that he gives to saints. I know that is true. A very common phrase in the church is if we had the Faith of a mustard seed, we could move a mountain. (mathew 17:20) That is amazing. If we could all have that much Faith, Imagine the things we could do. The Following picture is to show how small a mustard seed is.

Faith is something we can all have more of. Let us all try our hardest to gain the Faith of a mustard seed. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church. I know that it is The Lord's kingdom once again on earth, and that Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the Restoration. I love this Church and I love being a missionary. 

Developing Christlike Attributes

The next few weeks I want to make blog post about Developing Christlike Attributes.  The Following is some inserts from a Ensign article from October 2008 by Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled "Developing Christlike Attributes."

We recognize that we are living in a time of turmoil, disaster, and war. We and many others feel strongly the great need for a “defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6). How do we find such a place of safety? President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) taught: “Our safety lies in the virtue of our lives. Our strength lies in our righteousness.”

Recall with me how Jesus Christ instructed His Apostles, clearly and directly, at the beginning of His mortal ministry: “[Come,] follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). This was also the beginning of the ministry of the Twelve Apostles, and I suspect that they had a feeling of inadequacy. May I suggest that the Savior Himself teaches us here a lesson about core doctrine and priorities in life. Individually, we need to first “follow Him,” and as we do this, the Savior will bless us beyond our own capacity to become what He wants us to be.

To follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His teachings. To follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness for ourselves the blessings that follow. This process is very complex and very simple at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described it with three words: “Keep the commandments”—nothing more, nothing less.

Developing Christlike attributes in our lives is not an easy task, especially when we move away from generalities and abstractions and begin to deal with real life. The test comes in practicing what we proclaim. The reality check comes when Christlike attributes need to become visible in our lives—as husband or wife, as father or mother, as son or daughter, in our friendships, in our employment, in our business, and in our recreation. We can recognize our growth, as can those around us, as we gradually increase our capacity to “act in all holiness before [Him]” (D&C 43:9).

The scriptures describe a number of Christlike attributes we need to develop during the course of our lives. They include knowledge and humility, charity and love, obedience and diligence, faith and hope (see D&C 4:5–6). These personal character qualities stand independent of the organizational status of our Church unit, our economic circumstances, our family situation, culture, race, or language. Christlike attributes are gifts from God. They cannot be developed without His help.

The one help we all need is given to us freely through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love. Christlike attributes come into our lives as we exercise our agency righteously. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to action. When we have faith in Christ, we trust the Lord enough to follow His commandments—even when we do not completely understand the reasons for them. In seeking to become more like the Savior, we need to reevaluate our lives regularly and rely, through the path of true repentance, upon the merits of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement.

Developing Christlike attributes can be a painful process. We need to be ready to accept direction and correction from the Lord and His servants. Through the Church’s regular worldwide conferences, for example, with their music and spoken word, we feel and receive spiritual power, direction, and blessings “from on high” (D&C 43:16). It is a time when the voice of personal inspiration and revelation will bring peace to our souls and will teach us how to become more Christlike. This voice will be as sweet as the voice of a dear friend, and it will fill our souls when our hearts are sufficiently contrite.

By becoming more like the Savior, we will grow in our ability to “abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13). We will “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10).

This leads me back to my aerodynamic analogy. I spoke of focusing on the basics. Christlike attributes are the basics. They are the fundamental principles that will create the wind beneath our wings. As we develop Christlike attributes in our own lives, step-by-step, they will “bear [us] up as on eagles’ wings” (D&C 124:18). Our faith in Jesus Christ will provide power and a strong forward thrust; our unwavering and active hope will provide a powerful upward lift. Both faith and hope will carry us across oceans of temptations, over mountains of afflictions, and bring us safely back to our eternal home and destination.

Developing Christlike Attributes is not easy. It is something that we will work at our whole lives. So the next few weeks I am going to cover one Christlike attribute a week so that we can become a little more like our Savior Jesus Christ. I reccomend to everyone to follow this link and read President Uctodorf's full talk. lds.org/developingchristlikeattributes Let us all strive to be more Christlike in everything we do. I know that as we all become more Christlike we will be better people and life will become better.