Sirius black knows whats up!

     So who is a little Harry Potter crazy right now? It seems like everyone has a bit of the wizard fever with the last movie coming out and everything! I was thinking about all the good parts of the Harry Potter series, and I soon realized there is much that can be learned from this! One of the most memorable lessons that I took away from it was something that Sirius Black said in the 4th book.

     Harry, Ron and Hermione have snuck off during a Hogsmeade visit, to go see Sirius, who is of course, disguised as the big black shaggy dog until they are back into the mountains in the cave he has been hiding out in. During their visit, they discuss Bary Crouch and who he is and what kind of character he has as a person.

     In their conversation, Hermione mentions how poorly Mr. Crouch treats his House elf, Winky. House elves are considered to be lower class in the magical world. Ron, points this out and tries to shrug it off like it wasn't a big deal, however, Sirius Black replies with some excellent insight on people's character.  He says
" If you want to know the character of a man, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

     So let's disect how true this statement really is. We know that all men are created equal, and I don't believe that is what Sirius is saying. When he says inferiors, he is talking about those who may not have as many blessings as we do, or those who are looked down upon by society, such as a house elf. I believe Sirius hit the nail on the head with this one! Look at Jesus Christ! He spent his time with the poor and the sinners. Clearly they did not reach his level, him being the Son of God. But he set the example of how we need to treat them.

     So let us ask ourselves. How do we treat those who are less fortunate than ourselves? When we see a home less person on the side of the road what is our first reaction? Do we automatically judge and say it was their own fault? Or do we follow the Savior's example, and show them love and evaluate how we can help them? I know that if we all try our best to treat everyone with love and kindness, the world will be a much better place!

The Tasty cookie v.s. The Burnt cookie

     Soooooo who loves cookies raise your hand! If you currently have your hand in the air then this is the post for you, because you are about to like cookies even more! Last night, my companion and I were teaching a lesson about overcoming temptaion and choosing the right. We were describing how Satan desguises temptaion and makes it look desirable, and makes it look delicious.

     So imagine this! You have a mean older brother, or mean older sibling ( which some of you won't have to imagine too hard ) Well your sweet mother has just finished baking an amazing batch of chocolate chip cookies. All of them look so yummy, however a few of them got burnt in the process, which we know can happen sometimes. But there are still a bunch of warm soft ones that did not get burnt. Well as your mother pulls them out, she councils you to wait and let them cool off before taking one. So, as a good child you listen and find something to occupy yourself with for 15 minutes while they cool down. After 15 minutes it is finally time! The amazing cookies are ready to be devoured! And how nice your older brother is approaching you with a cookie in hand, letting you have the first one. He even covered it in some chocolate frosting to enjoy even more! You are so excited, you close your eyes and bite into the seemingly fresh cookie. And then you find out it is not good at all! You didn't just eat a good soft cookie, but a burnt one! How could this be!? Well i'll tell you. Your brother tricked you. He took a burnt cookie and covered it in frosting and sprinkles making it look like a tasty treat. Which is exactly what he wanted you to think!

   
      Just like the older brother, Satan does the same thing with temptation. Clearly we know right from wrong, we know what our Savior wants us to do. However, Satan tempts us, and disguises sin to make it look fun and delicious. He makes it seem like something that we really want, until we bite into it, and realize it isn't at all what we thought it was going to be. It is something we need to watch out for and be careful of! Remember what the Savior taught and the commandments he laid out for us to be happy! I promise if we follow his teachings and keep the commandments we will be so happy in this life! Stay away from the burnt cookie covered in chocolate frosting!

Answering a couple questions!

     Recently I was asked about my newest post, feeling the witness rather than seeing it. For some reason my account will not let me post comments so I have had trouble answering their question, so I decided I would answer it through another post.

     The question that was asked, was if there is scripture that she could compare to biblical scripture, as well any bblical scripture of prophets who felt the Holy Ghost so strongly. I am so grateful for the person, forasking such great questions!

     First, on of the most famous scriptures in the Book of Mormon, is all about the Holy Ghost testifying of truth and answering our questions. Moroni 10: 3-5

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

The prophet Moroni is telling us to ask God and let him answer our questions, through the power of the Holy Ghost! I love this scripture!

As far as scriptures in the Bible, i did find a few!

John 14:26    

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

John 15:26

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me"

And finally: 1 Corinthians 2: 9-16

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

I hope these scriptures answered this persons questions, I feel bad that I could not comment back, so hopefully they will read this! And everyone else who reads this enjoy!

Rejoice in your God!

     This morning during my personal study, I was reading from the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon, and was going over a chapter that I have read multiple times. In it, there never have been any particular versus to stick out to me, until this morning. Here is what stuck out to me.

" 11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

  12  Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

- Alma 26: 11-12

 

     These two versus hit me really hard today. We need to understand where we stand and where God stands. Everything we have comes from him. All the gifts and talents and parts of our personality come from him. We owe everything we have to him, and need to be so grateful for it. Ammon also does a wonderful job in understanding that without God, we are nothing. If we can remember this, it will be easy for us to stay humble, in always recognizing we are nothing without Him.

     The next thing I noticed and loved in my reading today was how Ammon says he will " REJOICE in my God " This stands out because it shows how thankful and how much love he has for Him. When I think of rejoice, I think of visible happiness. Someone who is not trying to hide their delight, and who wants to share it with others. That is how we need to be about our God and our faith. We need to always be thankful for our blessing, and always willing to share our happiness with others.  I love Jesus Christ and am so thankful for his atoning sacrifice, I am nothing without him. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and how close it has brought me to my Savior!

Service

     I've been pondering lately, the true meaning of love. What does it mean to love someone and how do we show it to them? It is really easy at times, to throw around the phrase " I love you " to family and friends, but how can they really know of our love for them. Like I said, after much pondering and searching out the answer, it all comes down to service. We must be willing to serve those that we love. This life is not easy, nor was it meant to be however, we can make it much more bearable if we are willing to help those around us who are in need.

King Benjamin said it best in the second chapter of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon
"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
- Mosiah 2:17


     Nothing makes our Heavenly Father happier than when we serve and help our fellow man. We are all children of God and he wants all of us to be happy. Since our Father in Heaven cannot be on the Earth with us right now, it is up to us to do the service towards others that he would do if he were here. I testify that when we are helping and serving others, we truly are in the service of our God. I do know that he loves each and every one of us, and I know that the best way to prove my love to others and to my Savior, is by serving and helping others. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Small and Simple Things

     In recent years, I have had trouble understanding the little things of the Gospel, or the importance of those little things. We are always taught that prayer and scripture reading everyday is so important. These are the main little things will affect us so much. They may seem so menial and routine, and growing up I never could understand how those little things could affect my life so dramatically. However since being on a mission, where all the little things have to be apart of our daily lives, I have learned of the joy that the little things will bring into our lives. One of the prophets from the Book of Mormon, Alma, said it best :

"6 Now ye may suppose that this is ^afoolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by ^bsmall and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by ^ameans to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth ^cconfound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls"

-Alma 37: 6-7

These small and simple things are what will lead to our salvation. It is not to say that the big things and big commitments we make are not important, but rather, if we do the small things it will make the big things not so much of a chore. With the small and simple things in our lives everyday, we invite the spirit into our hearts, making us more loving, charitable and overall more Christlike, which to me, should be our overall goal.

I just want to bear my testimony, that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ( Mormons ) is true. I know with all my heart Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that through the power of God he was able to bring forth the Book of Mormon. I know that if we read the Book of Mormon everyday, we will come closer to our Savior. I am so grateful for it and know that it changes lives. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Families

     One of the most important aspects to our message as missionaries is the message about families. The true Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families better than anything else in this life. Through this Gospel and the ordinances within it, we are able to have an eternal family as long as we keep the promises we make.
     I know in my life, my family has been one of the biggest sources of strength for me when I am feeling discouraged or down in the dumps. They have always been there for me, to build me back and show me the love I need to keep moving on. With a family like that, who I love and a family who loves me, wouldn't it make sense for our Heavenly Father ( who loves us more than we can comprehend and just wants us to be happy ) to make it so we can spend eternity with our families? To me, it just seems like common sense. I don't know where I would be without my family, nor would I like to think about where I would be.



     Unfortunately, not everyone feels there family life is where they would like it to be. People are not perfect, and there are situations where family life is not a good memory growing up. If you have been victim of this I am very sorry. However! It is not too late. It is up to you to do what it takes to make sure that when you start your own family, you make it as happy loving as possible. This section from Mormon.org explains the best way to have a great family life.
    
    
"Happiness within our family will most likely be achieved when it’s founded on the teachings of Jesus. That means being unselfish, honest, loyal, loving and a whole host of other virtues, not to mention a lot of effort. A loving and happy family doesn’t happen by accident."
-Mormon.org

I am so grateful for how the Gospel of Jesus Christ has blessed me and my family, and I know it can bless yours in the same way. You just have to let it. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen