When we realize that God is seeking to change us, sometimes we seek to change God to a less demanding God and in effect begin to worship a false god known as pride and selfishness.

It's the same Satanic view of justifying our sin while disregarding the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are not saved IN our sins but through repentance FROM our sins. We are the ones who must repent. We are the imperfect and unprofitable servants that God wants to bless but can only after all we can do, through His grace.

His love for us never falters. His trust in us varies in our trust in Him. He cannot give us something we refuse to sacrifice for, and that is why the Savior has always only taught repentance to our investigative hearts. If we seek Him, we must be willing to not seek for ourselves but truly leave ourselves and come unto Him.

On the door to heaven it reads "Abandon all selfishness and despair to enter" and it is a hard thing He asks but He knows it is hard and knows we can do it. We have to trust that He knows more than we do.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

To Be or Not to Be

As Latter Day Saints, we are admonished and encouraged by our leaders to participate in politics. To vote and stay informed. But, from Mormon history we learn that the system doesn't always work. The petition to the government for aid from the early Saints was met with disregard for the political implications of being associated with the controversial Mormons. So, we left town and went to make a Zion for ourselves.

Today's political landscapes have moved as well. But, its the same spineless leaders who promise and then give way to special interests. We can take comfort in the Lord as our salvation during all these onslaughts of demagoguery and manipulations.

The system to me is like an old arcade game. Sometimes the quarter works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes you have to hit the machine and sometimes you just have to walk away. We don't always get what we invested in.

But, we are still encouraged to play the game. Once the game starts working we might still lose. The idea is that politics is a game of chance and favors the skilled orators and cheaters rather than the virtuous and good natured. Luckily, we can take comfort in the Lord as our salvation.

Its not our lot to have everything be perfect, but it is our lot to try.

We have to remember the parable of the Talents that the Lord gave. It talks of servants being given talents and then having to account for their stewardship to the master. The faithful servants weren't afraid to use their talents. The master then said "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." The unfaithful servant said "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth." and the master replied "Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents."

The struggle to have faith in sharing our gifts with the world is one we have to undertake. We can't be afraid to do share our gifts or participate with what we've been given or how we feel on a subject. Anything the Lord has endowed us with, we must share for the edifying and building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. We must play the politic game as well as any other game that involves us returning good for evil. Remember the wicked servants were the ones who thought to save themselves from the hassle of dealing with an ungrateful or indifferent world.

Knowing that the chance to succeed also has the chance to fail, we must take comfort as the faithful servant and remember the Lord is wise and will sanctify our performance for our good. All these things shall give us experience. We must try because the Lord told us to, and we must remember Nephi's example and faith when he said "I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

We must go forth as the pioneers and make do with what we have and the Lord will open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings so much we won't be able to receive them.

The Great I Am answers the Shakespearean question of "to be or not to be" by His admonition to be, even as He is. Let us take courage and faith in believing Him that our sacrifice for His sakes will not be in vain, but the least vanity we can do.

Family and the Book of Mormon

The beginning of the Book of Mormon is about a family. As well as the middle and end.

When Lehi left Jerusalem, his family was together. As Lehi grew older, Laman and Lemuel grew more prideful. Eventually, Nephi and his family decided it best to leave the group as it was getting too dangerous and corrupt. The very same reason Lehi and his family left Jerusalem.

Every time the people are righteous, the family or group of people live in peace and happiness and function as a whole. When pride arises the family is torn and like a fire kindled, war is inevitable. Its not a war between Nephites and Lamanites, but righteousness and wickedness. The war takes place in the heart of the people first and eventually spreads to damaging the lives of many. Spiritual decay proceeds physical damage. The application to our days is very accessible. We may not go to war but we have relationships that can grow or diminish as sensitivities and communication are neglected out of selfish pride.

Not all relationships are repairable. Many times the righteous have to flee and start anew in an environment where they can practice their religion freely and without persecution. The early Latter Day Saints made the voyage across the plains as a great family of believers. We see that many were lost along the way, but those that keep the faith are never lost in Christ.

The Book of Mormon is a testament of the unifying power of Christ and the destroying power of pride. Humility and Pride are moving trains that we can't be stagnate on. The people in the book of Mormon show us that we must avoid the flattering words of false prophets, the carnal desires of the natural man, the desire for superiority over others, the love of money and hatred of the poor, and the idea that life has no consequence or purpose.

Its a warning that these mentioned philosophies of men will lead to destruction, as Christ said "a house divided cannot stand." The Savior also said that if we are not one we are not His. His first commandment upon arriving in the Americas was that there should be no more contention and disputes among them (3 Nephi 11). As we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must seek to uplift, edify, and forgive as we associate with one another.

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles wrote in "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"-
Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

I believe true success, progress, unity, happiness, prosperity, and victory over all things in the world is completely tied to, and relies wholly upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Great Redeemer of mankind, the Author and Finisher of our faith, the cornerstone and stumbling block, the true and everlasting God.

Home

Home is a strange concept. When you're there you know it. Seems like its not only familiar surroundings of walls and furniture but feelings of acceptance and love. The Gospel has a real unspoken acceptance and love for those within its reach. The Savior says that His sheep recognize the Shepherd's voice and follow. The Shepherd not only knows the way home but is home. Although we may wander and feel that we are beyond the reach of acceptance and love we are not, for the Lord waits for us like the father of the Prodigal Son, who ran with open arms to meet the son when the son returned. We're not that far from home if we merely look, as those that wandered with Moses in the desert looked at the raised snake. Look to the Savior and we'll feel the acceptance and love of something that feels familiar.

Repentance, Obedience, Agency, Faith, Hope, and Charity

Repentance is the only real thing that Christ and the prophets taught. All the information supplemental to keeping the commandments was probably only given to give us more reason to keep the commandments.

Obedience is the key to avoiding repentance, but as we are all sinners and weak, there is much to be learned and experience the hard way. Obedience is also the key to repentance, because if we are not obedient to the commandments then we haven't repented fully.

Agency is the key to obedience. If we choose to obey of our own free will and determination, then we are on a path of eternal progression. Not one minute of our lives is empty of decision. We have to decide what to do with our time and talents. Our desires are to be given to the Lord for Him to make them come to fruition, as He is our Gardner.

Faith is the key to using agency correctly. Believing in His will over ours, frees us of the weight of the world and gives us the power to overcome. We must realize that it is His grace by which we keep breathing. He can let us go of this burden of breathing at any time. He lets us live on so that we might learn faith in Him and repent. By our relinquishing our wills to Him, He can give us what we righteously desire. But, if our desires are His desires then vice versa and that is the way to happiness, as He knows whats best for us.

Hope in a better world is often lost when we look at all the injustice, lack of charity, and lack of obedience to God. We find it hard to see the world as anything but hostile in such a state. But, the Savior did come to earth and did show us the way out of all of the turmoil and despair. Hope in Him and His resurrection gives us a motivation to do good, as it is possible to overcome all things as He has done. Hope that humanity can change and be better. Hope that virtue and integrity are not vain but eternal. Hope that there is purpose to love.

Charity is the key to our success. Without it, we are nothing. Charity is the purpose of all that we do in the church. It is the "pure love of Christ" and those that serve Christ are those that serve others. Its neither convenient, nor easy but is the only thing that counts. Blogs, tweets, pictures, possessions, foods, electronics, buildings, all are subject to annihilation by force but Charity withstands any force as the Savior proved in His agonizing atonement, where He withstood all the combined force of the world because He loved us.

Is there room for doubt?

You know, it is a special kind of belief that can exist despite one's logic or complete understanding. There is a faith that is so strong that great opposition and sacrifice does not effect the determination to choose to follow it.
Many assume that faith is not logical or unreasonable as it requires us to walk a bit in the dark. Scientists would rather call this act, a hypothesis or in layman's terms, a hunch. But, it is faith to believe in something without all the evidence.
For me, the act of faith means that sometimes my mind isn't smart enough to keep up with what is right and wrong. I can easily summon thoughts of justifying or reasoning my way out of anything. But, I know that as long as I believe in God, there is an accountability of my deeds and thoughts.
So, is there room for doubt? Always. There is always somewhere we can doubt. Should we? Maybe, a little doubt is good in that we must seek to get rid of this doubt by working to dissolve it. Doubt is like dust, its always going to accumulate with time if we aren't constantly seeking to clean it up.
Two ways to get rid of doubt are to clean it up or simply ignore it. I'm afraid there are times when I think ignoring it is the best solution, and what I mean is to have patience with this concern but move on in what you do know. Many times those little moles of doubt can eventually destroy our mountains of faith. Vice versa, as well.
If we can then, there are times we must seek to rid ourselves of doubt. This requires diligence in obedience to the commandments, fasting, and sincere prayer. The Lord promises us His grace "after all we can do."