Doctrine and Covenants Sections 5-9, 17

3 Truths from section 6

•  Doctrine and Covenants 6:5 “Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.”  The Lord is letting us know that it is up to us to ask him for clarification or confirmation or personal revelation.  The part that says “if you knock it shall be opened unto you” is a form of action, a verb.  We can’t sit and just wait for something that we haven’t asked for, or ask for something without making any effort to deserve it.
• Doctrine and Covenants 6:7 “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.”  The Lord is letting us know what we are supposed to be looking for on Earth.  We need some material things to be able to live comfortable in this life, but the main goal is to seek for wisdom.  The Lord has said that if we seek for the right thing, which is wisdom, he will unfold the mysteries.  It is better to have wisdom because that will lead us in better paths than earthly riches that will stay here once we die.
•  Doctrine and Covenants 6:16 “Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.”  I think this verse is very important when it comes to personal revelation because God knows if we are asking to know something for the intent of making progression or if we have other intentions with what we are asking.  I think God knows the right time to give us the answer to whatever we are seeking.  When we combine strong faith and the right time to ask, he will let us know.  I know that Joseph Smiths asked at the right time whether or not he was in the right church.    

 Truths from section 8-9, 17

• Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.”  The great principle and verb faith is giving to us in this verse.  By exercising faith it means to move, to get on our knees when we pray, to get our scriptures out and highlight them and write notes, to go to the temple to be in a great spiritual state when we are seeking for personal revelation.  He also warns us not to ask things that we shouldn’t. 
• Doctrine and Covenants 9:6 “Do not murmur, my son, for it is wisdom in me that I have dealt with you after this manner.”  There may be times in our lives when we don’t get the answer we desire.  If this happens, we must stay faithful and stronger than ever.  Something like this can be used by the adversary to make us murmur against God.  When dealing with revelation we need to understand that God will not always give us the answer we want. 
• Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”  The Lord has told us what we will feel when something is right.  It is good to know what to look for when asking something to Heavenly Father.    
• Doctrine and Covenants 17:3 “And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God.”  Something important about revelation is the testimony we gain from it.  I think is important to use our testimony to stand as witnesses of personal revelation.  People have to know that they can see with their own spiritual eyes the truth about the gospel. 

Personal reflection

A thought that I have about revelation is when asking God about things that have obvious answers or are common sense to the members of the church.  For example, I have read in different talks and have studied in my family foundations class that children come as part of being married, it is a commandment.  So why do some members feel the need to ask if it’s the right time?  If they are married in the covenant and they love each other, and have financial means of supporting a baby, then the answer will be yes.  I think asking God more about the decisions I make will bless my life more.  A lot of times I make decisions without even consulting Heavenly Father.  I need to follow more of D&C 9:8.   

I think the most meaningful verse from my study is found in Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.”  It is important to understand what faith is to actually be able to ask God something.  We shouldn’t just think of something to ask without putting any thought into it.  Also, we need to exercise our faith with actions.  The last part says to not ask things that we should’t.  What are some things that we just shouldn’t ask?  Does it depend on who you are?    

Thoughts

There are many principles that I learned each week studying the New Testament.  However, there are three principles that really stood up to me.  These are characteristics that the Savior Jesus Christ has.  These principles are patience, submissiveness, and humbleness.  Throughout the scriptures in the four gospels, the Savior Jesus Christ talks about these principles and also sets an example by following those principles.  Jesus Christ had a purpose to accomplish when he came to Earth.  Because of those characteristics, he was able to accomplish his goal.  Just like Jesus Christ, we all have a goal to pursue while we are here on this Earth, and that is to attain eternal life in the highest degree of Glory.  The three principles that I found are very essential for me to reach my eternal goal.  


Depending on the road that we choose, our lives can be full of blessings.  However, the more knowledge we have, the more accountable we become for our actions, and also bigger the trials that we get.  As we know, Heavenly Father will not give us a trial without preparing the way for us to overcome it.  To do this, we need patience, which is one of the most important principles I learned about.  I am at a stage of my life right now where I need patience.  I am a mother, wife, and student and there are times when I need to be patient.  There is a scripture in Luke 21:19 that says “In your patience possess ye your souls.”  I looked up the definition for soul which helped me understand better what it meant by “possess ye your souls.”  This scripture talks about being patient to help our soul endure until the end.  If we are not patient and we do not endure the trials we’ll face in life, we can lose our soul to the enemy.  Patience is absolutely necessary for us to preserve our souls to the right purpose, because we can still have our soul and body reunited after the resurrection, but in the presence of the enemy instead of the presence of God.  Now that I am married and a mother, my patience is tested more and more each day.  However, I feel that with prayer, family home evening, and a lot of communication, my patience is a little better now.  Patience is a working process, it does not happen right away.  The experiences I am living now and that I will have in the future will make me more patients.


The principle of patience brings me to my second principle, which is submissiveness.  Jesus Christ is the perfect example of submissiveness.  He did the will of the Father without any complaints.  He showed how much he loves Heavenly Father by doing his will.  The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind.  This is the reason why we accept and do the will of the Father, because we love him.  In order to accept the will of the Father, we need to truly love Him and be submissive.  The Savior showed this by partaking of the bitter cup.  When he asked for the cup to be removed, he said “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).  His motivation to do what he was commanded was the love he had for the Father.  Learning about submissiveness from the Lord has made me realize that by obeying the Commandments and keeping my covenants is a way of submitting to the will of the Father.  When accepting the outcome of a trial we are also showing submissiveness.  I have had my share of trials, and remembering that the outcome will be in God’s hands helps me understand that things will not always go my way.  


The last principle I want to talk about is humbleness.  I feel that the quality of being humble is the outcome of the first two principles I talked about.  A person can’t be humble if there is no patience and submissiveness.  The reason why Jesus Christ is so humble is because he is very patient and submissive.  The Lord never boasted about his Godly Status.  He always made it clear that what he was doing was to glorify the Father and to do the will of the Father.  I realized I need to work on the first two principles to become humble.  What I love most about these three principles is that Jesus Christ was an example of all of them.  I love him, and I know that he lives; I know that he atoned for my sins, he is my redeemer.  I know that if he was able to partake of the bitter cup to do the will of the Father, I can also partake of my own trials with patience and submissiveness and become more Christ like.  

The Savior’s Suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane

Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men- Doctrine and Covenants 19:19

Selected passages of the scriptures in Matthew, Luke, and John describe the suffering of the Savior Jesus Christ while he was in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The words and phrases describing his suffering include: sorrowful and very heavy (depressed), agony, sweat that were like big drops of blood, an angel from Heaven coming to give him strength, “Take this cup from me,” and fell to the ground as he prayed.  This is what I found from reading those selected passages. 

My savior Jesus Christ suffered spiritually and physically when he atoned for my sins and the sins of the rest of humanity.  After reading from selected scripture passages from Mosiah, Alma, and Doctrine and Covenants, I found that Jesus Christ was physically thirsty, hungry, and fatigued.  He suffered temptations, pains and afflictions.   “In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fullness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 661).  Even though the Father withdrew from his son Jesus Christ, he managed to complete all the requirements of the atonement.  I cannot imagine how Jesus Christ felt when Heavenly Father left him alone during the last moments of his mortal life. 

Taking the sins of the world wore Jesus Christ out.  I will never know how intense it was, but from the readings, I’ve learned the pain was unbearable,  “Intensified beyond human power to endure” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 661).  Every single pore in his body bled.  That gives me a glimpse of the great suffering he went though, but only Jesus Christ himself knows how it really was.  He was the only one that could have done it, no doubt about it.  I know I could not take the load he took, but I am eternally grateful that he did.

The garden of Gethsemane was a place that Jesus Christ went to frequently.  This place gave him the privacy he was looking for when he needed to pray or talk with his disciples (New Testament Student Manual p. 172-173).  This was the place he would choose to go forth with the atonement because he would have the privacy he needed. 

 When Jesus Christ was going through the atonement, he asked his disciples to pray, however, when he came back to check on them, they were asleep.  Jesus Christ taught his disciples that “ the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mathew 26:41).  If we pray for strength to overcome temptations, even if our bodies are weak, the strength of the spirit can overcome that temptation. 

Mosiah 15:7 says “The will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father,” 3 Nephi 11:11 says “I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning,” and Doctrine and Covenants 19:19 says “Nevertheless, glory be to the Father.”  All these are phrases that show that doing the will of the father was the motivation for Jesus Christ to “drink the bitter cup.”  The savior initially asked the Father to remove the bitter cup from him, but he always said in the end, thy will be done, not mine. A quality we need to have to submit ourselves to the will of God is to be humble.  Jesus Christ is a humble being and because of that he was able to accept and do the will of God, not his.  Our natural man side will always want to fight against the will of God, but learning to become humble can overcome that. 

When Jesus Christ was in agony during the atonement, he prayed more earnestly to the Father.  When I am going through a tough time in my life, I pray more, because it gives me the strength I need to overcome that trial.

I will never be able to comprehend the physical and spiritual pain Jesus Christ went through while atoning for my sins.  I cannot imagine going through the pain he went through.  He endured everything just to obey Heavenly Father.  Because of his atoning sacrifice I will one day also conquer physical death, and I can still battle spiritual death.  What Heavenly Father requires of me is nothing compared to what he required of his Son Jesus Christ.  That makes me think that I can endure until the end if I follow the straight and narrow path back to his presence.  He submitted to the will of the Father without questioning him.  He is the perfect example of humbleness.  Those are the qualities that I want to acquire during this lifetime.     

Joseph Smith-Mathew. The Savior Taught about Future Events

After reading the passages listed on the table headings, I filled out the table with the events and promises.  I like this section because it talks about the second coming of Christ.  A lot of people think of the second coming as something scary, but only the ones that disobey will suffer because the obedient ones will be saved.  It comforts me to know that the second coming is something to look forward to and not something to fear.

	Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (JS-M 1:5-20)	The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (JS-M 1:21-55)
Events to Occur	6-Many will come in the name of Jesus Christ and it is him and will deceive many. 7-Jesus followers’ will be persecuted, hated, and murdered for His name’s sake. 8-Many will become offended and will betray  and hate one another.  9-There will be many false prophets that will deceive many. 18-The Jews in Jerusalem will suffer many tribulations.	22-There will be many false Christs and prophets that will show signs; they can possibly even deceive the very elect. 23-There will be rumors or wars and we’ll hear of rumors of wars.  25-If people tell you that Christ is here or over there, don’t believe it, it’s not true at all. 29-Nations won’t get along and there will be famines, pestilences, earthquakes, and divers places. 31-The gospel will be preached everywhere around the world.
Promises to the Righteous	11-The ones that remain steadfast will be saved. 20-For the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.	37-Who ever keeps Christ’s gospel will not be deceived. 39-When the elect see all the signs happening they will know the second coming is near. 49-The faithful will be made rulers over the unfaithful.

From what I studied in 1 Nephi 22:16-22 and Doctrine and Covenants 97:22, 25, an obedient person that lives the gospel of Jesus Christ to the best of their abilities should not be afraid of the Second Coming of Christ.  Those that obey will be saved from what the disobedient will suffer. 

Mark 12:41-44. The Widow’s Mites

Jesus Christ was watching all the rich people throwing a lot of money into the treasury.  He then noticed a poor widow that put two mites into the treasury.  The significance of her gift is that it was given with a sincere intent.  Her two mites came from her heart, while many of the rich people cast in because they had much.  I bet if they didn’t have that much money they wouldn’t be in the treasury showing off how rich they were.  The poor widow had something more valuable than all the riches thrown into the treasury by many of the rich men.  She had sincere love for the Lord.   She indeed loved the Lord with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength.  This was shown by the simple action of giving all she had. 

The widow gave less money compared to many others, but she gave everything she had, “Even all her living.”  The Lord is not looking for a monetary amount when we give an offering; he is looking at our intentions, in our hearts, the reason why we are giving that offering.  When we give an offering because we love the Lord, we show him our intentions.  Yes, that offering will help many people in need, but the most important reason for giving an offering is simply because we love the Lord.  In 2 Nephi 25:23 we learn that we are saved by grace, after all that we can do.  She was saved by grace because she gave everything she had with a sincere love for the Lord.   


Asides from donating money to show sacrifice and obedience to the Lord, I can do other things that will show the same concept.  For example, at one point I had a job that used to pay time-and-half on Sundays.  However, I gave up the extra money in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.  If the same situation was presented to me again, I would do the same thing because I love the Lord.  

Matthew 19:16-30; 2:1-16. Earthly and Heavenly Rewards

These are my thoughts on the story of the rich young man.  


After the Lord told him that the last thing he needed to do to enter into the Kingdom of God was to share his riches with the poor, he got sad because he had a lot of earthly material riches that he didn’t want to give away.  The Lord explained that it would be easier to for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  I remember from my seminary classes, my instructor explained that the eye of the needle refers to a narrow entrance at the beginning of Jerusalem, where camels had to be unloaded in order to pass through.  Now imagine a rich man trying to enter through the eye of a needle with so many possessions?  He would never finish.  This is why the Lord said that.  


The Lord promised to those that follow him eternal life.  To those that decide to give up material things in order to have a Christ centered life will receive blessings in return.  How can we put Christ first in our lives?


Well, there are a lot of things that we can do to have Christ first in our lives.  From reading the selected passages in the scriptures, the first thing we need to do is obey his commandments.  He has said that if we love him, we will keep his commandments.  To anyone that wants to keep Christ first in their lives, obeying the commandments will show our true intentions.  The second thing we need to do to have Christ first in our lives is to serve others.  When we give of our tithing, offerings, and fast offering, we are essentially helping someone in need.  We can also serve others with little things.  For example, giving someone a call to check on that person, cooking a family dinner, and there are other things that we can come up with.  


This if from the parable found in Mathew 20:1-16

From this parable we learn that when serving in the Lord’s kingdom, we will all be rewarded the same.  In this case we are talking about eternal life.  This parable can comfort our converts in the church with assurance that they will be rewarded with eternal life as long as their live righteous lives according to the gospel.  I know that there might be people that feel is unfair for each of the laborers to be paid equally.  I would tell this person that God is fair.  We are all working for eternal life, and it doesn’t matter when we started.  What matters is the work put into that goal from the day we started.  There are people that are born in the church and others that are converts later after adulthood.  If they are both worthy in the end of eternal life, they will have it regardless of when they started it.  

Luke 10:1-24. “The Lord Appointed other Seventy Also”

I have learned a lot about the apostles but I really never studied about the seventies; and this assignment gave me the chance to learn more about this office in the church.  Here are some thoughts from my study of the Seventies.

During his ministry on Earth, Jesus Christ appointed seventy men to go in pairs to certain regions around the area.  He gave them counsel and instructions on what to do.  He gave them authority to heal the sick, to bless each house they entered with peace, power over the enemy, and to preach the gospel.  He also told them not to get distracted on their tasks when he said “Salute no man by the way.”  He told them nothing would harm them under their ministry. 

Articles of Faith 1:6 says that “We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church.”  The church has currently eight quorums of the Seventy.  The first and second quorum act as general authorities which means they can serve anywhere around the world.  The remaining quorums act as area seventies where they exercise authority in the area they serve only.  The seventies are called, just as in mentioned in Luke 10, to serve in different areas to build the church, to serve others and bless those that receive them.  It is amazing to see how the church that Jesus Christ organized during his ministry on Earth is the same church I am a part of today.   

In other scriptures, the priesthood shows the existence of this office as members that are special witnesses of Jesus Christ, preach the gospel, aid in the growth of the church around the world, and devote their fulltime to their calling.  The Seventies are an essential part of the church; I know this because it was Jesus Christ who appointed them.      

Matthew 18:1–14. “Become as Little Children”

I can’t help to think of my almost 3 month-old baby boy Liam when I read these scripture passages.  In the next few years he is going to grow older but before that, he will be innocent and clean of sin.  He will be submissive to my commands whenever I tell him to do something.  He will obey my voice, he will need me to guide him through the next years of his life because he can’t make it on his own.  He is my responsibility and as his mother I want him to reach his greatest potential here in life.  


So how are we like little children?  Well, just like my child, we have a loving Heavenly Father that loves us, and that will guide us through this journey here on Earth.   Heavenly Father wants the best for his children, and the best is the highest degree of glory in Heaven.  But we can’t make it there without his help and blessings.  Liam is growing up trusting me; he will know that I will guide him through his first few years of life.  He knows I won’t put him through any type of harm and that I won’t give him any tasks that he won’t be able to accomplish.  We are the same way with our Heavenly Father.  He is walking right besides us every step of the way and he will guide us back to Heaven if we don’t let go of his hand.  This is how we are like little children, because we depend on his blessings and other ordinances to accomplish things here on Earth.  


In Doctrine and Covenants Chapter 78:17-18 says that as little children, we can’t understand the great blessings that he has for us.  But if we let him guide us, he will help us understand and he will guide us in every step of the way.  Along those steps of the way we will receive many great blessings from him.  


Mosiah 3:19 lists the ways we are to become like little children.  It says we must become submissive, meek, humble, patient, and full of love.  When becoming submissive, it says that we should be “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”  I think that becoming like little children can sometimes be a challenge because there are other qualities that are opposite to the ones mentioned above that can take over and are much easier to acquire.  For example, it is easier to become offended, than to forgive; it is easier to become prideful than to become humble and submissive.  This is why looking at my baby boy reminds me of how once I was like him, innocent and totally submissive to my mother’s command.  I know that I can become like a little child again.  I know that the qualities mentioned in verse 19 will bring many blessings for me and my little family.  The opposite qualities will prevent us from growing spiritually and also from the blessing that Heavenly Father wants to give us.  Working on this qualities day by day will help me become closer to the way I need to be.    

John 6. The “Bread of Life” Sermon.

I love the “Bread of Life” sermon because it teaches me more about the role of my Savior.  Here are some thoughts based on some questions I answered:

Before the Savior preached the sermon on the bread of life, a miraculous event took place.   A big number of people followed the savior where he noticed that they had nothing to eat.  So he took five barley loaves and two small fishes and after blessing it, fed five thousand men (without counting women and children).  After the miraculous event, many people were seeking Jesus, but not because of the miracle that he performed or because they wanted to follow him, they were looking for Jesus for the wrong reasons. 

Unlike the people that were seeking the Lord for the wrong reasons, something that motives me today to “seek” the Lord is a need to fulfill my spiritual hunger.  He has the spiritual bread that will fulfill all my spiritual needs.  I won’t look for him whenever I need help, I will follow him instead.  If I just came to Jesus whenever I needed something, I would be seeking him for the wrong reasons, like those people were. 

After Jesus noticed that those people were looking for him not for the right reasons, he taught them about the bread of life.  He taught them that He was the bread of life and to believe in him.  He told him to seek for eternal things and not temporary things. 

In Mathew 6:19-21 Jesus teaches us to build treasures up in heaven where no moth or thieves will steal it, instead of building treasures here on Earth where moth or thieves could take it.  This is similar to what he said in John 6:27 about the “meat that perisheth” and “that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.”  In today’s world, a lot of people work hard only for those temporary riches that will stay here on Earth after death.  Today, people focus on earthly riches that they will not take after they die.  People that live the gospel understand that they must work to build up their treasures in Heaven, which is eternal life with our eternal families.  That is a big difference between the people that seek treasures here on Earth and the ones that work here on Earth to build up treasures up in Heaven: they live the gospel.

After the sermon of the bread of life, many people chose not to follow the savior anymore!  What a sad choice they made.  They refused to accept Jesus as the bread of life.  The response of his apostles was different though.  Peter testified to Jesus that he knew he was the Christ and that he had the true gospel with him.  What enabled Peter and the other Apostles to say this was their testimony of Jesus Christ.

An example of someone with a great testimony of Christ like Peter is Nephi.  He did everything the Lord asked him to because Nephi had a testimony of him.  Another example is the many converts of the church.  They must accept Jesus Christ as their savior and many of them gain a strong testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

John chapter 6 teaches that following Jesus Christ, even when is not convenient, will bring us eternal life.  Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life, because he is eternal life.  Through his atonement and sacrifice we will be able to have eternal life if we endure until the end.  We can choose to accept the Lord as the Bread of Life or we can choose to stop following him like some people did.  In the end, is our eternal choice.           

Mathew 13:24-48: The Lord Often Taught with Parables.

After reading the definition of parable in the Bible Dictionary, I came up with my own definition.  A parable is a form of teaching in which the truth is covered by a story.  The person that is seeking the truth will find the principles and meaning that the story is conveying.  To a person that does not want to seek or know the truth, a parable is just a story with no meaning or principles behind it.  The beauty of teaching with parables is that a person must be willing to seek new knowledge, or else it will just be a regular story. 

There is a parable that describes the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that is the parable of the mustard seed.  The Lord Jesus Christ compares the kingdom of heaven to a small seed of mustard.  A mustard seed is about 2mm in diameter, but that tiny seed can become a full grown tree that sprouts with many branches.  He continues saying the seed will grow to a tree where birds can come and lodge in the branches of it.   The true church was once again established here on earth by Joseph Smith with humble small beginnings.  Today the church has millions of members worldwide.  The church started as a mustard seed and today it is a tree full of branches. 

One reason the church is still growing today is because there are missionaries called to all parts of the world to share the gospel.  They are the birds that come and lodge in the tree.  Birds take seeds and spread them.  They plant a small seed of mustard in people’s hearts which could grow to a mature tree, with roots so deep nothing could tear it down.  Once the Holy Ghost confirms to them the gospel is real, they are able to share and preach the gospel either by serving a mission or by becoming living examples of the gospel. 

There are many members that are willing to give up world fame and recognition to maintain their membership in the church because they have a different perspective.  Members of the church have an eternal perspective while non members have a worldly perspective.  As members of the church, we know what our ultimate goal is in life.  This is a good comparison to the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.  Once you have that Pearl of Great Price, you will do anything to keep it, even if it means to give up certain things. 

There are many reasons members choose to leave the church.  From my personal experience, many members leave because they choose to become offended by something another member said.  Another big reason why members leave the church is because trials become harder to overcome and it is easier to walk away than to endure.  Those reasons remind me of the parable of the sower.  They are the seeds that do not grow roots.  Since they have no roots they are easier to fall.  At the end of every story from members that leave the church, it comes down to being a choice.  A person can choose to become offended, a person can choose to be defeated by a trial, and a person can choose to walk away from a problem.  Sometimes it is easier to walk away from something than to fix it.  It takes humility, perseverance, and endurance to stay in the church.  It is easier to become prideful.

I can’t see myself ever leaving the church, because I love the gospel.  I can’t see my life without the gospel.   The gospel is my Pearl of Great Price.  I am blessed to have it, and I won’t do anything that will make me loose that Pearl of Great Price.  I am willing to do whatever it takes for me to receive the blessings of the gospel.  The gospel brings a happiness and balance to my life that nothing else can.  I have been blessed with accepting family.  I haven’t had to make great sacrifices in order to enjoy the gospel.  I know what I am willing to do if it came down to choosing between the gospel and other things.  I know what I need in my life in order to be happy and have balance in this chaotic world.

I think the net in the parable of the net cast into the sea represents the gospel.  The kingdom of heaven here on earth is the blessings of the gospel (going to the temple, service to others, family).  When the parable talks about casting the net into the sea, I think of the gospel being spread all over the world.  The sea is the world, the sea has many different kinds of fish, and just like world has many different kinds of people.  I think being gathered unto the net represents the gospel getting to every single person in the entire planet and finding out who endured until the end and who didn’t.  That is represented by gathering the good and casting out the bad from the vessel.  There won’t be excuses when the gathering happens because the net will reach everyone.  It is not easy to endure until the end, but it is not impossible either.  With Heavenly Father on our side, we can overcome anything and reach our potential here on Earth and beyond Earth.  

Mathew 8-9, Mark 2: Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God’s Power

I was asked to fill this table to show the types of miracles Jesus performed and who demonstrated faith during the miracle.

Reference	Miracle of the Work	Who demonstrated Faith
Mathew 8:1-4	Cleansed a leper	The leper demonstrated faith by letting Jesus know that if it was his will, the Lord could make him clean.
Mathew 8:5-13	Healed a palsy	The master demonstrated faith by telling Jesus that he didn’t even have to go there, that his word would be enough to cure his servant.  Jesus did as the master said because his faith was great.
Mathew 8:14-15	Healed Peter’s mother in law from a fever	She performed faith by believing that he had the power to heal her (even though is not mentioned there)
Mathew 8:16	Cast out devils and healed the sick	I am assuming that the sick showed faith by asking to be healed and by knowing Jesus had the power to heal them.
Mathew 8:23-27	Calming the storm	They didn’t demonstrate faith, they asked to be saved out of being scared to die.  Instead of asking for him to make the storm stop.
Mathew 8:28-34	Casting demons out	none
Mathew 9:20-22 Mark 5:25-34	Healing of the bleeding woman	The woman demonstrated faith by knowing she could be healed by just touching Jesus’ garment.
Mathew 9:27-31	Healing of two blind men	The blind men performed faith by knowing Jesus could heal their sight.
Mark 2:1-12	Healing of the man with palsy	The man with palsy

Knowing that the Lord has the power to heal the sick, make a storm calm, and cast out demons shows that he has the proper authority to perform all of those miracles.  Even though I was not there to witness any of those miracles, those assure me that he did perform those miracles and that he still lives.  His miracles are evidence of what faith is and how I can show faith during difficult times.  Faith is not believing in something, is knowing with certainty of what is to come.  All of the miracles he performed, the people knew that he had the power to heal them, and because of this, Jesus was able to heal them.  He cannot heal or help someone that doesn’t want the help, or doesn’t know of his capable power to heal them.  We have the power by exercising faith, and Jesus delivers that power through his miracle.  If we had no faith Jesus could not perform his amazing miracles on us.  He still has the power to cast out demons and calm storms and move mountains.  But the healing miracles, those examples show how I can exercise faith when I am sick and I receive a blessing from a priesthood holder.  

John 3: We Must Be Born Again

After reading John 3:1-8 and reading the question on the difference between “seeing” and “entering” the kingdom of God I came up with these thoughts.  When a person is of contrite spirit, willing to obey the Lord, this type of person see’s the kingdom of God through blessings and miracles in life.  People with a contrite spirit are susceptible to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and are able to “see” what the kingdom of God has.  Now, being able to “enter” the kingdom of God requires one step besides being of poor spirit.  That is to be born again through baptism.  There are two things that must be done to “see” and “enter” the kingdom of God: repentance and baptism.  A truly repented soul is of contrite spirit and after that baptism follows. 

Christ taught Nicudemus that a man has to be born of water and of the spirit to be enter the kingdom of God.  To be “born of water” means to be cleansed from our sins.  This is a necessary step to become spiritually clean again; it is so essential that the Lord Jesus Christ set the example for us when he was baptized.  Baptism is a symbolism of rebirth.  There are parts in the process of baptism that shows this.  When we come out of the water after our whole body is submerged, we are being born again.  When our whole body was submerged in the water, this represented death because when we die we are usually laid in a casket and are buried.  The process of being baptized shows this as our bodies are covered by water and we lay there.

 

There is repentance, baptism, and after that, the gift of the Holy Ghost.  To “be born of the spirit” means that we are spiritually ready for the companionship of the Holy Ghost because we are humble enough to be able to hear and feel him.  This will be the companion that will guide us, console us, confirm truths, and many other things.  The Lord compares the Holy Ghost to the element of wind.  This is a great comparison because the Holy Ghost is something we can feel, but we cannot see.  The wind is the same way; we can feel it, but we can’t see it.  Since we feel it, we know is there.

Mathew 1-2, Luke 1-2. The Birth of Jesus Christ

When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant with a child that was not his, he decided he would break the engagement in a private manner.  He decided not to bring Mary into a trial to be punished and make a public example out of her.  Joseph was handling the situation very well and his behavior showed kindness and humility.

 As he thought about how to break the news to Mary, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream.  The angel explained that Mary had conceived from the Holy Ghost a child that would save the people from their sins and that they would name him Jesus.  Once again, Joseph showed kindness and humility by taking Mary as his wife.  Joseph could’ve let anger and bitterness take over after finding out his future wife was pregnant.  Mary could’ve been punished with the death penalty; however, Joseph loved her so much that those negative feelings didn’t take over him. 

Joseph received a lot of revelation through dreams.  Just in Luke chapter 1 and 2 he received revelation through dreams four times.  This tells us that Joseph was living a righteous life to be worthy of receiving revelation through dreams.  In Doctrine and Covenants 88:10 we learn that the Lord is bound to us when we do what he says.  I know that Joseph was living the commandments and therefore Heavenly Father was helping him to stay out of danger to protect Jesus. 

Joseph was not Jesus literal father; however, Joseph took the father role and raised Jesus as his own.  Joseph had many wonderful qualities.  One of his qualities was his humility.  With humility we invite the Holy Ghost which can help us as parents raise and guide our children.  Another quality was his ability to protect and provide for his family during difficult circumstances.  Through personal revelation and obedience to the promptings of his dreams he was able to protect his family from danger.  Those qualities are very important when raising a son or daughter of God.  My husband and I are parents to a beautiful baby boy and we are trying our best to live our lives in harmony with the Gospel to raise him with good standards.

Joseph and Mary were chosen to raise the only begotten.  My husband and I were blessed to raise a son of God in the Gospel.  Having the priesthood in our little family will have an eternal impact in our son, because one day he will posses it and raise his own family under the priesthood and gospel. 

  

First General Conference April 2012