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