Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Family Matters...to Christ

I told y'all I was going to write more on families, right? It has been a little longer than I expected (technical difficulties) but the promised post is finally here. Families can be together forever, but what is our responsibility?

As a missionary, this responsibility is something we teach all the time. It is beautifully simple, yet encompasses so much. It is what we call the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "The gospel of Jesus Christ," you say. "Oh, yeah. Like the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. 'Turn the other cheek.' 'The meek will inherit the earth.' Got it." Yes, those are some of Christ's teachings, and fall within the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but he gave us a "strait and narrow path" that, if followed, will allow us to be with our families forever.  I'll go through them one by one. It may take a few days.

Faith

Faith, according to the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Hebrews, is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith in Christ means believing that he really was the Son of God. That he truly did volunteer to suffer and die for us. And not only that he volunteered, but that he did. He bore all of our burdens. He suffered for our sins. He went forth "suffering pains  and afflictions and temptations of every kind,"so that "his bowels [would] be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their affirmities" (Alma 7:11-12, The Book of Mormon).

Christ knows everything that we have been through. Having faith in him not only means believing in the above, that he suffered all of our pains and the penalty for our sins, as well as that he died for us and "loose[d] the bands of death" (Alma 7:12) for us -- which, of course, is vital to faith -- but it also means believing him. Believing his words. Believing his promises. Believing that his teachings will bring us true happiness. And then following those teaching courageously, without grudge or doubt, without hesitation or fear. That is true faith -- believing unto action.

And what actions must we take?  We'll talk about that soon.

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