Being a Disciple of Christ

Luke 10: 38-42 First you need to receive Christ into your home. You need to sit at his feet and listen to his word. We need to become servants and serve one another with a kind heart.

11:1-13 We need to pray to our father in heaven and become his friend. Always ask for forgiveness. Always seek for truth and Christ will give it unto you.

12: 13-40 A disciple is not covetous. Our life does not consist in the many material things that we own on Earth. “The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment” (Vs 23). Don’t obsess what you are going to put in the body or on it. Do not doubt the Lord for he will take care of you. Seek the Kingdom of God. Provide yourself a treasure in the Heavens because where your treasure is, that is where your heart will be. Always be prepared for the Lord to come because you don’t know when he will arrive.

13:23-24  Seek to enter the kingdom through the strait gate.

14:16-33  The Lord comes before anyone. We need to be humble like the poor and never make excuses to leave Christ. We need to bear his cross and come after him. We forsake all that we have for the Savior.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ is very difficult because we have to give up the selfishness of the natural man.  We learn patience because God might delay the blessing that we keep asking for. He delays them because he wants us to learn stronger faith.  In spite of rejection or delayed needs, God wants us to know that he will grant us our greatest wishes if it is asked for persistently with faith and it is a righteous desire. To make prayer effective, we need to be conscious of how important it is and really trust in the Lord. Blessings are even delayed because the Lord wants us to practice more fervent and sincere prayers. (Student Manual pg. 115). I testify that this is true. I love BYU-Idaho but I have hada great desire to go to BYU. I have been praying for one year and working really hard towards this goal and I got accepted. I cannot believe this but I need to thank my heavenly father so much!

I am going to practice being a disciple by not coveting other people’s lives. Sometimes I get jealous of how much fun others are having or how pretty this person is. When I am focusing on what I do not have, I forget to see what I do have. Honestly, I have one of the best lives anybody could ask for. I know that my eyes can be opened greatly if I just focus and appreciate what the Lord has given me.

To be a disciple, it is ultimately required to forsake all that you have. You need to offer your whole soul to him, fast and pray, and endure to the end. You need to render him all that you have and are.

Become as a Child

In Mathew 18: 1-14, we are instructed to become as little children. Christ explains that children are the greatest in the Kingdom and we need to humble ourselves as they are humble. We should not become offenders and should never “offend one of these little ones which believe in ‘Christ’”(vs 6). It is better to sacrifice our weaknesses now so we have the chance to make it in the Celestial Kingdom. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those that are humble.

In D&C 78: 17-18, The Lord tells us that we are like children and do not yet understand all the blessings that the Father has prepared for us. We cannot bear that knowledge yet but we are told to be of good cheer. The Lord will lead us along and all of those great blessings will be ours.

Mosiah 3:9 says, “Salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name”. If we want to become humble as little children, faith is the key and this needs to be practiced daily. I have been struggling with my faith for a long time now. I have always had faith in the Lord but I just felt like I would never get answers and I tried to be happy but I could not be as happy as I used to be. I am constantly struggling in my life but today, I have felt a change in my life. As of yesterday, I realized how much faith I have in the Lord. Reading these scriptures just now were an answer to my prayers. I know that Heavenly Father has plans for my life and I can trust him whole heartedly. I love my Savior and I hope to always be humble before him. I know that this gospel is true with all of my heart. I know that Christ loves me and if I ever stray as the lost sheep did, I can see the savior in my life always trying to find me and never giving up.

Walking on Water!

In Mathew chapter 14 verses 22 to 33, this talks about the time when Jesus Christ walked on water.  The apostles were in the ship and they were frightened because the seas were not calm at all. But they were also frightened when they first saw Christ on the water. They had never seen man do that and they believed Christ was a spirit and “they cried out for fear” (vs. 26).

Peter wanted to make sure it really was Christ so Peter asked if he would be able to walk on the water towards the Lord. For a moment, he did have faith and he was doing the impossible. According to Mathew 14:30, Peter became scared because the seas were boisterous and he became afraid; In that moment, he started to sink because he lost his faith in the Savior even when he was right there. When He began to sink, he asked the Lord to save him. In verse 31 it reads, “And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him…” (vs. 31). When we are in desperate need of the Lord, he will help us right away.

I believe that the most important scripture in this section is verse 27. The Lord says “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” This reminds me that in the craziness of my life, the Lord will always be there to calm the seas. He does not want me to be afraid because in the end, I will always be taken care of.

In D&C 88:67, it explains that if my eye is single to the glory of Christ, there will be no darkness in my body or life. My body will be filled with light and I will be able to comprehend all things. This scripture relates to Peter because he was able to walk on water for just a moment because his focus was on the Lord. Because of his priority, Peter was truly was able to comprehend so much more. He was able to comprehend miracles and he understood perfect faith. I know that this relates to my life. The more I read the scriptures, the more faith I receive.  With the more faith I have, I notice that I comprehend scriptures so much more. With Christ in my life, I know that I can accomplish the “impossible” because if have my eye on his glory, he will calm my seas!

Parables

The Bible dictionary has the definition for the word parable. Simplified, parables are intended for the people who are seeking the gospel. Those people with faith and intelligence will understand parables as more than just stories. Parables use material things to describe divine truth. Parables are usually stories that have a wider significance.
Christ uses parables such as the tares, mustard seed, and the pearl of great price. The future growth of the church reminds of the pearl of great price. I believe the church will grow because people will realize  the great worth of this gospel.
The church sends out missionaries so the gospel can be spread and people will find the savior in their life. This reminds me of the mustard seed parable. The wicked will be cast out. The Lord does not want to cast his children out and he wants the young missionaries to inform and teach through the spirit. The church grows pretty rapidly because the spirit is able to enlighten individuals. The spirit testifies that this gospel is the true gospel.
As in the parable of the tares, Satan is decieving and sly. Those people who give up worldy things are wise because they know of this truth that the Lord revealed. They know that temptation is strong with worldy pleasures. I think money and material things are ok as long as people do not get greedy and as long as the Lord is always put first.
Some individuals leave the church because they do not want to miss out on the fun that the world offers. Sometimes that fun is what can lead to the greatest misery. Some people just do not want to follow the commandments of the church.
I know this gospel is true and I would give my life for this truth I have. Without it, I am nothing. Every choice I made is inspired by the teachings and commandments of this gospel. I have already made sacrifes for this gospel. My sister is homosexual and asked if I would go to her wedding because she is engaged. I told her I would not because I do not support or believe in gay marriage. I might lose our relationship but I know what is right.
The kingdom gathers people like a net would gather fish. It gathers every kind of people or different race and religion. All people are welcome into the gospel because everyone is a spirit son or daughter of God. I think that " casting out the wicked" is talking about judgement day and individuals need to find priority in their lives. I know this gospel to be true and the Lord wants every person to find the gospel. He loves each of us and that is why it is my duty to always have a good example. I want others to know how much happiness this gospel can bring!

The Power of Miracles

God has extraordinary power because he can work through man on Earth to accomplish miracles. Christ is the greatest example of God working through man. In the New Testament, Mathew chapters 8 through 9 and Mark 2 hold some great examples of miracles and faith.  Christ healed leperacy, palsy, blindness, fevers, and blood diseases. He also cast out devils and calmed the seas. These are only a few of the miracles he bestowed on his brothers and sisters. These scriptures are amaazing because the people had great faith. Everybody that Christ helped had unshakable faith and followed had faith in Christ the moment they heard what he can do. Many people followed without question. In Matt 8:5-13, A man had faith that Christ could heal someone even if he was not in the same room as him. This man had a servant with palsy but he diid not want Christ to enter his home. Since the man had amazing faith, Christ just said the word that he would be healed and this was done.

Almost all of the people in these chapters had unwavering faith. With this faith, Christ made anything possible. I know that this is true because the spirit testifies this to me as I read. I know that if I pray continually and have faith in Jesus Christ, I know he will help me accomplish my dreams. I am going to practice having unwavering faith. Sometimes it is hard but even if just pray to have more faith, the Lord will help me. I will try everyday to have faith because I know that Christ can make my life whole.

Importance of Baptism

      In Mosiah 5:7, it explains that people are called the children of Christ if they make the covenant to take on Christ's name. When I made the covenant of baptism, I was making a promise with the Lord that I would have faith in him. Once this promise is made, I can have a change of heart and be more Christ-like. In John chapter 3 verses one through eight, Christ explains the process of being born again. He is referring to baptism and being cleansed from sin. Baptism is the only way that I am able to enter into the Kingdom of God. Entering the Kingdom of God is the ability to live with God in heaven in a perfect state. Being accepted into the Kingdom is one step closer to becoming like my Father in Heaven. Christ has made it possible for man to be baptized with fire or the Holy Spirit. This is critical for entering into His Kingdom.

In Moses 6:59, it explains that man is born of blood and I need to be cleansed of that blood, "even the blood of my only begotten". It is through the blood of Christ that we can be born again of water and spirit. This is what will sanctify me of all of my sins and could possibly achieve immortal glory. According to Romans 6:4, Baptism is similar to death because like Christ died and was raised up, I too can be cleansed and rise again with a new life. Heavenly Father compares the natural element of water to the spirit. This is because the body and spirit are what create the soul. Our bodies need both water and blood to survive and referring back to blood as just the body, it would make sense that it is water that is our spirit. Both our needed for people and souls to exist.

God loves us so much that he gave up his only begotten son to sacrifice his life for me and the rest of the world. I cannot imagine giving up my child for the sake of others. That is precisely the reason. People on Earth arent just 'others'. We are all children of God and he loves each and every one of us. I know that with all of my heart. God gives me so many chances and he created the miracle of forgiveness. Sometimes it is hard to repent but it is all worth it. He made is so all I have to do is believe in Jesus the Christ. Since I believe and have faith in him, I know that I must follow the  commandments. I gladly follow these commandments because I know the Lord will provide all of my necessities. Just knowing that someone loves me so much is a necessity. I know that Christ died for me and feels all the pain that I go through. He is the one who hears my heartfelt prayers and he is the one who feels so much empathy for me. This is what I know and I know that this church is true and through baptism, I can be saved and live with Christ and Heavenly Father again.

The Birth of John the Baptist

In Luke 1: 14, Zacharias was told by an angel, "And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth". This was an extremely exciting for Zacharias and his wife because his wife Elisabeth was unable to have children. John was truly a miracle. Zacharias was a priest and he was a righteous man along with his wife. One day, Zacharias had went to the temple and the angel Gabriel had appeared to him. He was fearful but the angel comforted him and said that he would have a son that would be great in the sight of the Lord. He will be filled with the holy Ghost from birth. He will help prepare the people for the Lord. Zacharias's faith was shaky and the angel made it so he couldnt speak until his son was born. When he was born, Zacharias's tongue was loosed and he was able to praise the Lord. People were excited because he would "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just". Johns Lineage was perfect priestly descent which was essential for him to prepare the way for the Messiah. John would be the one to baptize Jesus Christ and he knew it was the Son of God because there would be a dove at his baptism and John also heard the voice of the Lord. "Jesus praised John as a prophet, saying there is none who was greater" (Matt 11: 7-11). His mission was entrusted to only him and he did it perfectly. He babptized the savior and continually bore testimony that he was the Christ.