Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Alma 36:1
My son, give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.
God will bless us if we follow his word. This does not mean that we will become rich or wealthy, but that we will have what we need and not want. When we start falling away from the Lord we start missing out on those blessings. Will you follow the truth and receive the blessings?
Hebrews 12:6-8
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
God never promised that he would make our lives easy. We should be thankful that he put trials in our lives. These trials help us become stronger in our relationship with him and help us grow. Without these trials we would not understand or appreciate the blessing in our lives.
HELAMAN 3:24-30
And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceeding great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance. And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure. And it came to pass that the work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands. Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, which is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.
Christ has blessed his church in the past with great blessings and large growth, and he will do it again. Christ is true to his word, if we stay focused on him and walk on the straight and narrow path, we will receive so many blessings that it will be hard to believe. I can’t wait for the to happen again but in our day in age.
And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
There is no one more special in the eyes of the Lord then a follower of Christ. The people who follow all of the teachings of Christ are a blessed people who’s lives are full of love and peace. Let us try to be one of those followers.
Romans 8:31-32
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
When things get tough, we can take assurance that God is on our side. Nothing in life is to hard for God. When things are tough on for us, remember God is there to help us. Any thing is possible with the help of God.
If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
It is never to late to come back to the Lord if you fell away. Don’t let pride or other worldly feelings keep you from the blessings of Christ or your salvation. Your salvation is not worth it.
Message 73:6
The Lord knoweth the hearts of mankind and wherein they desire to learn and do his will, it shall be like precious ointment poured out upon the faithful to dwell in this light of life and salvation. For unto them, shall be great joy, that which the mind of man has not yet attained to.
God will bless his children, if they follow him. As well go though life, let us please the Lord and he will bless us in all the things that we do.
Message 37:6
Lo, I come quickly, saith the Lamb of God: He that keepeth my sayings, in him will my love be perfected. Be ye cogitative and visions of divine and glorious light shall be about you. Think ye upon the ways and words of the Creator of mankind that knoweth the hearts of all men.
If we will follow the words of God, we can expect to receive his blessings and peace. We need to be aware of the spirit in our daily lives. It will lead us in all that we do. We need to keep studying to know the words of God and apply to our life as well. God knows our true thoughts, so let us think about following him in all things.
Message 30:3
“Thus says the Lord, I will not leave my people if they will keep my commandments and serve me as I have instructed you; yea, my Spirit touches the hearts of many who have no understanding of my law. I have heard the prayers of my people and all is in my hands.”
When things in this word are not going the way that we would like, all we have to do is remember to follow God’s commandments and things will be okay. The spirit of the Lord touches each one of us, and if we follow it we will be blessed. God is in control, so we should not worry or fret about how things are going to be done. It is God’s plan, not ours. We are just pieces to the puzzle.
Psalms 100:1-5
A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Being thankful in our lives is very important. I is God who gives us all that we have so we need to remember to thank him from time to time. It is reassuring that God in in control and will bless us if we follow him.
From Brother Norm
Message 73:6 tells us, “The Lord knoweth the hearts of mankind and wherein they desire to learn and do His will, it shall be like a precious ointment poured out upon the faithful to dwell in this light and salvation. For unto them, shall be great joy, that which the mind of man has not yet attained to.”
I must wonder in my heart, how often we truly understand the Lord knows our hearts and our thoughts. I walk among many wonderful people in this land called India and I find many who truly desire to learn of the Lord and His Will. As it becomes plain and clear as a crystal unto them, their very countenance changes and the joy within them becomes quite evident. Do we understand ourselves the kind of blessing that comes from God knowing our hearts and finding it pleasing unto Him?
Message 107:2-3
“The hearts that are humble will hear the call of God to be up and doing in this work of hope and salvation. There is much to be accomplished. The power of the adversary has enthroned his influence in the minds of many, ruining the lives of those that will not learn truth and come to doctrine.”
The Devil will work very hard to pull as many people away from God as he can. It is up to us to not listen to his whisperings, with the help of God. Those that are humble and obey God will be blessed for the work that they will do. The more work we do for God with humility, the more blessed we will become.
Hebrews 11:6
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Faith is the key to unlocking the blessing that comes when we follow Christ. Faith is the basic building block in the gospel of Christ. Without our faith in Christ, there is no salvation or blessings. It is important that we do believe in Christ and that he will save us. That belief is only the beginning.
2 Timothy 3:1-7
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ”
I was looking for a verse for today’s post and came along this one. I think it is a perfect summary where the world is today. People are in love with themselves, think they are right with no thought, live for today, and hear sermons but never listen. We have to break though this way of life and shake people to their core. Life is to short and precious to end up acting like you loved God, but never really enjoy his spirit.
Message 9:5
“Be not discouraged by what people will say. This work is not your work but the Lord’s. He will provide, and will direct; but take the message to the ends of the earth and to all nations, for Christ will come to judge all men. The gospel must be preached, and as you go in love, God will provide the way and direct in his work.”
In our daily workings, we need to remember that it does not matter what other people think about us. If we stay humble and follow instructions of God we will receive our reward. We can not allow outsiders to influence the Lord’s work. God has and will continual to bless those that follow his word and does his work.
Deuteronomy 8:6-11, 19-20
“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: . . . And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.”
There are several popular ideas out in the world today that God owes us good fortune, that he will bless us no matter what we do. This is not the case. As we can tell with the Israelites, this is not the case. To keep God’s blessings we have to keep his word and follow his commandments in the fullest. If we do this we will be bless. We might not be blessed with riches or with things of this world, but it would be imposable to to say that God does not bless us in our daily lives. So keep the commandments to receive our blessings.
Revelation 22:14
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
Let us keep God’s commandments so that we might be able to receive the gift of the tree of life. To be able to walk though the gates into heaven. Lets do our best to follow the strait and narrow path that God has set for us, for if we stray from it, we might not like the results.
Jacob 3:2-4
“O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up you heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and fest upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever. But wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in hear, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye shall repent that land is cursed for you sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like nto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you.”
Just because we belong to God’s church or live in blessed county, does not allow us to be able to get away with living in sin. As pointed about above, God can at any time come in and take away the things that he has blessed us with and give them to someone else. We have to stay in his good standing to keep our blessings, we are not entitled to them. If we find our selves not walking the path that God would want us to walk, all it would take is to repent and change our sinful ways to get back on track. God is very forgiving.
