Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Solution to These Last Days


As I read the headlines daily it's crazy how quickly the world seems to be falling apart. The Fiscal Cliff, Agenda 21 (killing people who are "a waste of space on the planet" - deformed babies, disabled people, the sick and elderly), the Tax increase coming to us in January, The penalization of companies that do not use Obamacare, the Benghazi scandal, the legalization of marijuana, nine states legalizing gay marriage, the legalization of assisted suicide in three states, the enormous increase in people on food stamps in the last month alone, the 27-30 states that are petitioning to become their own countries and detach from the United States since the election, the people still suffering from Hurricane Sandy and the list goes on! It's enough to make you want to live on your own private island.

This post that I wrote in April of 2011 generates 90% of the traffic to my website on a daily basis. The Real Face of Christ seems to be a topic that many all around the world are intrigued by. As things deteriorate around us in the world, there seems to be a rise of people wanting to know more about the Savior. I even had a woman recently say that she had never read the bible before but after reading this post she would like to read the bible now. That is refreshing!


In Doctrine and Covenants 89:4 the Lord speaks about evil conspiracies of the last days. He says;

Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of  evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of  conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—

He then goes on to introduce the Word of Wisdom and makes a promise to us (the saints of the last days):

 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of  knowledge, even hidden treasures;
 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
 21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

Over these last few years I have been on a journey of seeking wisdom and knowledge and have discovered hidden treasures that were sweet to my soul. I have found truth in the promise of "ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you". Sometimes I receive more that I expected and it wonderfully overwhelms my soul.

The scriptures foretelling of the last days are of high interest right now. I have never seen so much sharing of scripture as I have this month alone. As easy as it is to get caught up in the destruction that has been prophesied it's equally if not more important to seek for peace.

Strangely enough I have had a strong peace about everything going on. The only way I can make sense of it is that when you have the Savior in your heart - all is well. I prayed a little while ago to be able to see all of God's children the way He sees them and to love them the way the Savior loves them. Just like that, I one day realized that it had been quite a while since I felt angry towards anyone or even annoyed. Poor customer service, door to door sales men and so many other situations where it would have been easy to lose patience, exchange some words or even vent (gossip) about - I did not. Instead, I found myself expressing love and compassion towards these individuals. Looking to uplift them and make their day. 

There has been no judgement in my heart towards anyone I meet or situations I don't understand. I have just found myself smiling at everyone I come in contact with, offering compliments wherever I can and longing to serve complete strangers and people I know. I haven't felt an ounce of selfishness for my time, instead hope and joy and wanting to be there for whomever is in need.

In these last days, instead of searching for prophesied destruction of the wicked, I encourage your or more so challenge you to study the new testament. The Savior wanted us to seek Him and follow in His footsteps, and feed His sheep. Are we doing that? If people see the Savior in us, then they will want to seek Him. There is great wisdom in the New Testament and the book of Third Nephi. 

We can't transform the world or even the people around us because of free agency. We can however transform ourselves. I know that as you seek to find that peace in your heart you will be the change that the world needs. Love is the most powerful tool in the world for change. If nothing changes, you will be at peace and therefore ready to meet the Lord when He comes. I testify that to you in the name of Jesus Christ amen. 

2 comments:

Tiffanie said...

Here's a great quote from Mitt Romney's speech to Liberty University this past May - "“What we have, what we wish we had – ambitions fulfilled, ambitions disappointed … investments won, investments lost … elections won, elections lost – these things may occupy our attention, but they do not define us. And each of them is subject to the vagaries and serendipities of life. Our relationship with our Maker, however, depends on none of this. It is entirely in our control, for He is always at the door, and knocks for us. Our worldly successes cannot be guaranteed, but our ability to achieve spiritual success is entirely up to us, thanks to the grace of God. The best advice I know is to give those worldly things your best but never your all, reserving the ultimate hope for the only one who can grant it.” And also great book I highly recommend "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp, it is beautiful!

Lindsey said...

Thanks Tiffanie. I love it! I always love your book recommendations too! :)