Thoughts

I have been pondering. 

I hate the saying "Love the sinner, hate the sin." It's trite. And it doesn't adequately express the way Christ act. As God of the universe, he could declare sin. We must shun sin for ourselves, but when it comes to loving people we have to love them as what they are Children of God. Don't look of them as saints or sinners. Just look at them as people. 

Correction I had the two mixed up at first so it read love the sin. 

King Benjamin

So I have been a bit bad with my scripture study lately. Being home was great though and totally worth it. I missed my family a lot. And I am going to miss them a lot more than I thought I was going to. Granted, I knew I would miss them a lot I just didn't know it would be a lot. So I am sad about that but it will be okay.

I am reading King Benjamin's address. I really like the idea of serving others. I always have. I always want to help people. And I want to do it mostly because it is important to see others happy and to help others obtain the blessings that God has in store for them. For this reason, I love to serve. I also want to be a worthy servant of God who obeys Him like the dust of the earth. Only this way can I be the most effective servant.

Thoughts of Thailand and sleep.

Jacob 7- Omni

I liked these chapters. In Jacob 7, Jacob's confrontation with Sherem is awesome. I like how Jacob teaches us that all scripture testifies of a Redeemer, a True Lover, Jesus Christ. To profess to understand the scriptures but to deny the Christ shows a lack of knowledge. The Book of Mormon adds its testimony of Jesus Christ, revealing that all prophets have testified of the coming of a Messiah.

Enos' story is also very interesting. I like the idea that Enos prays mightily and receives a remission of his sins. But then he proceeds to pray for his people that they might have a knowledge of the Covenants of God. God covenants with him that they shall gain this knowledge eventually. That's even better. The fact that he was thinking about his brothers and sisters is a happiness.

I am searching for a scripture to put on my missionary plaque. So far I really like Matthew 25:40 (my all time favorite scripture) and a few others. Today I found a good possibility. It is Omni 1:26

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the HOly one of Israel, and partake of his slavation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and prayeing, and endure to the end,; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

I like the idea of giving our whole soul. Joseph Smith taught that the soul is the body and the spirit. So in a sense, we are asked to give our all to Christ. We are called upon to give Him the physical and the things that transcend the physical.

Pruning the Vineyard

I read Jacob 5 over two days. I love Jacob 5 but lately I haven't felt as strongly involved with it lately. It's probably due to the stress of the semester and everything. I like the analogy of the Lord pruning the vineyard and working on the trees but the good fruit would often not be produced despite the Lord's bests intentions.

I have felt very pruned this year. I have experienced some of the most trying experiences in my life. I came to BYU with naive expectations I suppose. I was a bit shocked when it wasn't exactly as peachy as I had hoped. I have met many friends, felt many sorrows, and experienced the most spiritual growth that I have ever seen in a year. My first semester I finished the Bible. My second semester I read the BOM. And I hope to finish the D and C before I leave for Thailand. I stirred up controversy as I explored my religious beliefs. I prayed. A lot. I tried to pray with greater intent. I tried to come to know Jesus, not just about Him. And I worked hard to do my best. Was I happy through all this pruning? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Lately I have felt the no side of this pruning. I haven't been enjoying BYU for the past little bit and it was compounded lately as I realized that I have felt more and more left out in many aspects of my life. Don't worry everyone, BYU, like everything in life, has its ups and downs. I will most likely stay at BYU.

But then I remember perhaps the greatest lessons that I have learned this year. Christ's hand is always stretched out. He is the True Lover. The Great I am. The Eternal God. God is my Father. And the Spirit will not abandon me if I continue to try my hardest. The pruning and the burning, the nourishing and the learning comes through the Holy Spirit. God has taught me more about myself than I can express. God has taught me who I want to be, who I don't want to be, what I want my life as a Disciple of Christ to be like and the kind of future I want for myself. But most of all, I have learned to love myself. I have learned that only through loving myself can I love others.

And because of this, I have grown to love the Thai people already more than I can express. Though I may not speak their language (yet), I feel a love for them that I cannot express in words. I hope that I can share my message with love and with faith.

Lord I believe. Help thou my unbelief.

2nd Nephi 30-33

I finished the book of 2nd Nephi today. I really rather enjoyed it. The Isaiah chapters are a little hard but I really like the final words of Nephi. Nephi calls for us to repent, be baptized and be reconciled unto God. We must press forward with a steadfast faith in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope. I love that. To have a brightness of hope. What does that even mean? I think I am looking forward to understand what hope really means. I have heard it explained many ways but I wonder how it will apply in my life and what it will come to mean. I am anxious to share what I believe to be my hope in Christ with the people in Thailand. I try to press forward despite Book of Mormon tests and pains that I feel in my life. I pray to continue to be able to share this hope with the people of Thailand. I know I mention this every night, but I really am so excited to go to Thailand. I can't wait to go and serve the people. I want to be a humble servant of God and testify to them of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

2nd Nephi 29-30- A Bible, A Bible!

A Bible, A Bible, We Have got enough Bible! How many times have I heard this? Too many to count. Especially from some people who are less sympathetic to the Church's claim to new scriptures and continuing revelation. I feel that the Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, is not really changing anything that the Bible says, it merely clarifies and expounds upon new doctrines. A few notable ones include: the plan of salvation, the resurrection, the atonement, Jesus' teachings, the role of the spirit, etc. I feel that these will be key in the conversion process of the Thai people. I pray for understanding to be able to teach them that which they need to know.

The Book of Mormon 2nd Nephi 26-28

So I have been breaking Lent. But I am trying. I have been so busy and stressed out that it's almost impossible. I am praying for help. But I want to journal on my scripture experience better than I have been. And I have been doing well so far.

These chapters talked about how the Book of Mormon's primary purpose is to convince men that Jesus Christ is the Eternal God. I believe that this is the purpose of the Book of Mormon also. I can't wait to share the truthfulness of this marvelous theologically beautiful text to the Thai people. I can't wait until I can read the Book of Mormon in Thai and bear my testimony in Thai as I share my humble belief in the simplicity of many Gospel teachings. I cannot wait until I can testify to the people of Thailand of Christ's arm always being extended (end of chapter 28). To me, this is the most important thing I can share with a world that needs more peace, love and happiness and less judgment and anger.

I also like the idea of learning line upon line. I think this leaves room for changes. I like change. Our Church is based upon the idea of continuing revelation and change through the atonement of Christ. I like that idea a lot. I pray that I may be open to receive line upon line also.