Self Improvement

            Last week, I was asked to give a spiritual thought at ward prayer on Sunday. After saying I would love to give the spiritual thought, I prayed about what to share, but nothing really came to mind. A couple of days passed, and I realized I still hadn't thought if anything. I talked with my roommate and sister, asking them what they thought I should talk about. They both suggested that I should pray. Finally, Sunday morning, as I sat down to read my scriptures, I prayed to be inspired by something I would read. As I read through the chapter, I marked important verses and phrases, yet nothing really jumped out at me--until the very last two verses. As King Benjamin finishes his speech to his people in chapter 4, he urges his people to be careful so they do not sin. Mosiah 4:29-30 reads "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them. But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."

                I am really familiar Mosiah 4:30 since it is a scripture mastery—one of the few I still have memorized due to seminary. I have learned the importance of watching your thoughts, because thoughts lead to words and actions. However, as I contemplated the verse right before it, about the many ways we can sin, a few questions came to mind: How well do you know yourself? How well does Satan know you? How well does God know you? It is important that we all know ourselves—our strengths and weaknesses—in order to be able to watch ourselves. Satan at least knows are weaknesses, because that is how he tempts us. However, God knows not only our weaknesses and strengths, but also how to turn our weaknesses INTO strengths (Ether 12:27). He knows us perfectly—better than we know ourselves. Thus, we should all take personal inventories every week with ourselves and God, recognizing where we fell short and how to improve. Instead of brushing aside your sins and weaknesses, truly come to know yourself—what you struggle with, things you are tempted by—so that you can specifically pray for those weaknesses to become strengths. I know as we work on improving ourselves, we will come closer to God. As we turn to Him for strength and help, He will lead us on a path of self-discovery and make us stronger than we could ever be alone.

The Godhead

            Nephi discusses the Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31, one of the best chapters in the Book of Mormon to explicitly list out the five points of Christ’s doctrine. However, in class I learned something I had never before noticed in this chapter. Throughout the chapter, Nephi hears the voice of Christ, and the voice of God the Father. The Spirit is also mentioned. Nephi is not only illustrating that the Godhead (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are three separate beings, but also that inspiration can come from any member of the Godhead. I always associate getting answers to my prayers with the Spirit, never considering that revelation could come to me from Christ or from my Father in Heaven. In this chapter, Nephi illustrates that the Godhead not only are distinct beings, but they have distinct voices. In 2 Nephi 31:11-12, it reads: “And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
"And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost like unto me, wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.”  (Boldness was added for emphasis)

 However, my teacher told us not to get caught up on small points in the scriptures that are not well-known and said that instead we need to focus on recognizing what is being said to us by God or the Spirit, rather than who said it. The Godhead truly is one in purpose, and for a lot of us, one in voice. Someday in the future, I hope I can know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ well enough to distinguish their individual voices, but for right now, I need to put my focus on being able to recognize when I am feeling the Spirit and acting on the promptings I receive. I hope you will take this to heart and strive to hear and recognize promptings from God, knowing that each member of the Godhead loves you and wants to help you on your journey here on earth. Christ has encouraged you, and your Heavenly Father has sent His love. I know as we become better at hearing and acting on the promptings we receive, we will have more light and knowledge given unto us, and one day will know the voice of our Savior and Father.

Family Finance Advice

            This semester at BYU, I am taking a family finance class. It has been very helpful in introducing me to multiple concepts about finances—some of which include compound interest, debt, taxes, credit, and loans. However, some of the most valuable advice I have received so far came at the beginning of the course when we talked about fundamentals of family finance and the time value of money. We discussed eight important ways to apply family finance to our lives.

First, pay your tithing! Even if you do not make very much money, giving back to the Lord in tithing will open the windows of heaven for blessings. Next, use a budget! Assign every dollar of your income to a category and track how much you spend each month, adjusting as you go. My professor recommends using mint.com (which he assures us is secure). Third, minimize and get rid of debt. This is important because debt is a cloud constantly hanging over your head, building up interest. The quicker you pay it off, the earlier you can build up your savings. Fourth, you should prepare for emergencies! This is important because you never know when tragedy will strike—you could lose your job or have huge medical expenses. Fifth, my professor advises us to invest early, wisely, and consistently. I asked my dad what he would change regarding his finances, and he said he wished he had started investing earlier. Sixth, my professor recommends insurance to protect those you love. Seventh, share responsibilities of finances with your spouse. Hold each other accountable—except regarding “mad money.” Mad money is a small, agreed upon amount of money each spouse gets that they are not accountable to each other with. Last (but definitely not least!) is that you should teach your children about family finances. If you teach them early on the importance of budgeting, saving, staying out of debt, etc., then the chances of them living with you when they are adults are slimmer!

One last thing—the importance of the time value of money. Money’s value differs with time due to inflation. That is—if you put 10,000 under your bed, it will not buy as much stuff fifty years later than it could have when you first put it under your bed. That is why it is important to invest money with an interest rate that is at least as much as inflation, but preferably higher if you want to actually make money over the years! Hope this was somewhat helpful. I found this concept very interesting and hope to start making investments of my own soon!

Likened Unto an Olive Tree

I am feeling pretty ambitious this week because I have decided to tackle the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon—with just a verse. If I am being perfectly honest, this semester has been a LOT harder than last semester. As a result, I am often exhausted and stressed. But surprisingly, I have had a greater amount of joy and satisfaction. Seriously, I cannot survive this semester alone; it has been forcing me to rely on the Lord and His promised blessings. It has been both a trial of faith and a huge blessing. Now, what does this have to do with Jacob 5, the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon? Well, in my class, we discussed the background of this chapter. The House of Israel is compared to an olive tree, and the Lord of the Vineyard visits it four times and does 5 specific things throughout the chapter to his trees:  prunes, digs, dungs (nourishes), grafts, and burns. It mentions three of these actions in Jacob 5:27, “But behold, the servant said unto him: Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up against the season.”

I feel like one of these trees the Lord is shaping. This semester I’ve been pruned—certain things have been cut out of my life because I literally don’t have time for them. And it’s been a huge blessing. I’m a better person because of it. The Lord has dug around me, loosening my stubbornness/pride and giving me trials to grow from in order to prepare me to be in a state where I can hear and act on His counsel—so that I can be nourished. I have learned to rely on God’s strength when I don’t have enough strength by myself. I have learned to be more humble, especially when I start comparing myself to others in regards to grades or spirituality. I have also had grafted branches implanted into my tree (so to speak). I’ve found service opportunities I never would have participated in before, like volunteering at an Elementary school. I’ve found so many ways to bless others with food or small, but heartfelt, letters. As I’ve tried to stay on top of school work and balance everything going on, I’ve noticed that God is burning my weaknesses and sins away, which hurts right now in the moment, but will someday make me stronger. I truly believe the Lord is purifying me so that He can use me for some greater purpose where I can produce good fruit/works.

  This has been comforting to know because it gives me hope that the Lord has a bigger picture for me than I can see right now.  Remember when life is difficult, and you feel like you are being cut up or dug about, the Lord is refining you. Hope and faith will carry you through. As President Thomas S. Monson once said, “the future is as bright as your faith.”

The Testimony of Two Nations

During this week, I have had had so many experiences that have made me realize just how wonderful and true the Book of Mormon is. As I was reading through it this week, I came upon a passage that perfectly describes how the Book of Mormon and Bible fit and work together. In 2 Nephi 29:6-8, Nephi quotes God, who chastises those who say they already have a Bible and need no more scripture. In these verses, the Lord asks, “Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one?” The Lord goes on to say that He has led many people around the world and has commanded them to write. “Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.” I love how this fits with the LDS doctrine of revelation. When God speaks to a prophet, it is considered like scripture. God works in the same ways as he did in times of old. He has called a prophet today and commands him to write, just like the prophets in the Bible.

 In addition to gaining a spiritual witness from God that this book is true, there are so many intricate details throughout the Book of Mormon that strengthen my testimony of its truthfulness. For example, in my religion class, my teacher pointed out that in Hebrew, there are no commas or punctuation, so in order to separate items in a list, they use a symbol, which works the same way as the word “and” in the English language. Therefore, whenever there is a list of items quoted, the words are separated by “and” instead of with commas. This is also why many sentences begin with “And.” This is one small detail that is easily overlooked or may be taken wrongly by critics of the Book of Mormon who might say that a book written with so many grammatical errors could not have come from God. I testify that the Book of Mormon is true, that it comes from God and testifies of Christ, and that God uses imperfect humans to carry about His perfect work. As a result of this knowledge, I have a strong desire to share the gospel and bring others unto Jesus Christ.