Grace and Works: By which cometh Salvation?

 Today as my companions and I were walking into the library, we had the opportunity to talk to some people. They've noticed us coming into the Library everyday this week, and well, I'm sure like any of you, it struck their curiosity. So they asked us what we were doing, having to come to the library everyday.
 I love it when people ask us questions like that! It gives such a great opportunity for us to help them know a little bit more about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. Well of course we told them who we are.

One of the men told us he was Baptist then asked us what we as "mormons" believe it takes for someone to make it to heaven. This led to a fairly good small discussion, but really nowhere in terms of his true understanding of his question. We let him know that "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel." Article of Faith 1:3

His response was that in the Baptist church all it takes for someone to be saved it just accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Redeemer and mean it with all your heart and you'll be saved. He then quoted (sort of) Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" And went on to explain that we are saved in and only through the grace of Jesus Christ and its a free gift.

This got me really thinking: How is it that someone can be saved, just by "accepting Jesus Christ".

In James 2:17-18 it states "(17) Even so faith if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. (18)Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
We also know more about Grace from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25:23 the prophet Nephi wrote "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
Therefore we know that even though Christ still suffered for us, for our sins, and we need to accept him, but by accepting Christ as your Savior, it means that you are willing to act upon this belief. It is through faith in our Savior, and our works (meaning we follow the example of Jesus Christ in all that we do, we repent, are baptized by the proper authority of God, and endure to the end aka stay faithful, repenting daily, until the end of our lives) that we can recieve salavtion.

We do need to be grateful for the Grace of Jesus Christ in our lives, without Grace we truly will not be able to stand in the presence of God, but we can not forget that we need to do our part in this lifetime in order to truly recieve the Salvation. Therefore it is only through Grace AND Works that we can be saved.

Blessed Honored Pioneers

This time of year in my home state of Utah, we like to celebrate a day that we call "Pioneer Day". Every 24th of July we celebrate the entering of the first Latter Day Saint Pioneers in the valley of Salt Lake City, on
July 24th 1847. (which at the time was not in habited by anyone besides Native Americans).

Having been raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints my whole life, I come from a long line of "Mormons". A few of my ancestors traveled across the western plains in the mid 1800's. My Grandpa has always taught me by telling my siblings and I all about them.
I just want to first state that I am so proud of the sacrifice of my ancestors to cross the western plains with so few of their many possessions. They sacrificed family, friends, homes, comfort, many earthly goods, all to be able to find the peace and joy that comes from being able to worship their beliefs. The faith, courage, hope in the Savior Jesus Christ that they had was what brough them through.
But not everyone who is a member of the church has this kind of "Blood Line" so to speak. Many members of the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints are probably only the first in their family to join the church, or maybe their parents were or possibly grandparents. And each one of them is a modern pioneer in their own way by sharing the Gospel. Each one of these people have sacrificed so much to be able to have the true and everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives. They didn't cross any treterous plains for 5 months, or have to bury a family member a long the way, or anything really that many of the early Pioneers went through. BUT they have sacrificed. They may have sacrificed their family, their homes, their friends, their old habits, and just like the pioneers of old they are blessed.
And like many of the pioneers of old, they have that same hope, courage and love for the Savior that keeps them going and helps them to share this Gospel with everyone around them. And this unify force of Faith and Love is what connects these modern pioneers with the early pioneers who crossed the plains many years ago.
In a recent article on LDS.org Elder M. Russell Ballard said that:
“We must be sure that the legacy of faith received from the pioneers who came before us is never lost. Let their heroic lives touch our hearts, and especially the hearts of our youth, so the fire of true testimony and unwavering love for the Lord and His Church will blaze brightly within each one of us as it did in our faithful pioneers.”

I encourage each of you (members and non-members) to make a legacy of your own, be a modern Pioneer, live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Share it with others. If you are not a member, I invite you to investiage it. Really learn for yourself about what we as "mormons" or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are really about.

La elección de la felicidad

"Pero confiad; yo he vencido al mundo" Juan 16:33

Sencilla, pero profundo. Esto fue y es la llamada del Salvador a todos nosotros, muchos veces durante su vida en la tierra. "Confiad" o "Sed de buen animo". Me encanta esta frase, y recientemente se ha llegado a significar mucho más para mí....  

En el mundo de hoy es muy fácil quedar atrapado en nosotros mismos. Fácil pensar en todas las cosas terribles que sucede en nuestras vidas, en el mundo. Fácil quedar atrapado en la desesperación y la tristeza de la vida. Fácil quedar atrapado en nuestros pruebas y las cargas. A veces .. demasiado fácil.

Entonces, como puede tomar esta llamada de felicidad que Cristo ha declarado, y realmente encontrar la felicidad en su vida?

Primero: reconozca la realidad de este declaración, Cristo venció al mundo. él vino al mundo con un propósito: Para llevar a cabo la expiación: su sufrimiento en el jardín de Getsemaní, su sufrimiento y muerte en la cruz y su resurrección. Él venció al pecado a través de su sufrimiento y venció la muerte por la resurrección. Satanás realmente no tiene poder sobre nosotros a menos que se lo permitía.

Segundo: No piense que pueda evitar las pruebas que se puede evitar esos momentos difíciles. Confíe en mí, son inevitables. Y no piense que usted puede hacer esto por si mismo. Recuerde que Cristo ya ha sufrido todo esto, ¿por qué? para que pueda ayudarle, él puede ayudarle a vencerlos. Ore por su ayuda, busque su ayuda y siga las impresiones que se siente.

"Venia a mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, y yo os haré descansar...aprended de mí.. y hallaréis descanso para vuestras almas. Porque mi yugo es fácil y ligera mi carga" Mateo 11:28-30

Y realmente, tenga paciencia, sus pruebas no van a desaparecer por completo inmediatamente, pero pueden hacerse más ligeras, por causa de Jesucristo.

Sé paciente en las aflicciones, porque tendrás muchas; pero soportalas, pues he aquí, estoy contigo hasta el fin de tus días." DyC 24:8

Finalmente, aceptelo en su vida que va a ser feliz, eleja la felicidad. Al principio puede no parecer tan fácil, pero simplemente, relajarse, tome una respiración profunda, sea feliz y recuerde que confiar en su Salvador Jesucristo.

"Sed de buen ánimo, pues, y no temáis, porque yo, el Señor, estoy con vosotros y os ampararé" DyC 68:6

Choosing Happiness

"Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" John 16:33

Simple, yet profound. This was and is the Savior's call to every one of us, many, many times during his life on the earth. "Be of good cheer". I love this phrase, and recently it's come to mean a lot more to me.

In the world today it's so easy to get caught up in ourselves. Easy to think of all the terrible things going on in our lives, in the world. Easy to get caught up in the despair and sadness of life. Easy to get caught up in our trials and burdens. Sometimes..too easy.

So how can you take this call to happiness that Christ has declared, and truly find the happiness in your life?
First off; recognize the reality of this statement, Christ overcome the world. He came into the world with one purpose: to bring to pass the atonement: his suffering in the garden of Gethsemane, his suffering and death on the cross, and his ressurection. He overcame sin through his suffering and overcame death through the ressurection. Satan truly has no power over us unless we let him.
Second, don't think that you can avoid trials, that you can avoid those tough times. Trust me, they're inevitable. And don't think that you can do this all by yourself. Remember Christ already suffered all this, why? so that he can help you, he can help you get through them. Pray for his help, seek his guidance and follow the promptings that you feel.
"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest..learn of me..and [ye shall] find rest unto your souls..For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
And really, be patient, your trials won't disapear completely immediately, but they can be made lighter, because of Jesus Christ.
"Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." D&C 24:8
Finally, just accept it in your life that you are going to be happy, Choose Happiness. At first it might not seem as easy, but just relax, take a deep breath Be Happy and remember to rely on your Savior Jesus Christ.

"Wherefore, be of good cheer and do not fear for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.." D&C 68:6