"And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end."
Well, this has certainly been quite the last ~24 hours. I'm very happy that things have turned out the way they have, for numerous reasons. I look forward to seeing how this develops, and also in seeing how I react to various situations that may (more like will) arise from this. I look forward to continuing to be the strong person that I have become, and by doing so I trust that I will become even stronger. The Lord will strengthen me as I keep him close to me, and I must realize that is paramount.
That reminds me of a thought I had a while back that I think I blogged about. But I am prompted to repeat it. One of the easiest ways to give the church a bad name is by breaking serious commandments around our peers (or anyone, really). By doing so, we make them question what members of our church really believe. It makes them start to ask themselves questions like: "Oh, those mormons say this and that, but they don't actually believe it. They're all talk and no walk. They must not take their relgion very seriously." Could you imagine the guilt you would feel if you knew that your actions caused a friend of yours to reject the gospel based on your bad example? I would tear myself apart!
On the flip side, one of the best ways to communicate the standards of the church to our peers is by not only believing in the truthfulness of the church, but by demonstrating it in our every day lives. By rejecting the offer to drink, or smoke, or tell raunchy jokes (or even entertain them), or by rejecting anything that our generation commonly finds acceptable, that is certainly not in concordance with the teachings of Christ's true church. Whether we like it or not, every member of the church is an ambassador for the church. We might just be the only member of the church that our friends know, and the entire means by which they have to gain (or lose) a desire to learn more about the church.
We must become like he whom we claim to follow: Christ.
lucky for me you are not the only member of the mormon church that i know...
ReplyDeletethey seem to be popping out of everywhere since i met you... o_O lol