Broken Heart & Contrite Spirit

3 Nephi 9:19&20

19: "And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away...

20: And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit."

Back in the day, sacrifice by the shedding of blood was a means of worship and was a type or a symbol of the sacrifice of 'The Lamb of God'. In this scripture, the Savior is speaking to his people in the Americas, the Nephites, and teaching them this important aspect of His gospel. He had just atoned for the sins of the world. Literally. He had just spent 3 hours in Gethsemane, half way around the world, suffering the pains and sicknesses and sins of everybody who had ever lived or would ever live, only to be arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary's cross. After suffering incomprehensibly in Gethsemane, he was beaten, humiliated, spit upon, whipped, ridiculed, and made to carry His own cross on the long road to Golgotha. He was then nailed to a cross and hung between two criminals. The perfect Son of the Living God. While on the cross, he suffered AGAIN for the pains and sins of the whole world (you and me and all the stupid things we have ever done or will do), pleaded with the Father to forgive His condemners, and then finished His mortal work.

In America, a thick darkness filled the land and the earth shook and trembled. The whole face of the land was changed, mountains arising out of the ground, cities being completely destroyed, fire consuming the land... for the space of 3 full days. Complete darkness. No light. Listen with your spiritual ears... no LIGHT! The third day, he rose from the grave to become the first fruits of them that slept. He not only conquered sin (offering us the ability to repent and be clean), but also death (allowing each and all of us to be resurrected and reunited with our perfect bodies). And so he teaches us that we do not need to offer sacrifices by the shedding of blood anymore; the ultimate sacrifice by the shedding of blood had been accomplished! Instead, he instituted a new, higher law; 'Ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.' It is easy to sacrifice an animal in the name of the Lord... but much more difficult to sacrifice the animal within each of us unto the Lord! To offer Him a broken heart and a contrite spirit means that we offer Him our will, our obedience, our humility. It means that we cast off our pride, repent of our mistakes, and recognize our dependence on Him. It means we are teachable and moldable. Much more difficult. And it truly means much more to Him. If we love Him, we will want to make this offering. He wants your heart. The deep part. Not the superficial part that occasionally thinks of Him when you need something. The deep part that strives daily to be a better you; a happier, cleaner, more loving you. He wants to know that you mean it when you say you believe in Him and love Him. We have to mean it. And thus this change in our offering.

I know He lives. I know He was slain for our sins, because He loves us. I know I am a happier, better man because of His gospel than I would ever be on my own. I know His suffering for me was not in vain, because I repent. I have tasted the sweet fruit of forgiveness. I have felt the peace that comes when His great atoning sacrifice in my behalf has been properly applied. We need Him. All He asks is for us to offer for a sacrifice unto Him our broken hearts and our contrite spirits. Note the word OFFER. He requires it of everybody, but will force it on nobody. It is a true offering.

Love you all.

Gunnar

Conversion to the Gospel by Studying the Scriptures

"Further, for the gospel to be written in your heart, you need to know what it is and grow to understand it more fully. That means you will study it. ⁵ When I say “study,” I mean something more than reading. It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. Remember Alma’s description of what it feels like: “It beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” ⁶ You will know that the gospel is being written in your heart, that your conversion is happening, as the word of the Lord from His prophets, past and present, feels more and more delicious to your soul." --Elder D. Todd Christofferson (When Thou Art Converted)

I love this part in his talk about truly studying! It doesn't get anymore plain than this. I know this is how we should study and I can testify that when I study like this my testimony does grow and I feel the spirit so much stronger.

Have you watched this yet?

If not you should! It still amazes me how each time I watch these firesides it is exactly what I need to hear. I am so grateful the the prophets and apostles that are here for our day to teach us the things we need to do. This is seriously such a good talk!

http://lds.org/broadcasts/watch/ces-fireside/2011/01?lang=eng&pid=738917358001&pkey=AQ~~,AAAAmBrDwtE~,_58lK-P1xvJ5WTHbRnmdONkYkAiPKoal&bcpid=738917358001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAmBrDwtE~,_58lK-P1xvJ5WTHbRnmdONkYkAiPKoal&bclid=738194652001&bctid=747289204001

The Best Is Yet To Be

Elder Holland gave this first in an address at BYU in 2009 and then it was in the January 2010 Ensign and I just came across it and I loved it.

"As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

There is something in many of us that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either our mistakes or the mistakes of others. It is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in terrible opposition to the grandeur and majesty of the Atonement of Christ. To be tied to earlier mistakes is the worst kind of wallowing in the past from which we are called to cease and desist.

When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died to heal.

Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is that charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ.

The proviso, of course, is that repentance has to be sincere, but when it is and when honest effort is being made to progress, we are guilty of the greater sin if we keep remembering and recalling and rebashing someone with his or her earlier mistakes—and that someone might be ourselves. We can be so hard on ourselves—often much more so than on others!

You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake, but then put the rest of it all on the dung heap Paul spoke of to the Philippians. Dismiss the destructive, and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family, your friends, and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go."

These are just a few parts of his talk that I really liked and stood out to me. I highly recommend reading his whole talk! Here are some of my thoughts about it. I am so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and that died so that I can be healed from my mistakes and the mistakes of others that have hurt me. We are here to learn and grow and when we don't forgive and forget we are only hurting ourselves. We need to have faith in Christ and trust that He does have a plan for us and even though we might not be able to see it until a little later. Faith is always pointed forward to the future! Faith is the opposite of fear. When we have faith in God we will be happy because we will be moving forward and trusting in the one who knows us best. I really loved the part when he says, "Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve." So often I think we don't allow others to grow because we focus too much on their mistakes from their past. But don't we all want to be forgiven of our own sins and have them be forgotten? When we forgive others past mistakes and forget them we are showing faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement. I know that Jesus atoned for us all and that through Him is the only way to move forward and forget our past. “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42).

Keep The City From Falling

Alma 59:9

Background: Moroni is Captain over the Nephite Army. He is in the middle of a HUGE battle with the Lamanites and has just lost another city. There are hidden treasures of applicable knowledge within these war chapters... this is just one little nugget.

9 And now as Moroni had supposed that there should be men sent to the city of Nephihah, to the assistance of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them, he supposed that they would easily maintain that city.

The Nugget: It is easier to keep a city from falling into the hands of the enemy than it is to get it back once you've lost it. Whatever amount of preparation, whatever sacrifices need to be made, whatever amount of hard work may be necessary to protect the city against the enemy is well worth it, if in the end you maintain that city and keep it safe. So it is with us. It is way easier to keep ourselves from falling into the hands of the enemy by striving to live a clean and wholesome life than it is to try to fight our way out of the peace strangling grasp of the enemy of all righteousness. There is always a way out. The way is Jesus Christ. But, just as Moroni and his men found out, it can be a difficult and painful road. Whatever preparation, sacrifice, and hard work we need to give in order to keep ourselves from falling will be well worth the effort. Let's help keep each other strong, motivated to do good, supported in our trials, and safe from the hands of the enemy.

Love you.

Gun

Elder F Enzio Busche-- please take the time to watch, it's sooo good!!

General Conference!!

So, I just wanted to share my thoughts on General Conference this Oct. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it!! :) I had the privilege of attending the Saturday Morning session with Alisha, Brittney and Gunnar. We were a little far away, but I still loved knowing that I was in the same building as the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. It was glorious! I felt the spirit so strongly, and yes, I admit, I cried a little! It was just so awesome! I love conference, and I especially loved being able to hear and see the Prophet, my joy is indescribable!
If I HAD to choose my favorite talk.... It would probably be, President Uchtdorf's. I LOVE President Uchtdorf, I always have, and I think I always will, he is just my favorite! But I hear, this might be a Clark thing, haha! That's ok! We can all like him! :)
Some of the things that I loved about his talk were::
1. "We would do well to slow down and Truly see what matters most." ~I loved this because it's so true! We all need to slow down and realize why we are really here, and what we need to do, to just be a little better everyday!
2. Turn to the Lord, and when He answers DO IT!
3. "Our relationship with God is most vital."
4. Open our hearts to the Holy Ghost and if we have a relationship with God, our lives will know greater peace and happiness.
5. Love is really spelled T.I.M.E.
6.Spend time together as a Family (Family prayer, Scripture study, Family Dinner)
7. Get to know yourselves. - Learn to see yourself as God see's us, As a Daughter or Son of God.
8. Re-focus on What matters most.
There were SO many good talks this Conference, (Pres. Monson, Pres. Eyring, Elder Bednar, Elder Packer, Elder Christofferson, Elder Jensen) I loved them all! But I loved this one the most, and I just thought to share with you all how I felt about Conference!
I love you all!!
Chels

Continue In Patience

"... Patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen - patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn't appear instantly or without effort.

Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can - working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

Ultimately, patience means being 'firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord' every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so."

President Uchtdorf gave this awesome talk in the priesthood session last conference in April. I guess I really need to learn more patience because it seems as I study in the scriptures the word patience often stands out to me. I don't think I realized how active we need to be while being patient. Often times I think of patience as being passive and just waiting but obviously that is not the case! I am grateful for this godly attribute of patience and that we are given the opportunity in this life to try and gain it. I know that when we work towards acquiring this attribute to become more like Christ we are truly blessed. I am so grateful to have the prophet and apostles to speak to us and remind us how we can better ourselves. I am really looking forward to conference in about 2 weeks and being able to hear the things I should be doing. We are so blessed to have modern day prophets and that we can receive revelation for our day!

Voice of the Spirit

I loved this and wanted to share!
I testify that the gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the most precious gifts from our Heavenly Father. The world is very LOUD and the spirit is so quiet... but it IS there. And it is through that small voice that your life can be guided by the Lord. Remember that the Spirit is such a gentleman it will not go anywhere it is not invited, so I encourage you to strive to always be worthy to have the spirit with you.

Don't Leap with the Sheep

By S. Michael Wilcox

I feel like I could write about a hundred posts on this book and it still wouldn't be enough. I have learned so much as I have read and studied the teachings in this book. I would recommend it to everyone! The way that he teaches, and explains gospel principles is amazing. It is simple, yet so profound. He has helped me remember what is truly important in life and why it is so important to live the gospel and be an active member of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite parts of the book talks about being born with the fruit in our hands. He tells about his friend who left the rod and the tree to visit the spacious building. His friend was not gone long before returning, but he knew enough of both worlds to teach a powerful lesson. "There is nothing in the building you want!" his friend would remind him. "You already have the best there is in the world! You don't have to search for it. Don't be deceived as I was." His words were always spoken with great earnestness.

Brother Wilcox goes on to say, "Perhaps the most powerful, mist-clearing truth is the assurance that we already have the most desirable thing in life. We don't have to wander in a vain pursuit of happiness. Many of us were born with the fruit in our hands. We sometimes hear the expression, 'How sweet it is!' This is usually spoken in the context of some worldly pursuit or pleasure. But we have that which is sweet above all things. As Alma testified, 'It beginneth to be delicious to me.' (Alma 32:28.) Nothing in life will give us more joy than that which we now possess. There simply isn't anything more precious we can obtain. Our eyes have already looked upon the greatest beauty."

What a wonderful reminder! We have all been so blessed to have the gospel in our lives. We really have the BEST that this world has to offer. Nothing will bring us more happiness. I know this is true. I know that my Savior lives. I know that He loves us. We can return to live with Him. I love this gospel. I love you all.

Alisha