Where Does True Happiness Come From?

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." (Mosiah 2:41)

We live in a world of instant gratification and pleasure. The law of moral ethics that once were prominent in our society have begun a steep process of decay. The line that distinguished what is right and what is wrong has become hidden with gray. We can see the disturbing effects of it as good has become bad, and bad has become good. As predicted by Book of Mormon prophets, we have many voices that are competing for our attention. "Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 28:7-8) We are being deceived by these lies that we can be happy by just breaking the commandments a little. However, no matter what the world says, "wickedness never was happiness." (Alma 41:10)

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God." (Jacob 2:18)

It is sometimes very easy to give into the temptations and become part of the enticings of the world. However, we can find great hope in a scripture found in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able [to bear.]" He will provide a way for all of us to escape the temptations and the false happiness of the world. He has given us the ability to choose for our selves which path we will take in this life.

Our own bad choices cause us grief and places heavy burdens on our shoulders. However, as we strive to consistently keep our Heavenly Father's commandments we can be freed from the burdens of guilt and shame. We have the choice. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit." (2 Nephi 2:27 & 28)

"And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you; And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, the blessings of the kingdom are yours." (D&C 61:36 & 37)

Christ has prepared a way for us to follow. "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work." (3 Nephi 27:33) His mission in life was to pave this course for us to follow. Instant gratification and pleasure is opposed to God's plan, and they do not compare to the real joy that comes with a peace of mind, and the feeling of being spiritually clean. Look unto Christ, follow His course, keep His commandments, and then you will find true happiness. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

For God So Loved the World

My favorite scripture in the Gospel according to John in the New Testament is, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It is found in the third chapter and sixteenth verse. It is this verse that I have used as a motto for my mission. My testimony is in the reality of a loving Heavenly Father. He truly does love us. It is not conditional on our obedience or our diligence and humility. He loves us regardless of our flaws, weaknesses, and sins. He loves us so much in fact that He did send His Only Begotten Son in the flesh. Jesus Christ, who is the Creator and Messiah, was very loved of our God. He is chosen above all others. It is He who volunteered to suffer for all our pains, transgressions, and sins. It is to Him whom we owe our lives, our peace, and everything that we have been given. Why would God grant unto us such great mercy and possibility? It is because He loves us. We can become whole through our Savior. That is why I love this verse so much. I want to share with everyone that God loves them, and He wants them to receive a forgiveness of their sins. He desires nothing more than for us to return and live with Him again. Our God is a loving God.

The Role of a Righteous Father

From an official statement given by the general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," we learn of the divine role of a father. "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families." There are many great examples of righteous fathers found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. However, I would like to write about one of those fathers from out of the Book of Mormon, his name was Lehi.
Lehi is the first prophet of the Book of Mormon. He, in the beginning had a great family. He had four sons who names were Laman, Lemuel, Nephi, and Sam. By revelation and divine guidance, he was able to guide his family out of Jerusalem and into the promised land. Though he had rebellious children, he spared no effort in teaching them the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He had a vision one night about a tree that bore the most desirous of fruits, even eternal life. Upon walking up to the tree he plucked off the fruit of it and bit into it. "And I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruits" (1 Nephi 8:12). What a righteous father! He partook of something great, and his immediate desire following this realization of this sweet treat was to share it with his family. The account given in the Book of Mormon talks more about the tree and the fruit thereof, but I choose not to focus on that until a later time. Right now I just wish to focus on the miracle that took place. Lehi continued to lead his family in the ways of the Lord. When times were tough, he remained a beacon of light to his family who struggled in darkness. Very seldom did he shirk his responsibility as a father, and in times when he was less than the example to his wife and children he repented and searched for forgiveness from his family and the Lord.
As fathers and husbands, we can not shirk on our responsibilities as parents. We can not partake of something so sweet and desirable and then tuck it away and hide it and keep it for ourselves. It is our responsibility to lead our family to the thing that will bring them true happiness, joy, and peace. The closer we come to our families, the closer we come to the Lord, and true happiness. Pray with your families and spouse, studying the word of the Lord through reading and listening to the scriptures, and go to church often with your family bear testimony to them of the truthfulness of the things they will learn.
As a special witness to Jesus Christ, I know that His gospel, in all its simplicity and glory, we greatly bless our families. For more information on how you can build a more happier home please check out mormon.org/family/

MY SOUL HUNGERED, pt. 2

As a missionary actively serving God everyday I see a lot of struggles that are similar among people. I have to say that the one thing that I see the most common among them is their feeling of abandonment. They feel like God has forgotten them in their struggles. They feel like in their darkest hours that they have been left behind. This is absolutely not true!

No where in the Bible or the Book of Mormon does it say that God will forget His children. Never does it say will He forsake them. It says that, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:18.) That promise is for all of God's children. He will not forsake us. The number one problem why we have problems is because we tend to forget God. How do we forget Him? We do not communicate with Him as often as we should.

"And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul" (2 Nephi 32:8&9.)

Pray always. Heavenly Father does listen and will answer your prayers. Try it out, test it, and I promise you as a representative of Christ that you will receive an answer. You will no longer feel alone. You will no longer feel like you have been left in the dark. You will learn to know that Jesus is the Christ, and that He has died and suffered so that you may live again and be comforted in your hardest and darkest of times and trial.