Questions, Comments and Rude Remarks

So, I really love the different colored fonts. It's fun. And I'm sure annoying to anyone out there who is color blind. (Sorry!) Anyway, today I'm going to talk about something a little bit different. I'm reading in the Book of Mormon and I am just amazed at some of the things that I am reading. Yes, I have read the book before. A couple of time actually (ok, fine, I've only ready it twice in my whole life and that's going to change from here on out.) And this time I am reading it with "A Companion to your Study of the Book of Mormon" by Ludlow. And I'm really enjoying the extra explainations I'm getting from the book. It is opening a whole new insight that I've never even imagined. (Now I just need to buy it myself because I've checked it out of the library twice and renewed it twice.) Last week or so I was commenting on how the end of 2nd Nephi really had some good gospel information in it. Well, now I'm in King Benjamin's sermon/farewell speach and I am just amazed at his gospel knowledge and the things that he spoke to his people about. I find it refreshing that a lot of the prophets in the Book of Mormon just lay it all out there. They don't use flowery words, they just say this is the way it is. Either you do or you don't. (and I'll get back to that you do or you don't thing at the end). Anyway, so I was reading in Mosiah 4 and a verse just jumped out at me and grabbed me by the heart. It says "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. " Not only does this verse answer questions I've had about the miscarriage (I don't understand the things that the Lord understands. I don't understand why he did what he did, but I don't have to, because he understands why he did it and that's all I need to know for now). But King Benjamin just says it so simply. "Believe in God; believe that he is" Oh, to have such faith to just rise up and believe because a prophet says it. It doesn't get any more straight forward and simple as that. So many times in my life I've wondered "if I lived back in the day of Christ, would I have followed him?" Now I wonder "if I lived in the days before Christ, and was a Nephite or Lamanite, would I have had such faith?" And all I can answer to that I that I hope I would have. But it's something I don't have to worry about. (Although pondering about it does take some serious thought). I am really enjoying this reading I've been doing of the Book of Mormon. I'm finding new insights and new joy and the scriptures are just jumping off the pages for me. I am hoping to read the Book of Mormon at least once every year from now until the day I die. Anyway, now, on to the either you do or you don't comment. When my visiting teachers came last week the message they gave had to do with that. As members of the church we either do or we don't. It's as simple as that. Oh there are some out there that have a million excuses as to why they do or they don't, but the bottom line is, no matter how you dress it up or strip it down in the end we either do or we don't. We believe in the prophet or we don't. We read our scriptures or we don't. We go visiting teaching or we don't. We have family night or we don't. We accept callings, or we don't. And I am amazed at the number of people who make up a thousand and one excuses for doing what they're doing. (And actually since I've been in the RS presidency I've had this brought to my attention numerous times where before I don't think I saw it, or I didn't want to see it). I've been reading another book The spiritual survival of the last days (I can't remember who it's by right now. They're brothers and Brent and Blaine or something like that, Yorgeson? I don't know) Anyway, they say in their book that there will come a time when even strong members of the church will start to turn against other members of the church. And although it hasn't quite gotten to that point yet, I find myself looking at the youth and seeing it there. We live in a large LDS community (they call us little Utah) and about 90% of us are LDS, and I can see this problem with our youth. If you don't do what they do then they label you as weird and other things. And I'm starting to see a definate sifting of the wheat in our community and the sad thing is people don't even notice. They don't seem to realize that this is the last days and we're running out of time. Not that I'm all doom and gloom and not like the Lord's coming tomorrow, but it's definatley given me a lot to think about. So my new motto is "either you do, or you don't." And so those times that I don't feel like doing things, I do it because when it all comes down to it the Lord will look at our lives and he will say either we followed our Savior with all our heart, might mind and strength, or we didn't. Only 5/10 will be saved. Think about it.