by byustudent | Mar 23, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
In class the other day, we were reading in 3 Nephi 24, and it talked about the importance of tithing. But Brother Griffin brought up an interesting point. Does the Lord need our money? I mean, what can God, Master of the universe, Creator and owner of all, do with a tiny insignificant piece of green paper? He doesn’t need it. Wouldn’t it just be easier for God to show the prophet where a secret gold mine is? The point isn’t that God needs our money. The point is that we are sacrificing and being obedient to Him, in keeping his commandments. WE need tithing.
Wouldn’t the Lord’s angels be better missionaries? But WE need to be missionaries. We need that experience and spiritual growth. We need to hold callings so we can learn and have responsibility. Everything God commands us to do is for our benefit, not His. Brother Griffiin said a quote that I really liked…”My need to serve God is incalculably greater than His need for my service.” I felt that today when I went to the temple. Yes, as I did so, I was serving the Lord, and my fellow brothers and sisters on the other side of the veil….but I needed the temple today. I left with such a sweet spirit of peace and of love. I love how God loves us so much, that everything He does is for us. He gives us so many chances to learn and to grow, so we can inherit all that He hath someday. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father! (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 14, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
This past week in my Book of Mormon religion class I was struck by the significance and importance of agency. I guess I’ve always assumed that agency is important simply because our Heavenly Father gave it to us and because the war in heaven was fought over it, but I’ve never actually thought about the significance of what this agency means. Agency is the ability to act for ourselves and to choose for ourselves what our actions here on Earth will be. The fact that our Heavenly Father and our Savior presented a plan in heaven that allowed us to choose our own actions shows their deep trust in us. Think about it. Why would a loving Heavenly Father even think of letting us make our own decisions if He doubted our ability to live righteously and make it back to Him? He would never have sent us to Earth knowing that there was no chance of us making it back. He knew we would make mistakes, but He ultimately had trust in us and our ability to choose the right.
Our Savior trusted us enough to suffer and to die for us and by completing the Atonement so that we could use our agency to learn from our mistakes, repent, and then ultimately make it back to live with Him again. On the other hand, Satan doubted our ability to live righteously, and he proposed a plan in heaven that took away our agency and didn’t allow us to make our own decisions. He had no faith in us. And why in the world would anyone want a leader or Savior who has no trust or faith in them? I’ve gained a much deeper respect for my agency and for my Savior and Father in heaven because of the trust that they have and the faith that they have put in me. It makes me infinitely more motivated to live my life in such a way to show that I can use my agency to live righteously. (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 6, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.) (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 6, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.) (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 6, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.) (more…)
by byustudent | Mar 2, 2013 | Mormon Reflections
BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.) (more…)
