This week we read James, Peter, 1, 2, and 3rd John.
2 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
What really stood out to me is how wonderful it is to see the fruits of your labor when all of the hard work pays off when you see your children acting on the teachings you taught them. For example my oldest daughter now has 2 children of her own and watching what an amazing mother she is brings me so much joy. She try her hardest to teach them the gospel and teaching them to be kind and loving to each other.
Every time we have the opportunity to come together for church, conference or to attend the temple it warms my heart. We are converts of 10 years and so when we have our children baptisms, baby blessings or our children leaving on missions we all go to great lengths to be together to support each other.
We discussed having an eternal perspective and how important that is. I thoroughly enjoyed the Priesthood session. it was all about families and focusing on saving them through love and righteousness,

This week we learned a lot about faith and how you can find that many of the things people were able to accomplish had a lot to do with how they exercised their faith in Jesus Christ. I also feel that the more things that we can see have happened because of our faith in Christ we will be more likely to have faith the next time we need help with something.

Hebrews 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

 31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 13: 7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

This was just in these few verses and the word faith is there many times. You have to realize that faith is a very important principle and we must see that we must have faith in Christ and miracles can happen.

I noticed that faith was an underlining theme and how we must realize that faith is so important to our salvation. Sometimes it’s hard to believe everything we hear, people feel they must research everything before they can trust it but faith is where we can move forward without restriction.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

I love this scripture, I have always said I would love to be able to say this at the end of my time here on Earth. But really we need to look at our lives each night and see if this is something we can say. We need to fight for what is right and have faith in Christ every day and then we will be able to say this at the end of our lives.

Titus 2: 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

If we could really apply the scriptures to our daily lives we would have so much peace and happiness. In order to deny ungodliness we must really understand what Godliness is, we must read and learn about how to be like God and Jesus Christ through His teachings.

Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

The Lord has promised that he will be merciful and not remember our sins. But he lets us remember our sins so we can have remorse and feel guilt so that we won’t repeat the sin. 

Romans 9: 15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

This verse reminds me of a conference talk given by Elder Holland about the parable of the laborers. He points out that the Lord says I will be kind to whom I will. The Lord is loving and kind and merciful. Having compassion is an attribute that the Lord wants us to have for all men.

Ephesians 2: 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

God is our loving father. We must understand that he truly wants us to be happy.

Philippians 2: 1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies.

I have found so many verses about how much mercy God has for us, I know that he loves us and knows us personally.

1 Timothy 6: 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Doing our best to be Like heavenly father and Jesus will bring so much love and joy.

Philemon 1: 20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.

Joy, happiness and mercy describe our wonderful father in heaven.

"I bear my special witness that Jesus Christ gave His life, making possible the salvation and exaltation of all the families of the earth. With all the feeling of a tender parent, I express my love and the love of our Heavenly Father to you and your family. May we gather our loved ones around us, 'gird up [our] loins; [and] fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake.' With faith, courage, and love, families will truly be together forever." -Robert D. Hales

I love this quote because it brings so much hope. That in and through Jesus Christ we can repent and be forgiven. If we allow the atonement to work in our lives by having faith, courage and love and acting we will have eternal life.

Galatians 4: 19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

Teaches us that we must allow ourselves to be Christ’s by giving away all of our sins and turning to Him for deliverance.

2 Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

I love this scripture because I truly believe that after we have gone through something difficult the Lord put people in our path that will benefit from us being able to empathize and lift them in their trails. If we think about it, there were people there when we went through seeming to have gone through the very same thing and could life you. We must take the comfort we received from God through angles on earth of the Holy Ghost and turn around and comfort others.

Romans 5: 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I am amazed that even though Christ knew we would sin and He knew He would have to suffer for our sins He died for us. And God loves us so very much they He gave His Son to die for us knowing how much He would suffer. That is wonderful.

Acts 19: 26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.

I found this very interesting that the people did not even know how to think spiritually, they were concerned about how this would affect them physically. If the people no longer worshipped idles they would be out of a job. Paul was teaching about the true God and giving them freedom and telling them about their loving heavenly father and they were worried about how the whole area no longer worshipping idles would affect their profession.

1 Corinthians 1: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

This reminded me of how Jesus Christ taught the people in parables and used the things they were familiar with so they could understand and apply it to their everyday lives. People think that they are so smart and wise and the Lord uses this to halt them and humble them.

1 Corinthians 2: 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

When a man hears something important and of a spiritual nature he struggles to comprehend that thing unless he has the Holy Ghost with him or has am eternal perspective and a desire to know the truth.

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

As members of the church we have been repeatedly warned about how we must prepare ourselves and if we are listening, reading, searching and pondering we will know where and what we need to be doing to not fear and be ready for the Lord to return. We should be excited and place ourselves ready to help Him wherever He needs us. 

Act 3: 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

 8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

I chose to expound on this scripture, this man had spent his life sitting in front of the temple begging for money for food, he did not or could not see anything past his temporal needs because he would have starved otherwise. Peter told him he didn’t have money but that he had something much greater that he could heal him. This man now had unlimited opportunities in front of him if he was willing to work for them.

We in this day and age are so caught up on the material things of this world and have an attitude of entitlement. We are not grateful for the opportunities we have if we will go out and work hard, we may not ever have silver and gold but with the principle of work we can have many other gifts. Peter had the gift to heal him physically but much more important he had the gift to heal his heart, this man knew where the gift came from. It says it went into the temple with them.

Act 3:12 ¶And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?

I love Peter’s humility about how his power to heal came from God and that he did not take the glory and boast of himself. Peter acted for Jesus Christ and was an instrument in His hands. We likewise need to do our part in helping others. We need to recognize our many blessings and where they come from and then we need to turn around and help others.

Acts 7: 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

This scripture is of Stephen who was martyred for preaching the gospel to the wicked who rejected it and stoned him to death.

This really touches my heart because even when he was dying he asked the Lord to forgive them, just as Christ did on the cross. We must truly learn from this and not hold grudges even when people are actually trying to hurt us. The testimony of these great prophets can help us in our lives to love and forgive all men. This brings me strength that I can endure trials that come in my life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Eldar Bednar’s talk, Ye must be born again, His analogy about turn a cucumber into a pickle really made you think about the time it takes to become who Heavenly Father needs us to become. We need to focus on the day-to-day acts that will strengthen our families and truly build testimony.

Christ is our best example and we must do all in our power to be like Him through daily efforts and then recognize where the blessings come from and help other people, especially our own families.