Saturday, August 9, 2008

Rewarded Unto Righteousness

"And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness. These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil. Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved." - Alma 41:6-8

We are able to choose for ourselves whether we will desire good or evil. The way has been prepared by Christ. We will be "rewarded unto righteousness" if we repent and are obedient to his will. The main thing is that if is our choice. We determine our outcome in the next life by the choices we make now.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

The scriptures bring us to Christ

"And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls. Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer." - Alma 37:8-9

The scriptures are a powerful tool in bringing others to Christ. This is because they contain the words of the prophets which were received by the prophets from God. These powerful words invite the Holy Ghost. The scriptures also contain the testimonies and good examples from the prophets. These sacred writings also invite the spirit and strengthen our resolve to keep the commandment and to build our relationship with God. Plus, the scriptures were written specifically for the purpose of bringing us to God. As a result those who study the scriptures and apply the principles will come to know God. (See also John 17:3 and John 7:17.)