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Obedience and Law

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." - Romans 3:20-31

All sin and are condemned by the law. It is by our faith in Jesus Christ that we can be justified. This does not make the law void. We are still required to be obedient to the law, but we should be aware that it is the atoning blood of Christ that will save us. Our obedience then is an act of love and respect for him. Obedience is also evidence of and a building block for our faith.

Faith of our Father

Earlier this year President Uchtdorf had this to say about the faith of our Father:

"I testify that the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is the faith of our Heavenly Father. It is His truth, revealed to His servants the prophets from the days of Father Adam until our own time. The Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith to restore the faith of our Father on this earth, never to be taken away again. God desires that all of His children receive it, irrespective of their background, culture, or tradition. True religion should not originate from what pleases men or the traditions of ancestors, but rather from what pleases God, our Eternal Father." - Faith of Our Father, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2008

1 Timothy 4:12

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12

All on the same terms

"And we know that all men must repent and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, and worship the Father in his name, and endure in faith on his name to the end, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God." - D & C 20:29

We all come to God on the same terms. The way to God is centered on Christ. We must trust in him to the point that we are willing to repent and endure to the end in faith.

"But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed also." - D & C 20:32-34

No one is exempt from temptation and apostasy. We must constantly nourish our faith through prayer, scripture study, and following the counsel of living prophets.

Gordon Hinckley - Lessons I Learned as a Boy

What an excellent message! The world would be a much better place if we were all a little nicer.

Come, follow me

"VERILY, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;" - D & C 93:1

His call in the new testament was "come, follow me"(Luke 18:22). What better way to follow the Savior than to strive to be more like him by applying his counsel and teaching? Those that seek to follow the Savior in this way will "see [his] face and know that [he is]". This is a remarkable promise.

Unity and Children of God

I would like to share some of my thoughts on President Eyring's talk last October (2008), entitled Our Hearts Knit as One.

"The Lord Jehovah will return to live with those who have become His people and will find them united, of one heart, unified with Him and with our Heavenly Father." - President Eyring

I have typically thought of the Lord's people as some discrete group, that may differ based on the context. It is interesting that President Eyring indicates that the Lord will come to "those who have become His people." This poses the question, What must we do to qualify ourselves as His people? President Eyring offers an excellent explanation. The Lord "will find [His people] unified, of one heart, unified with Him and with our Heavenly Father." If we want to become the Lord's people, we must be unified with each other, with the Lord, and with our Heavenly Father. Just as Christ is unified with the Father. This is the unity that will ultimately establish Zion.

"And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.": - Moses 7:18

In Mosiah 18:22 we read that Alma's people "became the children of God." How did they become the children of God?

"Everything Alma and his people were inspired to do was pointed at helping people choose to have their hearts changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is the only way God can grant the blessing of being of one heart." - President Eyring

Alma loved the Savior. Alma loved his people. He wanted them to experience the joy and blessings of becoming a child of God.

"That is why Alma commanded the people to teach faith and repentance. That is why my children came to expect in every lesson in family night that I would find a way to encourage someone to testify of the Savior and His mission. Sometimes the parents did it. On our best nights we found a way to encourage the children to do it, either by presenting the lesson or answering questions. When testimony about the Savior was borne, the Holy Ghost verified it. On those nights we felt our hearts being knit together." - President Eyring

Our families can be united as we teach and practice faith in Jesus Christ and repentance through His atoning sacrifice. Together we will help each other along the path to become the children of God.

Righteous Choices

"And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land." - Mosiah 29:43

This is part of why we are counseled to let our light shine. Our righteous influence will bless not only us, but those around us as well.