The Master in Gethsemane

I am glad you choose to read this, I have been able to gain a greater appreciation of the atonement this week as I studied His suffering in Gethsemane. We learn to be grateful for the things that people do or have done for us, when we realize at a portion to what they went through to do it. Think of the last time you helped somebody, knowing what you went through to help no matter how big the sacrifice.. Then, when you had somebody help you, you can understand what they went through for you and you can appreciate it beyond a surface level of gratitude. I have noticed during my study, key words that the Savior suffered during His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. I have felt these things in a much smaller magnification than He suffered, but because I know it, it makes me grateful to know that He suffered these things for us. Because He suffered this, He knows what we go through, can help us in those times to get out of suffering, and can also help us prevent suffering in the future through repentance. It astonishes me to think that He so willingly suffered unjustly so that I can be made just before the Father. I have included those words that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered that I took out from the scriptures I read, they are listed just below.

Sorrowful, very heavy, exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Betrayed. (Sore amazed-Greek translation:. Awestruck, astonished.)
Agony, Sweat as it were great drops of blood. Blood cometh from every pore.  Temptations, temptations of every kind. pain of body, pains and afflictions. Take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
hunger, thirst, fatigue, anguish. Death, Infirmities.

Imagine going through all the suffering for the sins of mankind, to lay down you're very life knowing that even after suffering the most pain anyone could ever suffer, that the very people you are suffering might still not believe in you or use your gift. These are some quotes to help us further understand what He went through.

But what was it that caused the Savior’s intense agony?

“Jesus had to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. . . . And as He in His own person bore the sins of all, and atoned for them by the sacrifice of Himself, so there came upon Him the weight and agony of ages and generations, the indescribable agony consequent upon this great sacrificial atonement wherein He bore the sins of the world, and suffered in His own person the consequences of an eternal law of God broken by men. Hence His profound grief, His indescribable anguish, His overpowering torture, all experienced in the submission to the eternal fiat of Jehovah and the requirements of an inexorable law.

“The suffering of the Son of God was not simply the suffering of personal death; for in assuming the position that He did in making an atonement for the sins of the world He bore the weight, the responsibility, and the burden of the sins of all men, which, to us, is incomprehensible. . . .

“Groaning beneath this concentrated load, this intense, incomprehensible pressure, this terrible exaction of Divine Justice, from which feeble humanity shrank, and through the agony thus experienced sweating great drops of blood, He was led to exclaim, ‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.’ He had wrestled with the superincumbent load in the wilderness, He had struggled against the powers of darkness that had been let loose upon him there; placed below all things, His mind surcharged with agony and pain, lonely and apparently helpless and forsaken, in his agony the blood oozed from His pores.” (Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement, pp. 149–50.)

“Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. The thought that He suffered through fear of death is untenable. Death to Him was preliminary to resurrection and triumphal return to the Father from whom He had come, and to a state of glory even beyond what He had before possessed; and, moreover, it is within His power to lay down His life voluntarily. He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing. No other man, however great his powers of physical or mental endurance, could have suffered so; for his human organism would have succumbed, and syncope would have produced unconsciousness and welcome oblivion. In that hour of anguish Christ met and overcame all the horrors that Satan, ‘the prince of this world’ could inflict. The frightful struggle incident to the temptations immediately following the Lord’s baptism was surpassed and overshadowed by this supreme contest with the powers of evil.

“In some manner, actual and terribly real though to man incomprehensible, the Savior took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world.” (Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p. 613.)

I am grateful for the Savior for what He did for all of us. A humble Son of God submitting to the will of the Father, not seeing any other way out of it. I know in those times when I have felt trapped and didn't see an easy way out, that He helped me through it. I love Him for what He did, and continues to do for me in my life. I invite you to gain a greater testimony of the atonement. You will never feel closer to God than in those moments that you are on your knees praying earnestly for your will to harmonize with the Lord's will. Then when that power comes to you to overcome, you will feel the Love of the Lord that He has for you. For that is why He suffered it. 

A Time To Prepare

Mark 13:33: Take ye heed, watch and pray: For ye know not when the time is. 37- And what I say unto you I say unto all, watch.

Whenever I think of the second coming of Christ, I can't help but wonder about what is going on in the world today that will lead to it. Many of us have heard of the signs to look for, which is vital and important to know, but what can we be doing now to prepare for that time? What shouldn't we be doing to prepare for that time?

D&C 87:8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord, amen.

Our environment influences us in so many ways. It is remarkable to see how much change a person can have based on their outside influences. A story in the Book of Mormon about the Jaredites: To stage the history, this comes right after the confounding of the languages at the Tower of Babel. The Jaredites were a righteous people, but after the languages were confounded, the people around them were terrible. The Lord commanded them to leave, He promised if they did that He would lead them to a promised land (America). The Lord knew well enough that the influence of wicked people could lead them astray. Sometimes we must do the same. If we are surrounded by bad influences, peers, even buildings; we may have to change our environment or friends in order to find a new "Promised land" in our lives. Sometimes a fresh start is what we need, because changing before we placed in a situation is much easier than changing while you are in the middle of it. So stand in holy places, that your influences may guide you to happier and better paths.

Finally, we must be giving all that we can give unto the Lord. We are all imperfect people, but it doesn't mean we can't do our best.  2 Nephi 25:23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
The Lord wants us to succeed, He wants to help in any way that He can. But He can't do everything for us, we must be willing to give all that we can give, which is far less than perfect, and then He can lift us the rest of the way and help us do much more than we could have done on our own. We can change, because of the Savior, we are able to overcome our weaknesses and become whole physically and spiritually. We can become much greater with God than we ever could without Him.


I do not know when Christ will come, but I do know what I can be doing. The world will get tougher and more wicked; we can make ourselves stronger to take it on. I know that when He comes, I want to be able to be in His presence, knowing that I did all that I could to follow Him, and have it be acceptable before Him. We can use today as A Time To Prepare. And when the time comes, it won't matter, because we are made strong with God.

Becometh As Little Children

When you first think of the title, it may make you laugh. Sometimes when we view children, we see the reliant personalities they own, with some misunderstanding on the purpose in life. I don't think that is what the Savior was referring to. Take the time to read in the New Testament: Matthew 17: 1-14. I love these passages, in here we are taught by the Lord all of the things that we can learn from children.

Children may be young and inexperienced, but there are a lot of things that we can lose from that stage in our life that we need. Many children have an ability to make friends and are open about almost everything. As we get older, we tend to get personal and may shelter ourselves from society until we have to do it. Children can be very honest. I had a kid tell me once that I had really big feet. It was funny, but I appreciated his honesty and asked him what size he thought they were... "Like a hundred billion!" It was super funny. Now we should be honest with all that we do, and graceful when we can be so that we don't offend. Children are very forgiving, they like to share, they can be entertained with nothing but a bar of soap and a toothbrush. Sometimes we lose touch with some of these wonderful qualities that children have, but it's not too late. We can gain them back, or work on preserving them. This is where the Savior comes in.

"If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire." This is a reference to repentance. The imagery to me allows a great explanation to the process of removing sin from our lives. A sin being like your hand: When we are sinning, we feel like it would be hard to live without it. I imagine losing a hand would not be pleasant, but the process of repentance can sometimes be painful. Nevertheless, it is better for us to remove it from ourselves, and be in our own minds, maimed. We have to decide to repent, it is a choice on our part. No one else can make us change. Once we've decided to make that commitment, we allow the blessings of the atonement into our lives.

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
When we are lost, we have the Perfect Rescuer to come to our aid. He wants to help us, He wants us to come unto Him. I know that the repentance process works and it is a manifestation of the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. He made it all possible, it may not be easy but we can find our way to Him no matter how lost we are. I am grateful for the atonement and how I have been blessed from it. Big and small, I have felt the change in my heart. Mosiah 9:13 tells us how we can become like little children, I encourage you to read it. May we all become like little children, for they are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

The Parable of The Pearl of Great Price

The Savior taught in parables. In the Bible Dictionary found as a reference in the LDS King James version of the Bible. We learn that a parable is a story and spiritual connection that run side by side. Intended to enrich those with spiritual eyes and ears, allowing them to capture the true meaning of the gospel doctine being taught. While those that aren't spiritually tuned just hear a story. In the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, we get a spiritual connection to the commitment that we should have with our Savior.

The story goes of a merchant that searched for pearls, when he found the right one, he sold all that he had to have it. Matt 13:45-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

This teaches a very important principle in the gospel. First, we must be seeking for goodly pearls. Pearls aren't just going to land in your lap everyday. This merchant was making an effort to find goodly pearls, an exercise of faith and hope, not settling for the pearls he already had. Second, he sacrificed all that he had. He let go of all of the worldly things so that he could obtain such a precious gift. Finally, he understood that what the pearl was worth it, after selling everything he still knew it was worth it. He was grateful for the gift he was given after all he went through to get it.

This is a powerful teaching tool with many applications. A principle is a general statement that has many applications. What are we willing to sacrifice for the Lord? Do we have faith that we will receive it one day? What are we willing to sacrifice in order to have the most precious gifts of them all? Sometimes when we know we should repent, we hesitate because letting go seems tough. But if we are willing to follow the Lord, and His will, we can know that the richest blessings will come.

"Blessed are..."

This one comes from the Sermon On The Mount in Matthew 5-7, more focused on Ch. 5. In this passage we have an incredible teaching from the Savior, He uses the phrase "Blessed are..." quite often. In the footnotes we learn that the latin beatus is the basis of the English 'beatitude,' meaning 'to be fortunate,' 'to be happy,' or 'to be blessed'. We have a different perspective if we read those passages with those new phrases. The Savior is teaching us how to be happy. I picked 3 from the scriptures that I will expound on. I encourage you to read them and find out how you can apply them, who doesn't want to be happy?

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

“If you would see God, you must be pure. There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could perceive it was a man and as it came still closer he saw it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of the goodness you see in him. Mark well that person who criticizes and maligns the man of God or the Lord’s anointed leaders in his Church. Such a one speaks from an impure heart.”

I feel that this has to do with our personal righteousness and our goals. The more we come to understand the atonement, the more we will want to repent and be obedient to the Lord. As a parent wants the best for their child, our Heavenly Father wants the best for us. This is why we are given commandments. A perfect Heavenly Parent gave them to us in wisdom, because they will make us happy. We can show our love to Him in word and in action. It is more difficult to show love through our decisions and actions, but it shows our respect to the One who gives us all we have.

Blessed Are the Merciful

“Our salvation rests upon the mercy we show to others. Unkind and cruel words, or wanton acts of cruelty toward man or beast, even though in seeming retaliation, disqualify the perpetrator in his claims for mercy when he has need of mercy in the day of judgment before earthly or heavenly tribunals. Is there one who has never been wounded by the slander of another whom he thought to be his friend? Do you remember the struggle you had to refrain from retribution? Blessed are all you who are merciful for you shall obtain mercy!”

All of us have felt what it is like to be wrongfully accused or blamed. Many of us have been in the position when we were at the mercy of someone else. We know that Christ suffered all so that he may know how to succor (nurture) us, because he has suffered it also. Christ was wrongfully blamed, accused for many things He never did. A perfect Son of God never deserved the cruel judgments upon Him, yet He suffered it and conquered. Since He knows how to be at peace with this, we can turn to Him when we feel distorted from happiness and come at rest. The atonement makes everything that is unfair become fair, we just need to turn to the Lord.

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

“Peacemakers shall be called the children of God. The troublemaker, the striker against law and order, the leader of the mob, the law-breaker are prompted by motives of evil and unless they desist will be known as the children of Satan rather than God. Withhold yourselves from him who would cause disquieting doubts by making light of sacred things for he seeks not for peace but to spread confusion. That one who is quarrelsome or contentious, and whose arguments are for other purposes than to resolve the truth, is violating a fundamental principle laid down by the Master as an essential in the building of a full rich life. ‘Peace and goodwill to men on earth’ was the angel song that heralded the birth of the Prince of Peace.”

Contentions arise in the world, if you are thrown into a pile of mud and are asked to stay clean, it will be difficult to avoid the things in your environment. This is why we stand in holy places, however, sometimes we will not be able to avoid such an ordeal. The next agent that alters what you do is how you react. Reacting in a harsh way allows you to be joined with the world. Peacemakers are of God, and although the world is a dark place, you will full of light. The Savior is a peacemaker, the giver of peace. If we chose to follow Him in moments when our reaction to contention could be wrong, and we chose Him. "Happy" are we and our reward will be priceless compared to a wild and angry explosion that doesn't solve anything.

Conclusion: I love these passages. These scriptures outline a guide to happiness and perfection. May we apply the scriptures taught, they make us happy. Joy is hard to find sometimes, but God knows all and will help us find it.

A love of God is deeper than just words.

          When I was young, I was somewhat ignorant of the rules my parents set for me. When they asked me to be home at 9, 8:45 starts coming around with an evening out with friends. It felt like they were trying to torture me, surely a few more minutes wouldn't open opportunities for trouble. Coming home anyway taught me a lesson, not at the time, but much later in life. As I began to love my parents deeper, obeying changed from a torturous thought, to coming home on time so that I wouldn't offend them; for they have supported me and blessed me in many ways, why hurt them? Now as time has passed, I have been put in there shoes in some ways and can see why they asked me to follow rules. It was to protect me, and help me prevent the snares of the devil in the world. After walking where they have walked, I finally understand why they loved me enough to ask me to obey, even though I was offended and didn't understand consequences fully, I became a better person for it.

So what does it mean to know God? Also, what does it mean to love God? Here is a little recipe for knowing these things.
1 John 1:6-9 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

This passage gives some principles that we can follow to know God. For all good cometh from God, and all evil cometh from the devil. In essence, all things that bring everlasting happiness comes from an everlasting God; while those things that bring temporary satisfaction, and/or cause you to defy God, comes from satan. For he desires for us to be miserable like unto himself. We must study the word of God, learn of things that bring to pass of eternal love and goodness, and live a life that God would have us live. The scripture mentions walking in the light, sometimes we may even have to change our environment to fulfill this. This could be acquiring new friends that influence you for good, staying away from places that entice sin, and walk in holy places where the Spirit of the Lord will not be hindered. We may not always understand why God asks us to do these things, it may even be a time where no foreseeable problems will come if we push our limits; but as we are exactly obedient, we will come to know one day that God gives us commandments to protect us. We will come to know God, because we see Him in us.
           Which leads to the second question, How can we come to love God? One of the major battles we will fight in our lives, will be loving God more than the world. This can seem silly to some, but whenever our priorities are centered on things of the world, with the things God would have us do be in second place or further, we are loving the world more than Him. The world shouts for your attention with obvious and subtle enticement to follow temporary happiness. God on the other hand, speaks with a still small voice; and if we are not listening intently, we may miss it in the loudness of the world. Decisions to follow the world can be disguised as being an easier lifestyle, so the initial decision to follow righteousness or wickedness can be tough. But is it easier? How much easier is it to fight a constant addiction? Or to correct a mistake that was at the cost of many loved ones? Or to be separated from those you love for behavior, and left with a crowd that may not be very supportive to help you come back? So now I'll ask, how can you know God and walk in darkness? Would it be worth it to you follow commandments, that seem so tough to follow, if you don't know what blessings come for that sacrifice? How will we know God if we never learn by our own experience why He asks us to obey? How can we love God and do things that offends Him? 1 John 2:5-6 "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

To know God is to follow the commandments, this brings perspective to ourselves of who God really is. We will know who He is, because we will see ourselves in Him. To love God, is to follow the commandments exactly and willingly. That we may never offend Him, and trust in His words spoken with love. We will want to repent, for the sacrifice has already been paid, and we will understand that as we repent we allow ourselves to be closer to God. Love will be more than words spoken, but in our thoughts and actions. 1 John 3:18 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

We are privileged to have trials. 1 Peter 1-4

Scripture Study: 1 Peter 1:1-9.     2:12, 15, 20-25.    3:11-16     4:12-19
Thanks for reading. I wanted to start off with a realization that I have had very recently in my life. We have reasons for influence in our character, and in our decisions.
1) Character if affected by our virtues
               We all will have personalities that allow us to have diversity in life. However, when it comes to life, the virtues we lack, or improve will change our character. For example, if we lack faith, it will shape our character into a doubtful person with our dealings in life. On the other hand, if we have charity, we will love others and help them in any possible way. So if there is a character flaw we have, it can be fixed by improving the corresponding virtue associated with it to give strength unto all things in life.
2) Choices and decisions
Our decisions go further than virtues, because they are a reflection of our thoughts. If we allow bad thoughts do be entertained in our minds, we allow darkness into our souls. Then it becomes our character to be evil doers instead of righteous. If we follow God and allow light to abide in our souls, we will make decisions for good. A bad deed is never done in an instant, but is premeditated no matter how brief or thought out. Even our reflexes show the training we give to them to react in certain situations.

God wants our virtues and character to reflect who He is. God is perfect and knows what pure and true everlasting happiness is; the rest of us are still learning. We suffer trials that we may learn how to perfect our virtues and make decisions that lead us back to our Father in heaven; where everlasting happiness resides. It is a symbol of His love unto us, because on an eternal perspective, if we endure in faith and exact obedience, we will find true happiness. It is never easy to watch something you love suffer, but God in His infinite wisdom  endures that pain because He realizes our potential. Therefore, it is a privilege to suffer trials, because then we know that God is giving us an opportunity to becoming more like He is and enjoy the blessings that He has. On our part, our attitude can highly affect how much we really need to suffer in these trials. God pours out His blessings upon the patient and the faithful. When we complain, we allow doubt to fight faith and become stubborn to the counsel of God. Why suffer longer than necessary? Or more than we have to? But endure it well, and the armies of heaven will give us strength to press forward.

Christ has made it possible to overcome our trials, and give us strength to endure them. During the great act of the atonement, Christ suffered all. Christ endured pains such as hunger, thirst, disease, betrayal, and any type of suffering we can and ever will feel in our lives. He has already paid the ransom on our sins, so if we repent and follow His teachings, we will not have to pay the penalty of justice, and enjoy the blessings of our good deeds. Since Christ suffered these things, He has compassion on us for our sufferings, because He has felt it; for He has descended below them all. His hand is stretched forth always, to lift us up when we are down. He understands our pains, and knows how to perfectly nurture us to allow us to be healed. So let's use this gift for our benefit, for the price is already paid.

We have so much to be grateful for, so much has been given to us through the divine love of God the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. Ingratitude comes from a focus on oneself. Remembering everything that happens to you that is bad, and forgetting all that has been given from the Lord. I am so grateful for everything Heavenly Father has given me. Even every breath I take is a blessing from Him. I am grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ, His sacrifice was an act of pure love, and has infinitely blessed me in my life. I am grateful for my family always being there for me. Friends that support me and give encouragement. And for all things I see as a blessing, and even the blessings I don't always recognize. We can always feel content in our trials, let us use all of the blessings given us, and be grateful in all circumstances. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Thanks for reading.