Thursday, August 10, 2006

   Hi!
I challenge you to stand up to your peers as an example of righteous living.
~ Elder L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 1996, 38

The river Jordan marked the historic meeting place when Jesus came down from Galilee to be baptized of John. At first John pleaded with the Master: "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?"6 Came the response: "It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. . . . And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
John freely declared and taught, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Of John, the Lord declared, "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist."
[...]
Many who were pioneers in spirit and action were called by Jesus to be His Apostles. Much could be told of each.
Peter was among the first of Jesus's disciples. Peter the fisherman, in response to a divine call, laid aside his nets and hearkened to the Master's declaration: Come "follow me, and I will make you [a fisher] of men." I never think of Peter without admiring his testimony of the Lord: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
John the Beloved is the only one of the Twelve recorded as being at the Crucifixion of Christ. From the cruel cross Jesus uttered the magnificent charge to John, referring to His mother, Mary: "Behold thy mother," and to Mary, "Behold thy son."
The Apostles went before, showing others the way to follow. They were pioneers.
[...]
In due time honest men with yearning hearts, at the peril of their very lives, attempted to establish points of reference, that they might find the true way. The day of the Reformation was dawning, but the path ahead was difficult. Persecutions would be severe, personal sacrifice overwhelming, and the cost beyond calculation. The reformers were pioneers, blazing wilderness trails in a desperate search for those lost points of reference that they felt would lead mankind back to the truth Jesus taught.
Wycliffe, Luther, Hus, Zwingli, Knox, Calvin, and Tyndale all pioneered during the period of the Reformation. Significant was the declaration of Tyndale to his critics: "I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know more of the scripture than thou doest."
Such were the teachings and lives of the great reformers. Their deeds were heroic, their contributions many, their sacrifices great—but they did not restore the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Of the reformers, one could ask: "Was their sacrifice in vain? Was their struggle futile?" I answer with a reasoned no. The Holy Bible was now within the grasp of the people. Each person could better find his or her way. Oh, if only all could read and all could understand! But some could read, and others could hear, and all had access to God through prayer.
The long-awaited day of restoration did indeed come. Let us review that significant event in the history of the world by recalling the testimony of the plowboy who became a prophet, the witness who was there—even Joseph Smith.
[...]
Describing his experience, Joseph said: "I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
"At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. . . .
" . . . I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. . . .
" . . . I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. . . .
" . . . I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . .
" . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
The Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, had appeared to Joseph Smith. The morning of the dispensation of the fulness of times had come, dispelling the darkness of the long generations of spiritual night.
[...]
[W]e learn of the ultimate pioneer—even Jesus Christ. His birth was foretold by the prophets of old; His entry upon the stage of life was announced by an angel. His life and His ministry have transformed the world.
With the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, there emerged a great endowment, a power stronger than weapons, a wealth more lasting than the coins of Caesar. This child was to be the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Promised Messiah, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, He came forth from heaven to live on earth as mortal man and to establish the kingdom of God. During His earthly ministry, He taught men the higher law. His glorious gospel reshaped the thinking of the world. He blessed the sick. He caused the lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear. He even raised the dead to life.
One sentence from the book of Acts speaks volumes: Jesus "went about doing good, . . . for God was with him."
He taught us to pray: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
In the garden known as Gethsemane, where His suffering was so great that blood came from His pores, He pleaded as He prayed, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
He taught us to serve: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
He taught us to forgive: "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."
He taught us to love: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
"This is the first and great commandment.
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Like the true pioneer He was, He invited, "Come, follow me."
Let us turn to Capernaum. There Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came to the Master, saying, "My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live."26 Then came the news from the ruler's house: "Thy daughter is dead."
Christ responded, "Be not afraid, only believe." He came to the house, passed by the mourners, and said to them: "Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn,"29 knowing that she was dead. "He . . . put them all out. . . . And he took [her] by the hand, and said unto her, . . . Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. . . . And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; . . . and they were astonished."

~President Thomas S. Monson, Led by Spiritual Pioneers, Ensign, August 2006

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Equus: If you visit Refi-chan's site, she has a link to a site by Inuyasha311--a forum for us anime fans (and maybe especially us rabid bishie fangirls XD).

Xihuitl: God be with you. Hope you liked the quotes.

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Fact of the day: The morning and evening stars are actually planets. Generally, the really bright "stars" are. And real stars are actually suns. ^_^

Kurama-clone: Here are your pocket hugs. Have a good day. ^_^
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