"You know, [insert your name], that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves."
Doctrine and Covenants 123:16 (also see James 3:4 KJV)
___ h e l m ___
Okay...... Keep this in mind because it'll be important in a minute! :)
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Yesterday I was reading out of The Book of Mormon.... In Mormon Chapter 5, I read some verses that really stood out to me!
But for those of you who are unfamiliar, let me do a little explaining about what this book actually is...
The Book of Mormon is a compilation of journal entries of righteous men (Prophets of God) that lived on the American continent several hundreds of years before Christ's birth in Bethlehem. This book also includes entries of the lives of these people and their posterity during Christ's life, and hundreds of years after His death and resurrection. This civilization of people were taught to look for the signs and coming of Christ, just as those in the Bible. 3 days after Christ's resurrection He came back and appeared to his Disciples in Jerusalem! (One of many references that you can turn to for this is Luke 24:39 KJV). After Christ's visitation to Jerusalem, He later went and visited His "other sheep" (see John 10:16 KJV) who had also been looking forward to His coming (the people living on the American continent). In 3rd Nephi (in The Book of Mormon) you can read about this crowning event, which documented His visit and the things that Jesus Christ taught while He was with them. :)
The Bible and Book of Mormon are two separate accounts from the perspective of two different civilizations looking to Christ. On the cover of The Book of Mormon it says, "Another Testament of Jesus Christ". A definition of testament that I found says, "Something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact, event, or quality." So I further testify that The Book of Mormon stands side by side with the Bible in further proving and strengthening the fact that Jesus Christ IS the Savior and Redeemer of the world. The Book of Mormon gets its name from a man named Mormon who had lived on the American continent hundreds of years after Christ appeared after His resurrection. Mormon not only wrote in the book, but also was the one who abridged the record! In essence, there were SO many journal entires that had accumulated over the years... through God's direction Mormon selected the entries that captured the highlighted events that had taken place over all that time.
Okay, so back to my reading... Mormon Chapter 5.... This is towards the end of The Book of Mormon, 300+ years after Jesus Christ life.
As you can imagine... 300+ years is a longggg time... by this point the people in the Americas had become rebellious and had turned away from God completely. They spent their days in turmoil, war, destruction, and bloodshed. Mormon was one of the only godly men still alive... The people trusted Mormon and appointed him to be the leader of their armies. But soon after, Mormon became discouraged by the constant fighting and stepped down from his position.
Mormon recounts saying:
(verse 1) "...for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions."
(verse 2) "But behold, I was without hope... for they repented not... but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them."
(verse 18)Â "...they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they."Â
Just as Mormon had described, these people had no form of direction in their lives. They turned to a man for help... they looked to Mormon as their "Savior" (because they didn't believe in any form of a higher power) to deliver them from their afflictions and the destruction of their enemies. They were left to their own strength because they refused to pray. And as you continue to read... they eventually fought until no one was left.Â
Mormon said that "they were led by Satan..." to which eventually led to the extinction of an ENTIREÂ civilization.
As we get closer and closer to the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ... times will become very turbulent. In order to stay safe and at peace, we must do what's necessary in our lives to allow the Lord to take over the helm on our vessels. By simply not doing anything, we also give Satan full control over our boat and our direction. Christ HAS to be our guide if we intend on safely navigating the roaring waves of life that seek to drag us down and smother out the light and joy that our vessels were designed to give off. With Christ in control.... it is impossible to sink! Likewise, giving Satan power over your direction will lead to the inevitable outcome like those Mormon explained.Â
So, how do you give Christ control over the helm of your ship??? YOU must first do your part to ensure that you are capable of having His Spirit to be with you...
"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." - Russell M. Nelson
Clear out the junk in your life that may be stopping you from getting close to Christ (music, worldly thoughts, friends, language, drugs... the list could go on and on...)! Don't leave those spaces empty though... because that's when it becomes really easy to fall back into old habits! Choose to replace them with good and wholesome things that will fill you with light... and as a result YOU will be filled with LASTING JOY!!
That's how this whole "Jesus thing" works... You move closer to Him and as you do, you leave darkness for light. Very simple. I'm not saying that if you live life differently than me that you're an "awful sinner" and you're a "bad person"... Some people that come to mind as I'm writing this are some of my best friends that I love more than life itself!!! No one on earth is designed to be a bad person.... All of this is about finding peace, finding happiness, realizing who you were actually born to be, realizing your potential, even when it may feel that life has dealt you unfairly. Christ isn't about all these organized religions that fight for recognition and status. Christ is about all of us becoming one and loving each other's differences while helping one another live happier. Christ's way of life isn't easy but it's SO worth every bit of effort and struggle. It's about helping those you love find a happiness that lasts more than just some buzz or high.
To all my Gay/Lesbian/Druggy/Black/White/Hispanic/Christian/Atheist etc....... friends I've met over the years, that have allowed me to be apart of your life... Thank you. :) You've each made me better just because I've known and spent time with you... You all have had some of the most AMAZING hearts and I want you to know that I love you. Instead of labels we should just label with love... And Christ is the author of that.
The Book of Mormon - 2 Nephi 26:33
"[God] inviteth them all to come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God...."
Thank you a million for holding out and finishing this to the end!
You all are the real MVPs ;)
If you have questions about anything... PLEASE find a way to get in touch with me!
If you're interested in a free (customized) copy of the book I talked about, hit me up! I'll either hand deliver it to you or mail it!