Come Follw Me Page

I will start the ball rolling and start sharing some things I have picked up while studying and pondering on this week's Come, Follow Me scripture passage. Please note that we don't need to share everyday, but please feel free to share any time the Spirit prompts you to do so, or if your sharing would be beneficial to all. I would encourage all to share because it is only through sharing, that we can we learn from one another.

I was just pondering on Matthew 18:11-14, and I am just reminded that at one point of our lives, perhaps even now, we are that lost sheep, and the Good Shepherd is searching for us diligently and lovingly.

The devil makes us feel that we are all alone in our times of trial and testing. He feeds us with anti-materials, sowing seeds of doubts into our hearts. The Adversary stirs up anger and contention in our hearts, especially when someone offended or misunderstood us. In times of conflict, Satan placed pride in our hearts, that even though we are wrong, we deny the truth and claim that we are right. He makes us so in tune with the ways of the world, the desires of the flesh, that often times, we want the easy way out, we don't want to give up our carnal and devilish nature because we are too comfortable with it, or rather, we are instilled and indoctrinated with such things, and we end up doing foolish things. Perhaps we surround ourselves with people who are worldly and carnal, people that crave the pleasures and desires that the world has to offer. Perhaps we, too, crave for that supposed freedom that people outside of our Church can enjoy. Perhaps we are living out our lives by abiding with the ways of the world, maybe just a little.

We need to understand that if we are following just a little section of the ways of the world, if we allowed that to happen, it would be easier for us to slowly but surely adopt more of the ways of the world, and thus be successfully led astray by the devil. It's a bit like smoking, we convinced ourselves that we would just try one cigarette, thinking that it would be harmless, but after one cigarette, we would be tempted to take another, and another, and another, until it spirals down into an all-out smoking addiction.

In life, we will definitely stray away from the covenant path from time to time, and the devil is extremely cunning in making everything that is of the world seem great, pleasing to the eyes. We may succumb to temptations, we may falter, we may doubt, and we may fall, but our Heavenly Father wants us to know is that whenever these things happen to us, He is forgiving and abounding in mercy, always ready to forgive the truly penitent. How great is our God, that He never measure our worthiness or salvation based on how many times we sin or stray away from Him!

I am reminded of the Temptation of Jesus Christ in Luke 4:1-14, Jesus' response to every temptation thrown at him by the devil, was with verses from the scriptures. Whenever we are tempted, Jesus is showing us that we have to search the scriptures (General Conference talks too!) carefully and allow the Holy Ghost to teach and guide us through the words of scripture, and the lips of living prophets. I am also reminded of the plan that we all agreed to be a part of in the pre-mortal life, the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness, which a part of the plan is that we are to learn and grow, to become more like our Heavenly Father, which means that it is okay that we fall at times, it is when we fall that we learn what is good for us spiritually and what is not.

We may truly be a lost sheep, and there are millions of lost sheep, and although Jesus is finding us individually, when Jesus calls our name personally, and when we do hear His voice, we can choose to hide, to run further into the mountains, or we can choose to come unto Christ and be grafted back in into His fold. Jesus loves us, and cares deeply about us. Jesus is thinking about us, even when He is suffering for our sake at the Garden of Gethsemane, even when He was crucified. Jesus died for all of our sins, each and every sin that we committed, so long as we repent and to just believe in Him. He made repentance easy and accessible unto all. Jesus atoned for our sins, not desiring or expecting or demanding us for anything in return, but only for us to know that He loves us deeply and that He has never stopped loving us, even though we may not feel or know of His supernal love.

I am left to ponder these questions in my heart: Jesus is willing to sacrifice all things, even His life, so that we may live with Him for all of eternity. Am I willing to sacrifice all things to come unto Christ? If I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the World, the Lord of my life, how can I best live out my life that shows Heavenly Father that I am grateful and thankful for the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ?