Can You Find 15 Minutes a Day to Grow Closer to Jesus Christ?

Hello, can you find 15 minutes a day to grow closer to Jesus Christ? Here is an article from Family Share that outlines 5 ways to grow closer to Him.

http://familyshare.com/5-ways-to-grow-closer-to-jesus-christ 

Landmarks to Get Home

If you were dropped out in the middle of nowhere and someone told you to walk for a couple miles in one direction to see if you could make a fairly straight line, you could do it if you had something to focus on, right? For instance, in this picture with a tree, you could fix your eyes on the tree and walk directly toward it. As long as you could see the tree, you could walk toward it and your path would be fairly direct.

Suppose you were dropped out in the middle of a field and told the same thing. How would you make sure that you walked a straight line for miles? 

It would be very difficult if there were no landmarks of any kind. In fact, there was a study done by researchers* where people were dropped in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy day and told to walk in a straight line. They ended up walking in circles, and even crossed their own paths at several points. There were others who were dropped off on a sunny day with a clear landmark in the distance and told to walk a straight line toward that landmark, They were able to walk almost a straight line toward the landmark. 

If we have landmarks in our vision, we are able to walk toward them. If we have nothing to set our sights on, we can wander around aimlessly for a long time. 

For spiritual growth, we have been given landmarks by the Lord. He gave The Ten Commandments to the people of ancient days. He gave the Holy Bible for us to use. We have a church with inspired leaders to help guide us. We can ask in prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can pray directly to God, our Heavenly Father and close our prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ." We can seek other holy writings. These can be our landmarks to help us walk a straight path.

I testify to you that God lives. His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of us all. He is the light and the way. He is the only way that we can return to our Father's presence in heaven. Whether we believe it, or see it right now, or not, this is fact and we cannot alter that fact no matter what we do. It is our responsibility to follow Him and do those things He has asked of us so that we can eventually become clean enough to enter into His presence. This is more of a reality than what we see around us every day. I promise. 

With love, I wish for you only the best, and comfort when you need it. I may not be there with you right now in person, but if my words ring true to you, then please pray that our Father in heaven will send to you a way to get those landmarks you need to return to His presence. Remember to close your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Jesus is our way back home.

Love.

*Sorry I cannot cite the study, but I heard this report from Elder Bednar, a very reliable source.

Jesus Stories from the Holy Bible

Jesus Christ Bible Stories

Someone showed this link to me yesterday. I am very impressed with the quality of the productions and the script stayed true to the written word in the Holy Bible. These are good short videos for anyone learning about Jesus or anyone who wants to get a clear perspective on how the stories might have been in real life. Also, anyone who wants to learn English might benefit from watching these because the actors speak slowly and clearly.

Because they are so true to the Holy Bible, these videos could be used in teaching about Jesus in Sunday School or at any Christian services or meetings. They could surely benefit missionary work in all parts of the world.

The Lord Jesus Christ atoned for us so that we could all return to live with Him eternally. He must surely love us. Our Heavenly Father must also love us more than we can imagine, because He allowed His Son to come to earth and do that for us.

Enjoy learning more about Our Savior!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-videos/id475327718?mt=8

Jesus Christ is Our Savior and Redeemer

In a movie made 60 years ago called THE ROBE, a fictional Roman is converted to become a Christian. The movie is a classic and it is very dramatic. It is seen through the point of view of the Romans, which in this movie represents "the world", as opposed to the kingdom of Christ. For the photo to go with this post, I chose the closing scene of the movie. In this scene, the Roman tribune who has been converted, a fictional character named Marcelus, goes before the Emperor Caligula who really lived and is not a fictional character.

Even today many people struggle with the idea of a kingdom of God. Is there a God that is over all the earth? If so, is he a loving god or a god to be feared? Who is this Jesus? If he is the Son of God, then why is there so much trouble in the world? SO many questions that seem to be left unanswered to people who will not take the time to study the scriptures and pray with faith.

Are we not all creating our own kingdoms by the choices we make? For instance, I choose to not drink alcoholic drinks. That's my choice. Do I have friends who drink? Yes, I do. Do I spend a lot of time with them drinking? No, I don't. Are they welcome into my home? Yes, of course. Will I offer them alcoholic drinks at my home? Nope. Do they expect to be served alcoholic drinks when they come over? No, they don't. And everybody is ok with that. That is an example of one aspect of my kingdom - no alcoholic drinks. Other examples include the humor I choose to laugh at, the level of modesty in the way I dress, the type of music I choose, the way I treat others, etc. All the choices I make create my kingdom.

Jesus Christ also has his kingdom. He chooses to do everything his Father wants him to do. He has chosen to ascribe to what his Father has done in the Kingdom of God and Christ continues to teach us how to be a part of that kingdom if we want to. It is totally up to us. He has given us the scriptures to use as a written manual. He has given us commandments to use as guidelines. He even promises that the Holy Spirit will reveal truths to us if we seek them.

Jesus Christ has given us an open invitation to be a part of his Kingdom. The doors of his kingdom are open to every single person who has ever lived or who will live on this earth. We can open the doors and come toward Christ, or we can choose to back away and do something different. He doesn't change. When he came to earth and taught his followers he was the same as he is today. He lives.

We are the ones who must choose. We can choose to be fully engulfed with the world and its empty promises or we can be fully engaged and make covenants to live in a kingdom that Christ has invited us to be a part of. He has even asked us to help him make it grow.

Who is on the Lord's side?

And yes, Jesus does love you. He always will. His love is not based on your behavior. He loves you unconditionally and waits with open arms for you to come to him. I promise you this.

Jesus Christ is the Literal Son of God, Our Heavenly Father

Around the world yesterday, we celebrated one of the greatest events of the history of the planet. We celebrated the birth of the literal son of God, Our Heavenly Father. God loved us, so he sent his only begotten son. With a mortal mother and an immortal father, Jesus is the only one who could overcome death and pave the way for all of us. This was done because of love for each and every one of us.

When you read this and you feel a special feeling, this is your spirit recognizing that it is reality in an eternal perspective. The Holy Spirit is there to testify to you of all things that are true according to God's truth.

With faith, go forward. Act on all things that bring you to Jesus Christ. He wants to be your advocate. When you have made mistakes in the past, Jesus Christ steps forward to offer mercy which satisfies justice. This is true, but difficult to understand why it has to be this way. That is where our faith comes into play. In the next week or so, I will be posting some thoughts about repentance, if you would like to check back.

My heart is full as I write this. I feel like I am writing this for somebody who is really searching for information about Jesus. If it is you, dear reader, know that Jesus does live this day and He looks forward to a reunion with you. Please live worthy of His presence, so this can happen. Do good wherever you live and talk to God, Our Father in Heaven. Close your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ." It will be sure to be heard.

With love.

"I Am a Child of God" a Song for Children, Or is It?

There is a song for children called "I Am a Child of God". The third verse goes like this:

I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I'll live with hime once more.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
Help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do
To live with him someday.

By: Naomi Randall and Mildred Pettit

We have been given the ten commandments and the two greatest commandments. We know that Jesus loves each and every one of us so much that he laid down his life and took it up again. He also atoned for our sins by taking our sins upon himself so that his mercy could compensate for justice. In so doing, he became our advocate with the Father. We can pray directly to God our Father in the name of Jesus Christ if we are on his same team.

More simply said, Jesus is literally our brother and our Savior. Our Father in Heaven is also his Father. They both love us so much. They love it when we pray because they love to hear from us, their family. It is so simple that even children can understand it.

With love.