We toss the word love around a lot. I love that music. I love that food. I love that movie, whatever. Eastern tradition and culture teach us to not use it so blatantly and so lightly. They say that we should not use that word in regards to inanimate objects since it’s not in accordance with what love is all about. I’m going to try and work harder about remembering that.

Sometimes I feel something for someone, just out of nowhere. And, I’m not sure why. I feel it in my heart and soul. It touches me. And, being a guy (and a very analytical one at that), I try to understand why I feel that way. I logically try to think about what caused me to feel like that. Funny thing is, I can’t explain it. Feelings are in a realm that is separate from logic. It’s the kind of thing which separates women and men. Men try to use logic. Women are all about emotion and feeling. So, when I get hit with emotion and feeling, it’s kind of a weird thing for me. And I try to rationalize my feelings. You know what, though? I’m going to do better about relying on my heart and feelings. The Spirit speaks to my heart, my mind and my soul. I better not ignore my heart. And, may the force be with us all. (Yeah, I’m a Star Wars fan, too. :-p)

I’ve been thinking about lately how we should never judge anyone. It’s tough, since it’s our human nature to process decisions in nanoseconds about literally everything we do. So, even without thinking, our brains are constantly making decisions. However, when it comes to getting to know someone, we need to hold that judgment back and give the reins to the spiritual side of our beings, instead of letting the natural man take over. We never know where someone is at in their life. And when we judge others, we are limiting their true potential as children of God who have the ability to one day become gods and goddesses. God knows each of us. He knows our strengths and weaknesses. He knows our true potential. We should never compare where we are at in our lives with where someone else is. Just because we are at a different place, doesn’t make us any better or any worse in God’s eyes. “We are all taking different paths through the same maze.” –Lucas Reynolds. I am reminded of God’s love for us and His ability to see our true potential even when we are struggling in this life by the story of the sons of Mosiah. If you haven’t read Mosiah 27 recently, you should go back and read it. I’ll take some scriptures from there and discuss them.

Mosiah 27:8
8 Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.

Mosiah 27:34
And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.

So, basically you have Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah going around seeking to destroy the church. They are leading the hearts of the people away to commit sin with them. And it’s frustrating to the church members, insomuch that they petition to Alma to do something about it. So, he talks with King Mosiah.

Mosiah 27:1
1 And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah consulted with his priests.

Can you imagine your bishop or stake president’s son going around with the governor’s sons and seeking to destroy the church and get you to go out and party with them and rebel? That’s pretty much what was going on.

Now, I’m sure if that was going on today that there would be many of us who would judge these people. We would judge them by their actions. We might “give up” on them. We might not “love” them with Christ-like love. We’d probably be a little frustrated and “pissed off” with their actions. Some might even “write them off” as never, ever coming back to the church again.

However, Christ never writes us off. God loves us so much that He established a way for us to return to live with him again. And this is through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that through repentance and His Atonement, our garments may be washed clean through his blood…that though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. God never limits our potential. He knew we would sin. That’s why Christ is central to His plan. God’s work and His glory is to bring to pass OUR immortality and eternal life. And that can only be done through Christ. Christ is our Redeemer and our judge. He suffered all so that he may know how to succor his people. He can help comfort us in our times of worry, sorrow and suffering. We only need to have the faith and take the necessary action to let Him be an integral part of our lives.

This principle of forgiveness is shown very well with what happened to Alma and the sons of Mosiah.

Mosiah 27:13-15
13 Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God.

I love how these scriptures illustrate that because of the prayers and faith of the people that an angel of the Lord was sent to “convince thee of the power and authority of God.” So, not only does he answer the people’s prayers, but he also helps get these lost souls back on track.

And I love Alma’s words of what happened to him and the knowledge and faith he had afterwards:

Mosiah 27:23-33
23 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:
24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was cracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
30 I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all.
31 Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye.
32 And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them.
33 But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God.

I absolutely love the description of everything: He tells us we must be “changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters.” And he explains how we become “new creatures” since we are now able to behold the “marvelous light of God.”

You have one of the worst sinners ever, who is doing everything to destroy the church. And what happens? He becomes a new person. He changes. He is able to do this through Christ’s Atonement. And he and the sons of Mosiah then become some of the most awesome, strongest members in the entire church. God never gave up on them. He didn’t judge them. He knew their true hearts and realized their potential. He answered the prayers of the people and allowed them to have an experience that would bring about their change through their faith and repentance in Christ.

The end of Mosiah 27 tells us what happened to them after this experience.

Mosiah 27:35-37
35 And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.
36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
37 And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

These people became instruments in God’s hands. I can just imagine Alma saying unto the Lamanites, “Hey guys, you don’t want to go out and party and drink and be loose with your morals. Dude, I’ve been there. You might think it’s fun, but it’s not. It doesn’t bring everlasting happiness. I know. I was there.” And then he recounts his miraculous conversion story. How many people are more willing to believe him because of what he went through and because of his change of heart? He might have been able to personally connect better with these people because he knows how it was like to be in their shoes. Jesus knows how it’s like to be in OUR shoes. He suffered all our pains and afflictions. He knows of our hurt and our sorrow. He can help ease our pain if we’ll let him. And we can rise to our true potential.

Later on, we read about what kind of men they had become:

Alma 17: 1-2, 12, 16
1 And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
2 Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
• • •
12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.
• • •
16 Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption.

They wanted others to be happy like they were happy. They knew and loved the Lord. They couldn’t imagine others being in the same kind of pain as they once knew. So, they desired to go out and teach their brethren…even their enemies. Can you imagine going up to some “Gangstas” and teaching them the Gospel and not to kill people…just because you love them as your brothers and you want them to be happy? That takes a lot of “cojones.”

Never judge others. Never limit someone’s potential to become better…even Godlike. Don’t hold onto memories of how someone “used to be” once they have changed. Don’t compare yourself to others to make yourself feel better or to get depressed because you’re not currently like someone else in whatever manner it may be. That is a double-edged sword Satan uses to help us be prideful and to help us be depressed. Both cause us not to be able to have the Spirit with us to be happy.

As a good friend recently told me, “Happiness is a choice. Choose to be happy!”

I’ve been thinking a lot about how it’s our inherit nature to judge. I mean, we were given the knowledge to know right from wrong, good from evil. We all were blessed with the Light of Christ. And it used to bug me in my collegiate studies of Philosophy how there would always be a debate as to whether something was “inherently good” or “inherently evil”…or, whether we simply believed that because of our religion. Well, I thought it was a pointless argument. And, I’ve recently realized why, after reading the first two lectures from “Lectures on Faith” which illustrates elaborately God’s hand in everything from before the creation down to the time of Adam and Eve, after their fall, and continuously through prophets afterwards. Now, if we believe that everything was created by God…if we believe in a Supreme being, then there is no debate as to whether something is inherently right or wrong. We would know that everything has the Light of Christ within it, since He is the creator of our world and everything in it, including us. And it’s this light that gives to us a conscience of whether something is right or wrong. It’s not some mystery of the universe. So, it always bothered me to debate something that is inherently woven into my being from the very beginning. I suppose some just don’t realize who they are, where they came from or the potential they have of who they can become and what they can obtain. And that saddens me.

Doctrine and Covenants 93:9
9 The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.

Doctrine and Covenants 88: 6-7
6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

I guess Smashing Pumpkins were correct in one of their earlier songs they wrote, titled Jesus is the Sun. Here are a few excerpts of lyrics from that song:

As Christ grows
Christ shows nothing but love
Jesus, can you hear me
My pain is echoed through you

…

If I try, why, why
Jesus is the sun

Here’s another one of their songs where they reference “the sun” and “the son” being the same. It’s titled Innosense:

Any way, you choose
The sun and the son are true

I was thinking about some of my favorite songs which express a belief in God and our divine origin. And, not strangely enough, I thought about one from my favorite bands, Smashing Pumpkins. Their album Machina/The Machines of God was a concept album which contained a song named With Every Light. Here are its lyrics:

With Every Light

We’re taking over, we’re taking over
Throw the weight up off your shoulders now
That we can show our love

It’s almost over, it’s almost over
Nor more war and no more soldiers
To stand against his love

Away with all the troubles that you’ve made
Away with waiting for another day
Away

Look ma the sun is shining on me
Impatient, in love and aching to be
Could you believe in Heaven
If Heaven was all you had?

Away with everything you’ve grown to hate
Away with anything that holds you safe
Away

And every light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me
Every light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me

Every Light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me
I’m never alone

Look ma the sun is shining on me
I’m taking my time to do as I please
Could you believe in Heaven
If Heaven was all you had?

The sun is beaming, radiating
All the love we are creating
We are creating

And every light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me
Every light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me

Every light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me
Every Light I’ve found
Is every light that’s shining down on me
I’m never alone

I am reminded of the 13th Article of Faith:

13 We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

There are many things that give us “light” and knowledge.

Doctrine and Covenants 93: 36-37, 39-40
36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
37 Light and truth forsake that evil one.
• • •
39 And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.
40 But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.

Doctrine and Covenants 84: 45
45 For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

These things we find in life can give us greater light. That’s why we should seek after these positive, uplifting things. They can help strengthen our testimonies and fill us with light and joy, which is truth…and actually givess us intelligence…spiritual intelligence…knowledge and understanding. We can remember things we once knew already, but have forgotten because of the veil.

While it is true that we can not live off borrowed light, sometimes one needs another to shine a little light their way and help make the dark path just a little bit brighter for them. Sometimes we all need someone else to reach out and show their love to us to help ignite that spark within us, so we can help develop our light and make it brighter and stronger.

I hope that we can all not be afraid to give of our light to others. We’re here to help one another and not judge. Just like you can’t judge a band by its genre, you can’t judge another based on what they wear, where they live, how much money they make, what you’ve heard others say about them, etc. Take the time to get to know people. You will have a better understanding of what makes them special. After all, we are all God’s children and wants us to love others as He loves us.

Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement. The scriptures often describe hope in Jesus Christ as the assurance that you will inherit eternal life in the celestial kingdom.
President James E. Faust taught:
“Hope is the anchor of our souls. . . .
“Hope is trust in God’s promises, faith that if we act now, the desired blessings will be
fulfilled in the future. . . .
“The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that
His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death” (“Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,”
Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59–60).

Taken from “Preach My Gospel” manual…page 117

Never make a promise you don’t intend to keep
Take an oath and seal your lips
And do not make a peep

I consider myself a very trustworthy, honest and loyal individual. When I make a promise to someone, I don’t take it lightly. And, I consider others to do the same. Thank you to those who have shared things with me and who have gone out of their comfort zone and trusted in me to give me a better understanding of what has helped shape your character to help make you who you are at this point in your life. I promise not to take these things for granted and appreciate the comfort and support it has also given me knowing that others have shared some of the same struggles which I have. Life is to be shared and enjoyed. That’s why God put us in families. If what we have been through can help someone else along in life, even better. We are all God’s children and are here to help one another out. You never know when someone might be an answer to your prayer. And conversely, you, an answer to theirs.

Don’t take promises lightly. Trust in God. His promises will always come true. We just must have faith and live accordingly that we can be blessed with what He wants to bless us with.

“Knowledge is to me; once given
Direct all thy paths towards the Kingdom of Heaven”

I don’t remember reading that or hearing that anywhere. But, I thought it was something good to post about it since it came into my head when I was still half asleep, trying to wake up. After the trial of your faith comes the blessing and then the confirmation of the faith which you applied through your works. This gives you knowledge and increases your testimony.

Ether 12:6, 27-28
6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
28 Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

Hebrews 11:1, 3
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

So even this world was created through faith. Faith is not just a belief. Faith has power just as our thoughts have power. Our thoughts lead to our actions just like our beliefs dictate our actions.

Moroni 7:26
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.

That’s a pretty powerful promise. That whatever good thing we ask of God in Christ’s name will be done unto us according to our faith. I guess the breakfast of champions is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Doctrine & Covenants 63:9-10, 20, 47
9 But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.
10 Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God.

20 Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come;

47 He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world.

We don’t know why we need to do or say something. We must exercise our faith first. We must put our trust in the Lord and believe. It’s not until after we exercise our faith that we are given a sign and receive that confirmation through the Holy Ghost that it was from God.

Have you ever had a friend or maybe even a family member that you’ve known for years…and you know this person so well that you know what they’re going to do or say in a given situation? You feel that you know them just as well as anyone else. Well, remember that God knows us better than anyone else. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts, our feelings, the intents of our heart. He knows how we will react in a certain situation. He knows our weaknesses and our strengths. He knows what we need in our lives at any given moment.

If we have faith in God and in Jesus Christ and Christ’s Atonement, we can have our paths directed for good. We can stay out of the briar pits of life…and if we happen to end up there because of our own choosing, God can help us find a way out without as much injury to our souls. I know that I need to listen to God and what He has in store for me. What paths he wants me to take in my life are to strengthen me for the better. We may not always think that His path is the best one…but remember, He can see further down the road than we can.

We must remember God first in all that we do. Give thanks unto him. Live righteously to be blessed with His Spirit and we will be directed. We will be directed in what to say, when to say it and when to do things and when to not do things. He will give us thoughts and ideas. We will be inspired and blessed. Our loved ones and angels on the other side will watch out for us, protect us, and show their love unto us, even through the whisperings of the Spirit. I know this to be true.

And when we test our faith, it will increase. This doesn’t mean we will then have a perfect knowledge of things. But, it will confirm to us that what we exercised our faith upon was indeed correct and something that needed to be done.

Keep a balance in life…but make things a priority. It’s alright to ask “The Man Who Knows Everything” when you need the right answers. And have faith that you will receive them. Then, live righteously so that you may receive them. If you don’t take time out for God, you will be too busy to ever hear Him or see His hand in your life.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” –Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities