Prophets Give Counsel, Leading to Jesus Christ

Katie is a BYU student and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes known as the “Mormon Church” by the media). She is currently taking a religion course at Brigham Young, where she is learning about the Joseph Smith-Matthew (JSM) which is the Joseph Smith Translation of Matthew 23:39–24:51. Below are her thoughts and feelings concerning this book and how it applies to our lives today:

Over the past year I have felt the power of Satan stronger than I ever thought possible. One of my best friends left the church because of same-sex attraction, my now ex-husband went apostate due to deceptive concepts of false prophets, a close friend of mine admitted to being heavily addicted to pornography for the past 8 years, and my younger cousin became mentally unstable and went on a killing spree before he took his own life. All of these loved ones of mine were at one point or another strong and steadfast Latter-Day Saints in the Gospel. And so, time and time again I’ve asked WHY?? Why did this happen and why does it seem to be everywhere around me? How can I survive in a world with such evil? By reading Joseph Smith—Matthew with the understanding that those things are going to happen in our day, it gives me strength and comfort to withstand this evil and heartache that I’m constantly being faced with.

“For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant” (JSM 1:22). Having witnessed these things firsthand, the knowledge that these words are for our day makes me feel honored to be counted as one of the elect, but it also makes me be more alert knowing that Satan is after me specifically.

A few of the horrific things described from the meridian of times included robbers, murders in broad daylight, courts being abolished, corrupt leaders, and revolts. This resembles many things that are occurring in other parts of the world such as what is going on in the Middle East. By reading from the experiences of the past we can learn how to avoid them during this time, or at least learn how to protect our loved ones and ourselves. We can make a conscious effort to keep corruption out of society, stand up for our rights and liberties, and raise children who will do the same.

Are we living our lives in such a way that we can worthily call upon the Lord and receive his blessings? If not, then now is the time to repent and clear our conscience. The Romans of our day will someday come to bring us into bondage. We must become clean so that we can be saved through our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the only way to safety.

It is easy to get down on ourselves as we witness the evils around us and read about those still to come. However, JSM can be a beacon of hope to those who are faithful. Despite our surroundings, some day “they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory; And whoso treasureth up my word shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet” (JSM 1:36-37). If we will follow the instruction to “watch” and “be ye also ready” then we will have nothing to fear. We can use JSM as a source of comfort in knowing that one day our Savior will come and we will be ready to meet him.

Additional Resources:

Read/watch/listen to today’s prophets and apostles on the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

What do Mormons believe about Jesus Christ?

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. Request a free copy today.

Written by Molly Roemer, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.

We All Have Potential to Become Like Our Heavenly Father

Through Moses’s encounter with God in Moses chapter one, found in the Pearl of Great Price—a book of scripture held sacred by Latter-day Saints “Mormons”—he not only learned a great deal about Heavenly Father, but he also learned a lot about himself. I believe that relating the scriptures, these passages in particular, to myself will also help me to learn a great deal about who I am and how that affects my relationship with the Father.

Moses learned that he was created in the image of God and was given “spiritual eyes” that he might see what the Father showed him. After his vision, Moses had to take many hours to regain his strength. He came to the realization that “man is nothing” (see Moses 1:10). Because Moses had seen the glory of God, or at least a small portion of it, he was able to recognize a significant difference between Heavenly Father and Satan. Now Moses, after learning more about who he was, was able to cast Satan out of his presence.

I have always been confused about the ideas that man is nothing, and yet are created in the image of Heavenly Father. I thought that there was no way these both could coincide and be true. My thoughts concerning the verses in Moses 1:1-23, however, were able to help me understand more fully the role that I play, and will hopefully be able to play someday. We have been told by prophets of old that “man is as the dust of the Earth” (See the Book of Mormon, Mormon 9:17). This does not do a whole lot for my self esteem. But as I have questioned it further, I have found that it may very well be the one thing that would help it the most.

If I chose to humble myself as Moses did, then would I soon realize for myself that I was ‘nothing’. I would realize that I owe everything to my Heavenly Father and would put my full trust in him. Then, and only then, can He make me into the person He wants me to be, and who I will want to be. I can someday become a goddess. It is then, I believe, that I will find that my self esteem and wisdom will have reached a level I could not begin to understand at this point in my life.

Moses has taught me through his relationship with God that my relationship with God the Father will be the difference between me becoming who I need to become. It affects so deeply my relationship with Him while I am still striving to make my potential a reality. It instills almost an urgency to keep pressing forward in faith to do especially the small things to better my relationship with Him. Moses’s example can be a wonderful motivator when things seem especially difficult.

Additional Resources:

Find a Mormon local meeting house.

Mormons are Christians. Read an explanation of our view on Jesus Christ, the Redeemer.

How can we become more like Jesus Christ, and like Heavenly Father?

Written by Naivasha Burrows, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.

We Can All Have a Relationship with God the Father

Learning what Moses learned about his relationship with God in Moses chapter one, found in a book of sacred scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, affects my own relationship with our Heavenly Father immensely. The first thing God tells Moses is his own identity, which is the Lord God Almighty. This testifies of his divinity, but instead of continuing on about his own greatness, he next calls Moses his son. He does this multiple times along with calling upon Moses by name. This just shows the incredible love he had for Moses alone and how much he knows all of us individually.

God the Father also tells Moses that he was created in the similitude of Jesus Christ, his own son. Each and every one of all the people who have ever lived, currently live, and will live, are created in this similitude; in the image of our Father in Heaven. We learn that we are his children, in spirit and body. God the Father has the ability to share his immense knowledge with us, just as he showed and shared with Moses. The only way that the Father could have shown these things to Moses was putting his Glory upon Moses (transfiguration), and having Moses see him with not his natural eyes but his spiritual eyes. When Moses then encountered Satan, he knew he was really the devil and not God, because he was able to see Satan with his natural eyes (See Moses 1:11). He was given the strength, because of his faith and belief in God and only God, to withstand Satan’s power. This is one of the greatest gifts that our Heavenly Father could have given us: not just calling and making known to us that we are his children, but that with enough faith in God the Father we will be able to withstand anything that Satan throws at us.

Moses’ relationship with God, revealed to us in the first twenty three verses of the first chapter of Moses, has taught me much about my relationship with God. I know that I am a daughter of God and He knows and loves me individually. I know that with him all things are possible, even withstanding all temptations. I know that I must believe in him and no other god in order to have complete faith. I know that the only way to see God is to have his glory upon me so that I might see him with my spiritual eyes. All these are truths revealed to me by the scriptures and the spirit. Moses’ relationship with God has affected my relationship with God the Father in that I now know truths about who I am and who he is. That has taught me and affected how I feel about and interact with my Father in Heaven.

Additional Resources:

Find a local Mormon meeting house.

Finding faith and enjoying the blessings of living a faith-filled life.

Mormons worship Jesus Christ, and believe him to be the Savior and Redeemer.

Written by Victoria Hopkinson, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known, as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.

A Personal Relationship with God the Father

As I read from a book of scripture, known as the Pearl of Great Price, in Moses 1:1-23, I was struck by how God the Father talked to Moses. One of the very first things he said was “…thou art my son” followed by “…thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten”. Later, after the Lord has finished speaking to him, Moses beheld Satan. Satan, knowing the Christ has chosen Moses, has come to tempt him to sin against the Father. What struck me next was, as Moses is speaking to Satan he says, “Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God”.

As I reread these verses, I decided to take the challenge and read through it as though God the Father were speaking to me, and not Moses, therefore, I put my name in place of Moses’. The overwhelming love I felt as I read those verses of scripture is one I cannot deny. I know without a doubt, as did Moses in his time, I am a child of God, and he knows me by name. He wants me to see who I am, and who those around me are, with His eyes and His love.

How does what Moses learned about his relationship with Heavenly Father affect my relationship with Him? It affects it in every way possible. Moses was able to see and talk to the Father, but more importantly he wrote down his experience. Because he wrote it down, I am able to know of the Father’s  love for me. I am able to see His hand in my life. I can feel Him with me through my hard times, as well as through my good times. I can look back at my life and see all He has done for me. And I can move forward with my life knowing He is by my side, and He is not going anywhere.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about God as our Father.

Request a free Bible or Book of Mormon.

Read about The Plan of Salvation.

Our beautiful and lively black chicken is gone.

I got a phone message from a neighbor yesterday saying that a stray dog had entered our backyard and was endangering our chickens. I immediately guessed which dog this was. We live in an area where dogs are forbidden by law to roam freely. The dog owner is responsible to keep the dog either on a leash or in a fenced area. One dog, a large and friendly yellow Labrador mix, had nonetheless been to our home on several occasions and had killed a chicken before. He had also maimed one of our roosters, who spent the rest of his life limping. I had a hunch that it was the same dog, even though we hadn’t seen him for months.

As I returned home I immediately saw the suspected dog enjoying his “meal.” He was finishing off the last of our beautiful and lively black chicken. This was the chicken that we most loved to see. Whenever we entered the yard, she greeted us by running toward us instead of away. She had shiny black feathers. Somehow she had found a way to escape the pen and coop where the other five chickens stayed, often roaming freely in our yard during the day. At night, she would find her way back into the fenced pen and sleep in the coop with the other chickens.

I pulled my car only a few feet into the driveway, not wanting to scare off the dog. I knew that I had to do something to prevent this from happening again. I called the police to see if they could send the animal control group over. Our town is small and we don’t have animal control in the afternoon, but they sent a policeman, who came and took the dog. The dog was friendly: he had a full stomach! The policeman also took the remains of the chicken. Never again would we receive that fun and unique greeting from our gregarious chicken.

A Safe Haven: Keeping God’s Commandments

This morning I was thinking about how all the other chickens stayed where they were supposed to. Maybe they wished they could find a way to roam freely with no restrictions. During warm weather months, we often let the chickens out to roam our yard when we are home to safeguard them. But this one black chicken, no matter how many times we put her back in the pen, would get out. I wondered how, as her owners or “masters”, we could have done a better job of protecting her. It makes me sad that even though we had provided a safe haven for her, fed her and given her water, she still ended up as prey for a hungry dog.

There are so many parallels between the incident of the chicken and our lives. We have been given this life by God. Jesus came and taught us the guidelines, or commandments, that we need to follow to have a safe haven with Him and the Father. So many of us do not keep His commandments, thinking that life will be better if we roam freely, with no restrictions. Eventually we become possible prey for Satan, who wants to destroy us. Of course, the dog was not at fault; dogs are naturally programmed to eat chickens. But we are human beings, with freedom to choose. We can protect ourselves if we stay within the guidelines that God has given us. If we choose to run around without restriction, we are no longer privy to the protection set up by our Master. His commandments are the  “fences” He has put in place for us to help us live safe, happy, healthy lives. May we all keep ourselves safely within the bounds the Lord has set.

Susan Escalante

Feb 15, 2012

Mitt Romney recently released his tax returns for 2010 and 2011, showing that he and his wife, Ann, have contributed $4.1 million to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (sometimes inadvertently called “The Mormon Church” by the media) over the past two years. Romney, who is a faithful Mormon, follows the practice of paying one-tenth of his income annually in “tithing” to the Church.

Mormon Beliefs: The Payment of Tithes

The practice of paying tithing dates back to some of the earliest recorded times. Tithing, which means “tenth,” was practiced by Abraham (see Genesis 14:18-20), and codified into the religious laws of ancient Israel. The most famous Old Testament reference to tithing is found in Malachi 3:8-10, where the prophet chastises the people of his day for “robbing God” by neglecting their tithes and offerings. In the New Testament, tithing is mentioned in Matthew 23:23. There, the Savior chides the Pharisees for paying tithes while omitting the “weightier matters of the law,” explaining that they should do both. The payment of tithes has been practiced by Christians throughout history, and is still a common practice. Tithing provides for the basic expenses of running the Church, and allows for equal access to spiritual things by all members, regardless of income. The payment of tithing acknowledges that all we have belongs to God, and that we value Him above our material possessions. By returning to Him some of the goods He has entrusted to us, we show that we trust Him to continue to provide for us.

Mormons have payed tithing since the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who reintroduced the payment of tithes as part of the restoration of the original church established by Jesus Christ during New Testament times. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1838, the Lord answered the prophet’s direct question regarding tithing with the following words, as recorded in The Doctrine and Covenants, a book of modern revelation from God to His prophets today:

And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord. (Doctrine and Covenants 119:4)

Faithful Mormons believe they should pay tithing regularly, as a voluntary contribution to assist with the expenses of the Church. Mitt Romney’s tithes are an expression of his faith in God and his gratitude for God’s daily care.

The Uses of Tithing

Tithing has traditionally been used to pay the expenses of the Church. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), from the local level all the way through to the First Presidency, are all volunteers; thus, tithing money is not used to pay their salaries or living expenses. Instead, tithing is mainly used for the budgets of local congregations, to build meetinghouses and temples, to pay administrative costs, and to finance the Church’s missionary, educational, and humanitarian ventures. Mitt Romney’s tithing could have been used to help build a temple in South America or to provide a lesson manual to a Sunday School teacher in Africa. Because tithing is sent to Church headquarters and used throughout the world, Mormons everywhere have access to church temples, meetinghouses, and materials, regardless of their financial status or where they live.

Other Offerings

Tithing is not the only contribution to The Church of Jesus Christ that appears on Mitt Romney’s tax returns. Mormons make other regular offerings to the Church, mostly to help meet the needs of the poor. One of the most important offerings is called a “fast offering.” Fasting is another ancient practice, dating from Old Testament times, that serves the dual purpose of humbling oneself before God and caring for the poor.

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Once a month, Mormons skip two meals and donate the amount they would have spent on food to the local fast offering fund. Administered by local leaders, money from fast offerings is used to help members of the local congregation with basic needs. Surplus funds are sent to regional leaders, where they eventually make their way to the Bishop’s Storehouse, a type of food bank where food, clothing, and household items are available for those who are struggling to provide for themselves.

Other contributions made by Mormons go to support missionary work, worldwide humanitarian aid, educational opportunities for the poor, and temple construction. Each contribution is collected and distributed largely by volunteers, so very little money goes for overhead. Instead, almost all money contributed goes directly to the program it is meant to support. Any money sent by Mitt Romney to the Church’s Humanitarian Fund, for example, went directly to supplies for victims of disasters and other pressing humanitarian needs throughout the world. Money sent as charitable contributions to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is money well spent. Mitt Romney’s taxes reflect his commitment to help the poor, relieve suffering, and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

Additional Resources:

“Mitt Romney’s Mormon Donations,” from mittromneymormon.net

LDS Humanitarian Services

LDS Church Welfare Plan