"The most important covenant we prepare for is being sealed in the temple"


Monday, December 14, 2015

The Man without a "Wedding Garment"


I love the story of the man without a "wedding garment"  found in Matthew chapter 22. In the story, the king is marrying off his Son and so they invite people from near and far.  For an occasion such as this it would be appropriate for people to wear white robes. In fact, the apparel that someone would wear showed the kind of respect they had for the host. Often times a host would supply his guests with the appropriate attire for different reasons. So in this situation the king provided clothing for all of his guests. There was one man who chose not accept the kings clothing, because he felt that his appearance was good enough. Therefore he was not permitted to stay. Some might think this was rude, or inconsiderate of the king. Just like there were requirements for people to be allowed to enter the ceremony, there are requirements to be able to enter into the Kingdom of God. Everyone is invited to come to the kingdom of God, but you have to be willing to accept the requirements. There are a lot of places of businesses that have signs up that say "no shoes, no shirt, no business." Everyone is invited in, but if you aren't wearing any shoes or a shirt they have a right to ask you to leave because you aren't following the requirements they asked you to make in order to be able to enter. The world asks more often then not "what is so 'secret' about the Mormon Temple? If you are so inviting why can't everyone enter at any given time?" 
The answer: It is not secret it is sacred. Everyone is invited to enter you just have to be willing to live the requirements that are given to be able to do so. We even wear special clothing in the temple that symbolizes clothing ourselves in covenants, righteousness, and purity in preparation for entering into God’s presence. Choosing not to wear the apparel they ask us to wear is mocking our covenants we have made, rebelling and pretty much admitting to being unclean.  The Lord will always accept those who follow him willingly and correctly.


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Get to Know Him. Recognize Him.

We are reading in the new testament so tonight we read Matthew 21 and it has like 3 parables in it but I wanted to focus on the part that wasn't a parable because it always gets skipped over. In the beginning It talks about Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a donkey and I can't help but wonder what it will be like to have Christ come. How did those people feel when they saw him? Israelite Royalty traditionally came into town on a donkey and so it was prophesied that the people would know it was Christ when he came, and they did. Think of 3 famous/notorious people and imagine them walking into the same room as you are in. How would your reaction be different between the 3 of them? If my favorite actress walked into the room I would probably be thrilled, and exited because I have seen her movies I read about her in magazines and I follow her on Instagram and facebook so I would feel like I know her. I would recognize her instantaneously. If Christ walked into the room would you feel like you knew him? Would you be able to recognize him? Would you feel like you had a connection with him or that you could walk up to him and talk to him and that he would embrace you? I want to feel like that when Christ comes. I want to know that I did my best and that I have come to know him. I want to be able to recognize him so that I can say with an honest heart That I love him and that I know him. I am so grateful for Christ and all that he has suffered for us. This week I will Strive to recognize Christ more in my life and thank him for the things I don't normally thank him for. Just like all those celebrities, He is all around us, he is in the news, he is in our friends, and he is in our minds. We just have to take an extra moment each day to recognize him and get to know him, and to "stalk" him per say. I want to be able to recognize him more then I would be able to recognize any celebrity because he is sooo much more important and he brings positivity and true life to this wicked world in which we live. What are some ways that you can give praise to Christ even though he isn't physically here?