Christ's Victory

Happy Easter!

I have to laugh at the neighbor's lawnmower starting up in the middle of this:)

So goes the life of an amateur blogger:) :) :) 

Whom Say Ye That I Am?

15- ... Whom say ye that I am?

16- And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17- And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 16

At this point in Christ's ministry, Peter had been both witness and participant in numerous miracles performed by the Savior.  He had been on the boat in the tempestuous sea, when Christ spoke the words, "Peace be still!"  He was present when the Savior commanded power over death itself, raising Jairus's daughter.  He watched as the Savior turned a simple offering into enough to feed thousands.  Under the Savior's direction, he distributed the loaves and fishes and then collected the remains filling twelve baskets to overflowing.  After a long night being tossed about on the sea, he beheld the Savior walking on the water and  petitioned Christ to bid him to come unto Him.  The Savior's response, "Come", beckoned Peter out of the ship and into the water.  He felt the firm foundation beneath his feet until his focus shifted away from the Savior and onto the storm around him.  As he began to sink, he cried out. Immediately, he felt the Savior's strong, unwavering hand take hold of his delivering him from the awful deep.

This is the man of whom the Savior inquired, "Whom say ye that I am?"  When Peter responded, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.", Jesus taught both those present, as well as you and I, a priceless lesson.  Though Peter had first hand knowledge of the Savior's power... his testimony and witness of who Jesus was did not come as a result of those experiences.  Thousands who also beheld some of the same miracles turned and walked away from Him!  Peter's conviction was a direct result of personal revelation, given by the Father, through the Holy Ghost.

It is my testimony that the Holy Ghost is still the means through which the Father reveals  His Son unto us.  I am grateful for the privilege to study out the scriptures... to witness for myself, the miraculous walk of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am touched beyond measure, by my Father's delight in blessing me with further light and understanding... with deeper conviction of His love and desire for me.  I count the "hope in Christ" that this fills me with as one of my most treasured possessions.  It is my greatest goal, to live worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost!

Your Five Loaves...

5- When Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Phillip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

8- One of his disciples... saith unto him

9- There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes; but what are they among so many?

10- And Jesus said, Make the men sit down.  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

11- And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

12- When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remaining, that nothing be lost.

13- Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above them that had eaten.

John 6

I love that the Savior performed this mighty miracle using the meager offering of a small boy.  Five loaves and two fishes were what the child had to offer.  On his own, the boy's gift could have fed maybe 20, but in the Savior's hands thousands were filled.  

What are the loaves and fishes the Father has given you?  What are the miracles that He waits for your offering to perform?  It is my testimony that He has endowed you with a set of gifts and talents, which in His hands, can do something for someone else that no one else ever born can do!   

Lay your gift at His feet!  

Seek His vision and will in your life! 

Move as He directs and then... 

Stand still! ...
with the utmost assurance that the arm of the Lord will be revealed!

Your meager offering, coupled with His grace and goodness have the capacity to literally change the world... one inspired word, one guided step... one uplifted brother at a time.  For this, I praise His most Holy Name!

He Healed Them

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings..."

Malachi 4:2

"And great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all."

Matthew 12:15

One of the over-arching themes of conference for me this weekend was "finding purpose and comfort in our trials and afflictions."  As we have discussed before on this blog, life can sometimes be downright painful.  Taking the yoke of the Savior upon ourselves and walking the path He would have us walk, is necessary to our "putting on the divine nature".  If we will suffer with Christ our trials can become the tools our loving Father uses to build our character, purify our hearts and expand our souls.  We can trust that through Him, none of the pain we experience in this life will be in vain.  God will work all things together for our good!  Throughout the Savior's ministry, countless people came to Him seeking wholeness.  I am not aware of one soul who He ever turned away.  Those who sought healing at His feet received.  As I have pondered on these principles the spirit has illuminated my mind with new understanding.  The completeness and healing we seek at the feet of the Savior can only be found as we work through the infirmities of mortality.  It is here that our character is refined and that we come to know the Savior more completely.  Without the infirmity there could be no wholeness!  

The Savior chose to experience pain and affliction so that He could understand us completely and know how to succor us in our pain and weakness.  Perhaps we also need to experience the depths of mortality, the pain and suffering, in order to more fully understand Him!  Never before and never since the life of the Savior, has any man experienced even a fraction of the grief, pain and suffering that He did.  Each time I experience heartache or injury... my thoughts are turned to the incomparable Christ who suffered infinitely more... beyond my ability to comprehend! The trials of mortality are a small price to pay to come to know and understand Him better! Today, while we cannot physically reach out and touch His robe, it is my testimony that His healing still extends to all who seek Him and to each who fears His name.  It is my testimony, that if we will be pliable in His hands, He will mold us into far greater beings than we can currently imagine!  For those who honor Him, He has promised "glories yet unseen".