Light and truth

Revelation

Jesus Christ once asked his Apostles who they believed him to be. The people at the time held many different views on who Jesus Christ was, and Christ asked his Disciples to see if they understood his divine commission. To his question "But whom say ye that I am" Peter replied with conviction "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God". Christ then taught Peter that it was not "Flesh and blood" that had revealed it to him, but "his Father, who is in heaven". 

Faith and Sacrifice

Of Faith and Sacrifice

Love is one of the most powerful forces on this earth. By it wars have started and ended and emipires have risen and fallen. Through the zeal of a love of God the world has been transformed by loving, charitable hands, and has been scarred by the overzealous acts of extremists. When bridled it provides a home with an atmosphere of peace and harmony, and when unbridled it is loose to tear the family to pieces.

There are four ways in which the word love is used in greek: Agápe, spiritual love (love of God) ; Éros, passionate love (Romantic interest); Philla, mental love (Love of a friend); and Storge, affection (Parent and child). I speaking primarily about Agápe.
The most famous verse in scripture reads:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Saïd Business School, Oxford University

Last year I had the opportunity to attend a seminar at the Saïd Business School, at Oxford University. The seminar was in honour of Kim B. Clark, president of BYU-I, and a previous dean of the Harvard Business School. There were several other guests that are leading scholars of business and leadership such as Clayton M. Christensen.

At this seminar there was a resounding theme throughout. "We're willing to suffer damage to gain their trust". That is a statement that has played on my mind quite a bit. We suffer for others to gain their trust.

Christ said "If ye love me, keep my commandments". We show love by trust, which comes by way of sacrifice. God loved the world, so he gave. God loves unconditionally, but that love is not associated with unconditional trust. He trusts us with light, faith, revelation, responsibility, forgiveness, and ultimately eternal life to the degree that we are willing to trust (Sacrifice for) him. Where there is no sacrifice there is no trust, and the love of God for us carries no promise.

This is the great secret. 

Eternal life is granted to him that is willing to sacrifice all things. That doesn't mean burn your possessions and forfeit your relationships. But it means that we must do as Abraham. When the lord calls and requires that which we care about most, we cannot withhold. We must be submissive and willing to follow our Saviour and King to the end. Each trial bears a call to sacrifice, and each sacrifice brings forth renewed and invigorated faith, if we can but prove faithful. 

"Trust the lord with all thine heart,... and He shall direct thy paths"

The Risen Lord

So Easter has come and past. I love to use this time of year to reflect on my Lord and Saviour, and I would like to share with you my testimony of the Risen Lord.

The Fourth Watch

 "And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them" Mark 6:48

This is one of those scriptures that will change your life.

"Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole"

There are a few stories in the scriptures that have always interested me. One is in The Book of Enos, the other is in the testimony of Mark, in the New Testament. These two stories demonstrate how the atonement can heal us both physically and spiritually.

Faith and Belief

This week I have been studying a little bit about the difference between faith and belief. I found that faith and belief are very different things. Belief in the dictionary is defined as a view, a mindset, or a way of thinking about something in particular. Faith on the other hand is a trust or a confidence in something that we can't see the end result of. Belief is something that we feel and think, but when we have a true trust and confidence in something, we will act on it. That is faith.

What is faith?

Hello! My name is Rob DeBry, I am a Mormon missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Over the past few weeks I have been studying faith in the scriptures, and I would like to report what I have learned and share weekly how my faith has grown. I feel it would be best to start by defining Faith.