Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Whoot! It's another good day! ^_^ Heavenly Father loves us all!
What child is this who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guards and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

How came He here in such mean estate, where ox and lambs are feeding?
Good Christians cheer! For sinners here, the silent Word is pleading.
Nails, thorns shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him frankincense, gold, and myrrh. Come peasant, king to own Him.
The King of kings salvation brings. Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high! The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of God!

I know it's after Christmas, but enjoy. ^_^ Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you. God bless you all. Have faith, and let's help each other. Hugs!

1 Nephi 11: 20-28, 30-31, 33
And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!
And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.
And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.
[...]
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.
And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, [...] and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
[...]
And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

Alma 7: 11-13
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

Moroni 10: 3-6
Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is.
And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, and They will guide and help us. In our Lord Jesus Christ's holy name, amen.

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Xihuitl: Well, we wanted to share these thoughts with you. Love, hugs, and God be with you. Jesus Christ loves you.

K-c: Here are your pocket hugs for the day, guaranteed hypoallergenic. Or something.

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As faith flows, we become sensitively attuned to the whisperings of the Spirit. Our minds are enlightened, our spiritual pulse quickens, our hearts are touched.
Faith fuels hope. Our perspective changes; our vision becomes clearer. We begin to look for the best, not the worst, in life and in others. We gain a deeper sense of life’s purpose and meaning. Despair gives way to joy.
Faith such as this is a heavenly gift, but it can be sought and cultivated. As our Bible Dictionary suggests, often “faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith.” 1 Faith is then nurtured as we allow ourselves to believe. Like all other virtues, faith is strengthened as we practice it, as we live and act as if our faith were already deep. Faith is the product of righteous desire, belief, and obedience.
Thus the Book of Mormon example of the father of King Lamoni, who heard the testimony of Aaron and was willing to believe and to act so that he was led to say in humble prayer, “If there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.”
[...]
At these moments of crisis and challenge, some choose to abandon faith just at the time when it most needs to be embraced. Prayer is ignored at the very hour when it needs to be intensified. Virtue is carelessly tossed aside when it needs to be cherished. God is forsaken in the all-too-human yet mistaken fear that He has forsaken us.
The truth is that our only safety, our only security, our only hope is to hold fast to that which is good. As the mists of darkness gather around us, we are only lost if we choose to let go of the iron rod, which is the word of God.
The Savior’s parable of the wise man who built his house upon a rock has power precisely because it illustrates that life’s challenges befell the wise man too. The rains fell, the winds blew, the floods rose up. Yet he survived it all because he had built upon a sure foundation and, crucially, he stayed there when the storm came.
[...]
The Apostle Paul urged the Colossians to “continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.”
To the people of Corinth came this powerful testimony:
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; [...]
“Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”
What made such a perspective possible? Paul gave the reason: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
It is my witness that as we cultivate our faith, grow through service, and stay constant and true come what may, so we feel the Savior’s love. We place ourselves in the position where we can access the breadth and depth of the blessings of the Atonement. Our membership is transformed into discipleship. We are strengthened, cleansed, refreshed, spiritually and emotionally healed.
Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
~ David S. Baxter, “Faith, Service, Constancy,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 13
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