John 13: 34-35. A New Commandment

If we question whether we are true disciples of Jesus Christ we should look at our own lives and see if we are following the new commandment we were given in John 13: 34-35 which says: “ 34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”  If we are true disciples we will follow the Savior’s example and love everyone around us not matter how they treat us. There are many situations in everyday life where we can show to the Savior that we are true disciples. If someone is being mocked because of how they dress we can decide to not make fun of them and instead welcome them into our lives. We don’t always know everyone’s circumstances but they are still loved by the Savior no matter how they dress. When we see a new person in church we should go out of our own comfort zone to make them feel welcome because it can be very scary to go to a new ward.  When I started going to my current ward I was very nervous because I didn’t have roommates to go with so I had to go to church alone and luckily I felt very welcomes by many of the people in the ward because they went out of their way to welcome me. There is a person in the nursing program with me who people are particularly nice to and I have found myself not talking well of, but I have decided that I am going to change. I don’t know her current life or what she is having to deal with on a personal level so it is not fair for me to judge her with harshness. After changing my attitude about her and deciding to be nicer you can see how she is brighter in class and seems less frustrated by classes. The Savior wants us to love one another because the people around us can be a big impact  on our happiness, whether it be positive or negative.

Mark 13; Luke 21:5–38; Joseph Smith—Matthew. Preparing for the Savior’s Second Coming

In order for us to be prepared to meet the Lord we need to:

1. Watch and be prepared for the coming of the Lord because we know not when He will come.  (Mark 13:37

2. Watch and pray, follow the commandments because you don’t know when the Savior will come again. (Mark 13:35)

3. Beware of the deceptions of man, because many will deceive and confuse men when the time the Savior comes again draws nearer. (Mark 13:5)

There are several ways we need to prepare for the second coming of the Savior; the following scriptures offer insights for ways to do this:

--Stand in holy places, and don’t be move because the second coming of the Lord is near (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8).

--People will be held accountable for their actions and the world will be judge for their actions, be worthy to be counted amount the good and righteous so you can avoid the punishment of unrighteousness (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:32).

--Treasure up the word of God, if we love the scripture and implement their teachings into our lives we can be prepared for the second coming (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37).

--Be faithful and serve the Lord continually, stay worthy and humble for the day the Lord will return (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:46–50)

--Always be prepared for the coming of the Lord, have you testimony burning bright with plenty of fuel (Doctrine and Covenants 33:17)

--Those who are prepare and have faith, like the 10 virgins, and who have taken the Holy Ghost as their guide will not fear with the Second coming of the Savior (Doctrine and Covenants 45:56–57).

*all scriptures can be found at http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng

Mark 12:41-44. The Widow's Mite

In Mark 12: 28-30 the Lord taught that the first great commandment is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul , mind and strength.  The widow who gave two mites gave all that she had and with that she gave up herself to love the Lord with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The Savior taught that she had “cast more in, than all they which have cast in the treasury.” (Mark 12:41) This is because the widow gave everything she had and her intention was pure while the others who gave money did it without a thought or without any sacrifice. An acceptable offering to the Lord is when we give up of ourselves, it has to be enough to mean something so we can truly sacrifice for the Lord.  This can be related to 2^nd Nephi 25:23 which reads:  “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” So we will be saved after we put for the effort, it is not something free; sacrifice is needed to accomplish it. If we want to be more like the widow and portray qualities of sacrifice and obedience then we can do many things besides giving money. We can give our time through service activities or even missionary work. We can magnify our callings and do everything we can to help our fellow man. We can also attend church services with a heart that is willing to learn and to teach others.

Matthew 19: 16-30; 20:1-16. Earthly and Heavenly Rewards.

In Matthew chapter 19 verse 16-22 a young man comes to Jesus Christ and asks Him what he must do to gain eternal life. The Savior first instructs him to keep the commandments, which the man states he has always kept, and then the Savior tells him to give up his earthly possessions to stop being a part of the world. The man was very wealthy and struggled with the idea of giving up his great fortune to gain eternal life. In Matthew 6:21 it state, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” This young man’s heart was in his treasure and he struggled with the idea of following God instead of the world. The Savior promises that if we follow Him instead of the world we will be exalted and will inherit eternal life. 

In reading this many people could believe that it is saying sell everything you have and serve the rest of your life. I believe that this section is telling us to not focus on the things of the world, we need to fear God more than we fear man. When we become obsessed with the things of the world we forget to follow God as diligently as we should. To follow God more diligently we need stay humble and grateful for all that the Lord has given us and remember to be in the world but not of the world.

In Matthew 20: 1-16 Jesus tells a parable of workers in a vineyard, here is the breakdown of that parable.

The hours the laborers were hired	How much the man agreed to pay	Hours worked	How much they were actually paid
Early morning	Penny a day	12 hours	A penny
3rd hour	Whatsoever is right	9 hours	A penny
6th hour	Whatsoever is right	6 hours	A penny
9th hour	Whatsoever is right	3 hours	A penny
11th hour	Whatsoever is right	1 hour	A penny

In this parable we learn it does not matter how long we serve the Lord it matters how hard we work and where hearts are, if we work hard for that 1 hour in the vineyard we will get the same reward as everyone else. This message should be a comfort to anyone who is looking to be a convert to the church because some worry that since they have not been a member their whole life that they have no chance of making it to the celestial kingdom, when in reality they have just as much of a chance if they remain faithful and dedicated.  When I first read this I thought that I might have been one of those workers who murmured because the person who labored for 1 hour and received the same reward as someone who worked over 12 hours but in reading this I can see that the making it into the kingdom of God is not a matter of how long you have been there but a matter of following diligently. I love that with this parable coverts can have as much chance to make it to the highest glory because that is what we should all want, our brothers and sisters to be with us in the next life.