What a spiritual weekend! This general conference weekend was so touching, and the Lord is so very obviously working to prepare us for his second coming. Without a doubt the main theme in this conference was making, and keeping sacred covenants with heavenly father. It is the only way we can grow to our full potential that God has planned for us here on this earth. And be prepared for what is to come.
What i loved was the importance and significance put on the fact of us keeping our side of our covenants. Do we keep our promises we have made to the Lord in every covenant? If not, why do we expect our ordinances to carry onto the next life? Every week we remember to take upon ourself the name of Christ, always remember him, and keep his commandments always. If you dont, you dont recieve your half of the deal! What i love about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that it is all in your hands. Like president Nelson said, you get to choose where you live forever, with what kind of body and with who. Oaks said that the celestial kingdom is for those who are valient in their testimonies, and why would we want it any other way? What does being valient in testimony mean? It means having the faith to go along with the Doctrine of the Church line upon line even when it is hard, even when it doesnt make sense, instead of looking for a safety net.
It goes back to what i said a few weeks ago about who inherits these kingdoms of glory. If we want to live celestially, we will think celestial. That means living by the laws and orders of the celestial kingdom now gives you the right to live there later. Our mortal bodies will put on immortal once we are resurrected. If you are resurrected as someone who does not follow the laws of the celestial kingdom, you will go to the kingdom with the laws pertaining to what you can follow, because you will be perfected, in that imperfect state!! But something i love said by Elder Oaks again is that we are judged by our final state, our final transformation and conversion. God is not judging us now, where we are now is part of the process to eventually becoming glorified celestial beings, if you want. But you also decide how quickly you get there and humble yourself enough to be there.
Elder Christopherson said in his amazing talk that those who keep gospel covenants are promised exaltation, and will be the ones raised at the first resurrection. Those who will recieve the mansions in heaven the Lord has prepared for them. I dont care how tough life is or how much the Gospel doesnt make perfect sense wouldnt you hang on no matter what for right now just to be promised that glory!? We will be caught up to meet him, and we will descend with him over the whole world in the second coming, with Him.
Something i heard awhile ago, was that many of us might be willing to die for our beliefs. If we had to defend this church to the death most of us would give our lives rather than deny the truth we know. But are we willing to live for it? You may be willing to die for the Holy Ghost, but are you willing to live for it? Are you temple worthy? Do you go to the temple? Do you keep your first covenant to remember him always and keep the commandments? Do you sustain the leaders of the church and the doctrines of the Gospel. If not, you need to choose who you are living your life for, and do you have enough faith to lean fully on what the Lord has given us to know? In both scenerios we give our life, which one is just more convenient for us?
There were two missionary quotes I read in emails last week that were too good that i have to reuse haha. One is, sorry for the long email, its for the posterity. And two, Im lookin at the same stars as you guys at night. The ones that are held in place in command by our eternal father. Even the stars obey the father, and they dont move, they are unshaken no matter how much they might want to move. Be unshakable like the stars, and be obedient to the Lord
- elder bastian
