On this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, we also celebrate the fact that because of Jesus’ resurrection, all of us will resurrect as well through the Lord’s saving grace and mercy.  Here are three things to look forward to in the resurrection:

1.      You know how you always wished you had a perfect body (but none of us do?).  Well, in the resurrection you will.  The scriptures teach us that we will be resurrected in our “proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:23).  No flaws, no zits, no shortcomings.  You will be beautiful and glorious beyond imagination. As a matter of fact, for all you ladies out there, Elder James E. Talmadge said that the best beauty secret isn’t skin creams or moisturizers, but resurrection: “Mortal eye cannot see nor mind comprehend the beauty, glory, and majesty of a righteous woman made perfect in the celestial kingdom of God.” (Young Woman’s Journal, Oct. 1914, 602-3.)

2.      You will get to see your loved ones again.  Every single person who has ever been born on this earth will live again, and inherit an immortal body of flesh and bones as a free gift of the atonement of Jesus Christ.  The scriptures teach that “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).   Your mother/father, grandmother/grandfather, brother/sister, son/daughter, or relative/friend will live again by the power of Jesus’ resurrection.  He/she will be immortal, and “that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:2).  If you thought you loved being with them when they were here on earth, wait until you are together in the resurrection.

3.      The resurrection will enable us to have a fullness of joy.  There is something about having a physical body that makes us be able to enjoy life more.  Maybe it’s the food, maybe it’s the fun, maybe it’s feeling the rush of the wind make our hand rise and fall when we stick it out of the car window.  The scriptures teach us that our bodies are necessary to have joy, and that in the resurrection, “Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy” (D&C 138:17).  The only drawback to our mortal bodies today is that they are imperfect, they get tired, they get hurt, etc.  None of that will be there in the resurrection.  We will be able to enjoy the gift of our physical bodies to the fullest extent.

Oh, p.s. apparently, in the resurrection, we will be able to do cool things, like go to and from places in an unconventional manner.  Jesus, as a resurrected being, appeared to his disciples in a closed room when “the doors were shut” (John 20:19).  We’re not saying that in the resurrection we will be able to teleport (but…who knows?… J).  But what we are saying for sure is that living as a resurrected being will rock, thanks to “the Rock” (Helaman 5:12).

Seeing my son born made me think about the scripture where Jesus tells us we “must be born again” (John 3:7).  Being born again is a metaphor connected to our first birth.  When we come into this world as newborn babies, there isn’t just a lot of crying—there is also a lot of blood, water (amniotic fluid), and a new spirit that enters this world.

Those same elements: blood, water, and spirit are also necessary for our second birth—our spiritual birth.  The Lord taught the first man Adam, “[I]nasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 6:59).

Although it is symbolic, being “born again” is a very real thing, and involves a very real change in our natures.  Elder David A. Bednar said that being born again is “a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are” (“Ye Must Be Born Again,” Ensign, May 2007, 19–22).  Being spiritually born again requires the Spirit of God to change our very natures.

So I am grateful—beyond words—that I was able to see my son was born into this world the other day.  And through the atonement of Jesus Christ, it will be even more of a joy over the upcoming years to watch my son be born again.

We are all HUMAN

We all have TEMPTATIONS

We are all asked to LIVE divine laws

We testify that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us can be strengthened and supported and helped to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and be obedient to the divine laws God is asking us to live, regardless of the different temptations we all struggle with.

We love little things that are funky and cool, like how 2 Nephi 9:39 spells the acronym S.M.I.L.E. with “spiritually-minded is life eternal.”  Or, like how Santa Claus, ho-ho-hoing and going from the north pole to the whole world, is in the scriptures in Zechariah 2:6: “Ho, ho, [come forth], and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven.”  Or, a personal favorite for Anthony—that Rebekah apparently had a smoking problem in Genesis 24:64  “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel” J (that is before the Word of Wisdom was a commandment.  Relax.).

Well, take a look at this little “gospel math” that is going around the internet that we thought we would post here.  A great little mathematical message at the end about how God’s grace is what will save us.  If you have any cool fun/funky scriptures (like the SMILE, Santa Claus, or Rebekah one above) or any other cool gospel factoids, leave a post and let us know.  Here is some gospel math and symmetry for all you math lovers out there:

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9+ 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Mind Boggling…

Now, take a look at this…

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to

GIVE OVER 100%…

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:

K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:

A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E

1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Sometimes we hear that in order to repent we need to remember the five “R’s” (Realize, Remorse, Reveal, Restore, Resolve).  While it is a clever way to remember some of the parts of repentance, it misses the most important “R” of all:  The Redeemer.

Elder Richard G. Scott taught: “Formulas have been crafted to help remember some of the essential actions required for full repentance. While these can be helpful, generally they ignore the most fundamental aspect of repentance—that it is centered in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement (Elder Richard G. Scott, The Path to Peace and Joy, Ensign (CR), November 2000, p.25).

We must remember that real repentance is based on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement’s ability to pay the price of sin, and to cleanse, change, and heal us.  As True to the Faith says, “Repentance is an act of faith in Jesus Christ—an acknowledgment of the power of His Atonement” (pp. 132-135).  All other aspects of repentance are appendages to this truth.

We testify that if our repentance is centered on Christ, and not on a checklist or some formula,  then the atonement will more readily be able to cleanse, heal, and change us–resulting in increased faith in Jesus Christ.

"Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee . . . "

One of the great blessings in the entire gospel is that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can be forgiven of sins and mistakes in our lives.  The scriptures repeatedly testify of this truth:  “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42). “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The modern prophets testify: “Through the Atonement, you can receive forgiveness and be cleansed from your sins when you repent” (“Repentance,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 29).

However, after we have truly repented, sometimes we are left wondering if we have finally been forgiven?  How can we know when this great blessing of forgiveness has come into our lives, and our former sins are truly “white as snow?” Here are a few principles that teach us how we can know when the miracle of forgiveness has taken place in our lives

Peace of mind

Elder F. Burton Howard of the Seventy counseled with a young man through the repentance process.  The young man asked, “How can I ever know the Lord has really forgiven me?”  “That is the easy part,” Elder Burton replied. “When you have fully repented, you feel an inner peace. You know somehow you are forgiven because the burden you have carried for so long, all of a sudden isn’t there anymore. It is gone and you know it is gone. If when you leave this room, you discover that you have left much of your concern in here. If you have fully repented, the relief and the peace you feel will be so noticeable that it will be a witness to you that the Lord has forgiven you.” (Elder F. Burton Howard, Repentance, Ensign (CR), May 1983, p.58; emphasis added).

The sin has lost its appeal

One key to knowing if we have been forgiven is that have lost the desire to commit the sin we have repented of.   We may still be tempted to commit that sin, but now we don’t want to commit that sin—we don’t desire it anymore. When King Benajamin’s people were moved to repentance they said “we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” (Mosiah 5:2).  They had lost their desire to sin.  Alma taught, “Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence” (Alma 13:12; emphasis added).  When the sin loses its appeal, we begin to find forgiveness.

We enjoy the Gift of the Holy Ghost and fruits of the Spirit

One of the roles of the Holy Ghost is to sanctify, or purify of us sin.  Christ taught the Nephites that we are “sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 27:20). If we are enjoying the gifts of the Holy Ghost, then we generally are enjoying the gift of forgiveness as well because the Holy Ghost cleanses, sanctifies, and purifies us. Similarly, President Henry B. Eyring taught, “Reception of the Holy Ghost is the cleansing agent as the Atonement purifies you…That is a fact you can act on with confidence. . . . And when he is your companion, you can have confidence that the Atonement is working in your life (To Draw Closer to God,  49-50).

We are willing to forgive others

Another key to knowing if we have truly enjoyed the gift of forgiveness is that we are willing to extend forgiveness to others.  The Savior stated on multiple occasions that God will “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (JST Matthew 6:13; see also D&C 64:10-11; Ephesians 4:32).  To be forgiven, we must forgive.

Our Priesthood leader says we are worthy to participate in gospel ordinances

For the Strength of Youth teaches the critical role Bishop’s play in knowing when we are forgiven: “Talk with your bishop. He will help you obtain the forgiveness available to those who truly repent” (p. 26).  Elder Richard G. Scott testified:  “I testify that when a bishop or stake president has confirmed that your repentance is sufficient, know that your obedience has allowed the Atonement of Jesus Christ to satisfy the demands of justice for the laws you have broken. Therefore you are now free. Please believe it.” (Elder Richard G. Scott, Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind, Ensign (CR), November 2004, p.15).

We are willing to keep all the commandments

The scriptures teach us that another indicator that we have been forgiven of a particular sin is that we are willing to keep all the commandments, not just the one we have broken.  “Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments [plural] of the Lord shall be forgiven” (D&C 1:32; emphasis added; see Also Mosiah 5:5).

As we see these principles of forgiveness in our lives, they will become indicators that we have been forgiven. We can experience what Enos felt when he said, “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away” (Enos 1:5-6).

The following question has been asked to numerous LDS youth across the nation.  We are interested in how you would respond to it.  Here is the question:

If you died and were judged today, which eternal kingdom do you think you would go to?

a)      Celestial

b)      Terrestrial

c)       Telestial

If you are like most youth we have polled, you probably said that you would go to the Terrestrial kingdom.   A matter of fact, about half of the respondents to this question say that they will go the Terrestrial kingdom.  Why is this so?  Anthony Sweat, co-author of WHY?, addresses this question in his recently released book I’m Not Perfect. Can I Still go to Heaven? Writing about the fact that about 50% LDS youth think they’ll go to the Terrestrial kingdom, Anthony says:

“These numbers are disheartening to me because the youth who took these surveys are actively engaged in the gospel: regularly attending church and mutual, serving in church callings, and enrolling in programs like seminary and Especially for Youth.  These teenagers are the kind of kids who consistently read their scriptures, pray, and try their best to keep the commandments and do what is right.  Yet half don’t think they are celestial material.  Why is this so?

The most common answer I hear from these youth goes something like this:  ‘Well, I have sins and I’m not perfect, so I don’t think I am good enough to go to the celestial kingdom. But I don’t think I’m so terrible that I will go the telestial kingdom either. So I think I will end up somewhere in the middle, in the terrestrial kingdom.’ This answer—and I used to be guilty of it myself— reveals some confusion about what is really required of those who will inherit the celestial kingdom. Most unsettling, this line of terrestrial thinking demonstrates a possible misunderstanding about the fundamental role of Jesus Christ’s atonement and His divine ability to save God’s children.  The purposes of this book are to help clarify some of these doctrinal misunderstandings, and to provide the hope we can all have for the celestial kingdom because of the atonement of Jesus Christ.”

The format of this book is an engaging hypothetical gospel classroom with fictional students.  Click here to read a sample chapter from the book.

We are interested in your thoughts as well.  Why do you think so many LDS youth, and we assume LDS adults as well, don’t think that they’ll make it to the celestial kingdom?  Leave a comment and let us know what your experience has been and what has helped you.

Anthony says:  “It is my most sincere desire that through the discussion in I’m Not Perfect…Can I Still go to Heaven? we can all better understand what is truly required to inherit the celestial kingdom, and find hope in the heart of the Gospel that will take us there: the atonement of Jesus Christ”

Click here to see the book on Deseret Book’s website.

One of the best hymns (in our lowly opinion) in the LDS hymn book is the classic “I Need Thee Every Hour.” But do we really need Christ every hour? Every time we sin and need forgiveness—yes—and when we die and need to resurrect, well of course, but every hour? We don’t sin or need to be resurrected every hour (well, hopefully we aren’t sinning every hour). So why do I need Jesus each hour of each day?

The answer has to do with the definition of the word “grace.” We know that Christ’s atoning grace can save us from sin and death, but His grace does more than that. The LDS Bible Dictionary defines Jesus’ grace as “diving means of help or strength” or an “enabling power” (“Grace” p. 697). In other words, Christ’s atonement has the power to help us, to give us strength and enable us, in every aspect of our lives, not just in regards to sin and death.

This enabling power of grace is seen in the scriptural story of Nephi, when he is asked by the Lord to build a boat and cross the ocean. This has nothing to do with Nephi’s sins, nor is Nephi dying (although maybe his brothers wished he were? J). No, this has to do with Nephi simply accomplishing something the Lord has asked him to do, a difficult task. Notice what he says to his brothers when they mock him “And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?” (1 Nephi 17:51).

It is similar to what Ammon says to his missionary companions, “I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26:12). It is similar to what Paul said to the Philippians, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). And it is similar to what happened to Alma’s people in bondage, “And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease” (Mosiah 24:15).

This QB Understands Philippians 4:13

Notice how the Lord is strengthening, helping, giving assistance, and providing “divine means of help or strength” in each of these situations or statements. If you want to do a cool study, search the word “strengthen” in the Book of Mormon and see how often the Lord offers his grace to his people and helps and strengthens them in their day to day lives. It doesn’t matter if you are building a boat or a young mother building a family. It is the same whether you are strengthened against a lion’s den or need strength against a lion sized problem. If you are stuck with a problem about how to light your vessels (like the brother of Jared was), or whether you are struck with a problem about how to solve a math problem—the Lord will help us, day by day, hour by hour, if we will let him. This stirring and miraculous story of the Lord giving divine help and strength (medical wisdom and knowledge in this case) to the mother of one of the survivors of the Haun’s Mill massacre (when a body of Latter-day Saints were mercilessly attacked and murdered, including unarmed women and children) is a perfect example. Notice how the Lord helps this poor mother and saves her son. She said:

[During the Haun's Mill Massacre] the entire hip joint of my wounded boy had been shot away. Flesh, hip bone, joint, and all had been ploughed out from the muzzle of the gun, which the ruffian placed to the child’s hip through the logs of the shop and deliberately fired. We laid little Alma on a bed in our tent and I examined the wound. It was a ghastly sight. I knew not what to do. . . .

Yet was I there, all that long, dreadful night, with my dead and my wounded, and none but God as our physician and help. “Oh my Heavenly Father,” I cried, “what shall I do? Thou seest my poor wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh, Heavenly Father, direct me what to do!”

And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me. The ashes of our fire was still smouldering. We had been burning the bark of the shag-bark hickory. I was directed to take those ashes and make a lye and put a cloth saturated with it right into the wound. It hurt, but little Alma was too near dead to heed it much. Again and again I saturated the cloth and put it into the hole from which the hip joint had been ploughed, and each time mashed flesh and splinters of bone came away with the cloth; and the wound became as white as chicken’s flesh.

Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by speaking to me. Nearby was a slippery-elm tree. From this I was told to make a slippery-elm poultice and fill the wound with it…

I removed the wounded boy to a house, some distance off, the next day, and dressed his hip; the Lord directing me as before. I was reminded that in my husband’s trunk there was a bottle of balsam. This I poured into the wound, greatly soothing Alma’s pain. “Alma, my child,” I said, “you believe that the Lord made your hip?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip; don’t you believe he can, Alma?”

“Do you think that the Lord can, mother?” inquired the child, in his simplicity.

“Yes, my son,” I replied, “he has showed it all to me in a vision.”

Then I laid him comfortably on his face and said: “Now you lay like that, and don’t move, and the Lord will make you another hip.”

So Alma laid on his face for five weeks, until he was entirely recovered-a flexible gristle having grown in

(as cited in Jack M. Lyon, Jay A. Parry, and Linda R. Gundry, eds., Best-Loved Stories of the LDS People, vol. 2 , p.127)

We testify that “that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Mormon 9:9), and that if God offers his grace to his saints of old during their problems, he will strengthen and assist us in our lives today, no matter what the situation. So do we need him every hour? More like every second.