Noah’s Preaching Scorned

Noah’s Preaching Scorned, by Harry Anderson, © IRI

Remember

     A while ago, I heard someone say that the word “remember” was the most important word in the English language.  I’ve pondered that thought often.  I have come to a realization that the attitude of remembering is indeed a very important concept.

     Miracles happen every day.  Life itself is a miracle.  However, I often become complacent and lose sight of these everyday wonders.  It is important to remember these tender mercies, and to be grateful for these experiences.

     I remember when I first started earnestly studying the Bible.  I had been doing so for about a year.  I had a question; I wanted to know if what I was reading was true and if there really was a Jesus Christ.  One evening I started reading Matthew again.  I paused when I came to Matthew 7:7.  Even though I had read this passage many times before, it affected me differently this evening.  I looked-up and said, “I gotch ya!  If what I’m reading is true, then you have to answer my question.”  I had one of the most sincere prayers of my life that night.  I totally hoped that what I was reading was true, and I expected a voice from Heaven to confirm my hope – a voice like the one in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments.  I saw no bright light, and I heard no deep voice.  However, God did answer me – through other people. 

     I now know that what I was reading that night is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is real, that he lives, and that he loves me.  I know that His love is so strong that he took upon himself my sins.  I know that I must remember Him always, so I can be more like Him.  Speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah said “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”  Jeremiah said “for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”   I have a testimony that God remembers us and wants us to remember Him.

We Can Find Happiness

Living Far Beneath Our Privileges

 Parable of the Man on a Cruise   

     

     There once was a man whose lifelong dream was to board a cruise ship and sail the Mediterranean Sea. He dreamed of walking the streets of Rome, Athens, and Istanbul. He saved every penny until he had enough for his passage. Since money was tight, he brought an extra suitcase filled with cans of beans, boxes of crackers, and bags of powdered lemonade, and that is what he lived on every day.

     He would have loved to take part in the many activities offered on the ship—working out in the gym, playing miniature golf, and swimming in the pool. He envied those who went to movies, shows, and cultural presentations. And, oh, how he yearned for only a taste of the amazing food he saw on the ship—every meal appeared to be a feast! But the man wanted to spend so very little money that he didn’t participate in any of these. He was able to see the cities he had longed to visit, but for the most part of the journey, he stayed in his cabin and ate only his humble food.

     On the last day of the cruise, a crew member asked him which of the farewell parties he would be attending. It was then that the man learned that not only the farewell party but almost everything on board the cruise ship—the food, the entertainment, all the activities—had been included in the price of his ticket. Too late the man realized that he had been living far beneath his privileges.

-- Dieter F Uchtdorf

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

Play now a history of A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

A Great Poem and also a Great Hymn!

 The Stranger and his Friend

A poor wayfaring Man of grief

   Hath often crossed me on my way,

Who sued so humbly for relief

   That I could never answer “Nay.”

I had not power to ask his name,

Whither he went, or whence He came;

Yet there was something in His eye

That won my love, -- I knew not why.

Once, when my scanty meal was spread,

   He entered.  Not a word He spake,

Just perishing for want of bread.

   I gave Him all; he blessed it, brake,

And ate; but gave me part again.

Mine was an angel’s portion then;

For while I fed with eager haste,

The crust was manna to my taste.

I spied Him where a fountain burst

   Clear from the rock; His strength was gone;

The heedless water mocked His thirst;

   He heard it, saw it hurrying on.

I ran and raised the suff’rer up;

Thrice from the stream He drained my cup,

Dipped and returned it running o’er; --

I drank, and never thirsted more.

’Twas night; the floods were out; -- it blew

   A winter hurricane aloof;

I heard His voice abroad and flew

   To bid Him welcome to my roof;

I warmed, and clothed, I cheered my guest --

Laid him on my own couch to rest;

Then made the earth my bed, and seemed

In Eden’s garden while I dreamed.

Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death,

   I found Him by the highway side;

I roused His pulse, brought back His breath,

   Revived His spirit, and supplied

Wine, oil, refreshment; He was healed,

I had, myself, a wound concealed --

But from that hour forgot the smart,

And peace bound up my broken heart.

   In prison I saw Him next, condemned

To meet a traitor’s doom at morn;

   The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,

And honored Him midst shame and scorn.

My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,

He asked if I for him would die;

The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,

But the free spirit cried, “I will.”

Then in a moment, to my view,

   The stranger darted from disguise;

The tokens in His hands I knew --

   My Savior stood before mine eyes,

He spake; and my poor name He named --

“Of Me thou hast not been ashamed;

These deeds shall thy memorial be;

Fear not!  thou didst them unto me.”

Poem by James Montgomery. The Stranger and his Friend. In Pelican Island and Other Poems (pp. 122-124). Philadelphia: E. Littell and J. Grigg. 1827.

The Hymn is often known by its first line, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief".

Hymn listening link: http://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/a-poor-wayfaring-man-of-grief?lang=eng

A Testimony of Truth to Share with Others

Declaring the Good News with rejoicing.

     I’ve always sensed there was a Supreme Being since I was a little child.  When I was little, I found it second nature to privately pour-out my deepest concerns and desires to God.  I knew that he was concerned with me.  However, as I physically grew-up, I became more hardened and stiff-necked.

     Cultural folklore such as Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and adults having eyes in the back of their heads was eventually dismissed as nothing but childhood stories.  Unfortunately, so were the stories of Jesus.  I would spend the rest of my childhood and teenage years seeking for answers about life.

     Society sets many standards and expectations for her citizens.  To say I had difficulty accepting authority would be an understatement.  I dropped out of school, left home, and joined the Army.  One night, I decided to once again pour-out my heart to God.  It was my most sincere prayer from the time when I was a child.  As always, God is ever concerned with each and every one of us.

     My questions were answered.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so was Jesus lifted up on Calvary; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  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.  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen.  Praise ye the Lord!