Elder Cook's testimony of the Atonement

Clean Hands and a Pure Heart

Psalms 24: 3-5 "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

"He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

1st John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the bloodcleanseth us from all sin of Jesus Christ his Son "

Institute April 7th, 2011

 We had a substitute teacher for institute this day, so we just talked about different things and pulled out different scriptures for things that were talked about. I liked each of these scriptures, so I thought I would share them with you.

• Acts 1:22 "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection."
•  D&C 93:1 "Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;"
• Matthew 10
• Mormon 9: 24-25 "And these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;
  "And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth."
• Matthew 28:16-19 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
  "And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
  "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
  "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
• D&C 112: 19-20 "Wherefore, whithersoever they shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word.
  "Whosoever receiveth my word receiveth me, and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent, whom I have made counselors for my name’s sake unto you."
• 2 Nephi 1:13 "O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe."
• D&C 119: 3-4 "And this shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people.
  "And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord."
   

I hope you have a wonderful day! :)

He is Risen

I just posted a video about our Savior, Jesus Christ (made by MormonMessages). These are just the scriptures from it.

 He was betrayed Matthew 26: 14-16

"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

 "And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

 "And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."

 Denied Luke 22: 54-62

"Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest’s house. And Peter followed afar off.

"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

"But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

"And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

"And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

"And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilæan.

"And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

"And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

 Accused Mark 15:3

"And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing."

Rejected Luke 9:22

"Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."

Bound Mark 15:1

"And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate."

Scourged John 19:1

"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him."

Mocked Matthew 27:29

"And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!"

Reviled Matthew 27:39

"And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads"

Spit on Mark 15:19

"And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him."

Crucified John 19: 17-19

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

"Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.

"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS."

 Forsaken Matthew 27:46

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

He did His Father's will Mark 14:36

"And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."

He atoned Luke 22: 41-44

"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

"And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

 Healed Luke 22: 50-51

"And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.

"And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him."

 Held His peace Mark 14:61

"But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"

Forgave Luke 23:34

"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

He gave His life John 19:30

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

He is RISEN Matthew 28:6

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

Church Notes on April 17th, 2011

• Going to the temple is the ultimate way to serve the Lord.
• D&C 84: 19-22 "And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
  "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
  "And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
  "For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live."
• Temples are not just for the living, but for the dead. They are what binds us together for an eternity.
• 1 Cor. 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
• The Lord never asks the impossible. He may ask for the difficult, but never the impossible.

A little something (quite interesting) that my brother pointed out to me today at church:

• In D&C 64:9 &11. Revelation given on September 11th, 1931.

     "Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
     "And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds."

A Few Thoughts

  Do you ever have those moments where you feel Heavenly Father's love and you see the plan so much clearer than normal and you just want to shout for joy? Even though things may be rough for you during that time, you still feel this way? I was told once that no matter what you are going through, you can always feel joy as long as you are doing what's right and just trying your hardest to do so. I wish I felt this way all the time, but unfortunately Satan likes to bring us down and discourage us. You may run into this occasionally, or maybe often. Just remember, Heavenly Father is there to help you. Never forget that. Always go to Him for help and comfort. And when in doubt, pray. Prayer is such an important and powerful tool that we can use to connect with our Father in Heaven.
  I read one of my friend's blogs earlier this week and she talked about feeling our Heavenly Father's love. Maybe it's not seeking for comfort, strength, joy, or whatever it may be that you need...but what if you ask to feel His love? Like my friend had said in her blog, He cannot and will never withhold His love. He will always be willing to pour that love out to you. Try it. Ask Him.
  I hope this made sense. Sometimes, when I think about one thing I go off talking about other things too...I think that is what I did here a little bit. But I hope it enlightened you somehow either way.
  But, I pray that each of us will go to Him.
  Even just to talk.
  Pour out your feelings to Him, and He will hear you.
  He is listening.
  And He will always be listening.
  Just never forget these things. Never. For I do know that He is there, and that is my testimony.

“Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.” –Alma 37:36-37 (A couple of my favorite scriptures of all time)

“Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” –D&C 123:17

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endureth it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

“Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.” –D&C 121:7-9

“..give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss.” –Alma 37:44

Church April 10th, 2011

• Secure your temple recommend and live each day to keep yourself worthy to go in.
• Leviticus 19:30 "Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD."
• D&C 25:10 "seek for the things of a better."
• Moses 5:7
• Moses 6:63 "all things bear record of me."
• D&C 88:67 "if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light."
• As you follow the Lord, a light will shine forth from you. As you continue to follow the Lord in your life, that light will grow brighter through the years as long as you stay faithful until the day it becomes the brightest, which is the day you become like Him; perfect.
• D&C 109:1-5, 10, 14-15, 22, 72-73
• "..out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name, that the Son of Man might have a place to manifest himself to his people." (5)
• "And do thou grant, Holy Father, that all those who shall worship in this house may be taught words of wisdom out of the best books, and that they may seek learning even by study, and also by faith, as thou hast said;" (14)
• "And that they may grow up in thee, and receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, and be organized according to thy laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing;" (15)
• "We ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them;" (22)
• "That thy church may come forth..and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun.." (73)

Agency

The power to choose.

We are “free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27).

"In this life, people continue to have agency; even if their personal freedoms are restricted or taken away, they can choose how to feel and react." (lds.org)

Agency plays a huge part in our lives.

Life is so hard and full of challenges and surprises. Just remember, we are here for a purpose.

This life is a test, so I believe that with whatever we face, we can go to the Lord for help and guidance.

He will be our guide and strength throughout our lives and through the trials we go through. He will be our comforter.

But, we need to go to Him first to receive those blessings.

"Without the gift of agency, we would have been unable to show our Heavenly Father whether we would do all that He commanded us. Because we are able to choose, we are responsible for our actions (see Helaman 14:30–31)." (lds.org)

"Modern revelation makes it clear that agency is a gift from our Heavenly Father to allow us to choose obedience, which leads us to eternal life." -L. Lionel Kendrick

"While the freedom to choose involves the risk of mistakes, it also offers the opportunity, through our Father’s plan, to overcome them." -Spencer J. Condie

“Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee.” -Mosiah 3:17

"And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

"Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other." -2 Nephi 2:15-16

"That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment."

-D&C 101:78

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothfu and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

"For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." -D&C 58:26-28

"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

"He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you."

-Helaman 14:30-31

"When we choose to live according to God’s plan for us, our agency is strengthened. Right choices increase our power to make more right choices.

"As we obey each of our Father’s commandments, we grow in wisdom and strength of character. Our faith increases. We find it easier to make right choices.

"We began to make choices as spirit children in our Heavenly Father’s presence. Our choices there made us worthy to come to earth. Our Heavenly Father wants us to grow in faith, power, knowledge, wisdom, and all other good things. If we keep His commandments and make right choices, we will learn and understand. We will become like Him. (See D&C 93:28.)" (lds.org)

Elder Perry on the Priesthood, Part Two: The Aaronic and Melchizedek Pri...

Elder Perry on the Priesthood, Part One: The Oath and Covenant

Alma 26:12

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in his land, for which we will praise his name forever."

As I read, "in his strength I can do all things", I realize how I am only a small person that can only do so much with out the help from my Heavenly Father. But, it does give me confidence knowing that as long as I submit my will to His and do all I can to try and follow Him, He will give me all the strength in the world to do great things. 

I shall not be afraid, but rejoice and go forward with faith and endure to the end...

Alma 26:22

 a scripture I came across the other day. I like it :)
"Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

LDS Charities: Rique's Wheelchair