The Beatitudes

This week is on the Beatitudes. These are the opening verses from The Sermon on the Mount given by Christ. They are found in Matthew 5:3-16. This link has a video and also the verses: http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/sermon-on-the-mount-the-beatitudes?lang=eng

Each of the verses begin with the "Blessed are..." What does "blessed" mean? From the institute manual, "The Life and Teachings of Jesus and his Apostles" blessedness is defined as being higher than happiness. "...blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect." By following the Beatitudes we can obtain this level of happiness.

I chose three attributes to touch on.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit. "To be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, ever dependent on the Lord..." (Institute Manual) We need a lot to get through life. Food, clothing, air, health, shelter. The Lord blesses us with each of these and more every day. We need his help to continue moving forward in our endeavors. This need will never leave, never go away. As we put our lives in His hands, he will bless our lives for good.

2. Blessed are the merciful. There is a quote from "The Hobbit" that this one made me think of. Gandalf is speaking to Bilbo. He says to him, "True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one." It's learning when to hold your tongue. It's learning to refrain and be merciful, be loving instead of cruel or unkind. "Blessed are all you who are merciful for you shall obtain mercy!" (Institute Manual)

3. Blessed are the meek. "Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of self-mastery." (Institute Manual) Being meek is being humble, not easy to anger. Christ was the perfect example of meekness. As we become meek, we will master ourselves and find happiness.

Christ's Early Disciples

This week I read in Matthew and John. For thousands of years, people who believed in the Lord had offered up sacrifices in the similitude of the future sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In these chapters He is referred to as "The Lamb of God". To those with "ears to hear," John was proclaiming that Jesus Christ would be the final offering made on their behalf. For Andrew, Simon, and Phillip, they heard Christ speak and then continued following Him. They invited other to "come and see". Nathaniel also heard Him and invited others. Christ appeared to Peter, James, and John while they were fishing and invited them to follow Him. They straightway left their nets and followed Him.
Reading in the Book of Mormon, we see many accounts of missionary work. I am not the best at sharing my testimony and inviting others to "come and see." I doubt myself and my strength. I have begun trying to invite my neighbors who are inactive to come to activities, but mostly I just try to be their friend. It is hard to ask for missionary experiences when you aren't sure how to share the Gospel. I know that as I grow stronger in my own testimony, that those experiences will come.
 

Christ

I'm going to be doing something a little different on my blog these next few months. I am currently enrolled at BYU-Idaho as an online student and this semester I am taking New Testament. Every week I will be posting something that I have learned from that week. I hope those of you that read this enjoy it and feel free to ask any questions!
This week I'll be talking about Christ, his premortal and mortal life, and the different names we know his by. I obtained most of this information from John 1 and 17 and the New Testament Institute manual.

Premortal Life:
-Christ lived with our Heavenly Father before he came to earth.
-Christ is life eternal because he was with God during his premortal life and into his mortal life.
-All things were made by Christ.
-Christ was given God's power, the priesthood and he used this power to create the earth and everything on it.
-Because Christ was chosen he was given God's light.

Mortal Life:
-Christ fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah that John the Baptist would prepare the way for the Lord and from 1 Nephi that he would behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God.
-He lived in this world and the world did not recognize who he was.
-He was mortal and had a body.
-He has power over all flesh.
-Christ gave those who believed in him the priesthood.

Names of Jesus Christ:

-Christ: The Anointed. The first born of the Father in the spirit and the only begotten of the Father in the flesh. Christ is a sacred title. It is of Greek derivation and Messiah in Hebrew.
Messiah- Another translation of The Anointed. In the New Testament the deliverer is called Christ. Messiah is used an a title of office denoting a king or deliverer.
Jehovah- The Self-Existent One or The Eternal. Jehovah  is the covenant or proper name of the God of Israel.
Immanuel- God with us. This title comes from Isaiah as a sign of God's deliverance. It also appears in latter day revelation in 2 Nephi and D&C (Doctrine and Covenants).
The Word- Christ was God's executive so to say. He put God's word into effect. In Moses 1:32 it says that the Father declared that Christ is the "word of my power."

I hope that you maybe learned something new. In studying the different names of Christ, I did and  I know that he is my Savior and Redeemer.


References: The Scriptures and The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles (New Testament Institute Manual)