FIRE WORKS

I think back to my youth and remember the days when my family and I would go on adventurous camping trips, which would usually include fishing, shooting, and doing the outdoor stuff.  I remember anticipating the beautiful sharp pine trees, and hearing the rushing river alongside our campground.   I love breathing the whispering winds as we are overwhelmed and humbled by nature and the creation of our God.

Some moments will never be forgotten.  Being young and learning to enjoy the freedom of the great outdoors I always came to love the campfire. Hear the crackling goodness of warmth and peace, staring into the blazing hot coals, as if your face was going to melt.  It's comforting to ponder and retain life's most precious moments as bouldering stress flow away. I find myself huddling close to a campfire while I have deep thought. 

So you're maybe asking yourself; why would he be talking about campfires?  Fire is an amazing reaction in which can sustain life, cook really good food, and keep us nice and warm.  But I want to relate how a fire can save us from harm, keep us happy with light to see and food to cook --- and how the gospels simple truths are likened unto a fire.  How Jesus Christ and His teachings can keep our own fires(spiritual fires) burning with light, happiness, warmth, and maybe full of tasty cooked food. 

       How does fire work?

PS--Don't Smoke

Fire is a combustive oxidation reaction--a chemical

reaction between oxygen molecules and any

molecules that have the potential to take on an

oxygen molecule. Energy, in the form of heat or

light, is released from the molecules as the reaction

takes place.

When enough oxygen and heat combine with the fuel source, ignition occurs. Once the initial heat source has ignited the fire, the flame generates its own heat for combustion, and oxidation continues in a chain reaction. The fire will burn until one or more of the necessary components is exhausted or removed. (1.)

When the elements of heat, fuel and oxygen are put into one bowl served together the reaction will produce FIRE!!  Like a fire, we are to put three elements into our spirituality such as:

 first, prayer; Second, scripture study; Third, sabbath day worship.

Prayer

In prayer we speak openly and honestly with our loving Father in Heaven. We express

gratitude and thanksgiving for our blessings. We may acknowledge our love for Him. We

also ask for help, protection, and direction according to our needs.
In turn He will give unto us our direction according to our need and His will. -- I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father--  2 Nephi 32:9

Scripture Study

“feast upon the words of Christ … ,(and) the words of Christ will tell [us] all things what [we] should do” (2 Ne. 32:3)

Search out diligently for your life and others questions of your soul, your current needs and concerns and challenges WILL be made light.  For the "words of Christ" will direct you to make correct decisions.

Sabbath Day Worship

"Our Sabbath-day behavior is a reflection of our commitment to honor and worship God.

By keeping the Sabbath day holy, we show God our willingness to keep our covenants." (2)

We show our God we love Him by remembering him and His Sacrifice.  As we partake of his sacrament, and abstain from shopping, attending sporting events, and partaking of unrestful things, we will see and feel him more in our lives.

These three simple ingredients turn into what is called a testimony (fire of the spirit).  When you feel clean, you feel happy, independent, worthy, and last but not least, loved.  You know the Savior is pleased and happy for what you are doing.  These basic applications turn into a life sustaining reaction, in turn will increase your happiness, love, peace, and joy in not only this life, but in the life to come. 

We mush continue to apply these principles:

 1) prayer(communication with our Heavenly Father), 2) scripture study(Book of Mormon, Bible, current teachings of latter-day prophets), and attending to fellowship in the unity and body of His church(church attendance and sabbath day observance).  As we do so, we will become acquainted with love, which is in Christ our Lord and Savior.

Look at Tom, he's so excited because he has fire now!!  Remember fire can make us warm, but if we cease to feed this fire, it will burn out.  Keep feeding your spiritual fire with the required needs, and you will find the peace which comes for safety of the soul.

 

 Yield

Yield, What does it mean to you.?  When I first read the word yield I was taken back to a memory in my childhood when my mother drove an old 85 Fleetwood Cadillac.  I remember slouching back into the comfort of the back seat, leaning my head against the glass watching the cars pass by.  While coming to a halt I leaned over to see why we were slowing down, and in the corner of my eye I noticed the sign"YIELD" in bright red.   Being young I would believe I was curious enough to ask my Mom, who was an expert driver and had much experience with the road, could tell me a little more about the sign.  Why did we have to slow down every time this sign came into our view?  Why is it red?  Why so cautious when slowing down?

A few days ago as I was reading in the Book of Mormon (Another testament of Jesus Christ) and came across this particular verse;

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

 I asked why would their "yielding" their hearts unto God bring them happiness or "joy and consolation"?  When we yield it is primarily because we need to advise our decisions, ---in driving, to look for oncoming traffic-- but it can be used in more of a literal sense as well. 
Yielding means complying with the requests or desires of others: "a gentle, yielding person" or in other words slowing down to oncoming traffic.
When we make a promise to our Heavenly Father we promise to do things (such as keeping the commandments) yielding our personal desires to him by following His path.  In so doing we will receive his love "joy and consolation... even unto the purification... of our hearts".  What a blessing God gives us. 

Let's talk about "promises" or "Covenants" for a second.  The first covenant we make is Baptism.  Baptism is showing Heavenly Father you WILL keep His commandments.

If you are.. "desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 "Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death..

 "Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"

When we make promises we yield ourselves to the will of God, and in turn he will "pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you.."  We yield our inclinations to do evil, we follow the road of righteousness(and we do our best to stay on), we take what we are holding onto(our past, thoughts, habits, actions, words) and we throw them away.  We yield (stop, slow down ) for God, so he can take the weeds in our hearts and plant beautiful flowers.  We give him everything.  It is difficult, but that is why we Yield, not completely stop but yield. It is an ongoing action which leads us to overcome our selfish habits and to swallow our pride.  Hand over your sins with trust in God, He will make everything ok.

The road of life's journey is learned after facing the trials.  Learning to become dependent on God.  We give all to him and we will find ourselves free.

YIELD and become free.