Three Things to Remember

There are three things that we all need to remember or learn.

1 – You Are a Child of God.

2 – True Happiness and Joy Are Only Found in Following God's Commandments And Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

3 – There Is Hope in Christ.

Now I want to elaborate a little bit on each one.

First, you are a child of God.  You are literally a spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.  As such, you have a divine nature.  This should be your core identity.

"Our most fundamental doctrine includes the knowledge that we are children of a living God. That is why one of His most sacred names is Father—Heavenly Father."

"President Thomas S. Monson testified: “We are sons and daughters of a living God. … We cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power.”

"This doctrine is so basic, so oft stated, and so instinctively simple that it can seem to be ordinary, when in reality it is among the most extraordinary knowledge we can obtain. A correct understanding of our heavenly heritage is essential to exaltation. It is foundational to comprehending the glorious plan of salvation and to nurturing faith in the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus the Christ, and in His merciful Atonement. Further, it provides continual motivation for us to make and keep our indispensable eternal covenants."

"Here on earth, we identify ourselves in many different ways, including our place of birth, our nationality, and our language. Some even identify themselves by their occupation or their hobby. These earthly identities are not wrong unless they supersede or interfere with our eternal identity—that of being a son or a daughter of God." 

"We live in a world that can cause us to forget who we really are. The more distractions that surround us, the easier it is to treat casually, then ignore, and then forget our connection with God."

"In today’s world, no matter where we live and no matter what our circumstances are, it is essential that our preeminent identity is as a child of God."  – Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, "I Am a Child of God", April 2016 General Conference

Never forget that you are a child of God.  Always remember your divine nature as a son or daughter of God as your chief identity.

Second, true happiness and joy are only found in following God's commandments and a living the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yes, it is true that you may have fun while breaking God's commandments.  But it is a temporary, fleeting happiness.  It doesn't last and it is not pure joy.  

Ironically people who follow the "eat drink and be merry" philosophy may think they are free because they are breaking God's commandments.  While reality is that they are really not free at all, but are slaves to their addictions and to the philosophies of Satan.

2 Nephi 28:7-9

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines,…

False, vain, and foolish doctrines indeed.  Choices have consequences.  Sinning (breaking God's commandments) has consequences.  Misery being a universal consequence to sin.  Likewise, striving to keep God's commandments also has consequences.  Joy, happiness, and peace come to mind as consequences of striving to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

You may have fun while breaking God's commandments.  You may not face the consequences of sin immediately.  You may even think you're happy while sinning.  But if you think happiness is found in sin, you are foolish.  The truth is, pure joy and true happiness are only found while following God.

Third, there is hope in Christ.  We are all mortal.  We all sin.  Because of Christ and His atoning sacrifice, we are all able to be redeemed.  But many people feel that they are beyond redemption.  This is simply not true.

"One of Satan’s ultimate weapons (if not the ultimate) is to remove hope from your life. He tries to convince you that you can’t do it, that there is no hope. Thus, by removing hope, he removes Christ from your life, for Christ is hope. Satan can never quite accomplish that fully—at least not here—because it is a lie. There is hope built within all of us. There is always hope."

"How do I know there is hope for all? Because it was a universal atonement. As the scriptures tell us, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (D&C 19:16). That is, there was no holding back on the Savior’s part. He paid the full price for all—full measure, pressed down, overflowing."

"There is always hope. In Christ who lives and loves and works miracles now, there is always hope. Listen again and again and again. There is always hope—now, today—there is always hope. There is always hope. He lives. He loves. He saves. In him there is always hope.

What would life be like without hope? Terrible. We can’t conceive of it. Remove the Savior from your life and you remove hope."

"No matter what price we have to pay, or how long we must suffer, there is always hope. No matter how deep the wound, how dark the night, keep up hope. It is worth it. There is always hope!

No matter the fasting, the struggling, the praying, the weeping, the searching, the confessing. No matter the so-called embarrassment or loss of face or pride or whatever other terms or feelings Satan uses in his attempt to dissuade us from obtaining that saving hope and from securing that glorious hope in the Savior. It is worth it."

"Oh, my beloved young friends, remember there is always hope, for you and for others! How do I know that? Because the Savior came and paid the price for all.

"For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent." [D&C 19:16]  

"That's pretty inclusive." 

"Listen to President Stephen L. Richards, another great leader:

"Let no brother or sister in the whole family of God [now that is not only members of the Church but the whole family of God] feel that he or she has gone beyond the point where error and sin may be left behind and true repentance enlighten the soul with hope and faith. [Stephen L. Richards, April Conference, 8 April 1956]

"You see, there is always hope."

– John H. Groberg, of the Seventy, "There Is Always Hope", June 3, 1984

(By the way, this was an excellent talk given by Elder Groberg.  Click on link to read or listen to the whole talk.  Just an FYI, Elder Groberg happens to be my Grandpa Sabin's first cousin's husband.  So I guess we're kind of related. :-)  Elder Groberg's wife, Jean Sabin Groberg is my first cousin twice removed.)

Satan's greatest lie is to convince you that there is no hope.  Don't believe him.  There is always hope in Christ.  No one is beyond redemption.  

If you get nothing else from this blog post I hope you remember these three things:  You are a child of God.  True happiness is only found in following God.  There is hope in Christ.

That's my two cents.