I believe in Christ

What does it mean to take upon you the name of Christ? What does it mean to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? To me it means that I am His and He is mine. He is my Savior and I love him. I am his child and like a child I will put my trust in him. I can partake of His atonement and be saved in his kingdom. What does it mean to be a Child of God? How do you conduct your everyday life?

                Much of the answers to these questions are located in the scriptures. In these sacred books he has given us a plan to follow. We have the road-map before us in the palm of our hand. We must partake of this knowledge every day and learn from Christ and his teachings. We truly can hold all the books of the scriptures in the palm of our hand. I was reading the scriptures on my phone and cross referencing many of the connecting scriptures when a thought occurred to me. I really do have all the scriptures in the palm of my hand. But not only the scriptures, but the words of the latter-day prophets, all the conference talks from the beginning to now, seminary and institute student manuals, preach my gospel, pamphlets, books etc. It’s all there right at our fingertips, right in our pocket. We have only to open them and listen and feel of his spirit. We can bring the Spirit into our hearts every day. We just have to listen or read his words.

                How do we become like the Savior? It happens one day at a time, one lesson at a time, and even one trial at a time. Many may ask, “How can God love the world when so many tragedies and trials are everywhere. My answer that I have been given is that there is no other way. We cannot learn to be humble if our food fell from heaven. We could not learn to be compassionate for the sick, if we did not suffer with illness. We cannot love a child unconditionally if we did not have to sacrifice so much to bring them to this world and provide for them. We could not be grateful for our blessings, if we at one time or another went hungry or was cold or frightened. We could not be together with our eternal companion, if we did not have to work with all our might to survive the ups and downs of marriage. We could not understand how He loves the sinner, if we did not enter into temptation and needed his forgiveness and love. We cannot see miracles that Christ performs every day in our lives, if at first he did not give us the trials that will open our eyes to see ourselves through his eyes.

                What does it mean to believe in Christ? It means that we believe Him when he says that he will suffer you to come unto him. He will be there to bring us home to a Father in Heaven that loves us as. We can live with him again someday. We just have to desire to do so. One step at a time, one prayer at a time, and one scripture study session at a time, all we have to do is show up. I am a child of God and I am grateful to belong to His church.