It all begins and ends the same way. It was there in the beginning as the wars raged on in heaven; it will be there in the end at the Savior’s coming. Faith is everywhere in our lives, probably even more than we realize. It took faith from every one of us to come to this earth and experience mortality. Each day we have faith that the sun will rise, just as it did the day before. Furthermore, we all must have faith that when our time comes, we will be able to return home.
The apostle Paul defined faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” [1].
Faith is a principle of action that leads to repentance, obedience and service. When we have faith in Christ, we know we must follow his commandments and repent when we disobey. We learn to be obedient and direct our lives in a way the Lord would approve of. By doing so, we are blessed and also given the opportunity to serve others. Whether it is through a small act of kindness or a mighty miracle that affect nations, it is said that the Lord helps his children through the acts of others.
Additionally, we learn from past prophets and many other people in the Book of Mormon that faith is essential in our lives. The prophet Nephi taught us that it is necessary to have faith in the Lord even when trials come upon us. All throughout his traveling in the wilderness, Nephi faced adversity and had constant faith in order to press forward, especially with the continual murmuring from his family. “Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him. And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled” [3]. Through Nephi we learn that it is because of our faith that we can trust in the Lord’s plan and are able to meet life’s daily challenges and endure to the end.
In the absence of faith we are left with fear. Imagine a world with no faith and only fear in its place. Such a world has existed in the past and would still exist were it not for a 14 year old boy in
I know that if we strive to exercise faith in the Lord and his plan of salvation our burdens will be lightened, we will obtain a greater understanding of his work, and if each of us “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ…enduring to the end,” [5] we are promised eternal life. I pray that we may all be able to improve our faith and relationship with our Savior and Redeemer. I have faith in my Lord Jesus Christ. He atoned for our sins and will reign on this earth once more. This I know, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Works Cited
- Hebrews 11:1
- 1 Nephi 7:12-13
- James 1:5-6
- 2 Nephi 31:20
10 comments:
This is a very solid doctrinal summary of faith. It reminds me of entries in the Bible Dictionary or the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Could you share a personal experience of faith to exemplify your good explanations?
Thank you for noting that faith is an element that involves every aspects of our lives, as you hint in your title "from the beginning to the end". I also enjoyed reading your testimony.
Thank you for these wonderful comments and ideas on faith, I never get tired of learning about faith because it is so important in all that we do.
I like how you applied faith to wars because we need not fear if we are on the Lord's side.
This is an excellent blog on faith. I really liked that you said that without faith there is fear. It shows just one reason why faith is important. Thank you for your testimony.
Well constructed discussion on faith. it flows well and is worth reading.
I love how you gave different quotes from different prophets to show how they all talked about faith. Great blog overall.
I like how you show that faith is more than just an set of ideas but an action.
I love how you mentioned faith was around before we came to earth and will be around after we leave it. In fact I have a personal theory that Gods power is derived from faith. And the priesthood is a way to tap in to the Gods power (based on faith) to perform miracles for which we dont have enough faith to perform alone. Just a theoiry though :P
your blog was very strong but personal insight would really enhance it and bring more meaning to it.
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