The Rock to Build upon and Ask for help. Jeremy David Chugg ~ JDBlogger

What is the Rock in our life we should hold onto and build upon? Bruce R. McConkie said “Christ is the Rock: the Rock of Ages, the Stone of Israel, the Sure Foundation—the Lord is our Rock!” (1) Each of us must build upon this rock “For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.” (2) When we build upon anything else it will surely lead to unhappiness. If we build upon Christ then we can be sure of our foundation and know that it will never fall.
What happens if I choose not to build on the Rock? First Let’s look at the words of Helaman “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (3) I have bolded the word “when” because It is important. The scriptures don’t say “if” which means you will have hard times or choices in your life that are may be life dependents or spiritually significant. Not building Christ will lead only to unnecessary sadness and grief. Even living correctly will have trials necessary to help us grow; but when we choose not to follow Christ we will have those trials and more. Building not on the rock means living worldly or without gratefulness of what God has done for us. Living in the world never will bring happiness. Alma taught his son the truth that “wickedness never was happiness.”(4) Nevertheless the Rock will always be available for building and you can repent; but only while the work can be performed. Do not procrastinate!
If you are still reading I’m supposing you are choosing to build on the Rock, Jesus Christ and want to know “What can I do build on the Rock Jesus Christ?” There are a lot of things we can do to either start or continue building on the Rock. I’ll name a few: Family activities (learn it together), supporting extended family (visit them), Sing Hymns, Pray, Pondering the Word, attend church, serve others, and reach out to everyone. These are simple answers, so why are some of them so hard for me to do? When Nephi spoke to his brethren he said “I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified.”(5) I guess I’m probably still wicked but this won’t get me to give up. Some of this is probably human nature; nonetheless we still need to change our life into accordance. I would say unto you as we continue building on the rock and changing our lives one thing at a time that it gets easier. It helps me to choose just one thing to work on and go forth. Even still rely on the rock to help you on other things that are good too.
The Rock is available to us even when it is dark out or the way seems unclear! I know I like driving stories (see earlier post), but the Lord our Rock will teach us in different ways and he teaches me through road experiences. I believe that Christ our Rock helped me get to the place I wanted to be. I do not get to hear my Grandfather speak very often and so it was important to hear him speak. I was running a tad late and didn’t get the address from my parents before they had left. I knew where his church meetings were normally held but only vaguely because I had been there only a few times before; so I decided to continue to that location. I had my brother who was with me give a short prayer on the way to help us find the place. I found the chapel and to my dismay it was under renovation. No meetings were being held there today and I knew of no other meeting places around. I decided to continue on in search of another church meeting house. I turned around a few bends and then turned towards the direction of my grandparent’s house when we passed another church. Within the view of the parking lot was my parent’s vehicle. I knew I had gotten to the place. I believe it was Christ our redeemer who led me to the chapel. I had gotten there well within the needed time frame to see my Grandpa speak. Although, I knew neither where to go nor where to turn; I had gotten to the church on time. I cannot justify saying it was merely a coincidence that we found the place for I had never been this meeting house before. Though it was dark and unclear our way was brightened by the Rock even Jesus Christ; even as rocks were brightened and lead the way for Jaredites.
We can conclude that Christ is our Rock that we must build on. That building on a flaky foundation is not a reasonable option and lastly that he can and will help us on our way for righteous causes. Build on this Rock as if your life depended on it. In essence your life really does depend on it. It is so important for each of us to learn this and not build on a sandy turf. Turn unto Christ and try it out. You may not be helped in getting to a specific earthly location; however this Rock is the only Rock to which we can receive eternal life and exaltation! This he can help you to attain. Be willing and trusting to all the Lord gives you and build for the future. I leave my testimony that Christ is the only Rock your can build on to attain happiness!
Jeremy David Chugg ~ JDBlogger
(1) Bruce R. McConkie, “‘Upon This Rock’,” Ensign, May 1981, 75
(2) 2nd Nephi 2:28
(3) Helaman 5:12
(4) Alma 41:10
(5) 1st Nephi 16:2