Assignment number Two

For this assignment I decided to do Number 3 in Unit 2.
This week we were suppose to study and ponder Matthew 5-13 Mark 2-5 and Luke 5-8

At first i was kinda freaking out. A lot of reading right? but the reading went by so fast because everything was a story or a parable of different things so it made my reading easy and i really feel like i learned a lot!
The first thing i had to do for this section was to write answers to the following questions:

o       Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (see Matthew 13:44-46), what sacrifices would you be willing to make to obtain the treasure of the gospel? What sacrifices have you or those you know already made for the gospel?

       In this parable, it talks about how someone finds this amazing treasure, buries it in the field then goes and sells everything he has just to buy the field the treasure is buried in. And then it goes on to say a man finds a pearl, a sells everything he owns just to buy it. I would like to think that i would be willing to sacrifice what ever i had to for the gospel. we of course dont have to buy the gospel or anything but theres a lot that the gospel asks of us. I am not saying it isnt to much or that it isnt worth it, however, when outsiders look in on the commandments of an LDS church, they are shocked at how committed and valiant we are in the difficult commandments we are asked to follow. I think that when i read about what so many others have sacrificed for the gospel, that i should also be willing to sacrifice just as much. So many lives lost, so many faced prison or painful ridicule. So many sold everything they owned to build a temple. left their homes and friends and livelihood to move wherever the Lord commanded them. I want to say i would be just like them, but i am shameful to wonder if that would be true.

      Nowadays we experience different sacrifices. We must lose friends due to immoral conduct or differences in believes. We must sometimes miss out on worldly things like movies or songs or parties because they dont produce a wholesome atmosphere. And we pay our tithing every month. we might lose jobs because we cant work on sunday or not play sports so we can keep the sabbath day holy. My mom and dad have sacrificed so much for our gospel. they go without so they can pay their tithing. they have lost contact with family members because they cant understand the way we live. They sacrifice a lot of their time for their callings in the church. All these things are small and seem almost insignificant to the sacrifices made by so many, however, to me they are amazing for doing what they do and they are such strong example of what i want to do with my life. i want to live my life willing to make sacrifices without even second guessing anything. The things of the world are meaningless, our penniless when compared to the things of our heavenly father.

o       What does the net represent in the parable of the net cast into the sea? (See Matthew 13:47). What does it mean to be gathered into the net? What is represented by the action of gathering the good into vessels and casting the bad away? (See Matthew 13:48-50).

      The net in the parable cast into the sea represents the Kingdom of Heaven. And just like the net comes down into the water, the Kingdom of Heaven has been brought down to the earth (of course not literally, however it has been brought down-the truths of the kingdom of heaven- through the teachings of our prophets and through the life and teachings of Jesus Chirst.) and we have brought the true church unto the earth and we are gathering all that will come into the church. we want to teach them and prophecy unto them so they can join into the church. to be snatched up into the wonderful blessings of the gospel just like the fish are snatched up into the net. after the fishmen are done with the nets, it is brought back onto the shore and picked through to find the good fish and to cast out the bad fish. In the end, the savior and our heavenly father will also bring up all those that have been brought into the church, and those that have lived righteously- the good fish- will be kept and will live with our father in heaven and those that have not lives righteously- the bad fish- will be cast out. 

Parables are always so much fun. and sometimes they are hard to understand but once you understand them, they make so much sense. I hope that in the last days, when the savior brings up his net of fish, i am one of the fish that he looks at and decides it is good. what a wonderful and marvelous blessing it will be to be able to return to live with my father in heaven once again. 

Assignment Number one

For my religion class, I have to do assignments about the scriptures that I have read this last week. one of the things our teacher is allowing us to do is share our lessons on a blog like this one in order to show him, as well as maybe others who read this exactly what we feel and think about the words that we read in our scriptures.  For this weeks assignment I decided to do

           

                                           Choice 9: John 3. We Must Be born Again

    

   
               1. What is the difference between  “seeing the Kingdom of God and “entering” into the kingdom of God?

At first I was really confused what the difference was but then I read the manual that was given to us by our instructor and it all made a little more sense.

                        Remember when you were little and you went to parades and stuff like that with lots of crowded people who were taller then you? And you couldn’t see anything so you asked your dad to pick you up and put you on his shoulders so you could see? That’s exactly like “seeing” the kingdom of God. The Holy Ghost comes to you and shows you the light. He helps you realize the truthfulness of the gospel so that you can build a testimony of the church.

            But to actually enter into the kingdom requires something different then just “seeing”. You can’t just stare at something, seeing it, and get inside. You actually have to move, walk or run or jump over whatever is keeping you from getting to that place. The same goes for getting into the kingdom. You have to implement all the commandments and teachings into your life, submerge yourself into the gospel and then you can “enter” into the kingdom. So first you “see” then you “enter”. You can “see” and not enter but you can never “enter” without fully “seeing” first.

2            2. What did Jesus Christ teach Nicodemus that he must do to enter the kingdom of God?

He must be baptized. It says, “…Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

3    

              3.  Read Moses 6:59 and list ways that baptism is a symbol of rebirth. Read Romans 6:4 and list how baptism can be a symbol of death.

Baptism is a symbol of rebirth because just like we were born into the world by blood, water and spirit we will also be reborn in the same way through baptism. We must submerge ourselves in water, Jesus had to give his blood for our sins to be washed away and we must change our ways and become new a clean spirits just like when we were born.

Baptism is a symbol of death because just like after we die we are buried in the ground, we are also buried in the water during baptism. And when we die, we are risen again, new and perfect to live again with our father in heaven. When we rise out of the waters, we are also new and clean and perfect spirits once again ready to live our lives in a way that bring us closer to our heavenly father.                                                                                 

The last thing i had to do was to review John John 3: 14-17 35-36 and tell who the Father loves, what he has done to show his love for his children and for Jesus Christ, what the purpose of the Savior was and what blessings will come to those that accept the son.

  4. What does it mean to be born of the spirit?
I think being born of the spirit means to have a change of heart. I think that the spirit testifies of the truthfulness of following the commandments and those that feel that and let the Holy Spirit influence their everyday decisions, they are slowly changed into a righteous saint. They are new and more perfect then before. They are in a sense a new person.

          
             5.  What natural element doe the Lord compare with the Sprit? Why is it an effective comparison?

He compares the spirit to the wind. I think that this is very effective because it is something everyone can relate to. It’s something that we all understand and can impart the attributes of wind to the Holy Spirit easily. The wind cannot be seen but we still know it is there because we can feel it. The spirit to cannot be seen however if we stop, we can feel it and sometimes, if we listen closely we can hear the wind blowing, just like we can hear the whispers of the spirit. 

          Our father in heaven loves each and everyone of us. I didnt need the scriptures to tell me that. I have known that from the time i was little until now. and i feel it everyday. But the thing that the scriptures said was that he gave us a way to return to him. and that was through his only begotten son. He knew that we were going to sin. that we would be too imperfect to return to live with him again. but he loves us so much, that he wanted to make sure that if we did our part, if we wanted to make it back, that he had a way prepared for us to do just that. He didnt send Jesus down to the earth to say "hey guys, this is what your doing wrong and you guys will never be as perfect as I am." but instead he came down as a teacher, mentor, and example of what we should all want to become more like. He came down to die for us so we could return to him. He gave his only begotten son, even Jesus Christ everything. He trusted him with all his spirit children on this earth to do what needed to be done so we could all return to him. He loved Jesus. And that is why he knew that he would be the perfect Savior of the world. selfless, giving and ever perfect. Jesus came down to this earth to save us all. He died on the cross so we could all be forgiven of our sins and he was resurrected so we too could be resurrected. everything he did was for us. was for me. His whole mission was to bring light to the world. to show us the way when all was dark. He brought the truth again to the earth and then he left us to keep the light burning. and if we did, he provided a way to live in the eternities with our father in heaven. All we have to do is accept his son. accept his teachings, and keep the light burning on the earth and inside our hearts. If we do that, if we follow His teachings, and do all that we can, our Father in heaven provided a way- the life of his only son- to allow us to return to live with him again. What a wonderful blessing it is to bave such a wonderful life to look forward to if we just remain steadfast in this short time ont his earth. Nothing really seems so significant when I look at how much i have to look forward to in the afterlife. No bad movie, no raging party, or inappropriate dress or that one bad boy seem to even compare in the slightest to the wonderful and magnificent happiness i can feel if i but accept the savior and follow his example. It wont be easy. but nothing in life ever is.

     

a Billion to One

Hi my name is Hannah Safford. I am new to the blogging world but i wanted to start one because i'm doing an online class for BYUI and thought this would be a fun way to share my views and my ideas and kinda show a little sneak peek into my life. I am a member of the LDS church. That makes me different then a lot of people. i dont drink, smoke, sleep around. i go to church every sunday and i say my prayers every night. The world says its all about the here and now. i say its all about the forevers and eternities. 

 But even though i am different, there are a lot of things we all have in common. We all have our beliefs. We all want to find love, happiness, and success, and we are all trying to find a way to make it through this massive world without losing ourselves.

One of the things that is most important to me in my life is my family and friends. They support me when i am struggling and help me find myself when i feel a little lost. My family is normal in most ways. i have two younger brothers, jack and cole. Both athletic. Both annoying yet utterly adorable. my older sister alex is married and happily starting her career as a teacher. she embodies everything i wish i was and all things perfect. My mom and dad are teenage sweethearts and to this day love each other like a Nicholas Sparks story book romance. 

My friends are probably my most favorite people in the whole world. we are funny and goofy and dont have to be doing anything at all to be having a blast. most of the time we are making memories i will cherish for the rest of my life. we are all about to leave for our second year of college. we all go different places so its a struggle to see each other while we are away. but if this summer shows anything, its that time and distance has nothing on a friendship as rare as ours. the only bummer is they are all non members so that makes things difficult and sometimes frustrating when they cant or sometimes dont want to understand my lifestyle or why i choose to live the way i do. And i cant say it never effects me when they do things that are against my standards. obviously it does. it makes me sad for them, sometimes i feel left out, and sometimes i just wish i could help them see my point of view without feeling like telling them what i feel would be as terrifying as standing naked in front of a crowd. But i think living like that, my standards always being questioned, my restraint to do wrong always being pushed to its limits, has only made me stronger. has made me a better member of the Lord's church.

I am nothing short of ordinary. But I think that what i have to say might mean something to someone. and if not to anyone, than at least writing down my thoughts is kind of like saying "hey guys Im here." you know? like maybe even if i am insignificant and totally unimportant among the billions of people on this little planet, the things i say will some how make me feel like i made a difference... or at least i tried.

My life is good. maybe even great.  And i have the Lord to thank for that. So as i study the scriptures, i want to make sure i do so in a way that shows Him how grateful i am for what He has given me. I am going to ponder and pray and try my best to not just read, but to understand. And i want to live what i read. really soak in like a giant sponge the words of those wiser and more noble  then i could ever hope to become.

So this is me, Hannah Safford. Living life, doing what i can, and trying not to lose myself in a sea of a billion people.