Sunday
Palm Sunday
I just finished watching “His Only Son”, the account of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son to follow God’s command, and as we know, he was spared from having to do that.
As Easter approaches this next week I am filled with gratitude that our Heavenly Father did not spare his only begotten Son so that we may be spared from the full suffering of our sins and pains of this life!! What a miracle our Savior Jesus Christ is and will always be!!
Monday
Monday after Palm Sunday about two thousand years ago our Savior went to the temple, His Father’s House and found it being desecrated by all kinds of worldly pleasures. He then proceeded to remove forcibly, with pure righteous indignation, all those who had defiled His Father’s house.
I now ask myself this question this Easter week: Am I willing to remove with righteous indignation all the weaknesses, sins that I have that defile the temple, my body, that Heavenly Father has given me, whether they be spiritual or physical things that defile?
Tuesday
The Tuesday after Christ had cleansed the temple he taught this and other wonderful doctrine in Jerusalem.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37)
This is the way in which we become converted to Christ. Conversion is not an event but a lifelong process. Just as water is converted to steam by heat being applied constantly to the water. Conversion to steam will stop once we turn off the heat.
Our conversion must be the same. We must constantly apply the “fire” of the gospel of Jesus Christ each hour of every day of our lives so our conversion may continue. That can include many things such as prayer, scripture study, serving others, temple worship, being compassionate to all that we meet.
Then the day will come when our conversion will be complete, many, many eons from now, and we will be changed to be like our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ through their mercy and grace. My favorite week of the year.
Wednesday
Wednesday before Jesus began His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane he took time again to teach and perform miracles. “The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing” [Mormon 9:21]. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles.” -Pres. Russell M Nelson
We have been asked to seek out Miracles, which implicitly means that they are already there for us to find. Miracles are all around us and our Savior Jesus Christ has performed them for each of us and will continue to do so as we exercise faith in Him. I have seen many miracles in my life, and in the lives of my family members. I know that there are many I have not seen.
Just as the Savior raised Lazarus from the dead, He can raise us up from our deepest despair and darkness if we turn to Him.
“Moroni assured us that “God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.” Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him.” -Pres Russell M Nelson
Thursday
Thursday almost 2000 years ago Judas Iscariot, for reasons we can only assume goes to the Jewish leaders and agrees to the sum of 30 silver pieces (coincidentally the cost of a slave at the time) to betray His Lord, Messiah and Savior.
Only a few years earlier he left everything to follow Jesus.
I wonder about my life and how many times I have “betrayed” my Savior Jesus Christ by choosing to follow the adversary time and time again. I made covenants and chose to follow Jesus just as Judas did. I have seen miracles upon miracles in my life just as Judas did and I still sometimes choose to follow the adversary.
Did Judas truly understand what he did? I don’t know the answer to that question. I don’t think any of us truly understand what we are doing when we choose to not follow Jesus Christ. All I do know is that He loves me unconditionally and always will. I have so much more joy and happiness when I do choose to follow Him and misery, despair and sadness when I do not follow Him!!
It really is quite simple as the Savior teaches us: “I am the way, the truth and the life of the world, no man cometh unto the Father but by me”, and “Love one another as I have loved you.”
That is my heart’s desire, to come unto the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and feel of their love! I choose Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!
Blessed Easter everyone!!
Thursday night almost 2000 years ago our Savior Jesus Christ met with His disciples for the “Last Supper” he would have with them before His death. It was there that He told Judas “That thou doest, do quickly”
Jesus next went to the Garden of Gethsemane, while His chief apostles rested and eventually fell asleep multiple times. It was there that He suffered immeasurable pain, suffering and grief for each of God’s children taking upon Himself all of our sins and pains we will ever endure so He would be able to succor all of God’s children and provide us a way to repent of our sins and be comforted as we navigate this life.
He suffered the complete wrath of God as if he had committed every sin imaginable to man and then infinitely more, yet he committed no sin ever, the only perfect person to walk the earth, thus it is the greatest contradiction ever. Satan unleashed all he had against our Savior at this time and even though He asked His Father three times, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” And as we know He followed His Father’s will.
Judas shows up a little later leading Roman soldiers and He points out the Savior by betraying Him with a kiss. He is then taken to the Jewish leadership where an illegitimate trial takes place with Caiaphas presiding and then handed over to the Roman authorities early Friday morning since the Jewish leadership had no authority to carry out any punishment.
Friday
Friday morning nearly two thousand years ago Jesus Christ is taken to the Roman leader Pontius Pilate. Pilate found no cause to keep, let alone punish Jesus. The Jews even chose to release a hardened criminal, Barabbas, which interestingly enough, Barabbas translated means “Son of the Father”.
Next Pilate sent Jesus to be scourged by Roman soldiers. Scourging was done with a weapon fashioned out of leather strips, anywhere between 3 and 9, with pieces of bone, and metal embedded into them. Jesus was struck “40 times save one” with the scourging whip, since they believed that a full forty stripes would kill a man, and many did die from this horrible act. Jesus persevered and was taken back to Pilate where he summarily “washed His hands of Jesus’ fate. The Jews repeatedly cried out to Pilate, crucify him, crucify him.
Pilate relented and Jesus was forced to carry His own wooden beam to Golgotha where he was lain on the beam and large nails were driven through His hands, wrists and feet piercing delicate nerves in the process creating excruciating pain. He was then lifted up and His cross dropped into a hole. Crucifixion was known to be one of the most cruel forms of inflicting death on a person. While on the cross He suffered all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane again, but this time all alone. He, at one point, cries out “Eli Eli lama sabbachtani” which is to say “Father Father why hast thou forsaken me”. Shortly after this he cried out to His Father “It is finished into the hands I commend my spirit”. The Savior of the world was dead! Storms raged as the earth mourned its creator.
I can only imagine as a Father how painful and heartbreaking it was for our Heavenly Father to watch His only begotten Son suffer as He did, and having the foresight and mercy to not reach out and save him so that all of his other children would have the opportunity to repent and return to His presence. The greatest act ever to have been done in the universe, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, was in process, and would be complete in a few days.
His friends took Him and dressed His body and laid Him in a borrowed tomb!
Hearts were broken, shattered as many had just watched their Messiah killed by evil men.
But remember…Sunday is coming, and will come for all of us! That is a promise to all of us from a Loving, merciful, benevolent God.
Saturday
Saturday nearly two thousand years ago life for the 11 apostles left, since their Rabbi, teacher, friend and Messiah was brutally crucified, was in great disarray. Everything they had known, everything they were taught by the greatest teacher the universe had ever known seemed to be for naught. How could the Messiah be dead. Wasn’t he supposed to be the King of the Jews that would overthrow the Romans? Wasn’t he God’s son in the flesh? I am sure they had so many questions.
So many times in my life terrible things have happened to me or loved ones. Life seems so dark and lacking all hope, how can anything good come of this? How can I move forward in the midst of so much pain, so much suffering? The answer, my friends, is the miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Nothing in the eternities before or after this infinite, miraculous act of unconditional love and mercy can ever come close in comparison because there is no comparison!
But as the world is in turmoil and those that loved Jesus Christ were mourning His death… in another realm, the spirit world, the Savior Jesus Christ has made His grand entrance there. What an amazing experience for those who have been waiting for eons of time to hear His gospel message, the message of salvation and hope. He worked in earnest to establish a plan to ensure all those who had been waiting to hear his message could now receive it, because Sunday is coming quickly for Him and the rest of the world, which at this time has no idea what is about to happen…the culmination of the greatest act of love, mercy and grace the world has ever known…the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Sunday
Easter Sunday, Sunday Has Come!!
Our Savior Jesus Christ leaves the spirit world and with the power of a God that he possesses takes up His body again and during that process of resurrection His body is made immortal and perfect! Nothing like this had ever happened before and with His resurrection others soon followed as many graves were opened and many righteous saints were resurrected following the Savior’s resurrection. What a beautiful sight that would have been to witness! Mary Magdalene was the first to see her Master after His resurrection and was told to go and tell the others that he is risen! Many of the apostles ran to the tomb to see for themselves and upon arrival at the tomb they found it empty with the linens used to wrap the Savior neatly folded, which means to the Jewish people, “I will return again”. Just as He rose from the grave, resurrected with an immortal and perfect body, so it will happen with each one of us one day as well. No more pain, no more suffering, no more sickness and for all of us on that day we will exclaim, Sunday Has Come, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God!! Happy Easter to you all! May you find peace, hope and joy on this day when we celebrate the Greatest person to ever walk upon the earth, even Jesus Christ the son of the living God, the Savior of all mankind!!
Palm Sunday
I just finished watching “His Only Son”, the account of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son to follow God’s command, and as we know, he was spared from having to do that.
As Easter approaches this next week I am filled with gratitude that our Heavenly Father did not spare his only begotten Son so that we may be spared from the full suffering of our sins and pains of this life!! What a miracle our Savior Jesus Christ is and will always be!!
Monday
Monday after Palm Sunday about two thousand years ago our Savior went to the temple, His Father’s House and found it being desecrated by all kinds of worldly pleasures. He then proceeded to remove forcibly, with pure righteous indignation, all those who had defiled His Father’s house.
I now ask myself this question this Easter week: Am I willing to remove with righteous indignation all the weaknesses, sins that I have that defile the temple, my body, that Heavenly Father has given me, whether they be spiritual or physical things that defile?
Tuesday
The Tuesday after Christ had cleansed the temple he taught this and other wonderful doctrine in Jerusalem.
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37)
This is the way in which we become converted to Christ. Conversion is not an event but a lifelong process. Just as water is converted to steam by heat being applied constantly to the water. Conversion to steam will stop once we turn off the heat.
Our conversion must be the same. We must constantly apply the “fire” of the gospel of Jesus Christ each hour of every day of our lives so our conversion may continue. That can include many things such as prayer, scripture study, serving others, temple worship, being compassionate to all that we meet.
Then the day will come when our conversion will be complete, many, many eons from now, and we will be changed to be like our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ through their mercy and grace. My favorite week of the year.
Wednesday
Wednesday before Jesus began His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane he took time again to teach and perform miracles. “The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing” [Mormon 9:21]. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles.” -Pres. Russell M Nelson
We have been asked to seek out Miracles, which implicitly means that they are already there for us to find. Miracles are all around us and our Savior Jesus Christ has performed them for each of us and will continue to do so as we exercise faith in Him. I have seen many miracles in my life, and in the lives of my family members. I know that there are many I have not seen.
Just as the Savior raised Lazarus from the dead, He can raise us up from our deepest despair and darkness if we turn to Him.
“Moroni assured us that “God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.” Every book of scripture demonstrates how willing the Lord is to intervene in the lives of those who believe in Him.” -Pres Russell M Nelson
Thursday
Thursday almost 2000 years ago Judas Iscariot, for reasons we can only assume goes to the Jewish leaders and agrees to the sum of 30 silver pieces (coincidentally the cost of a slave at the time) to betray His Lord, Messiah and Savior.
Only a few years earlier he left everything to follow Jesus.
I wonder about my life and how many times I have “betrayed” my Savior Jesus Christ by choosing to follow the adversary time and time again. I made covenants and chose to follow Jesus just as Judas did. I have seen miracles upon miracles in my life just as Judas did and I still sometimes choose to follow the adversary.
Did Judas truly understand what he did? I don’t know the answer to that question. I don’t think any of us truly understand what we are doing when we choose to not follow Jesus Christ. All I do know is that He loves me unconditionally and always will. I have so much more joy and happiness when I do choose to follow Him and misery, despair and sadness when I do not follow Him!!
It really is quite simple as the Savior teaches us: “I am the way, the truth and the life of the world, no man cometh unto the Father but by me”, and “Love one another as I have loved you.”
That is my heart’s desire, to come unto the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and feel of their love! I choose Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!
Blessed Easter everyone!!
Thursday night almost 2000 years ago our Savior Jesus Christ met with His disciples for the “Last Supper” he would have with them before His death. It was there that He told Judas “That thou doest, do quickly”
Jesus next went to the Garden of Gethsemane, while His chief apostles rested and eventually fell asleep multiple times. It was there that He suffered immeasurable pain, suffering and grief for each of God’s children taking upon Himself all of our sins and pains we will ever endure so He would be able to succor all of God’s children and provide us a way to repent of our sins and be comforted as we navigate this life.
He suffered the complete wrath of God as if he had committed every sin imaginable to man and then infinitely more, yet he committed no sin ever, the only perfect person to walk the earth, thus it is the greatest contradiction ever. Satan unleashed all he had against our Savior at this time and even though He asked His Father three times, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” And as we know He followed His Father’s will.
Judas shows up a little later leading Roman soldiers and He points out the Savior by betraying Him with a kiss. He is then taken to the Jewish leadership where an illegitimate trial takes place with Caiaphas presiding and then handed over to the Roman authorities early Friday morning since the Jewish leadership had no authority to carry out any punishment.
Friday
Friday morning nearly two thousand years ago Jesus Christ is taken to the Roman leader Pontius Pilate. Pilate found no cause to keep, let alone punish Jesus. The Jews even chose to release a hardened criminal, Barabbas, which interestingly enough, Barabbas translated means “Son of the Father”.
Next Pilate sent Jesus to be scourged by Roman soldiers. Scourging was done with a weapon fashioned out of leather strips, anywhere between 3 and 9, with pieces of bone, and metal embedded into them. Jesus was struck “40 times save one” with the scourging whip, since they believed that a full forty stripes would kill a man, and many did die from this horrible act. Jesus persevered and was taken back to Pilate where he summarily “washed His hands of Jesus’ fate. The Jews repeatedly cried out to Pilate, crucify him, crucify him.
Pilate relented and Jesus was forced to carry His own wooden beam to Golgotha where he was lain on the beam and large nails were driven through His hands, wrists and feet piercing delicate nerves in the process creating excruciating pain. He was then lifted up and His cross dropped into a hole. Crucifixion was known to be one of the most cruel forms of inflicting death on a person. While on the cross He suffered all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane again, but this time all alone. He, at one point, cries out “Eli Eli lama sabbachtani” which is to say “Father Father why hast thou forsaken me”. Shortly after this he cried out to His Father “It is finished into the hands I commend my spirit”. The Savior of the world was dead! Storms raged as the earth mourned its creator.
I can only imagine as a Father how painful and heartbreaking it was for our Heavenly Father to watch His only begotten Son suffer as He did, and having the foresight and mercy to not reach out and save him so that all of his other children would have the opportunity to repent and return to His presence. The greatest act ever to have been done in the universe, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, was in process, and would be complete in a few days.
His friends took Him and dressed His body and laid Him in a borrowed tomb!
Hearts were broken, shattered as many had just watched their Messiah killed by evil men.
But remember…Sunday is coming, and will come for all of us! That is a promise to all of us from a Loving, merciful, benevolent God.
Saturday
Saturday nearly two thousand years ago life for the 11 apostles left, since their Rabbi, teacher, friend and Messiah was brutally crucified, was in great disarray. Everything they had known, everything they were taught by the greatest teacher the universe had ever known seemed to be for naught. How could the Messiah be dead. Wasn’t he supposed to be the King of the Jews that would overthrow the Romans? Wasn’t he God’s son in the flesh? I am sure they had so many questions.
So many times in my life terrible things have happened to me or loved ones. Life seems so dark and lacking all hope, how can anything good come of this? How can I move forward in the midst of so much pain, so much suffering? The answer, my friends, is the miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ! Nothing in the eternities before or after this infinite, miraculous act of unconditional love and mercy can ever come close in comparison because there is no comparison!
But as the world is in turmoil and those that loved Jesus Christ were mourning His death… in another realm, the spirit world, the Savior Jesus Christ has made His grand entrance there. What an amazing experience for those who have been waiting for eons of time to hear His gospel message, the message of salvation and hope. He worked in earnest to establish a plan to ensure all those who had been waiting to hear his message could now receive it, because Sunday is coming quickly for Him and the rest of the world, which at this time has no idea what is about to happen…the culmination of the greatest act of love, mercy and grace the world has ever known…the infinite Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Sunday
Easter Sunday, Sunday Has Come!!
Our Savior Jesus Christ leaves the spirit world and with the power of a God that he possesses takes up His body again and during that process of resurrection His body is made immortal and perfect! Nothing like this had ever happened before and with His resurrection others soon followed as many graves were opened and many righteous saints were resurrected following the Savior’s resurrection. What a beautiful sight that would have been to witness! Mary Magdalene was the first to see her Master after His resurrection and was told to go and tell the others that he is risen! Many of the apostles ran to the tomb to see for themselves and upon arrival at the tomb they found it empty with the linens used to wrap the Savior neatly folded, which means to the Jewish people, “I will return again”. Just as He rose from the grave, resurrected with an immortal and perfect body, so it will happen with each one of us one day as well. No more pain, no more suffering, no more sickness and for all of us on that day we will exclaim, Sunday Has Come, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God!! Happy Easter to you all! May you find peace, hope and joy on this day when we celebrate the Greatest person to ever walk upon the earth, even Jesus Christ the son of the living God, the Savior of all mankind!!
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