Earthly and Heavenly Rewards

In Matthew 19 Jesus tells the rich man that to enter into the kingdom of God he must give all that he has to the poor and come follow Him. The man walked away because he could not bring himself to give up all that he had. But if we do give up all and follow him, we will be blessed with everlasting life and much more.
Based on what the Savior said is required of us to inherit the kingdom of God it would help us to keep focused if we remember that the blessings that await us if we do what the Lord has asked far outweigh the riches and worldly possessions that we could accumulate in this life.
WHen we serve in the Lord's kingdom he will bless us according to our work and efforts. No more and no less. But he treats everyone the same. Everyone receives the same blessing and the same rewards. Converts to the church can be comforted by the thought that the Lord treats everyone the same. And will bless them just the same as those who have been members all their lives. And for those who think it is unfair for everyone to be paid equally, they just have to come to love others and understand how the Lord works. If they could do that, it wouldn't be such a big deal to them. LIke if they have children, they want their children to all receive good things in their life and ultimately return to God's presence, even if they have made bad decisions in life.

The Lord Appointed Other Seventy Also

Jesus called the seventy disciples to go be missionaries! They even went in pairs! He instructed them to go without food or money and that they would be provided for wherever they went as long as they were doing the Lord's work. The were given power to do miracles and they had much success.
Luke 10:1-2 explains exactly what we do now! We send out missionaries in pairs to preach the gospel and bring the truth to all who will listen! Then again in Luke 10:8-9 The missionaries don't take a lot with them and they are fed by those who are willing to feed them. And in Luke 10:17-20 The missionaries today also have great power to do many miracles in the name of the Lord. They report back to their mission presidents as well. ALl of these things point to our Article of faith 6.
In Luke the Lord calls for the seventy and then again in D&C 107 they are ordained and given authorities and powers as the apostles.

Become as a Little Child

Christ says that we are like little children because we do not yet understand the blessings and plans of our Father in Heaven. He goes on to say in D&C 78:18 that, "I will lead you along". He will help us when we falter and lose our way. But we must also help ourselves by being humble and faithful. In Mosiah 3:19 it says that we must, "yield to the enticings of the spirit" which means to listen and obey what the spirit tells us. We must learn to control our desires and temptations. We have to exercise restraint, faith, and repentance. To become like a little child means to be "submissive,meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." And so we can see that children are great examples for us. Children are full of love, submissive, etc. To be like a child is to be christ-like and to do so will bring us many blessings and rewards from our father in heaven.

Walking on the Sea

When Christ's disciples first saw Him walking on water they were afraid and confused. They thought he was a spirit or some kind of vision. Which kind of baffles me after they have spent so much time with Him and have seen him perform countless miracles! Why not walk on water? But once Christ identifies himself, Peter at once shows his faith by saying, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." This shows how faithful and devoted Peter was to Christ. He knew that if Christ wanted him to come unto Him, that it would be possible. And no one of little faith would have been able to accomplish this- walking on water. In Matthew 14:30 Peter's faith wavers as he sees all the big waves around him and it scares him- who wouldn't be afraid?! We all falter from fear once in awhile. So Peter calls out to Christ to save him. The best part is that Christ "IMMEDIATELY" lends a hand to Peter to save him from drowning. So, how did Peter walk on water? In D&C 88:67 it reads, "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things." So we must have our lives centered on Christ and remember to glorify God in all things. We too must to this to be able to get through the storms of life. We may not ever be faced with walking on water- but we all face challenges where our faith is tested and how we will handle it? Hopefully with faith!

John the Baptist

In Matthew 11:1-9 John the Baptist sent disciples to Christ to see if he was the one John had been waiting for. Can you imagine the kind of news they had to share with John the Baptist. If I had been one of those disciples I would have been jumping with joy to tell John a) that Christ has come and that He is who we have waited for b) that I had witnessed Christ perform many miracles and c) that he is waiting for John and praises him as a great prophet!
In Matthew 11:2-3, as we discussed, John send disciples to Christ to see if it really is the Savior of the world. Some wonder if this was John's lack of faith in Christ. But after reading the institute manuel on the subject you find that John was simply trying to get his followers to recognize who Jesus was and to believe in and follow Him. It was not for John's benefit, but for those who followed him.
In Matthew 11:11 Jesus says, "there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist". So why was John the baptist considered greater than ALL other prophets and disciples of Christ? Joseph Smith says that "First, he was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the Lord... Second, he was entrusted with the important mission... to baptize the Son of Man... Thirdly, he was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on earth, and holding the keys of power." John the baptist was the most trustworthy, and the most committed to do the sacred works that needed to be done for Christ to come.
John 3:3 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John knew that Christ was perfect and therefore, increasing in knowledge and perfectness. John was of the earth- a mortal- and therefore can only hope to become somewhat like Him. We need to remember that the goal is be like Christ and "increase".

Miracles or Evidence of Faith and God's Power

Matthew 8:1-4
Miracles of the Lord: Healing the leper of his disease
Who Demonstrated Faith: The Leper
Matthew 8:5-13
Miracles of the Lord: Healed a sick child without even seeing or going to her
Who Demonstrated Faith: A Centurion
Matthew 8:14-15
Miracles of the Lord: Healed a fever/sickness
Who Demonstrated Faith: Peter's wife's mother
Matthew 8:16
Miracles of the Lord: Casting out the devils from many people
Who Demonstrated Faith: The ones who brought the possessed to Christ
Matthew 8:23-27
Miracles of the Lord: Commanded the wind and the seas to be calm
Who Demonstrated Faith: Christ did, because his disciples did not have enough faith to do it themselves
Matthew 9:20-22/ Mark 5:25-34
Miracles of the Lord: Healed a blood disease of a woman who simply touched him
Who Demonstrated Faith: The woman with the blood disease
Matthew 9:27-31
Miracles of the Lord: Healed the blind man
Who Demonstrated Faith: The blind man
Matthew 2:1-12
Miracles of the Lord: a new star to light the way to Christ, warned the wise men not to go back to herod
Who Demonstrated Faith: the wise men
When I look at all the many incredible miracles that the Lord has performed, I am amazed. How could one be so powerful? It increases my respect and humility. I know that God can accomplish whatever it is that He wants. I know that he can help me when I need it- if I have enough faith. All of God's miracles happen on basis of faith. I must continually strive to increase my faith so that I will be ready when I am in need of a miracle.

We Must Be Born Again

In John 3:3-5 Jesus talks about how one can enter into the Kingdom of God. He says in verse 3 that "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But then in verse 5 he says, "except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God". So, what is the difference between "seeing" and "entering" into the kingdom of God? If you look closely, he specifies that just by being baptized by water you can SEE the kingdom of God- it is within reach. But you must be baptized by water AND by the spirit to actually ENTER the kingdom of God. In this chapter of John, Jesus is telling Nicodemus that you must be born again OF THE SPIRIT, not of the flesh. And to do so, you must be baptized by water and by the spirit. To be born of water means to be baptized- fully immersed in water.
Baptizm sympolized birth by the way we are immersed in water, as we were immersed in the womb. Then we come out of the water clean of sin- just as we were when first born.
Baptizm also symbolizes death in the way we are bured by water (like in the earth). And like Christ, we are raised up again "by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (romans 6:4)
The Father loves each one of His children and has done countless things to show His love for us! Such as, sacrifice His only begotten son to be redeemed for all of our sins so that we could return to Him. When Jesus was baptized, God showed His love for him by opening the heavens and declaring his love for him. When we follow Christ we are blessed for our faith and love. God loves us all and wants the best for us all!