Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Through faith, hope, and love come all things


Through faith, hope, and love come all things
By: Coleman Lefevor

Faith, hope, and love bring us blessings unlike any other. There have been many instances in my life that I have found this to be particularly true. One particular instance, just a couple of years ago, I was having hard day. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it just seemed like nothing was going right for me. Well I decided to put my faith in the lord and show my love by focusing on others. I tried throughout the entire day to smile constantly and say hi to everyone I passed. I also tried to focus on what I could do for the people I knew that would improve their days. Well by the end of the day it had went from being one of the worst days to being one of the best days. My faith, and hope in the savior and my love for others had transformed my day into a miraculous learning experience. One of the most profound yet simple doctrines we are taught can be found in the hymn “As I Have Loved You.” As we strive to do what it teaches and put our faith and hope in the Lord we will receive his blessings.
We have all been called by the Lord to preach this gospel unto everyone. We are all missionaries whether it be member missionaries or full-time missionaries. In Doctrine and Covenants 4:5 it says, “And faith, hope, charity, and love with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.” These attributes are the most important if we are to fulfill our calling of missionaries. Without faith nothing is possible. We need to show our faith to the lord that we trust him and that he will help us. If we put our hope in the lord he will guide us and lead us in the directions we need to go to touch the lives of those we need to influence. As we show our love to the lord and to those around us these missionary experiences will come more and more frequently. Doctrine and Covenants 12:8 tells us that “And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care.” It further proves that without these qualities we will not be successful.
Faith, hope, and love are also protectors. These qualities protect us from sin and from destroying ourselves. In society today we need all the help we can get to protect us from everything out there waiting to attack us. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” These are used to protect vital parts of our body and spirit. Through faith, hope, and love in our Savior Jesus Christ, we gain an added strength to go forth and combat the fiery darts of Satan. That is why we need to show our faith, hope, and love.
Another thing that faith, hope, and love do for us is that they bring us salvation through the Savior. We are taught in Alma 13:29, “Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.” These attributes allow us to be lifted up at the last day so that we may live with God. Alma 7:24 also says, “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” As we show our good works through faith, hope, and love we will be blessed by God. He will help us in our temporal things such as having a good day, and our spiritual matters like helping us reach the celestial kingdom.
Faith, hope, and love are essential to us being down here on this earth. Without these attributes life isn’t worth living. These things are sometimes as simple as having faith and hope that the sun will rise each day. I know that as we come to accept and build our own faith, hope, and love we will be blessed beyond our capacity. The Lord looks out for us and shows his love to us. Through our faith, hope, and love the lord is able to use us to further his work here upon this earth. Strive to acquire and build upon these principles and we will become better people. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Works Cited
Doctrine and Covenants 4:5
Doctrine and Covenants 12:8
1 Thessalonians 5:8
Alma 8:21
Alma 7:24
Hymn 301 “Love one Another”


6 comments:

Amanda S. said...

Great topic sentences! Do you know of more scriptures from Jacob 1 - Alma 12 that may support your ideas?

Marci Robison said...

I liked how you said that Faith, Hope, and Love are protectors. That was a really powerful statement for me. You did a really great job with the flow and organization of your blog. Thank you for sharing your testimony with me.

Sweet Baby Grace said...

Coleman, I really enjoyed the personal experiences you shared at the beginning of your blog. I also have a strong testimony of service and I know that it blesses my life and makes me so happy as well. You have a beautiful testimony. Great Job!

Jenni Perkins said...

I like how you incorporated your own ideas about faith hope and love instead of just regurgitating what we have learned about since primary. good job!

Joe Olson said...

Great blog. Service is very important and you have a very strong testimony of it thank your for your example.

Chelsey Porter said...

I love this! Service is so key to happiness and I love that you illustrate that. Whenever we are feeling down if we go serve others we not only will lift ourselves up but others as well. Good job!