Wednesday, October 26, 2011

"I Liked To Look For Rainbows" ~


Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ........Feelings; exquisite feelings of joy for this day, as my son takes my grandson in immersion, a baptism of water. Then the added joy; the gift of the Holy Ghost will be received this day.
Just a moment of joy in reflection!
Reflections of my very own baptism of water and fire.
Reflections of six other blessed sons and daughters of mine receiving through the line of authority from the Savior through the lines to my husband; father of these special ones. He has the priesthood power to bless, baptize and confirm. Just feel the joy again of the gifts given each time.
Reflections, this day of a moment of joy to see the Eternal circle begin again. Joy, just a moment of joy, just for today.
The Articles Of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
First Principle, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have a deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Bible dictionary it states the following: "Faith is to hope for things which are not see, but which are true. (Heb. 11:1.) and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation.
Faith is a principle of righteous action; it will cause a person to do good works, whereas passive belief will not.
One of my first experiences with faith was some time after my own baptism. My parents and I had gone for a drive up to the old ghost town of the Kimberly mines in Utah. It was a beautiful crisp fall day. We were enjoying the mountains dressed in their bright autumn colors. It had rained earlier in the day and there was the fresh smell of rain in the air. The roads were rough and muddy. All of a sudden our car became stuck in mud. My father couldn't figure out how to get out of this mess. In those days there were not cell phones to get help with. We knew that as the sun went down; we could be stuck for the night and it would be a very cold. Having a great belief in the story of  Joseph Smith's First Vision. I felt in my heart that I could go out into the grove of trees nearby and pray to my Heavenly Father and he would bless my father to know how to get our car out of the mud.
With all my young heart I prayed. I then walked back to the car knowing inside that my simple prayer had been heard. A short time after that my father was able to spread some gravel around the tire and underneath it and we were quickly freed from the mud
 I also believe that faith without works is dead. It is important to work for that gift of faith.
In James 2: 14, 17-18; "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 17. Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works. I will shew thee my faith by my works. Here is James' discourse on faith as found in James 2: 14-26.
Repentance is the 2nd principle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible Dictionary it reads as follows: "Since we are born into conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul's salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin, and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God.
I have felt the sting of sin in my own life. I have felt great sorrow for those sins. I have prayed for forgiveness and did all the necessary steps to make amends for my sins. I know the peace of a clear conscience. I know that the Atonement of Christ makes it possible for us to return to presence of the Lord. Our responsibility in life is to repent of our sins, obey the commandments and be the best we can be and then and only then can the Atonement of Jesus Christ be effective in our lives. This is an on going process throughout our lives. As we partake of the Sacrament each week we renew our covenants with the Lord that we made at baptism. We come prepared through repentance to take these sacred emblems.
The covenant is to take upon us the name of Christ and always remember Him and keep his commandments. If we do our part the Savior blesses us with the Spirit.
In the New Testament; Acts 3:19 - "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord".
The first ordinance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Baptism by Immersion for the remission of sins.
In our ward building there was a baptismal font. I was baptized when I was eight years old. I remember being dressed in a white dress. I remember the feelings of happiness as I was baptized by immersion.
Since then there has been so much joy in my heart as I have witnessed the baptisms of my children and grandchildren.

In Acts 2: 38: " Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost".
The second ordinance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Gift of the Holy Ghost is given to those who have repented of their sins and have been Baptized. The gift of the Holy Ghost is received by the laying on hands by Elders of the Church holding the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
My father confirmed me a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and said the words; "Receive the Holy Ghost."  At that time I just felt warm inside and happy.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of God's greatest gifts. If we are worthy we can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I have felt the workings of the Holy Ghost in my life. I have received promptings, comfort, a witness of truth, and other manifestations of the spirit. Many times I have fasted and prayed over a concern and then received answers to those prayers through the still small voice of the spirit. When going through difficult moments I have felt the comfort of the spirit. Because of the Holy Ghost I know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I have felt the stirrings of the Spirit of the Holy Ghost; a blessed gift in my life.
Here is my favorite Baptismal song:

7 comments:

Barb said...

Hi LeAnn!

Oh, I really needed to read your post today . . . thank you sweet sister!!

I can remember my own baptism like it was yesterday! It was in a beautiful tabernacle, that has long since been torn down. right next to the baptismal font, there was a huge glass window - you couldn't see through it, it was kind of milky, but it was so beautiful. It was in December, so it was cold, and I can remember the cold feeling as I came out of the water! I remember seeing my mother sitting on a chair near the font, and seeing tears in her eyes. I'm not sure if it was because I had been baptized, or because my father could not perform the baptism. Either way, it made me feel even more special that it touched her! What a blessing the gospel has been in my life!! Thank you for helping me remember that special day.

I love your thoughts on faith!

Hugs and Love,
Barb

Susan Anderson said...

Baptism is such a wonderful experience. I remember my own very well. And I take great joy in seeing my grandchildren baptized, too.

=)

Darlene said...

I love to go to baptisms and I'm sure it was a great experience for you to go to this one.

I also enjoyed your story of faith. It is so easy for children to believe, easy and wonderful.

I too can remember my baptism, and my confirmation sent chills all through my body when I felt those men put their hands on my head. It was such a happy experience for me.

Thanks for this beautiful post.

Marie Rayner said...

LeAnne, I just loved the song. How sweet. I remember my own Baptism as if it were yesterday. I was so happy and I just KNEW that I had done the right thing. Then when I was confirmed again . . . a very special feeling. Even though it was a very difficult time for me and I lost my home and family in the process, I still know that it was the right decision. God is good. Thank you so much for your post. Always it was beautiful. xxoo

Ardith Haws said...

What a lovely gift! Thank you for sharing such tender thoughts and experiences. You are a wonderful teacher, LeAnn. Thank you for being my friend and sister in the Gospel.

Grumpy Grateful Mom said...

Another wonderful post LeAnn. I appreciated the story of your faithful prayer as a child. My oldest will be getting baptized in another 4 months and I am so excited for her. We need to start teaching her more about what exactly that means.

The Adventurer said...

Love your post, in our church we baptize our children before one years old. But I can understand the importance of doing it when the children are older and understand what they are committing too.