Devotional Diary Series: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Hey friends!  While I am away in B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. Czech Republic, I am honored to welcome Kristi to my Devotional Diary Series of sharing faith.  I have always been curious about her religion, and I’m so glad she responded so positively to my request to share her faith right here at The Mom Cafe!  Lets all learn and embrace all that Kristi has to share about what she calls her joy, her comfort and her peace.  And remember,  if you have the desire to share about your own faith journey, please comment or email me or message me!  I would absolutely love to have you here!  Without further ado…. KRISTI from Thankful Me.

Imagine my delight when I read this comment on my blog:

“I am not sure the difference between your denomination and any other Christian ideology? Oh Kristi, I would absolutely LOVE for you to be a guest on my blog to share more specifically about your faith! Would ya?”

How can I turn down an invitation like that? My faith gives me joy, comfort, and peace and I’m honored to be able to explain what I believe.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons. Although I was asked to explain differences in ideology—and I will–I imagine you will also find similarities between my beliefs and those of other Christians. (Disclaimer: I will do my best to explain my beliefs, but I am not an official spokesperson for the church.)

Most importantly, Mormons ARE Christians. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer. It is through His grace that we are saved. He took upon Himself the sins of the world, as well as the sicknesses, pain, grief, and all that is unfair in life. The atonement occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross. He was resurrected from the dead, and thus broke the bands of death, allowing all to be resurrected.

I believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost comprise the Godhead, and are one in purpose, but are three individual, distinct beings.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies not just of spirit, but also of flesh and bone.  The Holy Ghost is a spirit.

I believe that we are literally spirit children of our Heavenly Father, that we lived with Him before we were born, and that we came to this earth to gain a physical body and to exercise our ability to make choices.  The sacrifice of Jesus Christ allows us to be cleansed and be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again after this earthly life.

Heavenly Father is a loving God, and is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Throughout history, He has provided prophets to help administer His church, through priesthood authority, on the earth.  Some examples of prophets are Adam, Moses, Noah, and Abraham.  Each prophet helps guide the people to Christ.  After time, though, the prophet’s message is rejected by many (apostasy), and a new prophet is called to direct the people.

After the death of Jesus Christ and His apostles, priesthood authority was taken from the earth.  But, as is His pattern, after a period of time, Heavenly Father again raised up a prophet to guide and direct His church through priesthood authority.

That prophet was Joseph Smith.  He was just a young teenager and was confused about the various church denominations in his area.  He read in James 1:5:  “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”  He went to the woods to pray, and received a visitation by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  They told him that he should join none of the churches, for none had priesthood authority.

After this vision, over time Joseph Smith was visited by various angels, some of whom conferred the priesthood upon him.  With priesthood power again on the earth, Christ’s church was able to be restored again on the earth.

Currently, the church is guided by a prophet named Thomas S. Monson.  In April and October of every year, church members gather throughout the world to listen to General Conference, where the prophet, apostles, and other church leaders give us counsel and direction.  In April’s conference, President Monson reminded us about the importance of love.  He started by quoting the account from the Bible of the lawyer questioning the Savior about which commandment is greatest, and went on to give a beautiful address about how we should love each other.  He said, “We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey.”  (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/love-the-essence-of-the-gospel?lang=eng)

That message resonates with me, because love really is the key to everything.  Heavenly Father loves each one of us.  He sent His son to show us love.  He provides prophets and priesthood to bless our lives, and to point us toward Jesus Christ.  He wants each of us to know of His love, and to develop that kind of love toward all.

When I center my life on Jesus Christ and His love, I feel peaceful, comforted, and empowered.  My belief in that love defines the way I view the world and my place in it.

I’m glad for the opportunity to explain a bit about my religious beliefs.  I realize that this whole post has been heavy on doctrine, but if you’d like to go visit my social media sites (www.thankfulme.net, www.pinterest.com/thankfulkristi, www.facebook.com/thankfulmeblog,Twitter: @thankful_me) you should be able to catch a glimpse of what my life looks like.   I’d like to think I’m as normal as the next person.

 

 

 

 

My best friend, John, and I have been married for more than a quarter-century now. Each of our 5 children is now officially a young adult.  Our oldest son brought a daughter-in-law into the family, which delighted us all. We are grandparents to two utterly adorable little girls. We belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I blog to share my thoughts and ideas, and to remind me to be thankful every day.