In studying for the Sunday School lesson this week, I am reading part of the book of Acts. This portion is about Paul, who bore a courageous testimony of his own conversion, in the face of great persecution. I have not had to face a lot of great persecution in my life, and certainly not to the point of being imprisoned or killed for what I say, but I have faced difficult situations where sharing my beliefs has cost me friendships and strong family relationships. I have surprised myself in my will to stay firm in my beliefs and stand out from the crowd. It has been hard at times, but I have faith that I will be blessed for being immovable and firm in the gospel. I believe that this is the time when the strong are being separated from the weak and it is my duty to share the joy of the gospel with those around me. Others deserve to hear the gospel and seek out their own testimony because thy are children of God also. I am not ashamed of the gospel, and because of this blog, I find it easier every day to share what I believe and for that I am very grateful.
Another thing that I think about when reading this part of Acts, is how easy it seemed to ignore the words of Paul and how that relates to my own life. When he was traveling by ship, he warned the others that they should not cast off or they would run into trouble. The others did not listen to him, and consequently they ran into a lot of trouble. Paul may have seemed to them a visionary and perhaps a bit crazy, but I am sure that they could sense his words were true, otherwise they would not have been willing to take him to Caesar. We have prophets and church leaders today, who have given strong testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ. I am sure that there are many who feel the same away about these leaders. Even members of the church may not follow the counsel of the prophets. More often then not, I think this is due to pride. The easy way in life is to trust in our own understanding and logic. It takes great faith to trust in the testimony of others. I have felt great blessings in my life that have come from following the counsel of the prophets, even when it would have been easier to do my own thing. I’ve tried to live against these their teachings, and it did not bring me happiness. I have felt no greater joy in doing anything else, than I have when I have followed the prophets. I would not want anything less than that joy now. I hope that more people will read and listen to the recent words of the living prophets and apostles, because they are men of God, who He has called to lead us back to Him.
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