Sacrifices

Bottom: This is the work of our members and investigators in our area. They hike with this thing for 2 1/2 hours up and down the mountain about 6 times. This is VERY heavy.. honestly.. I couldn't lift it by myself my companion had to lift it onto my shoulders then I squatted it. It is about 250 lbs...  just think about how hard that is. WITH hiking that long! What sacrifice...

Top: our group..some left but we had an attendance of 63.. it's been in the 60's for the past three weeks so it's coming along great!

Finding Joy

Beware of Pride

Doctrine and Covenants 38:39 "And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall b e the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old."

This is something that has been very powerful to me. I have pondered and studied and pondered and studied and pondered and studied again and again about pride, and have received a lot of personal revelation about this specific verse and about "pride." First off, what is pride?? It's the opposite of humility, which is submitting to the will of the Lord, so pride is submitting to the will of man, But what does Jesus say about this?

John 12:43, D&C 3:6-7, D&C 30:1-2, D&C 60:2 Pride is what we say, "What will men think of me?" instead of saying, "What will God think of me?" The central feature of pride is enmity- enmity towards God and our fellowmen. Enmity means "Hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition." This is a great sin, in Proverbs 8:13 God states that he "hates" pride. God doesn't hate much things but when his children fear men more then him he is a little disappointed. How it should actually be is like how he clearly stated in Philippians 2:21 "for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's." All thing are Christ's and so are we, so we, like he once cried in agony "not as I will, but as thou wilt" should be our dearest cry. If we always think about me, me, me, then our outcome will be like the city of Sodom in Ezekiel 16:49which was destroyed because of PRIDE! These people lived the scripture in Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." The people of Sodom had an "haughty spirit" of worldly things and then they became prideful and then, came the fall. C.S. Lewis clearly stated what pride was " Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. . . It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, Pride has gone." How clearly explained. Sometimes when we say we don't have pride we are indead being prideful. Pride is indeed the silent killer. It is one of the most innocent sins that the whole world has! 

Think of all the many lives that could've been changes if they wouldn't have had PRIDE!
The many Less Active members that choose to be offended because of PRIDE.

The thousands of preparing missionaries that don't go on missions because of PRIDE in not confessing and submitting to the will of the Lord.

The many problems in families that can be solved if PRIDE wasn't involved.

The many missionaries who should focus on the LORD'S will, not ours, in the mission field wanting and trying to be the most baptizing, best teaching, and most known because of PRIDE.

Think of all the examples Lucifer who wanted HIS plan and HIS glory, the Jews who crucified Christ because they thought he claimed to be "Kind of the Jews", Herod the kind that beheaded John the baptist, Saul of the old testament who despised David, King Noah who feared his judges more than God, and many, many, many other famous "nowaday" actors who yield themselves to men rather than God because of fame, money, and pressure. It all starts with PRIDE! This is why we must be humble. We must always say "thy will, not mine be done." It is a combined, unified companionship of humility and faith that can control the power of pride. Like stated in Alma 26:4;13;16 do not be compelled to be humble, but be humble in all circumstances we are in, always have the will of God in our heart and mind, and submit to it! I love you all so dearly!
Love Elder Cody W. Johnson

New Area

Leadership Training

Teaching

Mission President Training

Well we were supposed to have a MPT (Mission President Training) this week with President Lopez, but, he is very ill. We were blessed to be able to give the training to the zone. He gave us a Topic of "Extending Commitments" Pmg Chapter 11, and also Alma Chapter 26. I want to share some of the personal revelations that I received as I study and pondered these two topics.

First I want to give a list of scriptures from Doctrine and Covenants 6:9, 11:9, 14:8, 18:14, 19:21, 33:10, 34:6, 36:6, 43:20-22, 44:3, 55:2, 58:47. There are 5 words I want to point out; Say, Declare, Cry, Call, and Preach. These words all point to one thing "REPENTANCE" But what is the difference between "Repentance" and "Repent"? 

Repentance: A process, or a change of heart, life style.

Repent: An invitation.

When we invite people it is to repent. The word Invite is repent. The word repent is repentance. We invite people to repent and when they repent they go through the repentance process. The most simple invitation to support my claim is one that Jesus Christ said which is "come, follow me." This invitation is repent and repentance. Those three words are inviting all men to change their old ways and to do good and be better. The single word "repent" is Saying, Declaring, Crying, Calling, and Preaching repentance. 

Moroni 7:12-13 That which inviteth to do good is from God.

                      That which inviteth to do evil is from the Devil.

Q:But what if someone is in-between? what if they don't do anything(don't invite)? is it from God or the Devil? 

A: From the devil. If it is not inviting to do good then it is from him. That is why it is so important to Say, Declare, Cry, Call, and Preach repentance! Our purpose "is to INVITE..." if we are not inviting we are not doing what God wants of us.

Alma 26

"But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his, yea. . . God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people."

These souls are Gods, not ours. They are his and always will be. We are just instruments in which God prepares a way for his children to receive his words and enter into his fold. I know that God loves each of us and knows each of us. His love is un-explainable and un-describable. The only way to describe it is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. They both love us beyond imaginable. He paid for our sins and invites ALL to come unto him, and so should we. 

Love Elder Cody W. Johnson