Choice #3 Matthew 18:1-14 "Become as Little Children"

1. In Matt, the scriptures say that we are suppose to be like children in that we humble ourselves. In D&C , it says that we must be like little children in that we must seek to know what our Father would have us do. The Lord does say that he will help us. In D&C 78:18, He says, " ...for i will lead you along.".

2. We are to become like children:

- submissive - meek -humble -patient -full of love -willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him.

I really like this topic because I have found that being a child is not a bad thing. In high school, people use to think that if you acted child-like, then that person was naive and stupid. Since I have been in college, I have found it easier to be more like a child in the sense that I am more willing to submit to the will of Heavenly Father. I heard in a talk recently that the best thing we can give to our Heavenly Father is our free agency. I decided to do that last year and I have had many oppotunities that I never thought would be possible. It was all because of Heavenly father that I was able to accomplish many of my goals, and I'm grateful for it!

Choice #3 Matthew 14:22-33 Walking on the Sea

1. The Apostles initial reaction was fear when they saw Jesus walking on water because they assumed that he was a spirit.

2. Peter's response to Jesus walking on water indicates that he had exceeding faith in comparison to the other Apostles.

3.Peter began to sink because he let his faith turn into fear, and thus he didn't have sufficient faith to keep himself afloat.

4.Peter cried out unto Jesus to save him when he started to sink. Jesus's timing in saving Peter is portrayed by the word "immediately". He immediately has the desire to save Peter, but he rebukes him by saying, " O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?". Jesus knows that we can produce enough faith to be sufficient on our own, and he is disappointed when Peter let's his unceasing faith diminish.

5. D&C 88:67 And if your eye be ^asingle to my ^bglory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light^ccomprehendeth all things.

This scripture applies to Peter's experience on the water because he knew that by having a belief in Jesus and his infinite power that he would be able to do anything as long as the Savior said it was possible. He was able to find the light of Christ and apply it. His faith was so strong and his trust in the Lord was so great that Jesus knew that he could not deny him anything. This example can help me to make sure that my faith is sufficient enough to help me get through the storms of life. That I will be able to know, without any doubt, that Christ will be there to lead and guide me. He does these things to help build my character, which in turn builds my faith in him.

Choice #4 For NT

"What does John 3:30 suggest about John the Baptist and his attitude toward the Savior? Briefly describe how we could apply a similar attitude in our own lives."
In John 3:30, John the Baptist was baptising in the river named Aenon. While he was there, Jesus had come with his disciples. John also had disciples there. Jesus and John's disciples started to ask questions of purifying. When John's disciples came to John with that question, John gave them a really great answer. He said in verse 27-30:

John 3: 27"A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease."
John shows humility by saying this. He knows that he is a servant to Jesus Christ. He knows that Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer and that John's purpose on earth is to prepare the way for Jesus. John had unwavering faith in Jesus's divinity and his perfection.
I could apply this similar principle in my life by trying to realize the bigger picture of the situations I am put into. This means to see the way that God sees towards every occasion, event and person that is placed before me. I know that Heavenly Father and Christ place situations in my life in order to help me progress and to have me HELP others to be strengthened and grow. John the Baptist realized that his purpose on this Earth was not for him to be worshipped and revered. It was all about Christ and his teachings. I hope to apply this better in my life.

Choice 2: Matthew 8-9; Mark 2. Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God's Power Part 2

When I think of the things that Jesus was able to do during his ministry on Earth, I am amazed at all the miracles he was able to perform. He was only able to perform those miracles based on the faith of those he was bestowing the blessings upon. He was able to fix mortal problems that science can't even cure in this modern day. It was by faith that all miracles can come to pass, and it makes me think that I need to increase my faith. I don't know if I was put in one of those situations if I would be able to have enough faith to create miracles in my life. I hope that I will be able to increase my faith this next year in order to help me to prepare for miracles in my life.

Choice 2: Matthew 8-9; Mark 2. Miracles Are Evidence of Faith and God's Power Part 1

Reference	Miracles of the Lord	Who Demonstrated Faith
Matthew 8:1-4	Cleansed the leper	The Leper
Matthew 8:5-13	Healed the servant with palsy	The Centurion
Matthew 8:14-15	Rid Peter's Mother-in-Law of fever	Peter's Family
Matthew 8:16	Cast out devils & healed sicked	Those People
Matthew 8:23-27	Calmed the waves	Disciples
Matthew 8:28-34	Cast devils into swine	Jesus
Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34	Healed the woman with blood issues	The woman
Matthew 9:27-31	Gave the blind men sight	The blind men
Mark 2:1-12	Healed the man with palsy	Man w/ palsy, his friends, & family

New Testament Blog: Choice #4- We Must be Born again

The difference between “seeing” the kingdom of God and “entering” the kingdom of God, is that I really have no idea. But I would guess that when you see the kingdom of God, you are envisioning the possibility of what it could be like, while entering could be along the lines of not only envisioning the kingdom, but working towards obtaining the kingdom. The Lord explains this to Nicodemus, the Rabbi. He tells Nicodemus that he must enter into baptism in order to enter the kingdom of God. Baptism is a symbol of rebirth. In Moses 6:59, examples of rebirth are: dust of the living soul, be cleansed by blood, sanctified from sin. Baptism can also be a symbol of death. In Romans 6:4, examples of death are: resurrection, death of the natural man, death of our sins, death of Jesus Christ.
To be born of the Spirit, a man must look go of the natural man and enter into a covenant to let go of the natural man. When he obtains the gift of the Spirit, he is born with the light of Christ to lead and guide his life.
The natural element that the Lord compares to the Spirit to is the wind and it's an effective comparison because the wind and the Spirit are felt, but not tangible. They are not seen.
Heavenly Father loves all of his children. He sacrificed the life of a perfect being in order to make up for the imperfections of others. Jesus took upon our sins as a gift, so we could receive everlasting life. Jesus was sent specifically for that purpose. Despite our imperfections we will be able to obtain eternal life and spend them with our families and our Heavenly Father as long as we have full faith in Christ.

New Testament Homework; Jesus is Amazing

I am currently taking a online religion class and I have learned BOAT LOADS of things that I have never took into consideration before when reading the New Testament.
the scriptures I had to read were Luke 2:40–52, Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 3:24–26, and Doctrine and Covenants 93:12–14:
1. In Luke, I read the story of how Christ, as a child, went with his family to Jerusalem for the Passover. When his family left they didn't realize that they had left him behind. When Mary and Joseph finally found Jesus, he was in a temple and he was having a discussion with doctors. Mary and Joseph were not very happy with Jesus, as most parents would be if they had been frantically searching for their child for more than a day. Jesus's explanation to his parents distress was "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?"(Luke 2:49). His parents at first didn't understand what he was saying. One of the things God sent Jesus to do while he was her on earth was to gain as much knowledge as he possibly could. Thus, when he was having a discussion with the doctors he was trying to gain knowledge because God (His Father) wanted him to.
2. In JST Matthew 3:24-26 it talks about how Christ grew up with his brothers and sisters. During his childhood the Father was with him a lot because he was teaching Jesus things that would be important to his ministry in his later years. Jesus didn't need to learn the things of man, because the things of God were a more perfect form of all the knowledge that men have to offer.
3. In D&C 93:12-14, Joseph Smith reiterates teachings of John the Beloved. John teaches that Christ had to learn things gradually. Heavenly Father taught Jesus the importance of certain doctrines and principles gradually from the time he was younger until he was right about to start his ministry. Heavenly Father taught Jesus these things so he could teach those he would minister to. Jesus also went through all the same trials, and tribulations so he could understand why he need to be our Savior and Redeemer.
I also read the stories in the institute manual called, “Jesus Had to Overcome the Veil” (pp. 24–25) and “As a Child, Jesus Sought to Learn from His Father” (pp. 25–26). From these two stories, I learned what I had learned from the scriptures I read. Something I didn't learn from the scriptures but from the the stories I read, was that Jesus didn't have the veil lifted from him from birth. I had always thought that he hadn't had the veil when he was living on earth but I guess he did! I also learned that Jesus Christ didn't receive the ability to have the Holy Ghost until right before he started his ministry.
Christ example can be an inspiration to me because he had the ability to be perfect despite the fact that he didn't have the veil lifted from him, and he had all the same trials and tribulations that we have in our lives. I feel as though by his example of striving to live obedient despite the fact that at first he doesn't know why he has to do something can apply to my life. I often question things, especially if I have a shallow understanding of what it is pertaining to. Thus, if I apply his example I will be able to accept things and be more obedient to the laws and commandments of God.