A Blue Print for the Future

My post tonight is based on this question, do we really believe the Book of Mormon is true?

Our leaders and prophets frequently invite us and challenge us to read this amazing and life changing book. For those of us who have taken their challenges we have seen exactly what they promised us we'd see, a spirit has entered our lives from reading that book, a peace has come that has helped heal perspective and increase faith and has strengthened us in our daily journey. Yet as special as those moments have been in our lives and though they have helped us, this amazing book offers us so much more.  I think the Lord intends the Book of Mormon to be so much more.

Heavenly Father has given us a book that outlines our history and mirrors our future. We have been told that this book is for our day, this means we apply it to our day and not only do we observe the same patterns in our day, we look for and expect to see the same things now as we prepare for the Second as those who were preparing to see the Savior when He visited the Americas.

If we believe that the Book of Mormon is true than not only do we believe that secret combinations could happen in our day, we look for them as a sign of the times. If we believe the Book of Mormon is true than we follow what the prophets and writers of the books in the Book of Mormon did and we expect to see the same results. If we believe that the Book of Mormon is true than we expect to see miracles in our lives. At the end of the Book of Mormon Moroni teaches us that if miracles have ceased in our day it is because of a lack of belief. Notice that he says belief, not faith. We can have faith in Jesus Christ, but if we lack belief then He can't act in our lives. We must believe that not only can He do miracles and that He will do miracles, but that it is part of His plan to do those miracles in our lives. We must believe that we can become like Jacob, that we can be like the brother of Jared, that we can be like Mormon and Moroni. If we believe the Book of Mormon is true than we also believe Elder Jeffrey R Holland when he says that angels are among, they are with us.

If we believe the Book of Mormon is true than we expect the miraculous, we work for the wondrous and we believe that the Lord is active in our lives.

Here is an excerpt from the Doctrine and Covenants teacher's manual, lesson 37

"In 1939, when it appeared that World War II would soon break out, the English gentleman called Brother Brown into his office. He asked Brother Brown to defend his religious beliefs in the same way he would discuss a legal problem. In a general conference address, President Brown recalled part of their conversation:

...

The English gentleman said that he believed the biblical accounts of the Lord speaking to prophets. However, he maintained that such communication had stopped soon after the Resurrection of Christ. The conversation continued with another question from Brother Brown: “Why do you think it stopped?”

“‘I can’t say.’

“‘You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?’

“‘Not to my knowledge.’

“‘May I suggest some possible reasons why he has not spoken. Perhaps it is because he cannot. He has lost the power.’

“He said, ‘Of course that would be blasphemous.’

“‘Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps he doesn’t speak to men because he doesn’t love us anymore. He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.’

“‘No,’ he said, ‘God loves all men, and he is no respecter of persons.’

“‘Well, then, … the only other possible answer as I see it is that we don’t need him. We have made such rapid strides in education and science that we don’t need God any more.’

“And then he said, and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war, ‘Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why he doesn’t speak.’

“My answer was, ‘He does speak, he has spoken; but men need faith to hear him’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1967, 117–18; or Improvement Era, Dec. 1967, 36–37).

I second both the men in this interchange, we do need our Heavenly Father now more than ever and He does speak, but we do need faith (and I might add) belief that He does. 

I testify that the Book of Mormon is true, that the Lord does speak today and that everything within the pages of that amazing book is true and does happen in our day. I invite you and myself to read with eyes of belief, to believe that the Book of Mormon is not just a record of the past, but a blue print for the future and that the Book of Mormon can change our lives.