What the Gospel of Jesus Christ Means to Me

Life is hard. There are things that happen daily that could get me stressed, anxious, discouraged, or worried. But because of what I know to be true, it leaves me with a hope that everything is going to be okay.

Hope is a word that is often misunderstood. Hope often denotes a worry or a struggle that, "[I] hope ______ works out."  Hope, however, is much stronger than a wish. Hope is trust- hope is faith - that God knows what is best. Hope is an action word, a verb that signifies your ability to trust in a powerful being.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints is a Christian based faith that is in many ways similar to other churches based upon Christ. We believe in faith, good works, baptism, and grace just like many others do. Our church, however, is different in the way that it focuses on not only the individual, but the family.

Because our church is lead by Jesus Christ, we need a mouthpiece, a spokesman if you will, to teach us what God and His Son would have us learn. We call this spokesman a prophet. He is the prophet of the whole church - 15,000,000 members strong. Joseph Smith was the first prophet of this dispensation (a period of time when the Gospel is on the Earth) and restored the church back to the way Christ had it organized during His ministry. We do not worship Joseph Smith - but we do recognize his crucial role in God's Plan of Salvation.

The Plan of Salvation basically illustrates how we, as mortals, came to be. It is often illustrated with this diagram:

This information answers the questions of where did we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going? 

We existed in a time called the "Pre-Mortal Existence" here we lived and were taught by our loving Heavenly Father. But in order to learn all that we needed to, we needed to gain a mortal body and experience opposition in order to prove our faithfulness. If we are on Earth, it means that we chose God's plan and chose to prove ourselves faithful in order to live with Him forever. We are on Earth to gain a body and to be tested. When we die, we don't cease to exist. We are taken to a state called the Spirit World where we continue to be taught and progress. How comforting it is to know that we do not cease to exist after this life. We always have, do, and will always exist with our same gender and personalities. After Jesus Christ comes again, we are judged and then placed in different degrees of glory based off of our faithfulness - Celestial Kingdom being the goal. We can only achieve this exaltation if we are married and sealed to our spouse in one of God's Holy Temples.

We are born into families - it only makes sense that these families are to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Being sealed means you promise to keep your covenants and put God first in your marriage. By creating an equal partnership with God, marriages in this life last throughout the eternities - far too great to comprehend. When loved ones die, we have the opportunity to be with them again through this power.

The temples are where we go to access the powers of Heaven. This is where our link to our ancestors happens. Here, in the temple, we do ordinances for those who have already passed on who did not get the chance to do them for themselves. You have to be worthy to enter God's temple, for there is great power and protection within them.

Another important aspect of God's church is His communication with His children - all of us. God does not cease to be a God of miracles, nor does He cease to talk to His children. Thomas S. Monson is our prophet, and has the right to speak for God to the whole world - and in addition to that, we are all given the right to receive revelation for ourselves. Personal revelation is God's way of speaking to us through the Holy Ghost (or the Spirit). When we receive inspiration from the Spirit, it is God's words telling us what we should do. This is often helpful when we have decisions to make or questions.

God is not an angry God. He is not wrathful or destructive. We are His children, created in His image, and loved by Him beyond comprehension. This I know to be true without a doubt, for He has witnessed it to me many times.

You are not alone - for God lives! And His Son, Jesus Christ has suffered for not only our sins - but our trials. He knows exactly what we are going through, and He cares about us - every little detail.

So, even though life is hard, the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives me, and many others hope that this is not the end. When death occurs - when temptations get hard to withstand - when we are lonely, abandoned, sick, or afraid - The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us comfort.

"Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest."

For questions, comment below and I can answer your questions or visit www.mormon.org.