Sheep of Cheesecakes

" and thus provide for my saints, that my gospel may be preached unto those who sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of death." 

" But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs." 

" That man is greatest and most blessed and joyful whose life most closely approaches the pattern of the Christ. This has nothing to do with earthly wealth, power, or prestige. The only true test of greatness, blessedness, joyfulness is how close a life can come to being like the Master, Jesus Christ. He is the right way, the full truth, and the abundant life....Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life." President Ezra Taft Benson, Jesus Christ--Gift and Expectation, Ensign Dec. 1988 

" For verily I say unto you, that great things await you." D&C 45: 62 

" For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts , and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God." D&C 46:11 

" ...stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die."  D&C 45: 32

" Behold, I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to their relief, that they may be kept until all things may be done according to my law which ye have received.." D&C 44: 6

21. "...to repent and walk more uprightly before, and to yield to the persuasions of men no more."  

No one is perfect. Every person has something they can improve or repent about. And for us, we always have to remember that none of us is perfect ( yet...); therefore, we should always be repenting and better ourselves. At the same time, none of us should give into the " persuasions of men" ( anything that might lead us away from the gospel). We need to stand strong in our place, repent of our sins, and RESIST temptations. 

22. " keeping the commandments wherewith I have commanded you; and if you do this, behold I grant unto you eternal life, even if you should be slain."  

As obviously stated, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS. And if we do, our reward would be eternal life. Let's be real here. Who doesn't want to party it up with apple cider in the celestial kingdom? On the other hand, this scripture is a good reminder for me to continue keeping the commandments. I mean, it just feels so RIGHT to be doing all that the Lord asks us to do! 

24. " ....if he will bow down before me, and humble himself in mighty prayer and faith, in the sincerity of his heart, then will I grant unto him a view of the things which he desires to see.." 

For a lot of people, me included, it's so easy to be prideful. ( It's something I often struggle with and I need to change ASAP!) So, after reading this, I was reminded to be HUMBLE. Comparing to the person I used to be ( dang, I was prideful), I want to say I am A LOT better at being humble now. But still, I still catch myself being prideful at times ( and for very silly things too...like if my outfit/makeup is better than everyone else's that day). Repent & Improve is the KEY! 

As we are humble, pray with sincerity, and have faith, Heavenly Father would " grant unto [us]] a view of the things which he desires to see". In other words, Heavenly Father would help us to get a clearer picture of what we want to know. 

Heavenly Father is the best! I really don't know where I would be if I don't have the gospel in my life right now. And, that's why I tears me apart when I see once-active members turning their back on the church or build walls to separate themselves from the church. It's like having front row tickets to a concert but they choose to sit in the upper level, or worse, walk out of the show. But honestly, I hope that one day, those lost sheep will find their way back...soon...  

" Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen."  

After reading this scripture, I think of how often I pray. For those who don't know, I pray a lot; most of the time, it's just me being paranoid and wanted Heavenly Father to be with/help me ( like feeling scared while taking the trash out at night, driving somewhere at night, when I can't find my pen and etc).  Maybe it's just me, but I am the type who always need comfort and the feeling of being protected. So, whenever I pray, I get to communicate with Heavenly Father about how I am feeling and ask him for help/protection. After each prayer, I always get a sense of comfort and relieved; i love that feeling.  Since I am still looking for a job, I rely on prayers a lot; praying allows me to tell Heavenly Father how I am feeling and ask Him for guidance. Sometimes, I feel lost and I am not good enough for potential employers. But, having this channel ( praying) to communicate with Heavenly Father allows me to know that He knows what I am going through and that he's there for me. 

It's true. Just pray to Heavenly Father and HE WILL be there for you and help you in ways you never thought were possible. When I see people going through struggles/trials, I often tell them to pray. Let Heavenly Father handles yours worries and troubles. He is our Father; he loves us and would do ANYTHING to help us. ( Easy enough?) 

Even though I worry I might not have enough money for rent or find a job soon enough, I know Heavenly Father will help me to get through this. ALL I HAVE TO DO is ask for his help. With his help and my continuous effort to look for a job, I KNOW I will find a job soon. One that Heavenly Father already planned out for me... 

What an ordinary day! With my internship ended three weeks earlier than expected and no job offer on the table, I currently have a lot of free time on hand. Just like many other recent grads who are in my position, the job search hasn't been easy. And, for the most part, it has gotten me pretty down. For the longest time, I pitied and blamed myself. I was constantly thinking about past events that could not be changed. Soon after, I realized I needed to change my perspective. Instead of pitying and blaming myself, I turned to the scriptures for comfort and guidance.  

The scriptures I found helpful are the following: 

"And, If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all gifts of God" - D&C 14:7 

Note: I don't know about most people, but for me, whenever I encounter a trial in life, I tend to take a hard look on my life and try to see what I have done wrong to deserve this. But, as I have learned from one of the lessons during FHE, some trials are results of our own doings, and some are actually from what we are doing RIGHT. Regardless, this scripture helps me to understand that no matter what our trials in like are, as long we keep the commandment and endure til the end, we will see rainbows and sunshine at the end of the tunnel! 

"Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days." - D&C 24:8 

Note: On many levels, this scripture hits me on a very personal level. For as long as I remember, financial instability has always been an issue in mine and my family's life. I know I shouldn't, but I sometimes look at other people and think " Why can't I be like them? So carefree and never have to worry about money.." But, I know that kind of thinking is very wrong. Everyone on this earth has issues they are dealing with, and I am not the only one. Nevertheless, as much as issues and problems we are dealing with, we have to always remember that we are not alone in this. Heavenly Father is ALWAYS by our side; all we have to do is to turn to him with a sincere heart and ask for guidance and comfort. Because guess what? He loves us and will ALWAYS help us.... "even unto the end of thy days".... 

"Set in order your houses; keep slothfulness and uncleanness far from you." - D&C 90:18