One of the greatest purposes of the First Vision was to solidify what Paul was teaching the people of Athens. They believed in a superior power, but they didn’t understand who God was.
Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To the Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
This is an easy pattern to fall into, if we aren’t careful, because we don’t get the opportunity to see and talk person to person with our Heavenly Father. Yet, I feel it is one of the most important concepts to understanding the “Plan of Salvation”, and the “Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This week let’s take the time to truly build a relationship with our Heavenly Father, and create a spirit of gratitude for all he does for us, each and every day.
“Having “a correct idea of [Heavenly Father’s] character, perfections, and attributes” is essential to exercising faith sufficient to obtain exaltation. A correct understanding of Heavenly Father’s character can change how we see ourselves and others and help us to understand God’s tremendous love for His children and His great desire to help us become like Him. An incorrect view of His nature can leave us feeling as if we are incapable of ever making it back to His presence.” -Brian K. Ashton
Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God,we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
When we look at what Paul taught the Athens, and what we have been and are being taught by our leaders, we clearly see that we are literally the offspring of God. I grew up with this understanding; I was taught it by my parents, and I believed it. However, over the years, and after experiencing life with my own “offspring”, I have come to fully understand the tender love and attention that my Heavenly Father gives me. My favorite song is “I am a Child of God”, I’ve sung that song since I first learned to talk, but now I can’t sing it without crying and feeling an overwhelming hug from heaven.
“The warning of our beloved prophet is a further reminder of our individual responsibility to seek to learn and to teach our families that there is a Father in Heaven who loves us and who has developed a divine plan of happiness for His children; that Jesus Christ, His Son, is the Redeemer of the world; and that salvation comes from faith in His name. Our lives need to be rooted upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, which might help us individually and as families to have our own spiritual impressions engraved in our hearts, helping us to endure in our faith.”- Ulisses Soares
One of the reasons that my appreciation for my Heavenly Father has increased is because I have watched Mark with his kids. He works so hard to provide their every need, and as many wants as he possibly can. Everything he does is for them. The other day, I was picking up our shoes: there were new Nike’s, good condition adidas, stylish asics, and then I picked up a pair of worn out Mizunos. Both pairs of the Mizunos had holes on both sides of the shoe, the soles were worn out, and yet, the owner of these shoes had never mentioned he could use new shoes. They were Mark’s shoes. All his children had the best, and he took the rest. This is what I have watched for 19 years, as he has put his children first, every time. I have also witnessed as he helps the make decisions for the children. They may think he is being mean or not understanding, but he is always trying to do what is the best for them. He doesn’t put restrictions on them just to make life hard. He wants them to have the most fun, while staying safe.
Watching Mark has truly helped me appreciate everything that Heavenly Father gives us and does for us. Even those things that we think we do for Him, they in reality are always for us. For example, keeping the Sabbath Day Holy is an opportunity to refocus our lives, and to keep Christ at the forefront, and to help us remember who we are as literal offspring of God the Father. It also provides a day of rest for us, an opportunity to pause in a life that never stops and is in constant motion. It provides necessary family time, and allows us to reconnect after busy weeks of competing priorities. I have come to the conclusion that the Sabbath Day is for us. What about prayers of gratitude? We say them to let Heavenly Father know how much we appreciate him, and yet, these prayers fill our hearts with new attitudes and visions of how great life actually is. What about dress standards? They provide confidence and stability in a world that gives little worth to the nature of our identity. They remind us that our bodies are temples and gifts from God that should be cared for with the utmost effort. I can go on and on, but there is nothing that God asks of us that doesn’t make us better. He loves us enough to use his all wisdom to help us get the most out of earth, if we will follow him.
“Heavenly Father knows you. The Lord loves you. God will bless you. This work is ordained of Him. You can do this. We can all do this together.”-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
We might each take the time to ponder how awesome it is to have a Father in heaven whose number one objective is to bring you joy and a life of fulfillment that will last through the eternities. Remember that everyone you pass on the street, sit by at the doctors office, bump into at a busy shopping center, or walk past at an empty part, are all offspring of God. They are all from the same eternal bloodline, we are spiritual brothers and sisters. Heavenly Father loves them as much as he loves you. In fact, if the veil wasn’t in place, we might be surprised that we also love each other, and have relationships formed before earth existed. As we look at others, let’s live in a way that helps them feel heaven’s love.
“Let us go forward in faith, confidence, and virtue, serving with Christ to help save our families and all of our Heavenly Father’s children within our reach.” -Michael A. Neider
-Sherri Jorgensen
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