The Quest for Immortality

For thousands of years, men have sought for immortality. People have gone on perilous quests to find the fountain of youth; alchemists dedicate lives of study to finding the Philosopher's Stone and making an elixir of life. Across the world there are examples of people erecting monuments of stone to themselves in order to obtain lasting greatness. Even today, people spend millions of dollars every year on creams, dyes, and surgeries to make themselves younger looking. We seek to avoid aging and death at all costs.

Where is the solution for mankind's immortality? The Lord has said, "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) Through the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, every person who has ever lived on this earth will one day live forever. What an amazing gift Christ offers to us!

"O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect." (2 Nephi 9:13,15)

What is the catch? What do we have to do to obtain this great gift? Nothing. Well, almost nothing. Before we become immortal beings we must die. It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? But that's the way it works. Over and over again in the scriptures Christ teaches us that "whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt. 16:25, see also Matt. 10:39, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33, John 12:25 )

This is the way of the Lord. It is true in this practical sense, that we all must die before we are resurrected and become immortal. But it also is true in a deeper, spiritual sense: when we willingly give our lives to the service of Jesus Christ and his gospel, He will return unto us much more than we have ever sacrificed for Him.

The Lord asks but little from us, only that we follow him. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?" (2 Nephi 31:10-21, see also Matt. 4:19) In return He promises eternal life (2 Nephi 31:20), peace (Isaiah 48:18, John 14:27) and joy (3 Nephi 28:10).

Why would Christ offer all of this to us? Because He loves us (Alma 26:15, John 3:16).

Halloween

Here are our costumes for Halloween this year. We helped with the ward's trunk-or-treat activity and had a great time.

I was a referee and Nate went as a tourist. His costume was awesome. Note the aloha shirt with swim trunks, camera across the shoulder, and long dark socks with Crocs.


Here you can also see the bus map in his shirt pocket. Awesome.

More posts to come this week. Check back!