Today I read Romans 10 which talks about salvation and confessing the Lord. It makes sense to me now why some religions would think all you need to do is profess that Jesus is the Christ and your Savior. Because that is what Paul says here in verse 9 that if you will confess that Jesus is the Christ and believe that God has raised Him from the dead, then shalt thou be saved. And Paul is right, if you do those things, and perform the necessary ordinances, you will be saved.
People don't realize that heaven is not going to change who you are and it is not a magical land where you can do whatever you please all the time. I really wonder what some people think that heaven is, do they think it will be just like this earth? Or that we will sit around on clouds playing harps all the time like in the cartoons? They would be bored out of their minds. No, I will wager that most of them have not given it any thought at all. They know they want to go there because the alternative is horrible to think about, at least they think it is. But do the vast majority of the people, at least in America, truly want to go to heaven, to where God is? Well let's review.
Do the majority of people go to church on a regular basis, I mean more than twice in a month on average. No they don't. The majority of people who are a member of a particular faith do not attend church on a regular basis. Some may not see the point, some may not like to go to church, some may not be able to find one that they like, and I'm sure there are quite literally a hundred other reasons. But if one doesn't like attending church, what makes them think they will enjoy living in the presence of God? I just don't understand the logic of people sometimes. It would make me laugh if it weren't so backwards.
Do the majority of the people keep the 10 commandments? No, they don't. Most people regularly keep the commandment thou shalt not kill, but all the other ones, people break them on a daily basis and never even think twice about it. Name a teenager that honors their father and mother. Good luck! A lot of Latter-day Saint teenagers will but even among Latter-day Saints all too often the teenagers reject the counsel of their parents. People have false gods aplenty, NOBODY keeps the Sabbath day holy anymore. Let's not even talk about taking the name of God in vain or committing adultery. Coveting is a way of life in the United States and bearing false witness is second nature to most people these days. So if they can't keep the 10 commandments, the basic of the basics, why do they think they would be happy in God's presence? It's because they don't understand that God lives them and abides by them and so much more.
Do the majority of the people respect those who do live the laws and commandments of God? Do I even need to respond here? I mean, that question is almost laughable. I know kids and teenagers are more prone to mock and tease when they see someone as being overly good and nice. I don't understand why they do it either really. I mean what is there to be ashamed about living the Gospel and keeping the commandments? But kids just want to fit in so they get embarrassed and try to prove they are not as good as the others make them out to be. As adults, they might say they respect you for your beliefs and admire your dedication to the Gospel and other things and truly some of them will respect you for it. But do they really? People challenge our beliefs, they try and get us to break the commandments even when they know our reasons for not doing as they ask. Is that respect? No, it isn't. Respect would be helping someone stay true to their beliefs. Not trying to get them to change who they are to fit your perceived notions of how they should be.
The problem is, people don't understand these principles that we are talking about and so they don't understand the true nature of God. If they don't understand the nature of God, how can they understand the nature of heaven? But the people who desire to learn more and become better people will seek it out and find a way. They will notice that you are different and ask you why that is. It is up to us to make sure we are ready to give our answer and teach them what we know.
I for one, do in fact want to go to heaven, or where God is. I understand what that means, and I understand it means giving up some things that I currently do. And I accept that as a more than acceptable sacrifice. To give up this world to gain a better one. That is what I am working towards. What are you working toward? Until tomorrow.
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