Gospel Cogitations

Question: how do you have faith in Christ without directing that faith towards a specific outcome?  Like having faith things will be okay without knowing what 'okay' means. This is such a fantastic question because it is about faith, the very first principle of the gospel.  Something we hear about all the time, but never ponder deeply enough. I started by finding some scriptures that define faith: Ether 12:6,4 "faith is things which are hoped for and not seen" "whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God" Which led me to realize, perhaps there is an important distinction between faith and hope that I am missing. PMG 117 "Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials and diffi

What does it mean to be godly, or to live a godly life? 2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: I believe that this means that having godliness in our lives means living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Moroni 7:30 For behold, they [the angels] are subject unto him [God], to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. Angels will minister to any righteous person, no matter the part of their life it is that is considered godly. Thus, to be godly means to possess some characteristic or attribute of Christ, though not necessarily all of them, or in their fullness. D&C 20:69 The members shall manifest before the church, and also before the elders, by a godly walk and conversation, that they are worthy of it [the gift of the Holy Ghost], that there ma

If you are reading this blog, chances are I have met you before.  However, in case this is not true, allow me to give a brief introduction.  My name is Benjamin, and I served as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Louisville, Kentucky area from summer 2014-2016.  While there, I discovered a great love for all things relating to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Many times I would be asked questions to which I did not have a ready answer.  I like to know as much as I can about the gospel, so if I did not know the answer, I would find it. Recently I was able to spend some time with some of my friends I met while on my mission, and they reminded me of the great times I had searching for answers to gospel questions.  In the past month or so, a couple of friends had asked me questions, which prompted me to post the things I found on Facebook.  After talking with my mission friends, they encouraged me to start a blog, since this sort of environment is more con