Magic - meaning 2

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Today we are talking about Faith.Faith is not magic. Let me repeat that, Faith is not magic. It is not smoke and mirrors. Things don’t just magically happen, they require faith to make them happen. But I believe that too often we mix the two up. When we read the scriptures and we read things like Mark 9: 23 that says, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” we sometimes think that he is talking about magic will happen. Right? Somewhere we want to hope that if we sit and wish it hard enough and long enough, that poof! Magically it will appear.I am not saying that miracles have ceased. To the contrary – I know that miracles happen all around us. But they happen because of real faith, not because of magic.When we exercise faith, in other words when we believe, and with courage we work and keep working at it, then when we have done all we can do, the Lord can step in and finish the job with his miraculous touch. That is what the miracles show all through the scriptures. That first people exercised faith, they did something which showed their belief– and then because of their faith, God stepped in to finish the job.Faith is a principle and a power to act. It is composed of 4 primary elements: Belief, Courage, Work, and Perseverance. If any of these elements is not present, we have no faith.If we stop believing, we will stop working. If we lose confidence and become fearful then we will stop working. IF we become lazy we will stop working. Or if we get knocked down and don’t get back up, then we stop working. BUT if we believe, and keep working regardless of the challenges, the setbacks, and the fear, we can achieve and accomplish anything. Do we have faith, or do we expect Magic to fix our problems?This is the pattern the Lord has set for us to learn. Believe, move ahead, work hard, and keep at it.Joseph Smith said of Faith:Matt. 9: 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.Matt. 9: 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.Matt. 9: 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.Matt. 14: 31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little afaith•, wherefore didst thou bdoubt?Matt. 15: 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy afaith•: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.What are a few things we need Faith in order to accomplish?To start right where we are, and raise a strong familyTo be in the World but not of the worldTo hold FHE every week, to read family scriptures every day, to pray as a family every day.To magnify our callings – including Visiting TeachingTo be a good motherTo find a wonderful husbandMay we like the man who Jesus told “to who who believeth all things are possible, the man said, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”So that the Lord may say to us (Matt. 25: 21 His lord said unto him,) Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.