Why Don't We Drive Cars On The Moon?

      In the world today there are many different concepts of being "saved", but the most usual description among Christian denominations is not burning in hell, or escaping eternal damnation. Easy enough right? Ultimately we are saved by our Savior, Jesus Christ. His infinite atonement is what makes it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. But how do we become "saved"?
      The doctrines of my faith go a lot further than simply implying that we are either saved or not, but I want to focus on specifically the manner in which we seek our salvation from God. Some say that by grace and grace alone we are saved, that with faith and believing we win our salvation. This is a common belief among many denominations. Some also say that our works alone will be the ultimate factor in our final judgment. So which one is it? 
      The truth is, we need both our faith, and our works.
 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified. . For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:14-26)
        This is a lot similar to how an auto engine works. If you would ask someone how a car runs, they would most likely tell you that it runs on gas. This is true, and obvious as well. But there is another necessary thing for your car to run as well. Just as important, but sometimes overlooked. . . Air. 
     This is the breakdown of where the power comes from inside a four stroke engine:
On the first stroke, the piston pulls down, and the gas and air mixture comes in through the valves at the top - INTAKE. Then, the piston pushes upward to squeeze the air/fuel mixture together - COMPRESSION. Just as that happens, the spark plug ignites the gas/air mixture and creates the combustion - POWER. That small explosion forces the piston back down and the other valves open at the top, letting the exhaust gases  out - EXHAUST.
      Now that we just learned what powers an engine, we can learn what the significance is. Looking specifically at the intake stroke, we see that both gas and air are required. If you have one without the other, or the ratio in the mixture is off, the motor won't run properly. Even when the spark plug fires, the gas alone will not keep the engine running, and neither will the air. You need both. This combination mixed with the spark from the spark plug is what moves us.
      Our works and our faith must go hand in hand for us to receive the full effect of God's gifts. His grace and mercy aren't conditional, He loves us all. And through Jesus Christ's atonement we can all be saved, but we must show our willingness and gratitude by doing good works and believing. 
     "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7)
      It is my humble prayer that we can all remember to have faith and do good works to those around us, just as our great Redeemer did. We must show our gratitude for the wonderful gifts the we have been so mercifully given. Truly we are blessed to do so!
       

Drive It Like You Stole It, Treat It Like You Own It

     Since I can remember I have always learned so many simple and priceless lessons from my Dad and my Grandpa. "If you're gonna do something, make sure you do it it right", or "Take your time with what you're doing, nothing beats quality". There are so many other examples that I can't even count. One of the ones I remember most is to "Take pride in what you have, take care of it and it will take care of you for a long time".

     There was no better implemented possession that this applied too more than our vehicles. Most people know, I live and die with the bow-tie. Im a born and raised Chevy guy and that will never change. Thats just how it is. I learned early to take care of my trucks. You work em' hard but you clean them up good after. Whether is was oil changes, spark plugs, radiators, tune-ups. . I always made sure to take care of them. When I did, they took care of me. Sure, small things happen here and there. . . But nothing to crazy thats not a routine fix.

      So here's a super sport 454 big-block engine. Sucks gas, hauls . . . fast. The type you hear coming from a mile away, roaring like some kind of monster. The ones that just have that loud "chug, chug, chug, chug" sound and when they pull up next to you you have to turn up your radio cause it somehow got turned off. . . You can bet the guy with this under his hood knows a things or two about fine tuning. Were talking about the top performance of American engineering, putting out 750+ horsepower. This isn't a fancy pants Italian exotic car, or your mom's prius, This is American Muscle. You couldn't pull a dollar off the dash board after his beast takes off the line. With all this in mind, you have to wonder how much this guy takes care of his car. . . Yeah it might be worth one pretty penny, but I would have no doubt he rips that thing around the streets then takes it home and babies it like a newborn child.

      There's no difference between this scenario and our own human bodies. We might have grown accustomed to the normal functions of the human body over time, but none the less they are incredible machines. No matter how fancy or advanced technology gets, nothing can measure up to the technicalities and absolute perfection the body has. The functions, the way we heal, they way we think, the brain, the eye, are all things that science has yet to explain. Make no mistake, we are not randomly conspired organisms that have developed over a long period of time and somehow evolved into what we are today. Charles Darwin only made it possible to become an intellectually fulfilled atheist. Something like this couldn't have just happened at random. Our bodies in fact, are of divine design.

      One of the reasons we are here on earth is to gain a physical body. Before, when we lived with our Father in heaven, we saw he had what we didn't. A body and His infinite wisdom and knowledge. As part of his plan of happiness, we too were to gain a body and the knowledge we could. And here we are, with bodies of our own. Like a sixteen year old with the keys to a brand new Corvette, ready to hit the highway. What a lot of us sometimes forget is that God threw in an owners manual too.

      You wouldn't put sugar in the gas tank of your brand new Corvette, and you probably wouldn't put bad gas in either. You'd want too take the best care of it you could, I'd hope. With our bodies it's a just a little different. We don't really notice the immediate effects of what we put into them until a little later down the road. One cigarette won't kill you, neither will a beer here and there, but when the filters in our bodies start to give way then we find ourselves in a world of hurt. Thats why the Lord has revealed his word of wisdom to us in these latter days. He has commanded us not to partake of street drugs, alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, or anything else that would harm us. We are also encouraged to exercise and take care of ourselves, not to eat too much and to avoid extreme diets. This was all revealed to us through modern day revelation and living by this will bring us not only physical blessing but also spiritual.

      It all comes down to how you want your engine to run. You can listen to the guy who designed it and take care of it. Or you can wear it out and run it to the ground. The word of wisdom is here to protect us from harming ourselves. If we follow it and take care of our bodies, we will only feel the blessings of a healthy motor.