Jesus Christ, The Son of God, Savior of the World, A Personal Friend

At this Christmas season, I desire to testify of the Saviors Friendship and goodness to me, a struggling soul. I do so with the hope that others will be inspired to further their friendship. And if a friendship doesn’t yet exist, I hope that you’ll have the desire to establish one right away. 

As a Mormon, my intended audience, those who I think of when I write, are members of the Mormon church.

Many years ago, the Lord left the ninety and nine and reclaimed me. I was lost and He found me. As a result, I am a witness of His tender mercies and I hope to help others who can be lifted by my witness.

The Savior is a friend of mine. The Savior refers to His followers as friends (D&C 50:41, D&C 84:63, John 15:14-15). I am a follower, therefore I think it’s reasonable to call Himmy Friend. I hope that all of us feel the same way.

Friendship is a two way street. Friends do things for one another. They help each other and share in the joy of their friendship. My friendship with the Savior has brought me great joy. I hope, in small ways, I’ve done the same for Him.

Like many of you, I call upon the Father in the name of His Son. From what I’ve learned from the scriptures and the living prophets the Savior is the one who answers our prayers through the power of the Holy Ghost. He is not an absentee Friend.

There have been times in my life when I have drifted in my friendship with the Savior. Mortal friends do that, but the Savior is more than a mortal friend, He doesn’t drift. His friendship is constant. I don’t know who said it, but I’ve found it to be true, I’ll paraphrase: If you’re not as close to the Lord today as you were before, who moved?

As spirit beings having a mortal experience in a fallen world we inherit the legacy of the fall; we’re dead to things of the spirit. The scriptures even refer to us as enemies of God,  until we yield to the enticings of the Spirit we remain spiritually dead.

As a young man I got entangled in the ways of the world. After awhile, my Friend came for me and loved me back to His church. Nowadays, I look back over the years and realize what a wonderful Friend the Savior is. I’ll give one example of how my Friend has been there for me.  I’m sharing this experience to draw attention to the ways of the Lord. I hope you’ll be prompted to share an experience from your life in the comment section below. It may be helpful to others and bless them.

Many years ago, I was under-employed with a wife and children. I had more bills than I had income. I made the decision to pay all my bills instead of trying to avoid them. I asked my creditors to accept small monthly payments without charging me interest, and in turn I promised to pay them back over time. All of them agreed, and some even offered to forgive my debt. I thanked them, but said I would pay back everything I owed.

During the next three years I prayerfully sought the Lord’s guidance. I did everything I could to meet my financial obligations, but I wasn’t making the kind of progress I had hoped for. I was barely getting by. I didn’t see any possibility of purchasing a home, something I really wanted for my family.

One day my dad told me something that changed my thinking. I started to look at a new career path based on his counsel. I applied for a position with a national company. I was told that only 1 out of 200 who apply are hired. After working with the recruiter for several months he told me he wanted to hire me, but was prevented from doing so because of hiring quotas. He said they had to hire more women and minorities before they could hire me. He said to call him in six months or so.

I was very disappointed and told Heavenly Father how I felt. I wasn’t angry, but I was deeply concerned. I explained I was doing everything I could, and pleaded with Him for help.

Next morning, I opened the newspaper and began looking at the help wanted ads. I was reading an ad for a position in a company located in Denver, Co, when I heard a voice say to me, “you have a job”. It was a man’s voice, speaking audibility, just like we speak one to another. I looked up to see who was there. No one was. There was no feeling of the Spirit, just the voice. My wife was nearby, about 8 to 10 steps away, I asked her if she heard the voice. She hadn’t, and asked me what was going on. I told her, and we both marveled at what a occurred. I felt it was a ministering angel, possibility a member of the family who was sent to answer my many prayers offered over the years.

Later in the day I called the recruiter and told him that I was ready to go to work when there was an opening. He reminded me it might be quite a while before I could be hired. I told him I felt things would work out, and that I would look forward to hearing from him. Two weeks later he called, saying that he was completely blown away! He explained that he was able to hire me because the quotas had been unexpectedly filled in another state. Shortly thereafter I took a position with the company.

I’ve had many wondrous experiences with my Friend the Savior. He amazes me!

I’ve had a constant desire to tell others about my Friend and what He has done for me. I hope I can always be His friend. I don’t want to let Him down.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation… which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Helaman 5:12

God Bless.

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One Response to Jesus Christ, The Son of God, Savior of the World, A Personal Friend

  1. Jim says:

    I appreciate your faith and efforts to bolster the faith of efforts through your blog. I found today’s entry personally helpful.

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