because he first loved us

Twelve days ago I got something very important in the mail.  It was a big white envelope that held inside the place I would be going to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was anxious and excited and dying to know where the Lord needed me.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, I gathered with friends and family via skype and opened that big white envelope.  And I read that I was going to... Brazil Sao Paulo West!

I was so happy and excited and confident that that is where I need to be.  And I still am!  BUT  I must admit that another big emotion I felt at that moment was fear.

I was afraid to learn Portuguese.  Afraid that I would not be able to speak well or communicate with the people I need to teach.  Afraid that I would not be an effective missionary.  Afraid to go straight to the missionary training center in Brazil where I don't know the area, or how many people will speak English.

All of these things will be challenges for me, I'm sure.  But when I pay attention to these fears and let them take away from the joy that I should be feeling, it's almost like I stop trusting God.  Brazil is where He called me to serve, and I need to have faith that He will help me through my struggles.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love.  We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:18-19).

Before we even thought about loving God, He loved us.  We love Him because he first loved us!  When we really understand how much God loves us, then we will not fear the future!  We will always have challenges, but we will not be afraid, because the perfect love God has for us will cast out our fear!  We must know that He has a plan for us and that he will see us through any trial we have.

If we understand that God's love is limitless, and reflect that love back to Him and to everyone around us, then we will have no reason to fear.

faith and works... working together

When I was in junior high, I went to the Minnesota state fair (go MN!) with two of my best friends.  We were enjoying the rides, the cheese curds, and funnel cake (okay, so mostly the food) when a man approached us and introduced himself.  Now, I don't remember at all who he was, but he began by asking us: "Do you think you will go to heaven?"  We all hesitated, and I probably let out an "I sure hope so!"  He then asked us if we had faith in Jesus Christ, to which we all said yes.  He told us with a smile on his face that we were absolutely going to heaven!  That all we must do is declare our faith in Christ and we are set to go!  After he had spoken his peace we politely smiled, nodded, and walked away.

I must say this man was an example of one of the nicest people I've ever had random religious talk with.  Most of them tell me that I'm going straight to the opposite destination when they hear I'm Mormon (HA!), so this was a nice change.  But I will say now that I disagree with what he said.

Declaring your faith in Jesus Christ is absolutely important and good.  But that does not mean we are done there.

"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" (James 2:17-18).

If we truly have faith in God and in Jesus Christ, we will not stop there.  Our faith will motivate our works. It will motivate us to act.  My faith in Christ is what makes me want to serve others and do good works.  I strive to show my faith by my works and my actions.

Just declaring our faith is not good enough.  In fact, I think the more faith we have in Christ, the more we are expected to do something about it.  The more faith we have, the more we are expected to serve our fellow man just as Christ served us.  We must live lives that demonstrate our faith.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).