Friday, August 25, 2017

Righteous Conditional Love



I find it amazing that a brother and sister in Christ can live hundreds of miles apart yet still find themselves sharing moments when they are of one mind. This has been happening frequently between Jordan and I. We have some great gospel moments, and Jordon often expresses feelings that are hard to put into words. Fortunately, God has blessed me with the ability and the privilege to be Jordan's cyber mouthpiece, and this is one of those times when our thoughts are in harmony.
In addition to Jordan's blog, I have my own personal Christ-centered blog that I post on every Sunday, where I share my thought on the Savior and Heavenly Father's plan for us. I also strive to urge us all to get our houses in order and prepare ourselves spiritually for the Savior's return.

After talking with Jordan again this week, I feel prompted to share my most recent post from that blog here.

Righteous Conditional Love

"There are many ways to describe and speak of divine love. One of the terms we hear often today is that God’s love is “unconditional.” While in one sense that is true, the descriptor unconditional appears nowhere in scripture. Rather, His love is described in scripture as “great and wonderful love," "perfect love," "redeeming love," and “everlasting love.” These are better terms because the word unconditional can convey mistaken impressions about divine love, such as, God tolerates and excuses anything we do because His love is unconditional, or God makes no demands upon us because His love is unconditional, or all are saved in the heavenly kingdom of God because His love is unconditional. God will always love us, but He cannot save us in our sins." ~D. Todd Christofferson

 
Once again, I feel the need to stress the importance of who we are and WHOSE we are. We are sons and daughters of a King - a King who loves us so much, He sent His only begotten Son, the Prince of Peace, to atone for our sins, to pay the price we cannot pay.

Yes, our Heavenly Father loves His royal sons and daughters beyond belief . . . however, His love is not unconditional. And if you believe that, you are sorely mistaken.

God cannot love us unconditionally. That is not possible.
It isn't possible because, as we are taught in the scriptures, “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven; ~D&C 1:31-32

What this means is when we are striving to live good lives and be good people yet still give in to weaknesses, if the Lord can't overlook that, what in the world makes us think we can willfully sin and disobey and have Him accept it? We CANNOT be saved in sin. It is impossible. And I say this as much for myself as everyone else. We can argue this subject until we are blue in the face (and believe me, many do, even at this very moment,) it will not change the truth, because God's laws will not change. They CAN'T change. This is why I spend so much time emphasizing the importance of spiritual preparedness. We must come out of the world, my brothers and sisters. WE MUST!

Satan is wreaking havoc left and right, and deception abounds. We must not let ourselves be deceived. We must immerse our minds, hearts, and souls in a great quest to know the Lord and become one with Him. Truly knowing the Lord and allowing Him to know us is the only way to avoid deception.


Every day, my heart just weeps, because the number of souls rejecting the truth is ever-increasing. If you don't believe me, just spend a few minutes on Facebook (a few is all it will take.) As I've said before, the war that began in heaven continues on today. It never stopped, and we, who were once some of the righteous hosts of heaven, continue to perpetuate it, only our weapon of choice is words, just as it was in the preexistence. The question is, what spirit do we listeth to obey when we do speak?

"The premortal war was fought with words, ideas, debate, and persuasion. (Revelation 12:7–9, 11) ~Larry R. Lawrence

The Lord truly does love us. It was His love and His obedience to the Father that prompted His atonement and sacrifice for us. But His love IS conditional, and when we willfully sin and refuse His precious gift of repentance, we turn our back on the Lord, and He, in turn, cannot know us.
I pray that we can remember this. 

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Endless Summer 2017





A TIME TO LET GO AND LET GOD TAKE CONTROL OF THIS LIFE!
What a summer this year has been. For some, it has been a time of enjoying family and friends, and connecting with loved ones who have come back to celebrate life with everyone from past years.  Love is the true basis of my summer and truth is the basis of all love.  Without truth and love, no peace is able to be present.  Truth and love are the main ingredients of my therapeutic summer. Love is all around you and I, if we will only look past all the little issues that really don’t matter.
Sending spiritual blessings to my loved ones around the United States. I send it with a wish of healing and restoration.  Your life matters to me.  Thank you, Jewel and Denny for reaching out when I've not able to manage the circus that has blindsided Broken Wings Ministries.
The release of "We're Gonna Make It After All" as well as my children's book signings have been canceled this summer and fall.  Everything has been rescheduled for winter and invites to these events will be sent out.
May all of my North Star family and my spiritual family remember that we will always share a Christlike love through our love for Jesus that nobody can remove from us.  For me, this year has been a year like Job in the Bible. And without the Holy Spirit's in my life, I would not
be able to bounce back like Job.  Everything and everyone was removed from his life, but the Savior celebrated Job's life. He does not tolerate unkindness and gives back ten-fold to all of us who wait on Him. He has definitely renewed my strength.
I am grateful and thankful for all your prayers this summer.  Your heart-felt words are healing my soul.




"SOCIAL MEDIA" WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
The choice is yours and it's simple; social media has changed the way we see one another's life, and it enhances the way we communicate with each other in the world. Everybody gets a stage to proclaim their words and works. For me, this is not what I am doing, this is who I am. What I try to do for children with Broken Wings Ministry is to help stop what I experienced. You all have some of my books. You know the truth and reality. Don't squander the gifts that God gave you to share with others.
I marvel at the instant connection on social media. All these platforms can help us take God's message to so many people, if we would just look past our own needs. My church is about helping others, and the gospel continuously opens my soul, not just on Sundays and at church events.
I love to hear from others; they share moments that make me smile. If you ask me, the picture is worth a thousand words. When the haters show up, I shut down.

I've learned not to respond to negativity. Responding only gives it more voice and power. For me, social media is about spreading good vibrations. I have learned so much lately, about myself and what God expects of me, and I never want to let Him down. Ever.
May you always be inspired to choose the right, because it's the right thing to do. Keep the faith and be kind to one another, and walk in love and be who you are in Christ. You're worth more than you know. Today, tomorrow and into the eternity, I will walk with my hand yours until we meet again. Enjoy your life and share the joy of the Lord that's inside you, and do something great for someone else. Make their life, and make their day! Help them become what they were created for. Give kindness to them. Feed the sheep and they will come. I love you, brothers and sisters. Remember, you are a child of God, and I thank you for being yourself – the self that God made you to be.
"I will fear not for the Lord thy God is with me.  I will walk by faith."

I love you,
Jordan Jantz
H-503-223-3648
C-602-677-1604
1430 SW 12th Avenue, Apt. 1709
Portland, OR 97201


http://ldsvoicesofhope.org/voice.php?v=51#.U5pTiiimU8k
All emails are confidential