Okay so to start off there are some basic rules that I had to repeat to my daddy (EVERY SINGLE TIME) before I picked up my gun and was ready to shoot. They are:
1. A gun is ALWAYS loaded.
2. Know your target and what is behind it.
3. Never cross the barrel over anything that you aren't willing to destroy.
4. Always have ear and eye protection.
5. Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are READY to shoot.
6. Know your gun.
How do these 6 rules apply to the Gospel?
1. A gun is ALWAYS loaded. Well that is not true, a gun isn't loaded at all times, but we are supposed to treat it like it is. My daddy never let me say, "Treat it like it is loaded." Only, "a gun is always loaded." I have always had that mind set and therefore I treat guns very carefully. Since I was little my dad ingrained that in my mind. Even when I know for a fact that the gun does not have a bullet in it, I still have a feeling in the back of my head that it is. Well this principle applies to the Gospel because the gun is our testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is something so precious, so dear. We need to treat it that way! We need to realize what an amazing thing it is and the power that our testimonies have. No matter what I can never refuse my testimony because I ALWAYS have the feeling in the back of my mind, that I know the church is true. I CAN NOT deny it. Nor do I ever want to. It is so precious to me.
2. Know your target and what is behind it. Our target in this life is to get to the Celestial Kingdom. We want to get there and we need to be able to know the limits. We need to know how to get there and make sure that we don't do anything that would make it so we don't get our target. We need to be aware of Satan and be able to push him out of our lives and work towards Christ.
3. Never cross the barrel over anything that you aren't willing to destroy. Imagine that we are at a shooting range right now. You pulled the trigger and you heard a click. You realize that the bullet is jammed, this ONE time you think, "It will be okay, I will rest the barrel on my foot while I unjam it." Well as soon as you put the gun at that angle on your foot the bullet came out and fired. You just shot a hole through your foot. What lesson do we learn? Never cross the barrel with anything that you aren't willing to destroy, but also that it only takes ONE TIME to make a permanent damage. You may think this one time you break a law or commandment that God has given us that it will be okay. Why would you ever chance that? NEVER CROSS THAT LINE! There are standards and commandments that God has asked us to follow and we need to do that. We cannot give into even one temptation, because that could be the time the gun is misfired and if it is pointed at something that you aren't willing to destroy (your salvation) then that is on you.Of course we all will mess up and God understands that, that is what the Atonement is for. But don't willingly give away your right to Eternal Glory.
4. Always have ear and eye protection. We read in Ephesians chapter 6 about the armor of God. There is the Girdle of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness, The Shield of Faith, The Sword of the Spirit, The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace Shoes and The Helmet of Salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that we need to have faith. We need to choose the right. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit. We need to do all these things to protect ourselves and gain eternal life. When we keep the commandments and do what is right, we are building up a protection around ourselves. What a blessing that it is that we know what to do to protect ourselves from Satan!
5. Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are READY to shoot. Lets say that you died right now. Would you be ready to face God. If the final judgement was in a few minutes, how would you be feeling? We cannot wait until last minute to repent and make things right. Start your preparations to meet God right now. We need to get right with God. We need to strive ALWAYS to be better daily. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to be trying our hardest to be the best we can be.
6. Know your gun. We need to know what we are dealing with. We need to face the reality of our salvation. We need to humble ourselves and realize that we cannot do it alone. We need to rely on our Savior. We need to know Jesus Christ. We need a personal relationship with him and God. We need the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Okay so the rules of gun safety teach us a little about how we need to live our lives.
This is my first gun. It is a Ruger .357 LCR. Here is a picture of it:
Just by looking at a picture of this gun you would probably assume that there isn't a lot of power. You might say, "That it is ugly and no one would ever want a gun that looks like that." Well looks are deceiving. I remember the first time I shot this gun. I shot once and put it down immediately. I was used to shooting 9 millimeters and to go from those to this. It was CRAZY! The power was intense. There sent a sting right down the grip of my hand. I wasn't expecting it! So I looked at my daddy, he just about died laughing at me. My face must have said it all. Well I picked it up and shot a few more rounds, holding the gun a LOT tighter than before. The sting wasn't bad this time. As I shot it more, the more I got used to it and it's power. The more I shot it, the more I wanted to shoot it. It might be an ugly gun, but it gets the job done. This revolver is so reliable and accurate.
So what do we learn from this story? That when life throws us curve balls, we can push back. We can endure and overcome them. The more we use our testimony in our lives the more we can increase our desire to gain it even more. We can do what our tools allow us to do. So what tools do you have in your life that you can use to strengthen your testimony? What can you do to ensure your salvation. What can you do to prepare for those hard times that will come time to time?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers.
3. Never cross the barrel over anything that you aren't willing to destroy. Imagine that we are at a shooting range right now. You pulled the trigger and you heard a click. You realize that the bullet is jammed, this ONE time you think, "It will be okay, I will rest the barrel on my foot while I unjam it." Well as soon as you put the gun at that angle on your foot the bullet came out and fired. You just shot a hole through your foot. What lesson do we learn? Never cross the barrel with anything that you aren't willing to destroy, but also that it only takes ONE TIME to make a permanent damage. You may think this one time you break a law or commandment that God has given us that it will be okay. Why would you ever chance that? NEVER CROSS THAT LINE! There are standards and commandments that God has asked us to follow and we need to do that. We cannot give into even one temptation, because that could be the time the gun is misfired and if it is pointed at something that you aren't willing to destroy (your salvation) then that is on you.Of course we all will mess up and God understands that, that is what the Atonement is for. But don't willingly give away your right to Eternal Glory.
4. Always have ear and eye protection. We read in Ephesians chapter 6 about the armor of God. There is the Girdle of Truth, The Breastplate of Righteousness, The Shield of Faith, The Sword of the Spirit, The Preparation of the Gospel of Peace Shoes and The Helmet of Salvation. The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that we need to have faith. We need to choose the right. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit. We need to do all these things to protect ourselves and gain eternal life. When we keep the commandments and do what is right, we are building up a protection around ourselves. What a blessing that it is that we know what to do to protect ourselves from Satan!
5. Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are READY to shoot. Lets say that you died right now. Would you be ready to face God. If the final judgement was in a few minutes, how would you be feeling? We cannot wait until last minute to repent and make things right. Start your preparations to meet God right now. We need to get right with God. We need to strive ALWAYS to be better daily. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to be trying our hardest to be the best we can be.
6. Know your gun. We need to know what we are dealing with. We need to face the reality of our salvation. We need to humble ourselves and realize that we cannot do it alone. We need to rely on our Savior. We need to know Jesus Christ. We need a personal relationship with him and God. We need the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Okay so the rules of gun safety teach us a little about how we need to live our lives.
This is my first gun. It is a Ruger .357 LCR. Here is a picture of it:
Just by looking at a picture of this gun you would probably assume that there isn't a lot of power. You might say, "That it is ugly and no one would ever want a gun that looks like that." Well looks are deceiving. I remember the first time I shot this gun. I shot once and put it down immediately. I was used to shooting 9 millimeters and to go from those to this. It was CRAZY! The power was intense. There sent a sting right down the grip of my hand. I wasn't expecting it! So I looked at my daddy, he just about died laughing at me. My face must have said it all. Well I picked it up and shot a few more rounds, holding the gun a LOT tighter than before. The sting wasn't bad this time. As I shot it more, the more I got used to it and it's power. The more I shot it, the more I wanted to shoot it. It might be an ugly gun, but it gets the job done. This revolver is so reliable and accurate.
So what do we learn from this story? That when life throws us curve balls, we can push back. We can endure and overcome them. The more we use our testimony in our lives the more we can increase our desire to gain it even more. We can do what our tools allow us to do. So what tools do you have in your life that you can use to strengthen your testimony? What can you do to ensure your salvation. What can you do to prepare for those hard times that will come time to time?
The Gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers.
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