Some thoughts about gospel basics

One of the things about having a scripture blog is that I’ve noticed I have a tendency to charge toward the new, interesting, and occasionally speculative topics. 

Looking over this month, I’ve had a few posts on basics such as family,  something in the Beatitudes, and self-deception recently, but my topics have also touched on prophecy of events after the Millennium, chronology in the Book of Revelation, bishop’s recommends for going to Zion, all of which at first glance are may not seem terribly useful or practical for today.  (I’ve tried to give them practical twists, but I don’t know how successful I’ve been at that.)

This kind of thing has been likened to stepping out onto the far branches of the gospel tree where one’s footing can break rather easily.  It can be a dangerous thing to do if the basic principles of the gospel are neglected.

So I want to take some time to share some thoughts about the basic principles of the gospel: faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

When I do my scripture study, no matter what I learn, I have to ask myself, “How does this help me today?”  There has to be some way to relate it to what I can do, or some way that it helps build my faith in Christ. 

The gospel is a path. It’s a way of living and acting.  Those basic principles of the gospel I listed above are things that should be used daily. (Baptism’s counterpart, the sacrament, is weekly, but preparation and keeping of covenants is a daily thing.)

Here are some questions I need to pose to myself:

1)   How am I demonstrating faith in Christ today?  Do I do my work with faith in Christ? Do I complete my chores with faith in Christ?

2)   What do I need the grace of Christ to strengthen me to do today?  What weaknesses do I need Christ’s help to overcome today?  What do I need to repent of today?

3)   How have I worked to keep my baptismal covenants today?  When have I remembered the Savior? Can I increase the number of instances when I remember Him?

4)   How have I seen the Spirit work in my life today?  Am I open to spiritual promptings? Am I obedient to impressions?  Do I record my experiences to create a reservoir of faith for the future?

    Will you share with me how you incorporate these basic gospel principles in your life each day?