BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.
In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)
Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.
Mormon Thoughts: The Gates of Heaven
Dear Alex,
I am so glad that I was able to spend time with you today and that you get to be out here in Utah for the weekend! As I was reading the Book of Mormon recently, a scripture stood out really strongly to me, and I thought of you. Helaman 3:27-28 reads, “Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.” I don’t know how that makes you feel when you read it, but to me it is one of the strongest testimonies of prayer and of Christ that I have ever read. Alex, everyone goes through rough times and makes mistakes, but, like the scripture says, God will show mercy if we will just pray sincerely. There is no way that He will ever turn a broken heart away or discount any one of His children, and I know that we can open the gates of heaven if we just ask. We’ve both heard the quote that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I truly believe in the small steps and that all it takes is the faith to take that step. Prayer is so simple and yet so profound, and we will receive the mercy promised to us. Christ enabled the gates of heaven to be open to all, and I know that we can follow Him right through the gates one step at time. I care about you, Alex, and am so proud to call you my family. I hope this helped you out a little, and I just want you to know that I am always here for you.
Love,
Calvin
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