Happy Birthday, Joseph!

Taken from the Joseph Smith the Prophet CD by Rob Gardner:

Throughout the history of mankind, God has called prophets to lead His people and teach them His great Plan of Salvation. However, after the death of Christ’s apostles, due to the great wickedness upon the Earth and the perversion of many plain and simple truths of the Gospel, God took His priesthood from the Earth, and, as prophesied by Paul, the dark cloud of apostasy covered the Earth for centuries.

In the spring of 1820 there was in the area of Palmyra, New York an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. Indeed, the whole region seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created quite a division among the people. Joseph Smith, at this time, was fourteen years old.

Joseph: 'During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did, for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know…

At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God' 

Today is Joseph Smith's birthday so I wanted to write a quick post in remembrance of such a great man. I have read a lot about him and have come to greatly love and respect him as a man who sincerely tried to do God's will despite the many hardships that he and his family had to endure. I know he was not perfect. In two days, we'll be celebrating the birth of the only perfect being ever to walk the earth. People often like to point out his perceived faults. The following prophesy spoken by Joseph has come to be very true:

He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people." Joseph Smith History 1:33

I have come to greatly admire and to dearly love the prophet Joseph Smith. I have come to know that he was truly a prophet of God. I feel the Spirit filling my heart with peace and love whenever I read of him. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God. It is a real book written by ancient prophets for their brothers and sisters in our day. I feel the love they had for God and for us in their writing. I feel a great joy as I read from it and as I read it to my children. I know, without a doubt, that it is true. I have felt this witness again and again in my life.



I'll end my thoughts with Joseph's beautiful words:

"However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.

So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation."

And in case you haven't seen it, here is a video account of Joseph's fist vision:

http://mormon.org/joseph-smith/#a-prophet-of-god

or you can read it here in Joseph's own words:

http://lds.org/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng