Reaffirmation

Yesterday I was able to hear about Joseph Smith and his interactions with the law. Over the course of his life he was involved in over 200 trials. That is a lot. There is no record of him ever being convicted guilty in any of these trials (he wasn't always the one being charged either). But what struck me most was his first trial.

It was 6 months before he received the first vision. His father, brothers, and himself were hired by someone do perform labors. The employer didn't give full payment and so Joseph's father (Joseph Smith Sr) sued. In the records of this trial it shows Joseph Smith Jr and his brother as witnesses for his father. Well you had to be eighteen in order to automatically be a witness. Otherwise the judge would have to interview you and see if you were a credible witness as a child. This is the case today and in Joseph's time. Well because Joseph Smith was a witness he was found as a credible witness to testify on his father's behalf.

The speaker literally said, "a credible witness to testify on his father's behalf"

This struck me so hard....

This was before his vision, before his translation of the Book of Mormon, before his restoration of the Priesthood keys, of temple ordinances.

Replace "father" with "Heavenly Father" and you might see where I am going with this.

Joseph Smith WAS a credible witness to testify of his Heavenly Father. He was not someone who would lie or be a fraud, he spoke the truth.

This experience reaffirmed my testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. I am so grateful for his life and all that he has done to restore the simple and wonderful gospel truths I now believe.