Today I am thankful for a Prophet

On June 27, 1844 the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum were martyred by an angry mob in Carthage Jail where the Prophet was being held.

I haven't really sat and pondered about his martyrdom all that much before but today it struck me a little hard. Joseph Smith is a man who died for his religion. He died doing what he knew was right. He knew that what he was doing was unpopular but he did it anyway because he knew that it is what Heavenly Father wanted him to be doing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for me so that I could be blessed with the knowledge of the restored gospel. Joseph Smith listened to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and did what was asked for him, despite how scared he might have been.

Elder Jeffrey R Holland offers an amazing Testimony of our Prophet:

"[Joseph Smith's] life asked and answered the question 'Do you believe God speaks to man?' In all else that he accomplished in his brief 38 and a half years, Joseph left us above all else the resolute legacy of divine revelation—not a single, isolated revelation without evidence or consequence, and not 'a mild sort of inspiration seeping into the minds of all good people' everywhere, but specific, documented, ongoing directions from God. As a good friend and faithful LDS scholar has succinctly put it, 'At a time when the origins of Christianity were under assault by the forces of Enlightenment rationality, Joseph Smith [unequivocally and singlehandedly] returned modern Christianity to its origins in revelation" (Ensign, 2004) 

I have a strong testimony of our Prophet Joseph Smith. He was given the responsibility to restore the Gospel to this earth in these latter days and did it with an amazing conviction and passion that Heavenly Father knew he had. Joseph Smith was a modern day prophet that was given the authority to do what he did. I know that beginning with him and up until this very moment, there has been an unbroken line of prophets that have been called by God and put on this Earth to guide all of the children of God to ensure they can come back home one day. I am so thankful for what this man has done for me and my future children. I am so thankful for the sacrifices he made so that I can be happy and for his very presence on this earth. I am so very thankful for his obedience, passion and conviction to doing what is right and what Heavenly Father wants him to do.