Today as I was sitting in sacrament meeting, the sacrament was in the process of being passed when I saw a reminder of how important the sacrament is. A deacon approached a man sitting in a wheel chair and this man desired to partake of the sacrament. I don't know what caused this man to have to be in a wheel chair, but he had an extremely hard time moving his hand to take the bread and the water. He worked with all his might to take a piece of bread from the tray. Then used the same labored effort to place it in his mouth and eat it. This same strenuous effort he went through again as the water came to him. His desire to renew sacred covenants with God gave him the ability to do the seemingly impossible. As he labored to take the sacrament his desires to follow Jesus Christ were manifested by his faith. Faith does move mountains. His desire to seek after the God he trusts, allowed him to overcome.
The importance of the sabbath day and going to church is the sacrament. Emblems of a broken body, an atoning sacrifice, given to make us whole. To that man on this day, a small piece of bread and a small cup of water made him whole.
"But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord." (D&C 59: 12)
"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." (3 Nephi 9:13-14)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
A Prophets Voice
Come
listen to a prophet’s voice, and hear the word of God,
then heed the words of truth and light
that flow from fountains pure.
that flow from fountains pure.
The world has gone astray; Thru erring schemes in days now past.
Yet Saints of God have found at last,
the straight and narrow way.
the straight and narrow way.
Come
listen to a prophet’s voice, and hear the word of God.
Come
all ye Saints of Zion, and let us praise the Lord;
Rejoice, rejoice, O Israel, and let your joys abound!
The voice of God shall reach you
wherever you are found.
The voice of God shall reach you
wherever you are found.
Come, listen to a prophet’s voice,
they walk the narrow way
And thank the Lord who brought them
To see the latter day.
And thank the Lord who brought them
To see the latter day.
(words are taken from the hymn Come, Listen To A Prophets Voice and Come, All Ye Saints of Zion)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Recounciled On Council Given: It Is Time To Pay Attention!
Every morning as a missionary I have time to study the gospel. My studies are usually around the scriptures and various topics as I try to find how the words of the prophets of old apply to our lives today. This morning I chose to read some of this months issue of the Ensign magazine. This magazine is written for anyone and covers a variety of topics that we face in our lives, and helps us learn how we can apply them to the gospel. The greatest blessing that comes from the Ensign is that we have the ability to hear words from the living prophets today. The first article in the Ensign is a message from the prophet, Thomas S. Monson, written for us to help us in our lives. The tittle of his article is, Love At Home--Council From Our Prophet.
As I looked over the article it had a very typical appearance to me and then some thing caught my eye. All of the article was quoted and there were no new words or approaches to the different topics relating to the family and home. When prophets repeat council that has already been given, the Lord is really trying to make something very clear to us and it is time to pay very close attention. Following the teachings of the Lord's prophets means that we will have safety and protection from the adversities of our day. It is time to listen and act.
The greatest tragedy of my generation is the decline of morality and the destruction of the family. Perhaps this is your generation too. If we are to overcome this great tragedy, we must listen to the prophets, past and present, then follow what they say.
Follow this link to read the words of the Lord's prophet that he has given to us:
Love At Home--Council From Our Prophet
As I looked over the article it had a very typical appearance to me and then some thing caught my eye. All of the article was quoted and there were no new words or approaches to the different topics relating to the family and home. When prophets repeat council that has already been given, the Lord is really trying to make something very clear to us and it is time to pay very close attention. Following the teachings of the Lord's prophets means that we will have safety and protection from the adversities of our day. It is time to listen and act.
The greatest tragedy of my generation is the decline of morality and the destruction of the family. Perhaps this is your generation too. If we are to overcome this great tragedy, we must listen to the prophets, past and present, then follow what they say.
Follow this link to read the words of the Lord's prophet that he has given to us:
Love At Home--Council From Our Prophet
Friday, August 19, 2011
Ways To Check For The Spirit In Our Lives
A few months ago, while at church, one of the teachers was teaching on how we can better feel the Spirit in our lives. Feeling the Spirit in our lives is very important to anyone who desires to come closer to Christ. The point the teacher was trying to make is that when we have the Spirit with us in our lives, there are noticeable things that we are able to see in our everyday lives. The things that we are able to see or recognize come by points of feeling and thought. Then the teacher of the class listed off a list of feelings and thoughts that we can recognize ourselves. Before I list what these thoughts and feelings are, there are a couple of items that I would like you to remember before you read them:
First, the best way to have the Spirit present in our lives is to keep the commandments.
Second, is that the following list is about helping one to see areas in their life where the Spirit is helping them. Also, if you feel that in one area you are weak at something, it doesn't mean that you don't have the Spirit, it just means that there are aspects in your life that could be taking away from feelings of the Spirit.
Lastly, the list is made up of individual feelings, mind sets, thoughts, and actions.
Living With The Spirit:
1. Happy, clear, calm
2. Generous
3. Don't take offense
4. Don't mind people seeing you
5. Eager to make people happy
6. Joy in other success
7. Willing to attend church meetings
8. Feeling to pray
9. Strive to keep commandments
10. Have self-control
11. Think of the Savior often
12. Confident about life
Struggling With Feeling The Spirit:
1. Unhappy, confused, frustrated
2. Possessive, self-centered, resentful
3. Easily Offended
4. Sensitive and evasive, irrational5. Avoid people ie. family and friends
6. Envy, resent others
7. Don't want to go to church
8. Don't want to pray
9. Find the commandments a problem
10. Lack self-control, carnal desires
11. Hardly think of the Savior
12. Fearful about life, discouragement
Look at these lists and see what ever it is that you feel that you could improve on. If you don't feel that there is any need for improvement, then just keep being awesome. When I saw this list for the first time, I noticed that I didn't think about the Savior as often as I should. So to increase the Spirit in my life and think more of the Savior, I decided to make it a goal that I was going to think of the Savior more. One way that I was able to do this was by praying, and praying more with real intent. At first, it was hard to do, hard to change, but as I kept trying I found that I was able to think more about my Savior and how He helps me though my life. So give this a try and see what happens and how you can increase the Spirit in your life.
First, the best way to have the Spirit present in our lives is to keep the commandments.
Second, is that the following list is about helping one to see areas in their life where the Spirit is helping them. Also, if you feel that in one area you are weak at something, it doesn't mean that you don't have the Spirit, it just means that there are aspects in your life that could be taking away from feelings of the Spirit.
Lastly, the list is made up of individual feelings, mind sets, thoughts, and actions.
Living With The Spirit:
1. Happy, clear, calm
2. Generous
3. Don't take offense
4. Don't mind people seeing you
5. Eager to make people happy
6. Joy in other success
7. Willing to attend church meetings
8. Feeling to pray
9. Strive to keep commandments
10. Have self-control
11. Think of the Savior often
12. Confident about life
Struggling With Feeling The Spirit:
1. Unhappy, confused, frustrated
2. Possessive, self-centered, resentful
3. Easily Offended
4. Sensitive and evasive, irrational5. Avoid people ie. family and friends
6. Envy, resent others
7. Don't want to go to church
8. Don't want to pray
9. Find the commandments a problem
10. Lack self-control, carnal desires
11. Hardly think of the Savior
12. Fearful about life, discouragement
Look at these lists and see what ever it is that you feel that you could improve on. If you don't feel that there is any need for improvement, then just keep being awesome. When I saw this list for the first time, I noticed that I didn't think about the Savior as often as I should. So to increase the Spirit in my life and think more of the Savior, I decided to make it a goal that I was going to think of the Savior more. One way that I was able to do this was by praying, and praying more with real intent. At first, it was hard to do, hard to change, but as I kept trying I found that I was able to think more about my Savior and how He helps me though my life. So give this a try and see what happens and how you can increase the Spirit in your life.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Watch and Pray
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(Matt 26:41)
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him." (3 Nephi 18:15)
To often when we find ourselves praying and asking for forgiveness, it is because we forgot to be "watchful". Throughout the scriptures we learn that prayer can become a source of strength. We pray and look for the ways that it can strengthen us in our lives, but we never can seem to fully find it. The problem doesn't come because God doesn't hear our prayers. As a matter of fact, He really does here them. The problem comes because we are praying to late. Of course, we need to pray and ask for forgiveness, but the Lord wants us to be "watchful" and use prayer to head off the temptation and sin before we falter. When faced with temptation and the attack of Satan, if we are watchful, we can then pray and build up a defense to keep ourselves safe. Strength from pray comes while we are battling with Satan, not asking for forgiveness. A powerful strength to overcome temptation will be found as we pray in the heat of the battle. A watchful vigilance of our lives can help us to overcome our weaknesses as we find strength and trust in the Lord. Cutting off the temptations, cuts off the Adversary giving us power and righteousness in our lives. A power that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ, by being watchful and prayerful.
(Matt 26:41)
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him." (3 Nephi 18:15)
To often when we find ourselves praying and asking for forgiveness, it is because we forgot to be "watchful". Throughout the scriptures we learn that prayer can become a source of strength. We pray and look for the ways that it can strengthen us in our lives, but we never can seem to fully find it. The problem doesn't come because God doesn't hear our prayers. As a matter of fact, He really does here them. The problem comes because we are praying to late. Of course, we need to pray and ask for forgiveness, but the Lord wants us to be "watchful" and use prayer to head off the temptation and sin before we falter. When faced with temptation and the attack of Satan, if we are watchful, we can then pray and build up a defense to keep ourselves safe. Strength from pray comes while we are battling with Satan, not asking for forgiveness. A powerful strength to overcome temptation will be found as we pray in the heat of the battle. A watchful vigilance of our lives can help us to overcome our weaknesses as we find strength and trust in the Lord. Cutting off the temptations, cuts off the Adversary giving us power and righteousness in our lives. A power that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ, by being watchful and prayerful.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Finding Meaning in The Gospel
One of the greatest pursuits that we have, as children of God, is the opportunity of engaging ourselves in scripture study. In the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, a prophet named Alma stresses the importance of scriptures by telling his son that they have been kept and preserved for a "wise purpose". So if the scriptures are kept for a "wise purpose", we might want to pay close attention to them.
Now that we have strengthened our resolve to read the scriptures we start putting great amounts of efforts into studying them. We take notes, write in cross references, teach others, and have a great zeal for studying the words of God. This excitement might last you a few days, a couple weeks, maybe a couple of months, or if your lucky, a year. Then one day you go to read the scriptures and you find yourself so board with them that you cut your study short and find something more exciting to do. The zeal to study the scriptures is gone, and the hopes of what ever was desired to learn is now faded away.
Have you ever experienced this before? Because I have, to many times to remember, as a matter of fact. I had good intentions, I put in some effort, I felt the Spirit, I learned things, and then is was all over. And this is where the problem is. Good intentions don't get us anywhere and "great faith has a short shelf-life."
Good intentions don't get us anywhere. The reason why this seems to finds its way to us is because sometimes we lack full commitment. "Those who are only sort of committed may expect to only sort of receive the blessings of testimony, joy, and peace. The windows of heaven might only be sort of open to them. Wouldn’t it be foolish to think, “I’ll commit myself 50 percent now, but when Christ appears at the Second Coming, I’ll commit myself 100 percent”?" (Brother, I'm Committed. Dieter F. Uchtdorf) The Lord wants us to learn to be committed to him 100 percent. That means that even when we have a bad day or things are not going well, we keep pressing on. I know that pressing on is hard, but I really do know that when someone keeps pressing on they will find great blessings.
Then in order to understand how faith plays a role in this you can read a blog that I posted called "Tips on Building Faith"
So now that we are well aware of how our scripture studying efforts have been so weak, we probably feel like we want to stop reading this. WAIT, DON'T STOP! There is a solution to this and here it is. PRAYER. We can pray and ask our Heavenly Father to helps us have to desire to keep going, we can explain to Him why we don't have the full commitment and seek direction on how to increase it. Plus, we usually have trouble reading the scriptures when our prayers are struggling too. So instead of trying to force your self to read your scriptures in vain, pray more and I promise that what you are looking for will come to you as you keep working at it.
Now that we have strengthened our resolve to read the scriptures we start putting great amounts of efforts into studying them. We take notes, write in cross references, teach others, and have a great zeal for studying the words of God. This excitement might last you a few days, a couple weeks, maybe a couple of months, or if your lucky, a year. Then one day you go to read the scriptures and you find yourself so board with them that you cut your study short and find something more exciting to do. The zeal to study the scriptures is gone, and the hopes of what ever was desired to learn is now faded away.
Have you ever experienced this before? Because I have, to many times to remember, as a matter of fact. I had good intentions, I put in some effort, I felt the Spirit, I learned things, and then is was all over. And this is where the problem is. Good intentions don't get us anywhere and "great faith has a short shelf-life."
Good intentions don't get us anywhere. The reason why this seems to finds its way to us is because sometimes we lack full commitment. "Those who are only sort of committed may expect to only sort of receive the blessings of testimony, joy, and peace. The windows of heaven might only be sort of open to them. Wouldn’t it be foolish to think, “I’ll commit myself 50 percent now, but when Christ appears at the Second Coming, I’ll commit myself 100 percent”?" (Brother, I'm Committed. Dieter F. Uchtdorf) The Lord wants us to learn to be committed to him 100 percent. That means that even when we have a bad day or things are not going well, we keep pressing on. I know that pressing on is hard, but I really do know that when someone keeps pressing on they will find great blessings.
Then in order to understand how faith plays a role in this you can read a blog that I posted called "Tips on Building Faith"
So now that we are well aware of how our scripture studying efforts have been so weak, we probably feel like we want to stop reading this. WAIT, DON'T STOP! There is a solution to this and here it is. PRAYER. We can pray and ask our Heavenly Father to helps us have to desire to keep going, we can explain to Him why we don't have the full commitment and seek direction on how to increase it. Plus, we usually have trouble reading the scriptures when our prayers are struggling too. So instead of trying to force your self to read your scriptures in vain, pray more and I promise that what you are looking for will come to you as you keep working at it.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Following The Holy Spirit Gives Us Power In Life
This blog post is taken form a talk that I gave in church last Sunday. Enjoy!
Today I was asked to talk on how following the promptings of the Holy Ghost can give us power in our lives. The concept of power in our lives is directly related to the doctrines of agency or the ability to choose. Our agency or the choices we make always have powerful effects as the end result. So to better understand the relationship between the Holy Ghost and our choices, we need to learn about the Holy Ghost and who he is.
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the God Head. He is a personage of Spirit. His role is to teach and bear witness to our spirits of the Father and the Son, testify of truth, teach us all things, brings all things to a remembrance, and to be a Comforter. We are able to feel the positive affects of the Spirit in our lives by the fruits of the Spirit which is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. the effects of the the fruits of the Spirit in are not based around personal gratification or the influence of others. These things can only be achieved as one strives to come closer to God in their lives by living the gospel.
The hardest part about understanding the Spirit in our lives or even recognizing it, comes because it is something that we must feel after. It requires faith.
In answer to the question, "How de we recognize the promptings of the Spirit?" President Gordon B. Hinckley read Moroni 7:13, 16-17 and then said: "That's the test, when all is said and done. Does it persuade one to do good, to rise, to stand tall, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be generous? Then it is the of the Spirit of God... If it invites to do good, it is of God. If it inviteth to do evil, it is of the devil... And if you are living the right way, you will know on your heart what the Spirit is saying to you. You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit--that which enlightenth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinkley)
Standing tall, buildeth up, enlightenth, positive, and uplifting are all words of power and strength.
To illustrate this concept of strength and power in our lives I wish to share a personal example that has taught me how to recognize the effects of the Spirit in my life.
My Grandfather was a convert to the church as a young adult during the Second World War. He continued in the church all his life and served in many callings that required him to be so very close to the Spirit of the Lord. Although not a perfect man, he would always strive to live his life in a way to keep the Spirit with him. He was able to achieve this by studying the scriptures daily, keeping the commandments, and striving to serve his wife and family. In the final days of his life, my grandfather had to live with a care family to assist him in his frailties'. The family he lived with is a wonderful family and they live good Christian lives, but at times their choice of TV viewing was what can be considered acceptable by the ways of the world. As different shows would come on that were slightly immoral, derogative, or laced with innuendo, my grandfather's would ask the family kindly saying, "can you please change the show, it makes my heart hurt."
When we have the Spirit with us and do, or encounter something that is wrong, we can feel its presence leave as a pain in our hearts, sadness, or discomfort. It is at these points in our lives where we need to make a stand and strive to bring the Spirit back by changing our course and making choices to invite the Spirit back.
The other way that the Holy Ghost works in our lives comes by impressions. Impressions are thoughts and feelings that come to one in their mind and heart that invite them to do good. When these thoughts and feelings come to us we need to pay close attention to them, pray about them, and most importantly act on them.
"And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still small voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it id pierce even to the very soul" (Helaman 5:30)
The idea of one's soul being pierced, comes as feelings of the fruits of the Spirit. An internally eternal feeling that rests in our hearts and minds.
"But, behold, I say unto you, that you study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right." (D&C 9:8)
As we feel out things that are right, we make right choices. Right choices lead to power. That power comes by us, choosing the Lord's will over the adversary's.
And because of the righteousness of His (Jesus Christ's) people, Satan has no power.
One practical way to increase the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life is to ask for it. Ask for the Spirit to teach you and help you in what ever you face. Then wait, listen, and be ready to act. The most important part of any prompting or feeling of the Spirit is action. The results, blessings, will then speak for themselves as you see the hand of the Lord manifest its self before your eyes.
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that following the promptings of the Spirit adds power and great blessings to our lives. I know that feeling of the Spirit in my life has brought me happiness and given me glimpses of what eternal joy can be, hope. I testify of these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Today I was asked to talk on how following the promptings of the Holy Ghost can give us power in our lives. The concept of power in our lives is directly related to the doctrines of agency or the ability to choose. Our agency or the choices we make always have powerful effects as the end result. So to better understand the relationship between the Holy Ghost and our choices, we need to learn about the Holy Ghost and who he is.
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the God Head. He is a personage of Spirit. His role is to teach and bear witness to our spirits of the Father and the Son, testify of truth, teach us all things, brings all things to a remembrance, and to be a Comforter. We are able to feel the positive affects of the Spirit in our lives by the fruits of the Spirit which is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. the effects of the the fruits of the Spirit in are not based around personal gratification or the influence of others. These things can only be achieved as one strives to come closer to God in their lives by living the gospel.
The hardest part about understanding the Spirit in our lives or even recognizing it, comes because it is something that we must feel after. It requires faith.
In answer to the question, "How de we recognize the promptings of the Spirit?" President Gordon B. Hinckley read Moroni 7:13, 16-17 and then said: "That's the test, when all is said and done. Does it persuade one to do good, to rise, to stand tall, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be generous? Then it is the of the Spirit of God... If it invites to do good, it is of God. If it inviteth to do evil, it is of the devil... And if you are living the right way, you will know on your heart what the Spirit is saying to you. You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit--that which enlightenth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God." (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinkley)
Standing tall, buildeth up, enlightenth, positive, and uplifting are all words of power and strength.
To illustrate this concept of strength and power in our lives I wish to share a personal example that has taught me how to recognize the effects of the Spirit in my life.
My Grandfather was a convert to the church as a young adult during the Second World War. He continued in the church all his life and served in many callings that required him to be so very close to the Spirit of the Lord. Although not a perfect man, he would always strive to live his life in a way to keep the Spirit with him. He was able to achieve this by studying the scriptures daily, keeping the commandments, and striving to serve his wife and family. In the final days of his life, my grandfather had to live with a care family to assist him in his frailties'. The family he lived with is a wonderful family and they live good Christian lives, but at times their choice of TV viewing was what can be considered acceptable by the ways of the world. As different shows would come on that were slightly immoral, derogative, or laced with innuendo, my grandfather's would ask the family kindly saying, "can you please change the show, it makes my heart hurt."
When we have the Spirit with us and do, or encounter something that is wrong, we can feel its presence leave as a pain in our hearts, sadness, or discomfort. It is at these points in our lives where we need to make a stand and strive to bring the Spirit back by changing our course and making choices to invite the Spirit back.
The other way that the Holy Ghost works in our lives comes by impressions. Impressions are thoughts and feelings that come to one in their mind and heart that invite them to do good. When these thoughts and feelings come to us we need to pay close attention to them, pray about them, and most importantly act on them.
"And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still small voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it id pierce even to the very soul" (Helaman 5:30)
The idea of one's soul being pierced, comes as feelings of the fruits of the Spirit. An internally eternal feeling that rests in our hearts and minds.
"But, behold, I say unto you, that you study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right." (D&C 9:8)
As we feel out things that are right, we make right choices. Right choices lead to power. That power comes by us, choosing the Lord's will over the adversary's.
And because of the righteousness of His (Jesus Christ's) people, Satan has no power.
One practical way to increase the influence of the Holy Spirit in your life is to ask for it. Ask for the Spirit to teach you and help you in what ever you face. Then wait, listen, and be ready to act. The most important part of any prompting or feeling of the Spirit is action. The results, blessings, will then speak for themselves as you see the hand of the Lord manifest its self before your eyes.
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that following the promptings of the Spirit adds power and great blessings to our lives. I know that feeling of the Spirit in my life has brought me happiness and given me glimpses of what eternal joy can be, hope. I testify of these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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