Power

In each of my different sets of studies (Book of Mormon – English, Book of Mormon – Spanish, and misc.), I’ve been brought to consider “the Power” that made each happen.  The power of Christ or priesthood power or whatever we want to call God’s power by which all things are accomplished, is the thing that I am being brought to consider which ever way I turn.  Why? Why especially at Christmas time?

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men… (Mosiah 3:5)

Power was given to Christ to go forth among men to heal them.  This is the purpose of his power – to do good.

In Genesis 32:28, it reads that Jacob wrestled with an angel, and then finally obtained from him a blessing: “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”  Perhaps it is the fact that Jacob wrestled all night to receive the blessings he sought.

Exodus 9:16  – “And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”

What kinds of promise is this?  Does God intend to make me this kind of instrument? How is this possible?

We go on: “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” (Proverbs 3:27)

“But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.” (Micah 3:8)

“Thy Will Is Done,” JST Matthew 27:54

JST Matthew 27:54 (click on footnote)

“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, saying, Father, it is finished, thy will is done, yielded up the ghost.” (emphasis added)

It impresses me that it was the Father’s will to have an Atonement made by one who would do so in love.

The temptation is to ask why would a loving Father want to do this horrific act to His Son, but then it seems to me that this is not about his Son, it’s really about the rest of us. All of his other children.  The Father was willing to take his one perfect child and sacrifice and subject him to this unspeakable suffering, torture, torment, and death, to save the rest of us. So it’s not about Christ, it’s about the rest of us. It was the Father’s will to save us. And Christ was the one who was willing to do it, and did it.

I’m use to hearing the words “Thy will be done” from the Lord’s prayer on the sermon on the mount. But here is the Savior, with power and authority (even on the cross) declaring “Thy will is done,” because he did it!

Priesthood and Personal Prayer

Just re-read this talk on priesthood and personal prayer and there are passages that I want to commit the principles to memory:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/priesthood-and-personal-prayer?lang=eng

This is what I’ve learned: God is not interested in long prayers. Rather He is interested in specific prayers, and us knowing what we should be praying for.

“Ye worship ye know not what… Salvation is of the Jews.”

Here are the paragraphs that I need to come back to:

So you will pray for the way to know their hearts, to know what things are amiss in the lives and the hearts of people whom you don’t know well and who are not anxious to have you know them. You will need to know what God would have you do to help them and to do it all, as nearly as you can, feeling God’s love for them.

It is because you have such important and difficult priesthood calls that President Smith suggests that when you pray, you always plead with God that He will bless you with His Spirit. You will need the Holy Ghost not once but as much as God will grant it to you for your constant companion. That is why we must always pray that God will guide us in our service to His children.

Because you cannot rise to your priesthood potential without the Spirit going with you, you are a personal target for the enemy of all happiness. If he can tempt you to sin, he can lessen your power to be led by the Spirit and so reduce your power in the priesthood. That is why President Smith said that you should always pray that God will warn and protect you from evil.6

He warns us in many ways. Warnings are part of the plan of salvation. Prophets, apostles, stake presidents, bishops, and missionaries all raise the warning voice to escape calamity through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and making and keeping sacred covenants.

As a priesthood holder, you are to be part of the warning voice of the Lord. But you need to heed the warning yourself. You will not survive spiritually without the protection of the companionship of the Holy Ghost in your daily life.

You must pray for it and work to have it. Only with that guide will you be able to find your way along the strait and narrow path through the mists of evil. The Holy Ghost will be your guide as He reveals truth when you study the words of prophets.

Getting that guidance will take more than casual listening and reading. You will need to pray and work in faith to put the words of truth down into your heart. You must pray that God will bless you with His Spirit, that He will lead you into all truth and show you the right way. That is how He will warn and guide you into the right path in your life and in your priesthood service.

Sacrament Meeting Notes, 2 Aug 2015

From a ward on the east end of Springville, Utah – Testimony Meeting Highlights

Tom blessed his baby, Matt

Story of the old truck. Two teen boys wrote on truck, “save me, I’m a good truck” so it is with many of us.

Aisain sister read in the scriptures “jesus is my son.” God testifies of his son.

“I am blessed to know that this church is true, despite the opinions of others. ” Amanda’s little brother.

 

Family Gospel Teaching Plan

Yesterday’s fast ended with a prayer and a plead to remember what I had learned in the fast.  The fast was centered on the spiritual well being of my children. My wife also has the responsibility of taking into her own hands their spiritual preparation. That responsibility is also mine fully. It’s not happening though.

The children need gospel instruction according to the plan of salvation, and the things that Christ taught. Rachel needs to be trained. I need to be self-trained. I need to develop a plan to see that Gospel instruction, and gospel centered invitations are being taught and received.

I want to tackle the task of teaching youth the Gospel plan.

To do: Meet with Rachel to discuss a Gospel Teaching plan based  on invitations to act, with follow up on invitations.

The Purpose of the Church

The purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ is to serve as a vehicle for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the teachings of the Gospel of Christ being applied in the lives of the members of the Church, the Church has no purpose. It becomes a mere social organization.

We could also say that the Church of Jesus Christ only works for those who are following the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.  For those who are honest, they will find honesty among the members. For those who are forgiving, they will find forgiveness.  For those who are willing to repent, they will find priesthood power and authority to complete the cleansing process, and to recommit by covenant to follow the Savior and his teachings.

The Church is a perfect vehicle for living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will give you opportunities to develop your faith,  give service freely, and ultimately obtain salvation.

Yet as divinely designed as it is, the Church doesn’t seem to work for everyone.  In fact, the effect that it has upon some people is so offensive that it repels them from wanting to have any part with its organization as a whole or its individual members.  For example, for those who lie, they will think that they are being lied to in the Church. For those who are hypocritical, they will encounter what they deem to be hypocrisy in the Church. Adulterers would seek for signs.  What ever the unrighteousness, they will be affected by it.  By and by, they are offended and they leave the Church.

For those who would cleave to  and persist in their own pride and selfishness, the Church will always be to them a thing of great offense, a stumbling block that just seems to keep getting in the way of their fun. It will never work for them.  Yet there are those who, clinging to their selfish sense of self, will try to continue to be associated with the Church and its members. These are socialites.  That is, these are people  “who [are] well known in fashionable society and [are] fond of social activities and entertainment.”

Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that the Church should exclude anyone from participating in its activities and programs. But those who are not truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and try to participate in the church for some other reason, will eventually find themselves offended because of something somebody said or something somebody did.  The social, intellectual, or emotional  appeal will wear off. Their own lack of spiritual preparations at that point will become painfully apparent as it leaves them empty with nothing to hold on to.

“Mormonism,” as true Christianity, “subdues selfishness, regulates the passions, subordinates the appetites, quickens the intellect, exalts the affections. It promotes industry, honesty, truth, purity, kindness. It humbles the proud, exalts the lowly, upholds the law, favors liberty, is essential to it, and would unite men in one great brotherhood.” (Quoted by Pres. David O. McKay, Conference Report, Apr. 1927, 105.)

 

 

FHE – The Sabbath Day

Yesterday was actually a good day for Sabbath Day observance, everyone did at least two or three things that helped them to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

Emma – Went to Church, she got the LDS Youth App on her Ipod, and she spent time with the family in the evening.

Aaron – Also spent time with the family in the evening yesterday, he listened to a couple of conference talks in the morning, and he also wrote and sent an email to friend.

Dallin – Went about being a secret sibling yesterday evening, he also listened to conference talks by the prophet, and he began learning some church songs on the piano.

Joseph – Helped others to make a cake for the family, he listened to Dad read from the Book of Mormon at the end of the day, and looking at family photos yesterday.

Jacob – Was also very excited with his challenge to be a secret sibling, he gave the article of faith for primary yesterday, and he participated in the Family History activity where we asked questions of Uncle Tom about his childhood.

———————-

It’s not hard to keep the Sabbath Day holy,

Sign: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Meaning: Sabbath = Hebrew for Rest

Purpose: to rest from our Labors and to worship God.

Creation story – 6 days, or periods of time, God created the earth. On the 7th day he rested.

History: The Sabbath Day use to be on Saturday.

Sabbath was a sign to the Children of Israel that they were God’s covenant people.

Up until his Resurrection, Jesus and his disciples honored the seventh day as the Sabbath day. But after the Resurrection, it was switched to Sunday to remember the Resurrection on that day.

How to Keep the Sabbath Day Holy?

– Do the things that God asked us to do, such as:

  • attend church,
  • reading scripture and word of church leaders
  • visit the sick, aged, and loved ones
  • Listen to uplifting muic
  • Pray to Heavenly Father
  • Work on Family History
  • Tell stories that promote faith
  • sharing our testimonies and spiritual experiences with each other
  • Writing letters to missionaries or family
  • Fasting
  • Share time with children and family in the home.

Why? Blessings of the Sabbath:

The fulness of the earth will be ours! Prosperity in all its forms is the blessing of the Sabbath day.

 

 

FHE – Receiving a Testimony of Light

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/receiving-a-testimony-of-light-and-truth

– watch and discuss the video at the beginnings of the link:

  • What did people use to think?
  • What do we know now?
  • What changed between belief and knowledge?

Activity:

– Pretend we went back in time 130 years. Take turns describing the following inventions/technologies:

  • Jumbo Jet Airplane
  • Microwave
  • Smart Phone
  • Pinterest
  • Google or Facebook

It can be hard for us to believe what we cannot see. The same is true with our Spirits.

We have to have the right instruments:

Scientists had a hard time believing that there were more galaxies beyond our own until they had the right tools to see.

The Apostle Paul taught a parallel principle regarding spiritual knowledge. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,” he wrote to the Corinthians, “for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”12

In other words, if you want to recognize spiritual truth, you have to use the right instruments. You can’t come to an understanding of spiritual truth with instruments that are unable to detect it.

How to obtain spiritual truth and light:

  1.  Read the scriptures
  2. Ponder on the goodness of God, from Adam until now.
  3. Ask God with the intention to obey.
  4. Do the things that God is asking you to do.

Fear of Men and Fame

“Which Way Do You Face?” Elder Lynn G. Robbins, October 2014 General Conference

In this talk, I’ve learned that I struggle with this particular challenge to make sure that I am facing the right way.  Both in my personal ministering and in professional/business activities.

The reason for which Christ told those that received miracles at his hand to “tell no man” was to avoid as much as possible the fame and praise of the world.

We seek for approval from God, not of man. This feels so right and true! There is not a media institution in the world that subscribes to this truth.