OH: “Come Ye Children of the Lord”
SMN: “Tell Me the Stories of Jesus”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
“If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us.” (Mark 9:22)
“Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
“Even if you have only the desire to believe.” (Alma 32:27)
When facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. If you wish for more faith, remember this man. Hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue: it is the integrity with which you hold to what you do know and what you do have that’s important.
Be as candid about your questions as you need to be. But, don’t let those questions stand in your way. You have more faith than you realize you have.
This is a divine work in process. Please do not hyperventilate if issues arise that need to be examined, understood, and resolved. What we know will always trump what we do not know. In this world, everyone is to walk by faith.
Be kind regarding human frailty. Imperfect people are all God has to deal with; that must be frustrating to Him. It is not the oil’s fault if finite vessels can not hold it all.
When doubt or difficulty come, do not be afraid to ask for help.
“Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:36)
“All things are possible to them that believe.” (Mark 9:23)
Elder Dallin H. Oaks
“Come follow me the Savior said
Then let us in His footsteps tread
For thus alone can we be one
With God’s own loved begotten Son”
We study the life of our Savior as reported in the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
How do we qualify as followers of Christ?
Baptism, as Jesus was.
Repent--Christ invited all to repent (to change one’s mind and therefore actions)
Obedience to commandments of God, as Christ was.
Jesus teachings were not theoretical but practical.
“Lord, I would follow thee.”
Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a life-long, daily commitment. We take the Sacrament each week. We pray daily to our Father in Heaven. We obey the commandment to “love one another.” When we are wronged by others we forgive them. Charitable contributions of time, money, and food to those less fortunate. Take His teachings to every nation, every person.
“Be ye therefore perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect.”(Matthew 5:48)
The commandment to seek perfection is part of God’s plan of happiness. We are His children and so have the ability to become like He is. If we come unto the Father, we can inherit ALL that He has. But, this is only possible if we follow the teachings of Christ.
“No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14: 6)
“Is it enough alone to know
that we must follow Him below
while traveling through this veil of tears?
No, this extends to holier spheres.
For thrones, dominions, kingdoms. powers
and glory great and bliss are ours
IF we throughout eternity obey his words
Come, Follow Me.”
Christoffel Golden, Jr., 70
Our quest for eternal life is nothing other than for us to understand who God is and for us to return to live with Him. “For this is life eternal: that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
God actually exists. The Father and the Son are 2 separate and distinct individuals. God is ever near us and he is interested in us and hears and answers our prayers.
Testimony of Stephen. (Acts 7:56)
Testimony of Joseph Smith, Jr. (The First Vision)
Testimony of the Nephites (3 Nephi 11)
Jesus Christ is the Great Jehovah, the God of Israel, the Messiah.
“Then cometh the end when Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to the Father.”
(1 Corinthians 15:24)
How is the earnest seeker to become acquainted with the Father and with the Son?
“The Holy Ghost witnesses of the Father and the Son.” (3 Nephi 16:6; Acts 15:8)
The doctrine of the Father and the Son is the Doctrine of the Heavenly Family. We are the children of our Heavenly Father.
“Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father in Heaven and how familiar His face is to us.”
~Ezra Taft Benson
IH: “Now Let Us Reqjoice”
Enrique R. Falabella, 70
There is a school for parenting; it’s called home.
1) “The temple is the place where we learn how our homes should be.”
2) “In order to contend you need two people and I will never be one of them.”
The harm caused by emotional abuse dwells in our memory. It wounds our personality. It lowers our self-esteem and it fills us with fear.
3) “The child who sings is a happy child.” (So true!! When I am unhappy, my voice doesn’t want to sing.)
4) “I need you to hug me.” The words ‘I love you,’ ‘I forgive you,’ et al, act as a balm to the wounded soul.
5) “I love the Book of Mormon and my Savior Jesus Christ.”
6) “It is not enough to know the scriptures, we have to live them.”
Erich W. Kopischke, 70
Helped his dad prepare the garden. Even when he messed up, he always felt his dad’s love and confidence in him.
The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need. Being accepted by good people who loves us is necessary. It increases our sense of self-worth and confidence. When we don’t have that, we seek it from other sources. Not having this can lead to feels of inferiority and zero self-worth.
Seeking and receiving acceptance from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can heal and satisfy this need.
Steps to being accepted by the Lord:
Know that our hearts are honest and broken.
Know that our spirits are contrite.
Conscious decision to observe our covenants through sacrifice.
Having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion is the ultimate indicator that we are accepted by our Father in Heaven.
Sometimes observing our covenants means nothing more than standing firmly and faithfully when the storms of life are raging all around us. Seek the Lord’s acceptance and enjoy His promised blessings. His loving acceptance will motivate us, increase our faith, and help us deal with everything we face in life.
“Fear not little children for you are mine and I have overcome the world and you are of them that my Father hath given unto me.” (Doctrine & Covenants 50:41)
Bruce D. Porter, 70
“In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33)
We need not fear the future, nor falter in hope and good cheer, for God is with us.
“Fear not.”
“Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day! I’ve got a beautiful feeling everything’s going my way.” (Richard Rodgers, lyricist ‘Oklahoma!’)
As we rise up each morning may we look to heaven and say, “Oh! What a beautiful morning!”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Immigrant Redemptioners who worked to pay off their indentured servitude and redeem themselves to become free again.
The Savior’s Redemption has 2 parts:
--The Fall of Adam: physical death
--The Indirect Consequences of the Fall: our personal sins--spiritual death
“It is given unto them to know good from evil, wherefore they are agents unto themselves.” (Moses 6:56)
“The Son of Man came not to be ministered to but to minister.” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45)
Story of Jean Valjean from “Les Misèrables” by Victor Hugo. The Bishop buys Valjean’s soul for God out of darkness. (Quoted passage from the book.)
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