In Nephi's vision, he was shown Jesus' ministry to His people after His resurrection. Jesus chose twelve apostles who would minister to the people on the American continent. The angel told Nephi, "Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed."
The phrase "chosen to minister" was interesting to me. If we apply that phrase to our lives, it seems to be telling us that at times we are also "chosen to minister" to people whom we are called to serve. Minister means to give service, care or aid. As I think about my callings, I need to ponder how I can best care for those I serve, to aid them, or give service, . As I minister, I should be contributing to their comfort or happiness.
This is different than simply giving a lesson or planning an activity. The end result, the objective, is to bless these people's lives, to make them better, to bring them closer to Christ. If I focus on an activity or lesson without thinking about ministering to those I'm teaching, I'm simply filling an assignment.
The other part of the phrase is the "chosen" part. Out of the thousands of people who gathered to witness the coming of Christ in America, only Nephi and twelve others were chosen to minister as apostles. And only I (and my partner) have the calling of visiting teacher to those sisters we visit. Only I have the calling of choir director in the ward. Only I have the calling of Relief Society Meeting Coordinator. If I neglect these callings, or do them halfheartedly, or simply go through the motions, who will step in to do these duties? No one else has been chosen. Others have their own assignments. My callings are where I have been "chosen" to serve.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
What Desirest Thou?
The question, "What desirest thou?" really can reveal who we are and where we are headed. If we can truthfully look at our desires and honestly prioritize them, we can know where we are going. Maybe it's easiest to evaluate our desire based on our actions. Because what we do is a physical evidence of what we want.
If I say I want to become a great pianist, and spend my days watching television, then obviously my desire to be a pianist isn't very strong. Our actions and our desires have to be aligned for us to progress.
The general conference talk from April 2011 by Lynn G. Robbins discusses this idea. He talks about DO and BE and says in order to BE the person we want to be, we must DO the things to get us there. We may pretend to BE a righteous person, but in secret we are DOING things we shouldn't be doing. Or we may DO good things to be seen of men, but have wicked motives. Which brings me back to desires.
In my times of contemplation, of worship, of prayer, I truly desire to be the best daughter of my Heavenly Father that I can be. But then life interferes and I may slight my scripture study, or ignore a prompting to call my neighbor, or snap at my husband. However, if I focus on my righteous desires, I will prioritize scripture study, try harder to listen to the Spirit, attend the temple and apologize to my husband. My desires will be fulfilled as my righteous actions lead me closer to my Father in Heaven.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
We Heeded Them Not
Nephi tells this part of his father's vision of the Tree of Life: And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of ascorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
One of Satan's powerful tools is ridicule and he uses it brilliantly. Having the approval and acceptance of others is a basic human need, and when we don't get it, it can be devastating.
This scorn can come in many ways. Sometimes it comes from those close to us, from family or friends or acquaintances. Other times it may be more generalized, as when national figures such as athletes or movie stars or comedians or politicians ridicule the church, or righteous standards. Our society loves to support and praise immorality and drug use and drunkenness, while scoffing at virtue and sobriety and honesty.
But Nephi simply says, ". . . we heeded them not". He didn't struggle with it, he just ignored it. He later tells us that those people who paid attention to the ridicule coming from the spacious building fell away and were lost.
A lady in my ward told about someone at work who has set a goal to get her to drink a cup of coffee. She keeps saying that it's just one cup of coffee and it won't hurt her. So she asks her several times a day if she'd like a cup of coffee. This sweet young woman just turns her down over and over. She heeds her not.
One of Satan's powerful tools is ridicule and he uses it brilliantly. Having the approval and acceptance of others is a basic human need, and when we don't get it, it can be devastating.
This scorn can come in many ways. Sometimes it comes from those close to us, from family or friends or acquaintances. Other times it may be more generalized, as when national figures such as athletes or movie stars or comedians or politicians ridicule the church, or righteous standards. Our society loves to support and praise immorality and drug use and drunkenness, while scoffing at virtue and sobriety and honesty.
But Nephi simply says, ". . . we heeded them not". He didn't struggle with it, he just ignored it. He later tells us that those people who paid attention to the ridicule coming from the spacious building fell away and were lost.
A lady in my ward told about someone at work who has set a goal to get her to drink a cup of coffee. She keeps saying that it's just one cup of coffee and it won't hurt her. So she asks her several times a day if she'd like a cup of coffee. This sweet young woman just turns her down over and over. She heeds her not.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Exceedingly Great Joy
Who doesn't want "exceedingly great joy"? But how do we get it? What must we do?
Lehi gives the answer as he recounts his dream of the Tree of Life. The thing that gave him exceedingly great joy was to partake of the fruit.
It's not always easy or convenient to partake of the fruit. Sometimes it involves sacrifice. But the reward is so great!
It's interesting to me that the very next thing Lehi did after he partook of the fruit and experienced such joy was to look around for his family. Of course he would want to share such joy with his loved ones. What point is there in keeping joy to yourself? When your loved ones experience joy also, it multiplies your own joy. Who hasn't watched their children tearfully bear their testimony, while tears ran down their own faces? We rejoice in the righteous lives and examples of our children. We rejoice in our Savior. We rejoice in the Fruit. This is true joy.
Lehi gives the answer as he recounts his dream of the Tree of Life. The thing that gave him exceedingly great joy was to partake of the fruit.
It's not always easy or convenient to partake of the fruit. Sometimes it involves sacrifice. But the reward is so great!
It's interesting to me that the very next thing Lehi did after he partook of the fruit and experienced such joy was to look around for his family. Of course he would want to share such joy with his loved ones. What point is there in keeping joy to yourself? When your loved ones experience joy also, it multiplies your own joy. Who hasn't watched their children tearfully bear their testimony, while tears ran down their own faces? We rejoice in the righteous lives and examples of our children. We rejoice in our Savior. We rejoice in the Fruit. This is true joy.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Partaking of the Fruit
In Lehi's account of his dream of the Tree of Life, he tells us about the fruit, which Nephi later tells us represented the Love of God., the sacrifice of our Savior. Lehi tells us that he did partake of the fruit. And I've been pondering about whether we partake of the fruit in our lives.
I had written something on partaking of the fruit yesterday, but wasn't happy with it. So I just left it on the screen and went away to do other things. Today, when I came back to edit it, there was nothing there. It's OK. I would have started over anyway. I've thought and pondered during the course of the Sabbath day what partaking of the fruit looks like, and the ways in which we do or do not partake.
The most obvious answer is that when we accept the Gospel, we partake of the fruit. In the vision, many people found their way to the Tree, using the Rod of Iron, and partook of the fruit, but then fell away because of the cares of the world, or the peer pressure of the finely-dressed people in the Great and Spacious Building. What I'm trying to say here is that we don't just partake once and then we're set for life. That's a lot like the Born-Again theory. Just say it once and you never need to worry again.
No, in our Church, we believe that we must keep pressing forward, keep partaking of the fruit.
In my mind, I could see a video game with little clusters of fruit here and there in our little video world. We wander through this world, and if we pick up those clusters of fruit, here some and there some, a little bell rings and we accumulate extra points (the Spirit). But what if we wander around and ignore the fruit and miss the extra points? What if we don't partake?
At church yesterday, it seemed that we'd be partaking of the fruit by just being there. At least that seems like what should happen. We partook of the Sacrament. That would be partaking of the fruit, right? But were we thinking about what to make for dinner, or about the Savior? We listened to the speakers. Were we focusing on the message presented or were we dozing? Did we sing the hymns with joy and the Spirit, or were our minds elsewhere, if we sang at all! Don't get me started on that one! How can we have the Spirit in our meetings when half of the people never even open their mouths?
The same principle applies in so many area of our lives. We can partake of the fruit as we pray and study our scriptures. Or we can go through the motions and miss the fruit and miss the blessings.
Sometimes I do better than other times. But I desperately want and need to have the Spirit with me at all times, and so I want to try harder to partake of the fruit whenever and wherever I have the chance.
I had written something on partaking of the fruit yesterday, but wasn't happy with it. So I just left it on the screen and went away to do other things. Today, when I came back to edit it, there was nothing there. It's OK. I would have started over anyway. I've thought and pondered during the course of the Sabbath day what partaking of the fruit looks like, and the ways in which we do or do not partake.
The most obvious answer is that when we accept the Gospel, we partake of the fruit. In the vision, many people found their way to the Tree, using the Rod of Iron, and partook of the fruit, but then fell away because of the cares of the world, or the peer pressure of the finely-dressed people in the Great and Spacious Building. What I'm trying to say here is that we don't just partake once and then we're set for life. That's a lot like the Born-Again theory. Just say it once and you never need to worry again.
No, in our Church, we believe that we must keep pressing forward, keep partaking of the fruit.
In my mind, I could see a video game with little clusters of fruit here and there in our little video world. We wander through this world, and if we pick up those clusters of fruit, here some and there some, a little bell rings and we accumulate extra points (the Spirit). But what if we wander around and ignore the fruit and miss the extra points? What if we don't partake?
At church yesterday, it seemed that we'd be partaking of the fruit by just being there. At least that seems like what should happen. We partook of the Sacrament. That would be partaking of the fruit, right? But were we thinking about what to make for dinner, or about the Savior? We listened to the speakers. Were we focusing on the message presented or were we dozing? Did we sing the hymns with joy and the Spirit, or were our minds elsewhere, if we sang at all! Don't get me started on that one! How can we have the Spirit in our meetings when half of the people never even open their mouths?
The same principle applies in so many area of our lives. We can partake of the fruit as we pray and study our scriptures. Or we can go through the motions and miss the fruit and miss the blessings.
Sometimes I do better than other times. But I desperately want and need to have the Spirit with me at all times, and so I want to try harder to partake of the fruit whenever and wherever I have the chance.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tender Mercies
Lehi talks about the tender mercies of the Lord in 1 Nephi 8:8 while recounting his dream of the Tree of Life. That reminded me of Elder Bednar's talk in conference in April 2005. He said: " . . . I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence."
We need to open our hearts and our eyes to see the tender mercies around us. If we just attribute everything to coincidence, we shut our minds to the blessings that the Lord is pouring out on us. Elder Bednar said: "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
It's so easy to just crash through our days, trying to get everything done that we often miss seeing the beauty around us. A beautiful sunset, a rainbow, a toddler's smile, a kind touch from a friend, so many things will lift us and bless us if we pause and listen with a grateful heart.
We need to open our hearts and our eyes to see the tender mercies around us. If we just attribute everything to coincidence, we shut our minds to the blessings that the Lord is pouring out on us. Elder Bednar said: "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord’s tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."
It's so easy to just crash through our days, trying to get everything done that we often miss seeing the beauty around us. A beautiful sunset, a rainbow, a toddler's smile, a kind touch from a friend, so many things will lift us and bless us if we pause and listen with a grateful heart.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Words of a Prophet
Nephi rebuked those brothers and others who were rebelling, saying, " . . . thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak." (1 Nephi 7:15)
Nephi's words seem very harsh, but he tells his brothers clearly that he's not speaking of himself, but what he has been instructed of the Lord. Prophets can speak very clearly and pointedly, and we need to take heed to their words.
Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, usually speaks more gently than Nephi did at this time. But we can always be confident that when he speaks in General Conference, he speaks the words that the Spirit of the Lord constrained him to speak.
So, if someone asks us what our Prophet said in our last conference as he was constrained by the Lord, could we answer them? I had to go look at the April Conference 2011 records to remember.
Here are some of his statements:
Nephi's words seem very harsh, but he tells his brothers clearly that he's not speaking of himself, but what he has been instructed of the Lord. Prophets can speak very clearly and pointedly, and we need to take heed to their words.
Our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, usually speaks more gently than Nephi did at this time. But we can always be confident that when he speaks in General Conference, he speaks the words that the Spirit of the Lord constrained him to speak.
So, if someone asks us what our Prophet said in our last conference as he was constrained by the Lord, could we answer them? I had to go look at the April Conference 2011 records to remember.
Here are some of his statements:
- I declare that the welfare program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is inspired of Almighty God.
- . . . your sacrifice could be setting aside the time in your busy lives to visit the temple regularly.
- Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.
- . . . may we make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend the temple and to have the spirit of the temple in our hearts and in our homes.
- May we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us, that we might have eternal life and exaltation in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom.
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