Today I would like to share a thought from Elder Russell M. Nelson. One of Satan's missions is to try and convince us that our efforts here are in vain, but the message from our Father is far different:
"In our quest for faith, hope, and charity, we must beware of the dangers of doubt, despair, or disdain for the divine. Moroni so taught: 'If ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.' (Moroni 10:22)
"Each of you is special, valued, and needed in building the kingdom of God. The adversary is also aware of your worth and will surely taunt you. When Satan's temptations come your way, please remember this counsel from Alma:
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear... Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts." (Alma 13:28-29)
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Acting in the Savior's Name (9/9/2009)
First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of a thought recently. Apparently working with computers for a living does not exempt one from having issues with them. I am limping along again, however, and hopefully will be back to full force this week.
This week in Fast and Testimony meeting, one of the good brothers of our ward got up and shared his testimony about the importance of being a good home teacher. He recounted how when he moved into the ward, he had been assigned to a family, but there were always other things to do and home teaching did not happen as much as it should have. Years later, the father of the family to which he had been assigned confided to him that at the time he had been their home teacher, the son of the family was struggling, and he felt that the home teacher could have done a great deal of good to help his son.
I understand that there is a great deal of speculation in this scenario, but the lesson was well understood. We never know the influence we can have if we fail to do our part. It might seem silly to say "hello" to someone with whom we are not well acquainted, but a simple greeting may have a huge impact on the recipient of that greeting. The young mother might be able to prepare meals just fine, but who can say how much it would relieve her stress for one night if someone prepared a little extra in their meal and shared with her. Like the song says, "there are chances for work all around just now." I hope that we will take the time to look for them so that we can act in the Savior's name.
This week in Fast and Testimony meeting, one of the good brothers of our ward got up and shared his testimony about the importance of being a good home teacher. He recounted how when he moved into the ward, he had been assigned to a family, but there were always other things to do and home teaching did not happen as much as it should have. Years later, the father of the family to which he had been assigned confided to him that at the time he had been their home teacher, the son of the family was struggling, and he felt that the home teacher could have done a great deal of good to help his son.
I understand that there is a great deal of speculation in this scenario, but the lesson was well understood. We never know the influence we can have if we fail to do our part. It might seem silly to say "hello" to someone with whom we are not well acquainted, but a simple greeting may have a huge impact on the recipient of that greeting. The young mother might be able to prepare meals just fine, but who can say how much it would relieve her stress for one night if someone prepared a little extra in their meal and shared with her. Like the song says, "there are chances for work all around just now." I hope that we will take the time to look for them so that we can act in the Savior's name.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Proclaiming the Gospel (6/24/2009)
"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day." (Jacob 1:19)
One of the things we as members of Christ's church have been asked to do is to proclaim the Gospel. Such a task can be difficult, especially in these days when so many are more interested in the secular than they are in the things of God. Unfortunately, the opinion of the world does not excuse us from our calling. It does not fall to most of us to go door to door trying to find those who are seeking the Gospel, but there are things we can do to share our beliefs.
We can start by living our religion, standing up for those things we believe in and showing others through our example how the Gospel can bring joy into our lives. The Gospel can be shared by showing charity for all in our lives, treating them as Christ would treat them were He here. One of the other things I have done is let people I know that I am a member of the Church, and open the door for discussion if and when they are interested. And yes, there have been those who have taken advantage of that invitation.
These are just a few of many ways that we can share the Gospel with others. I think the important thing, however, is to just do it. That way, when we all face our Father in Heaven again, we can, in good conscience, say that we did everything we could.
One of the things we as members of Christ's church have been asked to do is to proclaim the Gospel. Such a task can be difficult, especially in these days when so many are more interested in the secular than they are in the things of God. Unfortunately, the opinion of the world does not excuse us from our calling. It does not fall to most of us to go door to door trying to find those who are seeking the Gospel, but there are things we can do to share our beliefs.
We can start by living our religion, standing up for those things we believe in and showing others through our example how the Gospel can bring joy into our lives. The Gospel can be shared by showing charity for all in our lives, treating them as Christ would treat them were He here. One of the other things I have done is let people I know that I am a member of the Church, and open the door for discussion if and when they are interested. And yes, there have been those who have taken advantage of that invitation.
These are just a few of many ways that we can share the Gospel with others. I think the important thing, however, is to just do it. That way, when we all face our Father in Heaven again, we can, in good conscience, say that we did everything we could.
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