Early Morning Studying

My internal alarm woke me this morning.

I got up and checked the children, covered up the ones that had kicked off their covers and hopped back into my warm bed to go back to sleep. A bright thought lit up in my mind, "Get up and study the scriptures." I really wanted to try going back to sleep. And several seconds, I got up out of bed and  came upstairs to study.

In a few weeks, I will be teaching in Sunday Relief Society Meeting about the second coming of Jesus Christ.
I had some questions surrounding this subject about the New Jerusalem. And so, this is where I began my studies.

Here is something I discovered about the preparations for His second coming.

Doctrine & Covenants 84 beginning wih verse 103

103 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, it is expedient that every man who goes forth to proclaim mine everlasting gospel, that inasmuch as they have families, and receive money by gift, that they should send it unto them or make use of it for their benefit, as the Lord shall direct them, for thus it seemeth me good.


104 And let all those who have not families, who receive money, send it up unto the bishop in Zion, or unto the bishop in Ohio, that it may be consecrated for the bringing forth of the revelations and the printing thereof, and for establishing Zion.

To me, this means that I can help build the kingdom by helping, even financially, support the missionary effort.

105 And if any man shall give unto any of you a coat, or a suit, take the old and cast it unto the poor, and go on your way rejoicing.

To me, this means that as I receive, I give to the poor my excess, and then I rejoice!


106 And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also.

To me, this means that I am to lift, love, serve, invite and continue to lead my neighbors in Christ's way, that they will have firm testimonies of Christ.

107 Therefore, take with you those who are ordained unto the lesser priesthood, and send them before you to make appointments, and to prepare the way, and to fill appointments that you yourselves are not able to fill.
108 Behold, this is the way that mine apostles, in ancient days, built up my church unto me.

This means that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the same church Christ established on the earth before He died. It is the same church that Paul, and Peter, and even Stephen had testified.

109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?

110 Also the body hath need of every member, that all may be edified together, that the system may be kept perfect.

To me, this means that where ever I am, to what ever calling I am called, I can magnify it and bless the lives of those I am called to serve. Because every calling is NEEDFUL.

111 And behold, the high priests should travel, and also the elders, and also the lesser priests; but the deacons and teachers should be appointed to watch over the church, to be standing ministers unto the church.

112 And the bishop, Newel K. Whitney, also should travel round about and among all the churches, searching after the poor to administer to their wants by humbling the rich and the proud.

To me, this means that Bishops are called of God. They serve and help members of their wards, bringing them to Christ. And I need to heed their counsel.

113 He should also employ an agent to take charge and to do his secular business as he shall direct.

114 Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things.

115 For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.

116 Let him trust in me and he shall not be confounded; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed.

Bishops, of the church, have a great responsibility and need our prayers as they serve.

117 And verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, go ye forth as your circumstances shall permit, in your several callings, unto the great and notable cities and villages, reproving the world in righteousness of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of abomination in the last days.

We have a lot of work to do!

118 For, with you saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble.

119 For I, the Lord, have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven; ye cannot see it now, yet a little while and ye shall see it, and know that I am, and that I will come and reign with my people.

120 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Amen.

The Lord ALWAYS keeps His promises.

I see the Hand of the Lord today

I see the Hand of the Lord today.

This morning, when I felt too tired to get out of bed and study together with DH,
I felt the tug of the Spirit to go,

and

heard the tender words of my husband
that his day runs so much smoother when we have our study time,

and so,

I listened.

This morning, as he and I read together,
I learned from Lehi's example,
that in all things and in all times I can show gratitude to Heavenly Father.

This morning, when the girls came up for prayers, breakfast and scriptures,
they were willing, and cheerful,
albeit tired.

This morning, when I knelt to pray, 
I felt the Spirit's comfort.

This morning, before our children left for school,
their grandma gave each of them a hug
and an "I love you!"

PMG and New Favorite Verses

I love, absolutely LOVE the book,  "Preach My Gospel".

In our couple study, we have been reading "Developing Christ Like Attributes". I have discovered the beauty of words and the power of learning and putting to memory the things we are learning. I feel like each time I quote the passage I am learning, I am cutting out, etching a place that this piece of virtue can settle itself in my mind; helping it to become firm...immovable...steadfast; hoping that my actions will mirror the words my mind is learning, my heart is discovering, and my spirit is feasting. Putting these things to memory is what I need to help my mind, that sometimes feels slippery and somewhat like jello, become solid, fixed, and permanent in Christ.

Tonight, I read a verse in Hebrews 11 about promises...which are fixed on being these things...firm, immovable, steadfast. Referring to saints of ancient times, Able, Abraham, Enoch, and Sara, Paul states:

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

So, tonight, I am sharing a new favorite scripture.

New LDS Website

The New LDS Website is wonderful!!!!

(click here)

I went online to see their scripture section.

FANTASTIC!!!!

You can highlight, write notes on what you've read and then file them in your own study book. It also allows you to share with others.

Take a look and see!!!

What happened when Laman and Lemuel came for a visit

This morning before leaving for church, we had family Book of Mormon time.  We read from 1 Nephi 4.

I think everytime I read this chapter, I am struck with how dense Laman and Lemuel think, behave, ARE.

After an angel comes and declares :

"Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands."

Laman and Lemuel show their absolute lack of faith in the Lord by responding:

"How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?"

And Nephi, being Nephi, says:

"Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands? Therefore let us go up..."

All the while going back to Jerusalem, these two older brothers murmur.

After reading this, I thought, "You've got to be kidding me! These two JUST SAW  and HEARD AN ANGEL!!! Can people really be this faithless?!"

So...skipping to Relief Society and today's lesson and MY LESSON about being faithless...and being faithful.

Our lesson was from the talk by Sis. Julie B Beck, "And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit".

She described sisters all over the world, facing similar and difficult challenges. She says about she has met in these visits:

"...I have felt that there has never been a greater need for increased faith and personal righteousness. There has never been a greater need for strong families and homes. There has never been more that could be done to help others who are in need."
   
Sister Beck points out that PERSONAL REVELATION is the answer to increasing faith, strengthening families, and providing relief. It is the answer to finding answers to our own questions and stand strong and immovable against incredible opposition and difficulty .

"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

 

And this is how we get it:

• 
  
  Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.
• 
  
  Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.
• 
  
  Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman’s life.
• 
  
  Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.
• 
  
  Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.
• 
  
  Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.
• 
  
  Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.

So, as I sat there in Relief Society, reading and listening to the teacher, I started pondering over what I need to do to receive personal revelation.

In my mind, Laman and Lemuel popped in for a visit. True story!

And this is what they had to offer for advise.

"But my mind is too cluttered and unfocused to really study. I can't do it. Not planned study anyway. I'd never finish or follow through. I'd quit before I started. 

I can't write what I think!  That's  too hard for me because I am too disorganized to write and understand my own thoughts.

This is too hard. I am too short focused to sit and follow this counsel."

I started to write these thoughts on this notepad I carried with me, for I was hoping for somekind of helpful inspiration today.

After thinking these words, I felt pretty much defeated.  The thoughts were self-defeating...and useless.

And then....

The thought came back to Nephi.

REMEMBER NEPHI'S WORDS TO HIS BROTHERS!
"let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth."

Thank you, Nephi for being FAITHFUL!!!

I felt a growing determination to be steadfast and immovable.

The Spirit taught me:

Pray with faith and then just DO IT!

Remember Nephi and his faithless brothers. BE LIKE NEPHI!

Do the things Sister Beck counseled to SEEK AND UNDERSTAND MY WILL...not to show others that you are doing the right things.

I pondered on the thought that I don't have to be deceived.

I NEED TO SEEK THE LORD so I don't believe the "murmuring voices of doubt and hardship to follow the Lord".
 
And then the Spirit gave me direction...specific direction I was hoping for and seeking.

The Spirit witnessed to me, that HE WILL HELP ME (and anyone for that matter) to DO what the Lord asks.
 
And I CAN DO WHAT THE LORD ASKS.  Because, His promises are sure!
 
Just like Nephi and his brothers who saw and heard an angel...
I can be like Nephi and reply:
 
"...let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth..."
 
My lesson on personal revelation, was personal revelation!

Book of Mormon Game

Before reading to our children tonight, we played a game that was introduced to us by the Sister Missionaries in our area.

They call it "The Scripture Search Game".

So the object of the game is to see how a randomly picked scripture applies to the subject chosen.

The first subject our 9 year-old daughter chose was baptism.

I opened the book and let the pages fan through my fingers until one of the other children shouted, "STOP!"

I asked, "Left or right"(referring to which side of the page we would read from).

Another daugher answered, "Right".

I asked, "Left or right" again (now picking the column from which we would be reading).

"Right."

Then I had them pick one of the verses (31-34 in this particular column)from that column.

So, think baptism.

And this is the verse that was randomly picked.

Moroni 10: 32
"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

Our 11 year-old described it this way...
When we come to Christ, we have faith in Him. And when we deny ourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all our might mind and strength, we repent. And that leads to Baptism.

She talked about the steps that lead to baptism.

I thought about how having faith in Christ leads us to repentance...wanting a change of heart. Which leads us to making covenants with Him. Because we trust that His grace is sufficient for us and we can nowise deny the power of God.

The second topic was prayer.
And the scripture was 3 Nephi 11:7

"Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him."

So, the answer from our daughters, "The people of Nephi were praying a lot and because they had been praying, they could hear Heavenly Father speak."

Finally, the last topic was missionary work.
We landed on Alma 11:23

Amulek is preaching to the people of Ammonihah.

"Now Amulek said: O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?"

And with this verse, there was a laugh and giggle because Amulek is preaching repentance and faith on Christ.

So, thank you, Sister Missionaries for introducing this game.

Caused for some pondering and really nice gospel discussion.

Sorry I'm reading

Sorry, I'm reading, so I'm going to take the night off (another one from blogging).
I'm reading with my daughter.

Hope to post tomorrow...

Goodnight!