Tag Archives: savior

What If I Mess Up?

In Relief Society this past Sunday, we had ward conference. I always love the opportunity to hear the Stake leaders come and speak to us. Our Stake President is 38 years old and has been the stake president for almost 10 years now. He has a great perspective on things, and is very inspiring. The Spirit is always strong when he speaks. He shared a story of teaching his daughter how to ride a bike last week. He spoke of how different she was from the three boys that they had taught how to ride bikes previous to her. The … Continue reading →

Home Teaching Message: Hidden Wedges

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The home teaching lesson for this month, given by President Thomas S. Monson, begins with a story of a wedge that I have loved since I first read it in a manual many years ago. The premise of the story is that a beautiful tree is destroyed in an ice storm by a wedge placed in its branches many years before. President Monson goes on to talk about hidden wedges in our lives. The hidden wedges President Monson addresses are those of hardheartedness. The leaders of the church – and the scriptures – have taught us time and time again … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: The ‘Burden’ of the Sabbath

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Lesson 10 this week focuses on the lightness of the Savior’s yoke. At first, I had a hard time with the section included in the lesson on the Sabbath day (Matthew 12:1-13). I had difficulty relating the two together, and had to ponder it for some time (actually, several days, since I read the entire lesson on Sunday). However, as I read what the Savior taught as the purpose of the Sabbath, I came to understand how this relates to a light and easy yoke. First, of course, you must understand that the Pharisees followed the traditions of the elders, … Continue reading →

Do You Feel God’s Love for You?

Do you ever feel the need to feel the love of the Savior in your life? What are things that you can do to feel God’s love in your life? There are times when it can be more difficult to feel how much God does love you. Here are five things that help me to feel how much the Lord loves me. 1) One thing that really helps me is to list all of my blessings. It may take you a minute to get going, but you will be surprised at how many you come up with. You can start … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: An Overview of the Sermon on the Mount

This week, we’re reviewing the first part of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5. I’m actually going to do an overview of the lesson today, as I have been asked to substitute teach for the class on Sunday. So for today, you get a generalized summary, which we’ll flesh out as the week progresses. First, I would like to take a look at the importance of the Sermon. It is repeated in part in Luke, although not identical. However, the importance is illustrated by the fact that the Savior repeated almost an identical sermon to the Nephites after He … Continue reading →

Obeying From Trust

Earlier this week, we talked about obeying the Savior from love. A comment in response to that blog made me think about another reason we obey the Savior – because we trust Him. Oddly enough (or perhaps not), the subject raised its head again as I was studying this week’s Relief Society/Elder’s Quorum lesson. As I discussed, the Savior wants us to obey Him out of love. However, even if we love someone, it can be difficult to trust them. Take for instance your marriage. If you have trouble trusting your spouse on some issue – financial, spiritual, or even … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Spiritually Reborn

The Sunday School lesson this week revolves around being born again. Christ references two necessary ways that we can be reborn – first through water, and then through the spirit. Of the two, I’d like to focus today on being spiritually reborn. The physical ordinance of baptism can be as spiritual as we allow it to be. Conversely, it can be a simple, body-only ordinance if we do not bring the Spirit into it. Most converts, of course, choose baptism only after a spiritual conversion. This isn’t necessarily true of those born into the church. In many cases, testimonies are … Continue reading →

Gospel Doctrine: Glad Tidings of Great joy

Walk with me, if you will, through an imaginary world that thankfully never existed. Imagine that, after your death, the devil rose up and claimed your soul with evil glee. “But,” you insisted, “I tried. I learned from my mistakes. I tried each day to do better. I served God with all of my heart and intent. I wasn’t perfect, but I was the best person I could be.” And the devil said to you, “It does not matter. The first time you sinned, you became mine.” And he dragged you down into a pit of despair and endless misery. … Continue reading →

Slow to Offense

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It was a beautiful Relief Society lesson. Despite being pressed to fill in at the last minute, the teacher had obviously prepared, and spoke from the heart. The Spirit was strong. One sister raised her hand to comment on the underlying message given. A second and third sister shared similar testimonies. I felt sure that the Lord was prompting us as a class to grow together, that this message was one we needed to hear. And then it happened. Another sister went back to the surface issue being discussed. It was as if we were discussing the underlying ramifications of … Continue reading →