I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. -Alma 29:9
Posts tagged: lds
When you start pulling out doctrine from scriptures, how much can you get?
Take a look and everything you can out of D&C 31:1. “Thomas, my son, blessed are you because of your faith in my work.”
Make a list of everything you can pull out of those thirteen words. then read it again and again and write down more.
Some things we got as a mission prep class that you may or may not have gotten:
- God knows us by name
- We are His children
- We are blessed when we have faith
- We need to act on that faith/give service
- We are blessed for teaching others
- We need diligence
- We have a purpose
- We are dear to Him
- We need to rely on Him
There are so many things we can take from some scriptures, and then there are more things we can get reading a second time, and more we can get reading a third. Try getting everything you can when you’re studying.
Brother Rockwood’s been out of town for the past two weeks (he’s going through Singapore, North Korea, and Japan, and will be back on Tuesday), and we’ve had a variety of subs. Sister Bright (she got married and changed her last name but no one can call her by anything but Bright because that’s the most accurate description for her) got us going with an object lesson. She told everyone to stand up and spread out because it was going to get messy. She asked us the question, “What are some things that you have to constantly fight?” The first person answered with cussing or something, and then Sister Bright said okay and swept the hymn book off the chair and threw the chair on the ground. The next person said something and threw a chair on the ground. We each had to say something, and we all took one or two chairs and threw them until they were all on the ground.
You can bet that it got really loud. And it was fun. I love my seminary class.
Alma 29:9
This is one of my favorite scriptures about being a missionary, and I keep forgetting the reference. I’m glad I went through the topical guide entry about joy to find it.
In mission prep (sorry that I didn’t write all of these posts until now) we also talked about the differences of the Light of Christ, the Influence of the Holy Ghost, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Light of Christ is given to everyone. This was explained to me as the basic ability to know between good and bad. A conscience if you will.
The Influence of the Holy Ghost is given occasionally to those who aren’t members. The Gift is given to members, and is the right to have the Holy Ghost with you if you are worthy.
So what’s the difference between the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost? Brother Diamond put it very well, and I think it’s a fantastic way to explain it. He said, “The light of Christ is like a conscience. The Holy Ghost magnifies that impression to do good, or to know what’s right or wrong.”
At the beginning of the year, Brother Rockwood shared this scripture with the class. He said when he was teaching a man, the man said he would get baptized when he felt the Holy Ghost. Now, Brother Rockwood knowing that everyone can feel the Holy Ghost, brought up this scripture, and asked if he had felt any of these things. When he answered yes, the man committed to be baptized the following week.
When this scripture was brought up in mission prep, someone asked what the phrase “against such there is no law” meant. Brother Diamond then explained that there are laws that keep us from killing, keep us from stealing, keep us from doing bad things.
But are there limits to how good we can be? (The answer is no)
Therefore, there is no law that prevents us from going “too far,” which isn’t possible when it comes to love, kindness, etc.
If you are anything like me, it kind of gets annoying when you are trying to figure out what feeling the Spirit is like, and people only suggest “still small voice” and a “burning in the bosom.” You may be thinking, “I’ve never heard a voice, and I’m pretty sure that heart burn does not count.”
In mission prep last Wednesday, we learned about the Holy Ghost. I’m always kind of skeptical about people saying that we’re learning about the Holy Ghost, because most times it’s the repetition of “still small voice” and “warm feeling” and rarely ever presents new information. This time was different, and there were a few quotes that made me so happy to know I’m not just an idiot when it comes to trying to figure out what the Holy Ghost is like.
“Spiritual communication seldom comes audibly. Most of the time it comes through your feeling.”
-Boyd K Packer
“I have met persons who told me they have never had a witness from the Holy Ghost because they have never felt their bosom ‘burn within’ them. What does a ‘burning in the bosom’ mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If that is the meaning, I have never had a burning in the bosom. Surely, the word ‘burning’ in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity.”
-Dallin H Oaks (emphasis added)
After Brother Diamond read that last one, he demonstrated how he felt the first time he read that by nearly collapsing of relief and saying “Oh thank goodness. If that’s an apostle then I should be good.” We all laughed because we knew it was what we were all thinking.
I know that I’ve personally been confused because I never feel a “warmth” per se. And that always frustrated me, because I know that I’ve definitely felt the Holy Ghost very strongly. A scripture that I like about the Holy Ghost is found in Galatians, and I could write a whole other post about it.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
I hope that you read this and have a better understanding of the Holy Ghost, that it doesn’t have to be an audible voice or a literal burning within your chest. there are so many ways the Holy Ghost has made manifest to you.
Brother Diamond also suggested that we think of five key times when we’ve felt the Holy Ghost. You know how sometimes you’re in class and you’re asked if you’ve felt the Spirit, and when you say yes, you’re asked to give an example and go blank? Think of specific examples you can always refer to, whether you’re answering a question in Sunday School or struggling with your testimony.
1) Context/Content
Know what context the book/chapter you’re reading is in. Matthew is one of the gospels. Romans is an epistle. Mosiah 3 is in the middle of King Benjamin’s address to the people.
2) Doctrine and Principles
Outline the basic lessons taught in the chapter. The way Brother Rockwood put it, “Pull out the things you want to someday teach your children.”
3) Feelings
What do you feel about this? If you stop at step two, you might as well be in school hearing a lecture. Read the principles you listed, and ask yourself how you feel about them. Should I work on this characteristic? Do I believe this is true?
4) Apply
James 2:17-18 says that it is not enough to say you have faith. Again, if you stop at the previous step, then you’re going to be shortchanging yourself. If you go to seminary, and feel good and resolve to act on your promptings, but promptly forget them the moment you leave, then you’re not living up to your potential.
Let the scriptures bless your lives. Don’t just speed read a chapter of the Book of Mormon just to say you studied. I testify that sincerely reading the scriptures and applying them to your life will make a big difference in your faith.
It seems like every day I’m saying the same thing over and over again.
Man, this gospel is great.
I love this gospel.
I don’t know where I’d be without the gospel.
And every day that feeling grows bigger, to the point where I want to burst with happiness and share it with everyone.
If I post stuff like this over and over again, just know that I really do mean it, and it’s just one of those times that I can only sit in awe of how great it actually is.
I’m going to type up a longer post about stuff from Mission Prep but for now I’m going to briefly talk about seminary.
We played this game called Who Am I (or What) and the first clue was “I am hard to tame.” I kind of got excited and to my two team members I pointed to my tongue. They were kind of confused, but as he read more and more answers, the two guys just looked at me and asked how I had gotten that so quickly. I pulled up James 3, specifically verse 8. The other groups were trying to figure out who in the world it could be, and I don’t know if any of them got it because we just whispered our answers to Bro Rockwood.
Brother Rockwood had made the assignment to read the book of James in the New Testament a while ago, and I guess not many people did it. I’m so glad I did, because I knew that I could reference that scripture now.
Brother Rockwood explained just how important James is. Martin Luther said that it wasn’t very important, but it is very important. It’s a book of acting. It brought about the restoration of the gospel, that’s how important it is. Brother Rockwood described James as a laundry detergent. It’s not one of those big bottles of it, but rather, a cup with a very high concentration.
James is only five chapters long. Study it. It’s fantastic.
Can I just say that I love this gospel?
Sometimes I make decisions and wonder if my choice was the wrong one.
Going to mission prep tonight instead of the school’s open house will not be numbered among those.
I’m just starting a cold and this morning when I woke up I just wanted to stay home. I went downstairs to tell my mom or dad I was going to stay home, but my dad had already left for bishopric meetings and my mom was still asleep (I guess it was only 6:30…) So instead of waking her up I just got some medicine and ate a bowl of cereal. I brushed my teeth, and told myself I should take a shower even if I don’t feel like going. I’m quickly getting ranty so long story short I felt awful this morning but because I asked to feel better so that I could attend church, I felt better.
I’m so glad I got to go to church today.
And temple prep. And New Beginnings. And a meeting.
Today was a busy day and I don’t think I could have gotten past the first half hour of church without the Lord’s help.
Brother Diamond (still speaking about the reverent language we use to describe the temple) explained to us the difference between the feeling of a mission call and going to the temple in terms of primary hymns. He said, “When you get your mission call you’re so excited and throw a party, and there’s an obvious difference when you go through the temple. We were taught this when we were in primary. Notice how riled up the kids get when they start singing ‘I HOOOOOPE THEY CALL ME ON A MISSION!’ as compared to ‘I love to see the temple, I’m going there someday…’ “
