I’m glad that ORDER was chosen to fill out the D&C Character Traits. (That was done so that with thirteen, the traits could be practiced weekly, four times a year.) Order has different meanings for us.
D&C 88:119
119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
Later we’ll talk about “order” being the “Order of the Priesthood”. This week, I’d like us to think about the order in our lives. If we live to feel guilt, this is perhaps one of the best ways to do it. Just look around us and see the chaos. We imagine that we are the only ones who can’t “Get it all together.” Just remember when you visit someone’s home, you don’t see all the disorder. It’s hidden away, out of sight. They probably feel just like us, embarrassed to have people come see our home in such disarray. But they don’t see our little stashes of disorder so we look pretty good to them. I have a little trick - I’ll spend all day carefully organizing pencils and paper clips - putting everything is arranged in perfect order. So I feel that I’m making progress. (Remember, “It’s not where you are that counts, it is the direction you’re moving.”) And if that doesn’t give me a feeling of success, I’ll start a list of “ToDo’s” for tomorrow. Nothing can give you more confidence of success than a carefully planned list crafted for tomorrow.
To achieve order is to create a “pattern”. The Lord has depended upon patterns for teaching us many things.
D&C 94:2
2 And behold, it must be done according to the pattern which I have given unto you.
A pattern is the order in which we do things. The word pattern indicates consistency or regularity in what we are doing. We will never go wrong remembering to keep the Lord first in our lives. (Especially at this time of year.)
Matthew 22:38-39
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt alove thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 25:40
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
I hope you enjoy the story I have posted
ORDER
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
DILIGENCE for week starting 14 December 2008
DILIGENCE can be best described as, “Never giving up.” As I read in First Nephi this week, the thought came to me that diligence is a lot about repenting. We are tempted to really get down on ourselves when we make wrong choices. Satan is quick to try to convince us that, “It’s all over now. You may as well let it all go cause it’s too late to do anything else.” Well, it never is over. Unless we quit.
I went to the temple today and took a name through for his endowment. It was a Spanish language session. The officiators were all apparently new. It was as rough of a session I’ve ever been through. There were technical difficulties with the film and sound. The officiators generally didn’t know when to stand and/or sit. The session was held up by not one, not two, but three sisters who had to take time-out for potty break. However, in the end, all the individuals whose names were being taken through received a valid endowment. All the mistakes were overcome. I have thought how an officiator could mess up the endowment and I haven’t come up with the answer. The Lord has organized the endowment in such a way that man can’t cancel it out.
He has done much the same with us. We make mistakes, and poor choices, and He has provided a way that overcomes our errors. His mercy takes the place of justice. Let us be diligent in finding Him. Not giving up or looking back. We were allowed to come here to succeed, not fail.
1Nephi 10:17-19
17 "And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.
18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."
Henry Eyring covers the same subject matter in a Devotional Talk in 1986. See the transcript on the web:
http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/12-Diligence.html
Moroni 7:14-19
"14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."
I went to the temple today and took a name through for his endowment. It was a Spanish language session. The officiators were all apparently new. It was as rough of a session I’ve ever been through. There were technical difficulties with the film and sound. The officiators generally didn’t know when to stand and/or sit. The session was held up by not one, not two, but three sisters who had to take time-out for potty break. However, in the end, all the individuals whose names were being taken through received a valid endowment. All the mistakes were overcome. I have thought how an officiator could mess up the endowment and I haven’t come up with the answer. The Lord has organized the endowment in such a way that man can’t cancel it out.
He has done much the same with us. We make mistakes, and poor choices, and He has provided a way that overcomes our errors. His mercy takes the place of justice. Let us be diligent in finding Him. Not giving up or looking back. We were allowed to come here to succeed, not fail.
1Nephi 10:17-19
17 "And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.
18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round."
Henry Eyring covers the same subject matter in a Devotional Talk in 1986. See the transcript on the web:
http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/12-Diligence.html
Moroni 7:14-19
"14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.
15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.
16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.
17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.
18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.
19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ."
Monday, December 8, 2008
HUMILITY for week starting 7 December 2008
We have so many promises of gifts (temporal and spiritual) if we will but obey the commandments, we can claim them. We are told we can be an heir to all the promises made to Abraham. Moroni teaches us we all receive gifts, healing, faith, tongues, revelations, etc. D & C 14:7 promises eternal life, which is the greatest of all the gifts of God.
Talking with friends one day, we were conjecturing that if it could be like Christmas Eve. When everyone could open just one gift. Insomuch that God has promised us ALL that He has, what would we open first? Without hesitation, I said, “The baseball bat He often has to use to get my attention.”
Alma taught the Zoramites that he who truly humbled himself and repented of his sins will be blessed, in fact much more than those who were compelled to be humble because of their poverty. About every time I think I’ve achieved humility, out comes the “baseball bat” and I realize how prideful I really am. Now, I have learned that humility isn’t a lack of self esteem and that you can have self confidence and still be humble. The trick is recognition of the source of all your possessions and talents. Elder Oaks has some interesting things to say about how, if not careful, our strengths can be perverted by the adversary to being our downfall. The following is an excerpt from a talk he gave in 1994.
(http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/11-Humility.html)
“How, then, do we prevent our strengths from becoming our downfall? The quality we must cultivate is humility. Humility is the great protector. Humility is the antidote against pride. Humility is the catalyst for all learning, especially spiritual things. Through the prophet Moroni, the Lord gave us this great insight into the role of humility: “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
We must learn to be humble in all we do that we can have direction of the Spirit. Guard against pride in our own wisdom and strength. I recognize all the good in my life comes as a special gift from God. Forever in His debt - I am..
Hear President Eyring in the following quote:
"Having listening ears requires humility. You remember the Lord's warning to Thomas B. Marsh. He was then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Lord knew that President Marsh and his Brethren of the Twelve would be tested. He gave counsel about taking counsel. The Lord said, 'Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers' (D&C 112:10)."The Lord added a warning that is applicable to any who follow a living prophet: 'Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to you, shall not be taken from him till I come' (D&C 112:15)."
Henry B. Eyring, "Safety in Counsel," Ensign, June 2008, 7-8
Talking with friends one day, we were conjecturing that if it could be like Christmas Eve. When everyone could open just one gift. Insomuch that God has promised us ALL that He has, what would we open first? Without hesitation, I said, “The baseball bat He often has to use to get my attention.”
Alma taught the Zoramites that he who truly humbled himself and repented of his sins will be blessed, in fact much more than those who were compelled to be humble because of their poverty. About every time I think I’ve achieved humility, out comes the “baseball bat” and I realize how prideful I really am. Now, I have learned that humility isn’t a lack of self esteem and that you can have self confidence and still be humble. The trick is recognition of the source of all your possessions and talents. Elder Oaks has some interesting things to say about how, if not careful, our strengths can be perverted by the adversary to being our downfall. The following is an excerpt from a talk he gave in 1994.
(http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/11-Humility.html)“How, then, do we prevent our strengths from becoming our downfall? The quality we must cultivate is humility. Humility is the great protector. Humility is the antidote against pride. Humility is the catalyst for all learning, especially spiritual things. Through the prophet Moroni, the Lord gave us this great insight into the role of humility: “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
We must learn to be humble in all we do that we can have direction of the Spirit. Guard against pride in our own wisdom and strength. I recognize all the good in my life comes as a special gift from God. Forever in His debt - I am..
Hear President Eyring in the following quote:
"Having listening ears requires humility. You remember the Lord's warning to Thomas B. Marsh. He was then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The Lord knew that President Marsh and his Brethren of the Twelve would be tested. He gave counsel about taking counsel. The Lord said, 'Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers' (D&C 112:10)."The Lord added a warning that is applicable to any who follow a living prophet: 'Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to you, shall not be taken from him till I come' (D&C 112:15)."
Henry B. Eyring, "Safety in Counsel," Ensign, June 2008, 7-8
Monday, December 1, 2008
GODLINESS for week starting 30 November 2008
Godliness, to me, is a summation of all of the virtues. Perhaps it is the real meaning of the slogan, (a slogan that is in danger of becoming trite with common usage) “What Would Jesus Do?” When the virtues become part of our life, we won’t have need to ask the question. We will respond, automatically, naturally, as Christ would in all situations. Our actions will be the same as Christ’s, a natural outcome of living a life of Godliness.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“The Caravan Moves On” Ensign, November 1984
“Test eight: Am I enduring to the end, growing in grace, and gaining the attributes of godliness?
That is to say: Am I growing in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity—as Peter exhorted? (See 2 Pet. 1:5–7.)
Am I working out my salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord—as Paul counseled? (See Philip. 2:12.)
Am I walking in the light, as God is in the light, enjoying fellowship with the Saints, so that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son” will cleanse me from all sin—as John promised? (1 Jn. 1:7.)
Am I pressing forward “with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men, … feasting upon the word of Christ” and enduring to the end—as Nephi taught? (2 Ne. 31:20.)
Do I have a special and holy love for the Saints, thus identifying me as a true disciple—according to the word of the Lord Jesus? (See John 13:35.)”
The complete text of McConkie’s talk is at: The Caravan Moves On
Elder Bruce R. McConkie Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“The Caravan Moves On” Ensign, November 1984
“Test eight: Am I enduring to the end, growing in grace, and gaining the attributes of godliness?
That is to say: Am I growing in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity—as Peter exhorted? (See 2 Pet. 1:5–7.)
Am I working out my salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord—as Paul counseled? (See Philip. 2:12.)
Am I walking in the light, as God is in the light, enjoying fellowship with the Saints, so that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son” will cleanse me from all sin—as John promised? (1 Jn. 1:7.)
Am I pressing forward “with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men, … feasting upon the word of Christ” and enduring to the end—as Nephi taught? (2 Ne. 31:20.)
Do I have a special and holy love for the Saints, thus identifying me as a true disciple—according to the word of the Lord Jesus? (See John 13:35.)”
The complete text of McConkie’s talk is at: The Caravan Moves On
Friday, November 21, 2008
BROTHERLY KINDNESS for week starting 23 November 2008
D & C Encyclopedia, Hoyt Brewster
Brotherly Kindness
Those engaged in Christ's ministry must develop the quality of "brotherly kindness" if they are to succeed (D&C 4:6; 107:30). This trait is specifically mentioned in only one other place in scripture (2 Pet. 1:7), although the term brotherly love could be considered a synonym (Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1).
To be brotherly is to experience a warmth of feeling for another that transcends mere fraternal relationship. It is a genuine, sincere interest in another. Kindliness denotes benevolence, compassion, sympathetic forbearance, graciousness, and humaneness toward another. When one combines brotherly kindness into one term and cultivates the qualities symbolic of its meaning, a true saint in the household of God emerges (Eph. 2:19).
Since we have been given the knowledge and understanding of the eternal Plan of Happiness, it should be relatively easy to love everyone we associate with and demonstrate it with our words and deeds.
Since we're finishing another football season, I thought it appropriate to hear from Tommy Holmoe, former Cougar and present BYU Athletic Director: http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/09-Brotherly%20Kindness.html
To begin, we can view the video I sent last week:
D & C Encyclopedia, Hoyt Brewster
Brotherly Kindness
Those engaged in Christ's ministry must develop the quality of "brotherly kindness" if they are to succeed (D&C 4:6; 107:30). This trait is specifically mentioned in only one other place in scripture (2 Pet. 1:7), although the term brotherly love could be considered a synonym (Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1).
To be brotherly is to experience a warmth of feeling for another that transcends mere fraternal relationship. It is a genuine, sincere interest in another. Kindliness denotes benevolence, compassion, sympathetic forbearance, graciousness, and humaneness toward another. When one combines brotherly kindness into one term and cultivates the qualities symbolic of its meaning, a true saint in the household of God emerges (Eph. 2:19).
Since we have been given the knowledge and understanding of the eternal Plan of Happiness, it should be relatively easy to love everyone we associate with and demonstrate it with our words and deeds.
Since we're finishing another football season, I thought it appropriate to hear from Tommy Holmoe, former Cougar and present BYU Athletic Director: http://web.mac.com/gemcquain/iWeb/Site/09-Brotherly%20Kindness.html
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