Jens Scripture Journal

GP manual Chapter 44: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

2011-11-18T20:59:00.001-08:00

Looking forward to the Savior’s Second Coming

Forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus and His Apostles were gathered together on the Mount of Olives. The time had come for Jesus to leave the earth. He had completed all the work that He had to do at that time. He was to return to our Heavenly Father until the time of His Second Coming.

After He had instructed His Apostles, Jesus ascended into heaven. While the Apostles looked up into the heavens, two angels stood beside them and said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go” (Acts 1:11).

From that time until the present day, the followers of Jesus Christ have looked forward to the Second Coming.

What Will Jesus Do When He Comes Again?

He will cleanse the earth. When Jesus comes again, He will come in power and great glory. At that time the wicked will be destroyed. All things that are corrupt will be burned, and the earth will be cleansed by fire (see D&C 101:24–25).
He will judge His people. When Jesus comes again, He will judge the nations and will divide the righteous from the wicked (see Matthew 25:31–46; see also chapter 46 in this book). John the Revelator wrote about this judgment: “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, … and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” The wicked he saw “lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:4–5; see also D&C 88:95–98).
He will usher in the Millennium. The Millennium is the thousand-year period when Jesus will reign on the earth. The righteous will be caught up to meet Jesus at His coming (see D&C 88:96). His coming will begin the millennial reign. (See chapter 45 in this book.)
President Brigham Young said:
“In the Millennium, when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth in power, glory and perfection, and the reign of wickedness that has so long prevailed is subdued, the Saints of God will have the privilege of building their temples, and of entering into them, becoming, as it were, pillars in the temples of God [see Revelation 3:12], and they will officiate for their dead. Then we will see our friends come up, and perhaps some that we have been acquainted with here. … And we will have revelations to know our forefathers clear back to Father Adam and Mother Eve, and we will enter into the temples of God and officiate for them. Then [children] will be sealed to [parents] until the chain is made perfect back to Adam, so that there will be a perfect chain of Priesthood from Adam to the winding-up scene” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 333–34).
He will complete the First Resurrection. Those who have obtained the privilege of coming forth in the resurrection of the just will rise from their graves. They will be caught up to meet the Savior as He comes down from heaven. (See D&C 88:97–98.)
After Jesus Christ rose from the dead, other righteous people who had died were also resurrected. They appeared in Jerusalem and also on the American continent. (See Matthew 27:52–53; 3 Nephi 23:9–10.) This was the beginning of the First Resurrection. Some people have been resurrected since then. Those who already have been resurrected and those who will be resurrected at the time of His coming will all inherit the glory of the celestial kingdom (see D&C 76:50–70).
After the resurrection of those who will inherit celestial glory, another group will be resurrected: those who will receive a terrestrial glory. When all these people have been resurrected, the First Resurrection will be completed.
The wicked who are living at the time of the Second Coming of the Lord will be destroyed in the flesh. They, along with the wicked who are already dead, will have to wait until the last resurrection. All of the remaining dead will rise to meet God. They will either inherit the telestial kingdom or be cast into outer darkness with Satan (see D&C 76:32–33, 81–112).
He will take His rightful place as King of heaven and earth. When Jesus comes, He will establish His government on the earth. The Church will become part of that kingdom. He will rule all the people of the earth in peace for 1,000 years.
When Jesus Christ first came to the earth, He did not come in glory. He was born in a lowly stable and laid in a manger of hay. He did not come with great armies as the Jews had expected of their Savior. Instead, He came saying, “Love your enemies, … do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Matthew 5:44). He was rejected and crucified. But He will not be rejected at His Second Coming, “for every ear shall hear it, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess” that Jesus is the Christ (D&C 88:104). He will be greeted as “Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14). He will be called “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

•What are your thoughts and feelings as you contemplate the events of the Second Coming?

How Will We Know When the Savior’s Coming Is Near?

When Jesus Christ was born, very few people knew that the Savior of the world had come. When He comes again, there will be no doubt who He is. No one knows the exact time that the Savior will come again. “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36; see also D&C 49:7).

The Lord used a parable to give us an idea of the time of His coming:

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

“So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors” (Mark 13:28–29).

The Lord has also given us some signs to let us know when His coming is near. After revealing the signs, He cautioned:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. …

“… Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:42, 44).

For more information about how we will know when Jesus’s Second Coming is near, see chapter 43 in this book.

How Can We Be Ready When the Savior Comes?

The best way we can prepare for the Savior’s coming is to accept the teachings of the gospel and make them part of our lives. We should live each day the best we can, just as Jesus taught when He was on the earth. We can look to the prophet for guidance and follow his counsel. We can live worthy to have the Holy Ghost guide us. Then we will look forward to the Savior’s coming with happiness and not with fear. The Lord said: “Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly. Even so. Amen” (D&C 35:27).

•Why should we be concerned about our preparedness rather than the exact timing of the Second Coming?

Additional Scriptures

•John 14:2–3; Matthew 26:64 (Jesus to prepare a place and come again)
•Malachi 3:2–3; 4:1; D&C 64:23–24 (earth to be burned)
•D&C 133:41–51 (wicked to be destroyed)
•Matthew 13:40–43 (the Judgment predicted)
•1 Corinthians 15:40–42; D&C 76; 88:17–35 (kingdoms of glory)
•D&C 43:29–30; 29:11 (the Savior’s coming will usher in the Millennium)
•Articles of Faith 1:10 (Jesus to reign)
•Alma 11:43–44; 40:23 (the Resurrection explained)
•D&C 88:96–98 (the dead to rise)
•Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 11:15; 1 Nephi 22:24–26 (Jesus to reign as King)

FHE Love

2011-02-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

Scripture: John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments;

Opening Song: Jesus Said Love Everyone - Children's Songbook #61

Opening Prayer:

Lesson: Read Matthew 22:37-3937Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

How do we love show love to Heavenly Father? We keep his commandments.
How do we show love to people around us? We can be nice to them and do nice things for them.

Activity: Make paper hearts from construction paper. Divide the paper hearts up so each family member gets 1 for every member in their family.
Think of ways to show love for others and write them down on the hearts. Here are a few examples.
Write on the hearts something like
To show my love for Heavenly Father I will serve ____ (fill in the blank with family members name) Audrey by reading her an extra book on Wednesday.

Hydee with heart on cheek

Mom will show love to Heavenly Father and to Dad by giving Dad a back rub.

Because Dad loves Jesus Dad will spend time with Audrey... we will go and get doughnuts.

When we do nice things for each other we are keeping the commandments and showing love to Heavenly Father and Jesus.

We got fancy and made a crown and a bracelet out of hearts.

Game: Love notes. We made love notes and gave them to each other. Here are some of Audrey’s love notes to dad.

I love your kisses, I love your funny faces, You are the best!, I love Dad!, I love when you rock me and read to me., Dad makes me happy.

You can hide these notes for your family to find or exchange them on the spot.

Closing Song: Love One Another - Hymns #308

Closing Prayer:

Treat: make something the whole family LOVES to eat. We had peach cake.

You can also have heart shaped anything from sandwiches, Jello, or sweet-tarts.

For older kiddos:

Why Is Love the Great Commandment?
Dieter F. Uchtdorf "The Love of God," , (October 3, 2009)
Heavenly Father’s love for His children is the core message of the plan of happiness, which plan is made active through the Atonement of Jesus Christ—the greatest expression of love the world has ever known.

How clearly the Savior spoke when He said that every other commandment hangs upon the principle of love. If we do not neglect the great laws—if we truly learn to love our Heavenly Father and our fellowman with all our heart, soul, and mind—all else will fall into place.

The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with God’s commandments into blessed dedication and consecration.

Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple’s path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder.

Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.

Love is the way of the disciple.

I testify that God is in His heaven. He lives. He knows and loves you. He is mindful of you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you.

Let me conclude as I began, my dear brothers and sisters: what attribute should define us as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Let us be known as a people who love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and who love our neighbor as ourselves. When we understand and practice these two great commandments in our families, in our wards and branches, in our nations, and in our daily lives, we will begin to understand what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus the Christ. Of this I testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Thankful Turkey FHE

2010-11-16T17:41:00.000-08:00

Its posted on the other blog here is the link Thankful Turkey FHE

A BRIEF EXPLANATION ABOUT

2010-10-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Nephite prophet-historians, That is a nice job description.
From here on out I have gone back to my last reading of the Book of Mormon--- the first time I have blogged about the scriptures and I am adding my new thoughts and editing/ spell checking the old stuff. So If you want to read my thoughts about the scriptures you can go to the archives and start at the back. Or you can go to the labels and find your way from there. I wont post on this end of the blog unless I have a good FHE lesson or Sunday thoughts or something not related to a specific chapter reading. From here on out I'm just adding and editing until I finish the Book of Moron for the 19th time.

TESTIMONY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH

2010-10-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. Many times we hear of spiritual happenings exhausting people of their strength. I know that being places like conference and the temple even though Im not doing anything seems to zap my energy and strength.

“I obeyed;
I obeyed is a lovely thing to say I hope I can say that of all of gods commandments to me.
Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner His kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.
“At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to me with this charge: That I should be responsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any neglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to preserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected.
I started to think of all the places I knew where Joseph hid the plates. In a barrel of beans, a log, in a chest, under the hearth, in an attic, in the floor. I came across a good article that tells of the many hiding places for the plates to keep them safe."Take Heed Continually”: Protecting the Gold Plates By Andrew H. Hedges
I am very thankful for all that was done to bring the Book Of Mormon to my hands. It is such a blessing to have them and to read them.

THE TESTIMONY OF EIGHT WITNESSES

2010-10-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.

Christian Whitmer      Jacob Whitmer

Peter Whitmer Jun ,       John Whitmer

Hiram Page                Joseph Smith, Sen

Hyrum Smith              Samuel H. Smith

This would have been an wonderful experience I would have loved to hold something that was carried by prophets and touched by those who lived so long ago. I know that this was a tremendous blessing to Joseph smith and that it must have been nice not to feel so alone. But I don't need to see the golden plates to know that the exist... or that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it testifies of Christ and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and right church on the earth.

THE TESTIMONY OF THREE WITNESSES

2010-10-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man.
• Why was it important to have witnesses of the gold plates? (See Ether 5:2–4.)

It was prophesied that there would be other witnesses of the truthfulness of the book. • What other witnesses do we have that the Book of Mormon is true? The testimony of the 8 witnesses, my own testimony, testimony of all the members.

How do you think having additional witnesses helped the Prophet Joseph Smith? In the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith I remember reading this... Joseph Smith’s mother, who was visiting the Prophet in Fayette at this time, recalled her son’s joy and relief after this manifestation: “When Joseph came in [to the Whitmer home], he threw himself down beside me. ‘Father! Mother!’ said he, ‘you do not know how happy I am. The Lord has caused the plates to be shown to three more besides me, who have also seen an angel and will have to testify to the truth of what I have said, for they know for themselves that I do not go about to deceive the people. And I do feel as though I was relieved of a dreadful burden which was almost too much for me to endure. But they will now have to bear a part, and it does rejoice my soul that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world.’ ”1

I bet it was nice not to feel alone in the world and to feel the support of others. How can I support my leaders and share in the burden of the callings that they have been called to.

1. Lucy Mack Smith, “The History of Lucy Smith, Mother of the Prophet,” 1844–45 manuscript, book 8, p. 11, Church Archives

INTRODUCTION

2010-10-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel.

The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.

The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.
This is the best part of the book of Mormon and I love to read this part over and over. I love to read about Christ with the children.
After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.

In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God. The record is now published in many languages as a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that all who will come unto him and obey the laws and ordinances of his gospel may be saved.
I love that we have more than one book saying that Jesus is the Christ and that God loves us and wants us to come back to him.
Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Here is a quote from Pres Benson " There is a book we need to study daily, both as individuals and as families, namely the Book of Mormon. I love that book. It is the book that will get a person nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book. (See Book of Mormon, Introduction.) President Romney recommended studying it half an hour each day. I commend that practice to you." Ezra Taft Benson, “A Sacred Responsibility,” Ensign, May 1986, 77

In addition to Joseph Smith, the Lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Their written testimonies are included herewith as “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” and “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses.”

We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10: 3-5.)

Pres Hinckley said Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God. Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Testimony Vibrant and True,” Ensign, Aug 2005, 2–6

I remember when this was given and every one was talking about the challenge. It was so funny to see people read the book of Mormon every day. I had been doing it for years and it was great to have people to talk to about how and what they read that day.

Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah.

I have had the truthfulness confirmed tome again and again. I know that the Book of Mormon is a true book. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Gods true church on the earth..

Title Page

2010-09-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

THE BOOK OF MORMON

AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY

THE HAND OF MORMON

UPON PLATES TAKEN FROM

THE PLATES OF NEPHI

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, Jun.

I feel like this gets skipped over a lot because its not chapter one but there is a lot of great information in the title page.
The book is translated by Joseph Smith not written by
Its a compilation of many prophets who teach of Christ
Its written for us and for the lamanite people
Its writings are of Christ, it was protected by god and its interpretation is by the power of God

19th Reading of the Book of Mormon

2010-09-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

This time around Im going to read in conjunction with the bible. I have a goal to finish the bible before I am 30 years old. So I will only be reading the BoM every other day.
Im trying to decide if I should go back and post new insights to my old posts or do a whole new section for this reading of the book of Mormon.
Im loving my callings and my kids and my husband life is good and I love it.

The Golden Plates and the Book of Mormon

2010-09-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Opening Song: The Golden Plates
Lesson: The book of Mormon was once on golden plates. That is like a book but instead of paper pages there were skinny sheets of metal with words carved on them. These were called plates.

The Mormon was a prophet who took the words from other prophets and wrote them on these golden plates. He gave these plates to Moroni. Moroni recorded a few more prophets words and some writings from his father and him self then he hid the plated in the mountain.

These plates were kept safe until Angle Moroni told Joseph Smith where to find them. When Joseph smith was ready Moroni let him take the plates out of the ground.

Heavenly Father helped Joseph Smith translate the words in to words that we can understand. He wrote it on paper and that book be came the book of Mormon.

It is the same record that was on the golden plates but in words that we can read and understand. The book of Mormon is a great blessing and it has many stories word about Jesus and what we need to do to live with Heavenly Father again.

Game: Find the Plates

We got a picture of the golden plates and put it on the floor and then piled up pillows and blankets and couch cushions to make a mountain.
We then sang the "golden plates lay hidden..." and at the end of the song the person pretending to be Joseph Smith gets to take them out.
We let Audrey sit on the mountain as we sang when it was her turn.

Closing song: On a golden spring time or scripture power

Treat: Mounds with almonds- talk about the treat in side the mound. Or
"Golden" Graham books.
1/2 a golden graham cracker
Spread peanut butter on it
Stack another 1/2 a graham cracker
Repeat until you have a good size "book"
Pipe with frosting on the front
"The golden plates"

Done With Gospel Principles

2010-09-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

OK I am now done with the Gospel Principles book.
I enjoyed studying this I like how the small every day precepts of the Gospel make sense and bring the spirit fast be cause they are 110% true teachings.
I learned several new things and I loved the review.
Now I'm trying to think of what to read next- I have never read the bible from cover to cover- perhaps I will set a goal to read it cover to cover before I turn 30. That gives me 2+ years. I dont feel like giving up my book of Mormon to read the bible so I am thinking of doing an every other day thing. I dont know. We will see.
I would like to write my testimony about a few things that were covered in the Gospel Principle manual.
First is that I love my savior and I know that he lived and died for me. I know that he suffered for my sins and wants me to repent for things that I do wrong.
I know that I lived with my Father in Heaven before I came to earth and that he loves me and is watching over me and is hoping that I will make right choices so that I can be with him again. I know that he sent me here to Earth to learn and to grow and that this happens by trial and hardship-some of the time. I also know that he wants me to be happy and that the gospel brings great happiness to my life.
I know that prayer works and that I can talk to God and he will talk to me. I have great respect for and faith in the power of the priesthood. I love it and the blessings that flow from it.
I know that temples are essential to my exaltation and that the promises made there in will make me a better person if I live up to them. I know that my family can be together forever and that is what God wants for his children.
I know that I am meant to be a mom and that its an important roll and that I need to teach my children about Christ and the gospel so that they can make right choices and have opportunities to feel the spirit.
I know that we have a living prophet and that he does Speak the things God would have us know.
I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it brings me closer to god when I read it.
I Love my family and want to be with them always. I love the church and the peace and happyness it brings.
Life is wonderful and our bodies are a great gift and this Earth life is a wonderful gift and blessing. I hope to be worthy to be with my family in the eternal courts above.
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen

Exaltation

2010-09-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Chapter 47: Exaltation,” Gospel Principles, (2009),275–80

The Plan for Our Progression
When we lived with our Heavenly Father, He explained a plan for our progression. We could become like Him, an exalted being. The plan required that we be separated from Him and come to earth. This separation was necessary to prove whether we would obey our Father’s commandments even though we were no longer in His presence. The plan provided that when earth life ended, we would be judged and rewarded according to the degree of our faith and obedience.
From the scriptures we learn that there are three kingdoms of glory in heaven. The Apostle Paul mentioned that he knew a man who was “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). Paul named two of the kingdoms in heaven: the celestial and the terrestrial (see 1 Corinthians 15:40–42). The celestial is the highest, and the terrestrial is second. Through latter-day revelation we learn that the third kingdom is the telestial kingdom (see D&C 76:81). We also learn that there are three heavens or degrees within the celestial kingdom (see D&C 131:1).
Exaltation
• What is exaltation?
The after life- living with god as gods.
Exaltation is eternal life, the kind of life God lives. He lives in great glory. He is perfect. He possesses all knowledge and all wisdom. He is the Father of spirit children. He is a creator. We can become like our Heavenly Father. This is exaltation.
If we prove faithful to the Lord, we will live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of heaven. We will become exalted, to live with our Heavenly Father in eternal families. Exaltation is the greatest gift that Heavenly Father can give His children (see D&C 14:7).
Blessings of Exaltation
• What are some blessings that will be given to those who are exalted?
All power and glory- able to be with God- have eternal family units and have spirit children.
Our Heavenly Father is perfect, and He glories in the fact that it is possible for His children to become like Him. His work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Those who receive exaltation in the celestial kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ will receive special blessings. The Lord has promised, “All things are theirs” (D&C 76:59). These are some of the blessings given to exalted people:
1. They will live eternally in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (see D&C 76:62).
2. They will become gods (see D&C 132:20–23).
3. They will be united eternally with their righteous family members and will be able to have eternal increase.
4. They will receive a fulness of joy.

5. They will have everything that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have—all power, glory, dominion, and knowledge (see D&C 132:19–20). President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “The Father has promised through the Son that all that he has shall be given to those who are obedient to His commandments. They shall increase in knowledge, wisdom, and power, going from grace to grace, until the fulness of the perfect day shall burst upon them” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:36; italics in original).

Requirements for Exaltation
The time to fulfill the requirements for exaltation is now (see Alma 34:32–34). President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “In order to obtain the exaltation we must accept the gospel and all its covenants; and take upon us the obligations which the Lord has offered; and walk in the light and the understanding of the truth; and ‘live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God’” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:43).
To be exalted, we first must place our faith in Jesus Christ and then endure in that faith to the end of our lives. Our faith in Him must be such that we repent of our sins and obey His commandments.
He commands us all to receive certain ordinances:
1. We must be baptized.
2. We must receive the laying on of hands to be confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

3. Brethren must receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and magnify their callings in the priesthood.

4. We must receive the temple endowment.

5. We must be married for eternity, either in this life or in the next.
In addition to receiving the required ordinances, the Lord commands all of us to:
1. Love God and our neighbors.
2. Keep the commandments.
3. Repent of our wrongdoings.
4. Search out our kindred dead and receive the saving ordinances of the gospel for them.
5. Attend our Church meetings as regularly as possible so we can renew our baptismal covenants by partaking of the sacrament.
6. Love our family members and strengthen them in the ways of the Lord.
7. Have family and individual prayers every day.
8. Teach the gospel to others by word and example.
9. Study the scriptures.
10. Listen to and obey the inspired words of the prophets of the Lord.
Finally, each of us needs to receive the Holy Ghost and learn to follow His direction in our individual lives.
• How do ordinances and covenants prepare us for exaltation?
We cant be perfected with out them we learn better how to be like Christ.
• How does faith in Jesus Christ help us obey the commandments?
If we dont believe the Christ can save us from the fall then there is no reason to keep the commandments. When we have faith we believe that if we do these things God has commanded we will be saved through the atonement of Christ.
• Why must we learn to follow the direction of the Holy Ghost to become exalted?
It is a true test many of the things we are told to do through the holy Ghost are harder or scarier to do than just reading your scriptures. It takes faith to act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost and go places- but you don't know why - To do something but you dont know why- to say something but you dont know why. Yet when we do these things we are becoming more Christ like.
After We Have Been Faithful and Endured to the End
• What happens when we have endured to the end in faithful discipleship to Christ?
We can be with him and God the Father forever.
The Lord has said, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “If we will continue in God; that is, keep his commandments, worship him and live his truth; then the time will come when we shall be bathed in the fulness of truth, which shall grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:36).

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil [died] before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 268).

Joseph Smith taught: “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God. … He was once a man like us; … God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 345–46).
Our Heavenly Father knows our trials, our weaknesses, and our sins. He has compassion and mercy on us. He wants us to succeed even as He did.
Imagine what joy each of us will have when we return to our Heavenly Father if we can say: “Father, I lived according to Thy will. I have been faithful and have kept Thy commandments. I am happy to be home again.” Then we will hear Him say, “Well done … ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23).
• Review Matthew 25:23. Think about how you would feel if you heard the Lord say these words to you.
I am hoping to hear those words. But what I really want to hear was I missed you come give me a hug. And to sit on my fathers lap and have him hold me tight and feel his love for me and for me to hug him back and thank him for all my many blessings. Allen gave me a blessing once and in that blessing it said that my father is waiting to give me that loving embrace.
Additional Scriptures
• D&C 132:3–4, 16–26, 37 (pertaining to exaltation)
• D&C 131:1–4 (eternal marriage is key to exaltation)
• D&C 76:59–70 (blessings of celestial glory explained)
• D&C 84:20–21 (the power of godliness is manifest through priesthood ordinances)

The Final Judgment

2010-09-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Chapter 46: The Final Judgment,” Gospel Principles, (2009),268–74

Judgments of God
• What are some different judgments that come before the Final Judgment? Bishops are Judges in Israel and they judge us for worthiness, Where you go when you die Paradise or prison.
How do all these judgments relate to one another?
All contribute to the eternal last judgement and placement in your kingdom of glory.We are often told in the scriptures that the day will come when we will stand before God and be judged. We need to understand how judgment takes place so we can be better prepared for this important event.

The scriptures teach that all of us will be judged according to our works: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12; see also D&C 76:111; 1 Nephi 15:32; Abraham 3:25–28). We will also be judged “according to the desire of [our] hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:3).
Here on earth we are often judged as to our worthiness to receive opportunities within the kingdom of God. When we are baptized we are judged worthy to receive this ordinance. When we are called to serve in the Church or interviewed for a priesthood advancement or a temple recommend, we are judged.
Alma taught that when we die our spirits are assigned to a state of happiness or of misery (see Alma 40:11–15). This is a judgment.
Our Words, Works, and Thoughts Are Used to Judge Us
• Imagine being judged for all your thoughts, words, and actions.
The prophet Alma testified, “Our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; … and our thoughts will also condemn us” (Alma 12:14).
The Lord said: “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37).
Faith in Jesus Christ helps us be prepared for the Final Judgment. Through faithful discipleship to Him and repentance of all our sins, we can be forgiven for our sins and become pure and holy so that we can dwell in the presence of God. As we repent of our sins, giving up every impure thought and act, the Holy Ghost will change our hearts so we no longer have even the desire to sin (see Mosiah 5:2). Then when we are judged, we will be found ready to enter into God’s presence.
• Think about what you can do to improve your thoughts, words, and actions.
Less idle thoughts, thinking on things that don't matter, Not so much what I say but how I say it tone and volume, think about reprocutions of actions more.
We Will Be Judged by Records
• From what records will we be judged? the Scriptures and words of the prophets Who will judge us? Those who had stewardship over us- the apostles.
The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the dead will be judged out of records kept on earth. We will also be judged out of the “book of life,” which is kept in heaven (see D&C 128:6–8).
“Every one of you … must stand before ‘the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel … and then must … be judged according to the holy judgment of God.’ (II Nephi 9:15.) And according to the vision of John, ‘The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ (Rev. 20:12.) The ‘books’ spoken of refer to the ‘records [of your works] which are kept on the earth. … The book of life is the record which is kept in heaven.’ (Doc. and Cov. 128:7.)” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 226–27).
There is another record that will be used to judge us. The Apostle Paul taught that we ourselves are a record of our life (see Romans 2:15). Stored in our body and mind is a complete history of everything we have done. President John Taylor taught this truth: “[The individual] tells the story himself, and bears witness against himself. … That record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind, that record that cannot lie will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges” (Deseret News, Mar. 8, 1865, 179).
The Apostle John taught that “the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). The Son, in turn, will call upon others to assist in the Judgment. The Twelve who were with Him in His ministry will judge the twelve tribes of Israel (see Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30). The twelve Nephite disciples will judge the Nephite and Lamanite people (see 1 Nephi 12:9–10; Mormon 3:18–19).
Inheriting a Place in a Kingdom of Glory
• How will our faithfulness during our life on earth influence our life in the eternities?
What we do in this life has every thing to do with the eternities. What we choose and how we choose to do it.
At the Final Judgment we will inherit a place in the kingdom for which we are prepared. The scriptures teach of three kingdoms of glory—the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, and the telestial kingdom (see D&C 88:20–32).
In Doctrine and Covenants 76, the Lord described the ways we can choose to live our mortal lives. He explained that our choices will determine which kingdom we are prepared for. We learn from this revelation that even members of the Church will inherit different kingdoms because they will not be equally faithful and valiant in their obedience to Christ.
The following are the kinds of lives we can choose to live and the kingdoms our choices will obtain for us.
Celestial

“They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized, … that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit.” These are they who overcome the world by their faith. They are just and true so that the Holy Ghost can seal their blessings upon them. (See D&C 76:51–53.) Those who inherit the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, who become gods, must also have been married for eternity in the temple (see D&C 131:1–4). All who inherit the celestial kingdom will live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever (see D&C 76:62).

Through the work we do in temples, all people who have lived on the earth can have an equal opportunity to receive the fulness of the gospel and the ordinances of salvation so they can inherit a place in the highest degree of celestial glory.
Terrestrial

These are they who rejected the gospel on earth but afterward received it in the spirit world. These are the honorable people on the earth who were blinded to the gospel of Jesus Christ by the craftiness of men. These are also they who received the gospel and a testimony of Jesus but then were not valiant. They will be visited by Jesus Christ but not by our Heavenly Father. (See D&C 76:73–79.)

Telestial

These people did not receive the gospel or the testimony of Jesus either on earth or in the spirit world. They will suffer for their own sins in hell until after the Millennium, when they will be resurrected. “These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie.” These people are as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sand on the seashore. They will be visited by the Holy Ghost but not by the Father or the Son. (See D&C 76:81–88, 103–6, 109.)

Outer Darkness
These are they who had testimonies of Jesus through the Holy Ghost and knew the power of the Lord but allowed Satan to overcome them. They denied the truth and defied the power of the Lord. There is no forgiveness for them, for they denied the Holy Spirit after having received it. They will not have a kingdom of glory. They will live in eternal darkness, torment, and misery with Satan and his angels forever. (See D&C 76:28–35, 44–48.)
• According to Doctrine and Covenants 76:50–53, 62–70, what are the characteristics of a person who overcomes the world by faith and is valiant in the testimony of Jesus? Faithful and obedient honourable
We Should Prepare Now for Judgment
• What must we do to be ready for the Final Judgment?
Learn about it, repent, try to live as God would want. Have a good attitude about it.
In reality, every day is a day of judgment. We speak, think, and act according to celestial, terrestrial, or telestial law. Our faith in Jesus Christ, as shown by our daily actions, determines which kingdom we will inherit.
We have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. The gospel is the law of the celestial kingdom. All the priesthood ordinances necessary for our progression have been revealed. We have entered the waters of baptism and have made a covenant to live Christlike lives. If we are faithful and keep the covenants we have made, the Lord has told us what our judgment will be. He will say unto us, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
Additional Scriptures
• Romans 2:6–9; Revelation 20:12–13 (the Judgment)
• Alma 11:41, 45; Mormon 7:6; 9:13–14 (we are judged in a resurrected state)
• 2 Nephi 29:11; 3 Nephi 27:23–26 (books used in the Judgment)
• Alma 41:2–7 (our judgment is determined by our works, the desires of our hearts, repentance, enduring to the end)
• Mormon 3:22 (repent and prepare to stand before the judgment seat)
• Luke 12:47–48; D&C 82:3 (of whom much is given, much is required)
• D&C 88:16–33 (we each receive that for which we are worthy)

The Millennium

2010-09-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

"Chapter 45: The Millennium," Gospel Principles, (2009), 263–67

People on the Earth during the Millennium
• Who will be on the earth during the Millennium?
People who have not died and peopel who have died who are not in a body... children will be born.A thousand years of peace, love, and joy will begin on the earth at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This thousand-year period is called the Millennium. The scriptures and the prophets help us understand what it will be like to live on the earth during the Millennium.
Because of the destruction of the wicked at the Savior’s Second Coming, only righteous people will live on the earth at the beginning of the Millennium. They will be those who have lived virtuous and honest lives. These people will inherit either the terrestrial or celestial kingdom.
During the Millennium, mortals will still live on earth, and they will continue to have children as we do now (see D&C 45:58). Joseph Smith said that immortal beings will frequently visit the earth. These resurrected beings will help with the government and other work. (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 268.)
People will still have their agency, and for a time many will be free to continue with their religions and ideas. Eventually everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is the Savior.
I have always thought that people would just Start living a celestual mortal life... AKA making all the right choices I never thougth that it would take time to start choosing to live the way christ would want us to.
During the Millennium, Jesus will “reign personally upon the earth” (Articles of Faith 1:10). Joseph Smith explained that Jesus will “reign over the Saints and come down and instruct” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 258).
The Work of the Church during the Millennium
• What are the two great works that will be done during the Millennium?
Missionary and Temple work
There will be two great works for members of the Church during the Millennium: temple work and missionary work. Temple work involves the ordinances that are necessary for exaltation. These include baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the temple ordinances—the endowment, temple marriage, and the sealing together of family units.
Many people have died without receiving these ordinances. People on the earth must perform these ordinances for them. This work is now being done in the temples of the Lord. There is too much work to finish before the Millennium begins, so it will be completed during that time. Resurrected beings will help us correct the mistakes we have made in doing research concerning our dead ancestors. They will also help us find the information we need to complete our records. (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:167, 251–52.)
The other great work during the Millennium will be missionary work. The gospel will be taught with great power to all people. Eventually there will be no need to teach others the first principles of the gospel because “they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).
• How can we prepare now for work in the Millennium?
Just because it will all be done in the millennium doesn't mean we shouldn't work now. we can do missionary work and temple work now. we can do all we can to have accurate temple work done now.
Conditions during the Millennium

• In what ways will life during the Millennium be different from life on the earth now?
It will be nice to have no wickedness around us, Christ will be on the earth every one will work hard and there will be joy and peace.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that during the Millennium, “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory” (Articles of Faith 1:10).
Satan Bound
During the Millennium, Satan will be bound. This means he will not have power to tempt those who are living at that time (see D&C 101:28). The “children shall grow up without sin unto salvation” (D&C 45:58). “Because of the righteousness of [the Lord’s] people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth” (1 Nephi 22:26).
Peace on the Earth
During the Millennium, there will be no war. People will live in peace and harmony together. Things that have been used for war will be turned to useful purposes. “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4; see also Isaiah 11:6–7; D&C 101:26).
Allen will be out of a job hehehe... not really but it will be nice not to have to fight or have war especially after the 2nd coming when the whole world will be full or war.
Righteous Government

President John Taylor taught: “The Lord will be king over all the earth, and all mankind literally under his sovereignty, and every nation under the heavens will have to acknowledge his authority, and bow to his scepter. Those who serve him in righteousness will have communications with God, and with Jesus; will have the ministering of angels, and will know the past, the present, and the future; and other people, who may not yield full obedience to his laws, nor be fully instructed in his covenants, will, nevertheless, have to yield full obedience to his government. For it will be the reign of God upon the earth, and he will enforce his laws, and command that obedience from the nations of the world which is legitimately his right” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001], 225).
No Death
During the Millennium, there will be no death as we know it. When people have lived to an old age, they will not die and be buried. Instead, they will be changed from their mortal condition to an immortal condition in “the twinkling of an eye.” (See D&C 63:51; 101:29–31.)
All Things Revealed
Some truths have not been revealed to us. All things will be revealed during the Millennium. The Lord said He will “reveal all things—things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven” (D&C 101:32–34).
Other Millennial Activities
In many ways, life will be much as it is now, except that everything will be done in righteousness. People will eat and drink and will wear clothing. (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 333.) People will continue to plant and harvest crops and build houses (see Isaiah 65:21).
• What are your thoughts and feelings about the conditions that will exist during the Millennium?
Im excited I know that we have only done a fraction of the temple work that needs to be done and I want to be a part of that. I also am looking forward to raising my children in a world were I will be a better mother and they will have a better place to grow up in.
One Final Struggle after the Millennium
• What will be the final destiny of the earth?
The earth will be covered with fire and then it will be the celestial kingdom.
At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be set free for a short time. Some people will turn away from Heavenly Father. Satan will gather his armies, and Michael (Adam) will gather the hosts of heaven. In this great struggle, Satan and his followers will be cast out forever. The earth will be changed into a celestial kingdom. (See D&C 29:22–29; 88:17–20, 110–15.)
Additional Scriptures
• Zechariah 14:4–9; 1 Nephi 22:24–25 (Jesus to reign on earth)
• Daniel 7:27 (Saints to be given the kingdom)
• D&C 88:87–110 (conditions during the Millennium)
• Revelation 20:1–3; 1 Nephi 22:26 (Satan to be bound)
• D&C 101:22–31 (enmity to cease; no death; Satan to have no power to tempt)
• Isaiah 11:1–9 (wolf and lamb to dwell together)
• D&C 43:31; Revelation 20:7–10 (Satan loosed for a little season)

Signs of the Second Coming

2010-09-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Chapter 43: Signs of the Second Coming,” Gospel Principles, (2009),251–56

Jesus Christ Will Return to the Earth

• What are some of the signs of the Second Coming?
War- natures upheaval- advancement of the gospel- wickedness
The Savior told Joseph Smith, “I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory … and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand” (D&C 29:11; see also chapters 44 and 45 in this book). Jesus has told us that certain signs and events will warn us when the time of His Second Coming is near.
For thousands of years, followers of Jesus Christ have looked forward to the Second Coming as a time of peace and joy. But before the Savior comes, the people of the earth will experience great trials and calamities. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be prepared for these troubles. He also expects us to be spiritually ready when the Savior comes in His glory. Therefore, He has given us signs, which are events that will tell us when the Savior’s Second Coming is near. Throughout the ages God has revealed these signs to His prophets. He has said that all faithful followers of Christ will know what the signs are and will be watching for them (see D&C 45:39). If we are obedient and faithful, we will study the scriptures and know of the signs.
Some of the signs foretelling the Second Coming of Jesus Christ have already been or are now being fulfilled. Others will be fulfilled in the future.
Wickedness, War, and Turmoil

Many of the signs are terrifying and dreadful. The prophets have warned that the earth will experience great turmoil, wickedness, war, and suffering. The prophet Daniel said that the time before the Second Coming would be a time of trouble such as the earth has never known (see Daniel 12:1). The Lord said, “The love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound” (D&C 45:27). “And all things shall be in commotion; and … fear shall come upon all people” (D&C 88:91). We can expect earthquakes, disease, famines, great storms, lightnings, and thunder (see Matthew 24:7; D&C 88:90). Hailstorms will destroy the crops of the earth (see D&C 29:16).

Jesus told His disciples that war would fill the earth: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. … For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6–7). The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “Be not discouraged when we tell you of perilous times, for they must shortly come, for the sword, famine, and pestilence are approaching. There shall be great destructions upon the face of this land, for ye need not suppose that one jot or tittle of the prophecies of all the holy prophets shall fail, and there are many that remain to be fulfilled yet” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 252).

Many of these signs are being fulfilled. Wickedness is everywhere. Nations are constantly at war. Earthquakes and other calamities are occurring. Many people now suffer from devastating storms, drought, hunger, and diseases. We can be certain that these calamities will become more severe before the Lord comes.
However, not all the events preceding the Second Coming are dreadful. Many of them bring joy to the world.
The Restoration of the Gospel

The Lord said, “Light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel” (D&C 45:28). Prophets of old foretold the Restoration of the gospel. The Apostle John saw that the gospel would be restored by an angel (see Revelation 14:6–7). In fulfillment of this prophecy, the angel Moroni and other heavenly visitors brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith.

The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon

The Lord told the Nephites of another sign: the Book of Mormon would come to their descendants (see 3 Nephi 21). In Old Testament times the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel foresaw the coming of the Book of Mormon (see Isaiah 29:4–18; Ezekiel 37:16–20). These prophecies are now being fulfilled. The Book of Mormon has been brought forth and is being taken to all the world.

The Gospel Preached to All the World
Another sign of the last days is that the “gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations” (Matthew 24:14; see also Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:31). All people will hear the fulness of the gospel in their own language (see D&C 90:11). Ever since the Restoration of the Church, missionaries have preached the gospel. The missionary effort has increased until now tens of thousands of missionaries preach in many countries of the world in many languages. Before the Second Coming and during the Millennium, the Lord will provide ways to bring the truth to all nations.
The Coming of Elijah

The prophet Malachi prophesied that before the Savior’s Second Coming, the prophet Elijah would be sent to the earth. Elijah would restore the sealing powers so families could be sealed together. He would also inspire people to be concerned about their ancestors and descendants. (See Malachi 4:5–6; D&C 2.) The prophet Elijah came to Joseph Smith in April 1836. Since that time, interest in genealogy and family history has grown. We are also able to perform sealing ordinances in the temples for the living and the dead.
Lehi’s Descendants Will Become a Great People
The Lord said that when His coming was near, the Lamanites would become a righteous and respected people. He said, “Before the great day of the Lord shall come, … the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose” (D&C 49:24). Great numbers of Lehi’s descendants are now receiving the blessings of the gospel.
Building of the New Jerusalem
Near the time of the coming of Jesus Christ, the faithful Saints will build a righteous city, a city of God, called the New Jerusalem. Jesus Christ Himself will rule there. (See 3 Nephi 21:23–25; Moses 7:62–64; Articles of Faith 1:10.) The Lord said the city will be built in the state of Missouri in the United States (see D&C 84:2–3).
These are only a few of the signs that the Lord has given us. The scriptures describe many more.
• What evidence do you see that the signs are being fulfilled?
The gospel is being taken all over the earth there are still many places to go but we are getting there. there is wars and tumults. False prophets and Christs.
Knowing the Signs of the Times Can Help Us
• How can we remain calm and at peace even when some of the signs are terrifying and dreadful?
We can be prepared to face them food storage out of debt and ready to die should we die.

Speaking of His Second Coming, the Lord said, “The hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven” (D&C 49:7). He taught this with the parable of the fig tree. He said that when we see a fig tree putting forth leaves, we can tell that summer will soon come. Likewise, when we see the signs described in the scriptures, we can know that His coming is near. (See Matthew 24:32–33.)

The Lord gives these signs to help us. We can put our lives in order and prepare ourselves and our families for those things yet to come.
We have been warned of calamities and told to prepare for them, but we can also look forward to the coming of the Savior and be glad. The Lord said, “Be not troubled, for, when all these things [the signs] shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled” (D&C 45:35). He said those who are righteous when He comes will not be destroyed “but shall abide the day. And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; … and their children shall grow up without sin. … For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver” (D&C 45:57–59).
Additional Scriptures

• 1 Corinthians 15:22–28 (the end cometh; death is done away)
• Matthew 16:1–4 (discern signs of the times)
• Matthew 24; D&C 29:14–23; 45:17–57; 88:87–94; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1 (signs of the Second Coming)
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6 (watch for the signs and prepare)
• D&C 38:30 (prepare so we might not fear)
• D&C 68:11 (we can know the signs)

The Gathering of the House of Israel

2010-09-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Chapter 42: The Gathering of the House of Israel,” Gospel Principles, (2009),245–50

The House of Israel Are God’s Covenant People
• What responsibilities do God’s covenant people have to the nations of the world?
Proclaim the gospel to everyone and then to build temples to redeem the dead.
Jacob was a great prophet who lived hundreds of years before the time of Christ. Because Jacob was faithful, the Lord gave him the special name of Israel, which means “one who prevails with God” or “let God prevail” (Bible Dictionary, “Israel,” 708). Jacob had twelve sons. These sons and their families became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, or Israelites (see Genesis 49:28).

Jacob was a grandson of Abraham. The Lord made an everlasting covenant with Abraham that was renewed with Isaac and with Jacob and his children (see chapter 15 in this book; see also the visual in this chapter, depicting Jacob blessing his sons). God promised that the Israelites would be His covenant people as long as they would obey His commandments (see Deuteronomy 28:9–10). They would be a blessing to all the nations of the world by taking the gospel and the priesthood to them (see Abraham 2:9–11). Thus, they would keep their covenant with the Lord and He would keep His covenant with them.

The House of Israel Was Scattered
Again and again prophets of the Lord warned the house of Israel what would happen if they were wicked. Moses prophesied, “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (Deuteronomy 28:64).
Despite this warning, the Israelites consistently broke the commandments of God. They fought among themselves and split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom, called the kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, called the kingdom of Judah. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel lived in the Northern Kingdom. During a war they were conquered by their enemies and carried away into captivity. Some of them later escaped into the lands of the north and became lost to the rest of the world.
About 100 years after the capture of the Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom was conquered. The capital city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 b.c., and many members of the remaining two tribes of Israel were taken captive. Later, some of the members of these tribes returned and rebuilt Jerusalem. Just before Jerusalem was destroyed, Lehi and his family, who were members of the house of Israel, left the city and settled in the Americas.
After the time of Christ, Jerusalem was again destroyed, this time by Roman soldiers. The Jews were scattered over much of the world. Today Israelites are found in all countries of the world. Many of these people do not know that they are descended from the ancient house of Israel.
• What benefits have come to God’s children because His covenant people have been scattered throughout the earth?
Preach the gospel every where. Blessings are all over the earth.
The House of Israel Must Be Gathered
• Why does the Lord want His people to be gathered?
there is much joy when we are all together- to work
• How will the house of Israel be gathered?
The Lord promised that His covenant people would someday be gathered: “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them” (Jeremiah 23:3).
God gathers His children through missionary work. As people come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ, receiving the ordinances of salvation and keeping the associated covenants, they become “the children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:26). He has important reasons for gathering His children. He gathers them so they can learn the teachings of the gospel and prepare themselves to meet the Savior when He comes again. He gathers them so they will build temples and perform sacred ordinances for ancestors who have died without having this opportunity. He gathers them so they can strengthen one another and be unified in the gospel, finding protection from unrighteous influences in the world. He also gathers them so they can prepare themselves to share the gospel with others.

The power and authority to direct the work of gathering the house of Israel was given to Joseph Smith by the prophet Moses, who appeared in 1836 in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:11). Since that time, each prophet has held the keys for the gathering of the house of Israel, and this gathering has been an important part of the Church’s work. The covenant people are now being gathered as they accept the restored gospel and serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 30:1–5).

The Israelites are to be gathered spiritually first and then physically. They are gathered spiritually as they join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and make and keep sacred covenants. This spiritual gathering began during the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith and continues today all over the world. Converts to the Church are Israelites either by blood or adoption. They belong to the family of Abraham and Jacob (see Abraham 2:9–11; Galatians 3:26–29).
President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “There are many nations represented in the … Church. … They have come because the Spirit of the Lord rested upon them; … receiving the spirit of gathering, they left everything for the sake of the gospel” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 3:256; italics in original).
The physical gathering of Israel means that the covenant people will be “gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:2). The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will be gathered in the Americas. The tribe of Judah will return to the city of Jerusalem and the area surrounding it. The ten lost tribes will receive from the tribe of Ephraim their promised blessings (see D&C 133:26–34).
When the Church was first established, the Saints were instructed to gather in Ohio, then Missouri, and then the Salt Lake Valley. Today, however, modern prophets have taught that Church members are to build up the kingdom of God in their own lands. Elder Russell M. Nelson said: “The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be ‘brought to the knowledge of the Lord’ [3 Nephi 20:13] without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. … The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is ‘the pure in heart.’ [D&C 97:21.] Zion is wherever righteous Saints are” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2006, 85; or Ensign, Nov. 2006, 81).

The physical gathering of Israel will not be complete until the Second Coming of the Savior and on into the Millennium (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37). Then the Lord’s promise will be fulfilled:

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
“But, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14–15).
• In what ways have you been gathered spiritually as one of the Lord’s covenant people?
Once We enter at baptism we are part of the church family we are goatherd home in that sense. We are now part of a great group or family with brothers and sisters from all over the world.
• In what ways have you participated in the gathering of others?
Setting an example and supporting the missionaries, I hope to go on a mission when Im older as well.
Additional Scriptures
• Genesis 17:1–8 (God’s covenant with Abraham)
• Romans 9:4–8; Galatians 3:29 (those who follow Jesus Christ and His word are the children of the covenant)
• 2 Nephi 30:2; Mosiah 5:10–11 (those who repent, follow the prophets, and have faith in Jesus Christ become the Lord’s covenant people)
• 2 Kings 17 (Northern Kingdom taken captive)
• 2 Chronicles 36:11–20 (Southern Kingdom taken captive)
• James 1:1 (twelve tribes scattered abroad)
• 1 Nephi 10:12–13 (Nephite migration was part of the scattering)
• Jeremiah 3:14–18 (one from a city, two from a family)
• Ezekiel 20:33–36 (Israel will be gathered from all countries)
• 3 Nephi 20:29–46 (Jews will be gathered to Jerusalem)
• 1 Nephi 15:13–18; 3 Nephi 21:26–29 (gathering starts with Restoration of the gospel)
• D&C 38:31–33 (the Lord’s covenant people will be saved)
• Isaiah 11:11–13 (the Lord will recover His people)
• Revelation 18:4–8 (a voice will proclaim the gathering)
• D&C 133:6–15 (Gentiles to Zion, Jews to Jerusalem)

The Postmortal Spirit World

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Chapter41: The Postmortal Spirit World,” Gospel Principles, (2009),240–44

Life after Death

• What happens to us after we die?

Our Spirit goes to Paradise or prisondepending on how we lived our life to await our resurrection and judgment andplacement in our degree of glory. Here we can be taught the gospel if we didn'thave it or teach the gospel to others if we did.

Heavenly Father prepared a plan for our salvation. As part of this plan, Hesent us from His presence to live on earth and receive mortal bodies of fleshand blood. Eventually our mortal bodies will die, and our spirits will go tothe spirit world. The spirit world is a place of waiting, working, learning,and, for the righteous, resting from care and sorrow. Our spirits will livethere until we are ready for our resurrection. Then our mortal bodies will oncemore unite with our spirits, and we will receive the degree of glory we haveprepared for (see chapter 46 in this book).

Many people have wondered what the spirit world is like. The scriptures andlatter-day prophets have given us information about the spirit world.

• What comfort do you receive from your knowledge that there is life afterdeath? That the people I love are not GONE. That I will see those Ilove and they will see me and that life here has a purpose that we must workhere because our reward is waiting - either for good or bad - for all that wedo.

How can we use our understanding of the postmortal spirit world to comfortothers? Let them know that families are meant to be eternal that isgods plan and if we do as we should we can be with those we love FOREVER.

Where Is the Postmortal Spirit World?

Latter-day prophets have said that the spirits of those who have died arenot far from us. President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Sometimes the veil betweenthis life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have passedon are not far from us” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1971, 18; or Ensign, June1971, 33). President Brigham Young taught that the postmortal spirit world ison the earth, around us (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: BrighamYoung [1997], 279).

What Is the Nature of Our Spirits?

Spirit beings have the same bodily form as mortals except that the spiritbody is in perfect form (see Ether 3:16). Spirits carry with them from earththeir attitudes of devotion or antagonism toward things of righteousness (see Alma 34:34). They havethe same appetites and desires that they had when they lived on earth. Allspirits are in adult form. They were adults before their mortal existence, andthey are in adult form after death, even if they die as infants or children(see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 131–32).

• Why is it important to know that our spirits will have the same attitudesin the spirit world that they have now?

So that we can work on our weaknesses and make them strong andchange our attitudes if need be so that we are more fit for the kingdom. It ismuch easier to change our behaviors here with a body than it is with out one.

What Are the Conditions in the Postmortal Spirit World?

The prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon taught about two divisions or statesin the spirit world:

“The spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state ofhappiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, wherethey shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, whoare evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord;for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of thedevil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shallbe cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, andgnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive bythe will of the devil.

“Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and astate of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of Godupon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous inparadise, until the time of their resurrection” (Alma 40:12–14).

The spirits are classified according to the purity of their lives and theirobedience to the will of the Lord while on earth. The righteous and the wickedare separated (see 1 Nephi 15:28–30), but the spirits may progress as theylearn gospel principles and live in accordance with them. The spirits inparadise can teach the spirits in prison (see D&C 138).

Paradise

According to the prophet Alma, the righteous spirits rest from earthly careand sorrow. Nevertheless, they are occupied in doing the work of the Lord.President Joseph F. Smith saw in a vision that immediately after Jesus Christwas crucified, He visited the righteous in the spirit world. He appointedmessengers, gave them power and authority, and commissioned them to “carry thelight of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits ofmen” (D&C 138:30).

The Church is organized in the spirit world, and priesthood holders continuetheir responsibilities there (see D&C 138:30). President Wilford Woodrufftaught: “The same Priesthood exists on the other side of the veil. … EveryApostle, every Seventy, every Elder, etc., who has died in the faith as soon ashe passes to the other side of the veil, enters into the work of the ministry”(Deseret News, Jan. 25, 1882, 818).

Family relationships are also important. President Jedediah M. Grant, acounselor to Brigham Young, saw the spirit world and described to Heber C.Kimball the organization that exists there: “He said that the people he theresaw were organized in family capacities. … He said, ‘When I looked at families,there was a deficiency in some, … for I saw families that would not bepermitted to come and dwell together, because they had not honored theircalling here’” (Deseret News, Dec. 10, 1856, 316–17).

Spirit Prison

The Apostle Peter referred to the postmortal spirit world as a prison, whichit is for some (see 1 Peter 3:18–20). In the spirit prison are the spirits ofthose who have not yet received the gospel of Jesus Christ. These spirits haveagency and may be enticed by both good and evil. If they accept the gospel andthe ordinances performed for them in the temples, they may leave the spiritprison and dwell in paradise.

Also in the spirit prison are those who rejected the gospel after it waspreached to them either on earth or in the spirit prison. These spirits sufferin a condition known as hell. They have removed themselves from the mercy ofJesus Christ, who said, “Behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all,that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repentthey must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, thegreatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and tosuffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:16–18). After suffering for theirsins, they will be allowed, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to inheritthe lowest degree of glory, which is the telestial kingdom.

• How are conditions in the spirit world similar to conditions in this life?

Agency is eternal - spirits can choose Christ and the plan ofsalvation if they want to they are also free to deny it. The same work ofconverting souls to Christ here is going on up in "heaven". Missionarywork is a big calling.

Additional Scriptures

• 1 Peter 4:6 (gospel preached to the dead)

• Moses 7:37–39 (spirit prison prepared for the wicked)

• D&C 76 (revelation about the three kingdoms of glory)

• Luke 16:19–31 (fate of beggar and rich man in the spirit world)

Temple Work and Family History

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Chapter 40: Temple Work and Family History,” Gospel Principles, (2009),233–39

Heavenly Father Wants His Children to Return to Him

The Atonement of Jesus Christ assures each of us that we will be resurrected and live forever. But if we are to live forever with our families in Heavenly Father’s presence, we must do all that the Savior commands us to do. This includes being baptized and confirmed and receiving the ordinances of the temple.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have each been baptized and confirmed by one having the proper priesthood authority. Each of us may also go to the temple to receive the saving priesthood ordinances performed there. But many of God’s children have not had these same opportunities. They lived at a time or place when the gospel was not available to them.

Heavenly Father wants all of His children to return and live with Him. For those who died without baptism or the temple ordinances, He has provided a way for this to happen. He has asked us to perform ordinances for our ancestors in the temples.

Temples of the Lord
• Why are temples important in our lives?
They are places where we can gain the knowledge we need and make the covenants we need to make to be worthy to come back and live with God and Christ. They are also places were we can get these blessings for our ancestors. They are also places to be close to our father in heaven.

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are special buildings dedicated to the Lord. Worthy Church members may go there to receive sacred ordinances and make covenants with God. Like baptism, these ordinances and covenants are necessary for our salvation. They must be performed in the temples of the Lord.

We also go to the temple to learn more about Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We gain a better understanding of our purpose in life and our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We are taught about our premortal existence, the meaning of earth life, and life after death.

Temple Ordinances Seal Families Together Forever
• What does it mean to be sealed?
It means that our family relationships can be preserved after death that we will not be separated but that we are boun together if we live as we should.

All temple ordinances are performed by the power of the priesthood. Through this power, ordinances performed on earth are sealed, or bound, in heaven. The Savior taught His Apostles, “Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven” (Matthew 16:19; see also D&C 132:7).

Only in the temple can we be sealed together forever as families. Marriage in the temple joins a man and woman as husband and wife eternally if they honor their covenants. Baptism and all other ordinances prepare us for this sacred event.

When a man and woman are married in the temple, their children who are born thereafter also become part of their eternal family. Couples who have been married civilly can receive these blessings by preparing themselves and their children to go to the temple and be sealed to each other. Parents who adopt children legally may have those children sealed to them.

• What must a couple do to make the sealing power effective in their marriage?
Keep the covenants they Make in the temple and at baptism Try to do all they can to be like Christ Endure to the end.
Our Ancestors Need Our Help
• What responsibilities do we have toward our ancestors who have died without receiving priesthood ordinances?
Everyone needs to have a chance to accept the Gospel that includes those who lived with out it. You need a body to be baptized and to receive the ordinances of the temple- we do these ordinances for them and they can choose to accept or reject them as they wish.

Mario Cannamela married Maria Vitta in 1882. They lived in Tripani, Italy, where they raised a family and shared many wonderful years together. Mario and Maria did not hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ during their lifetimes. They were not baptized. They did not have the opportunity to go to the temple and be sealed together as an eternal family. At death, their marriage ended.

Over a century later a great reunion took place. Descendants of Mario and Maria went to the Los Angeles Temple, where a great-grandson and his wife knelt at an altar and served as proxies for the sealing of Mario and Maria. Tears filled their eyes as they shared in Mario and Maria’s joy.
Many of our ancestors are among those who died without hearing about the gospel while on the earth. They now live in the spirit world (see chapter 41 in this book). There they are taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who have accepted the gospel are waiting for the temple ordinances to be performed for them. As we perform these ordinances in the temple for our ancestors, we can share their joy.

• How does the doctrine of salvation for the dead show God’s justice, compassion, and mercy?
It would not be fair if only a few of us got to have the wonderful blessings of the temple. And this work for the dead does not Force anyone in to the kingdom of god they must accept the work that is done on their behalf.
• What experiences have you had doing temple work for your ancestors?
I love feeling like some one was so excited for me to do the work for them. I love going for me and remembering the covenants that I made and feeling the blessings that come from them.

Family History—How We Begin Helping Our Ancestors
• What are the basic steps of doing family history work?
Do your own work record dates places and events- Look up and preserve family history dates and stories. With the names and dates you have submit them to be ready to go to the temple.
Latter-day Saints are encouraged to participate in family history activities. Through these activities we learn about our ancestors so that we can perform ordinances for them. Family history involves three basic steps:

1. Identify our ancestors.
2. Find out which ancestors need temple ordinances performed.
3. Make certain that the ordinances are performed for them.

Most wards and branches have family history consultants who can answer questions and direct us to the resources we need. If a ward or branch does not have a family history consultant, the bishop or branch president can provide direction.
Identify Our Ancestors
To perform temple ordinances for our ancestors, we need to know their names. Many wonderful resources are available today to help us identify our ancestors’ names.

A good way to begin gathering information about our ancestors is to see what we have in our own homes. We may have birth, marriage, or death certificates. We may also find family Bibles, obituaries, family histories, or diaries and journals. In addition, we can ask relatives for information they have. After gathering information in our homes and from our ancestors, we can search other resources, such as FamilySearch.org. We may also visit one of the Church’s local family history centers.

How much we learn will depend on what information is available to us. We may have only a little family information and may be able to do no more than identify our parents and grandparents. If we already have a large collection of family records, we may be able to identify ancestors from generations further back in time.
We can keep track of the information we gather on family group records and pedigree charts.

Find Out Which Ancestors Need Temple Ordinances Performed
Temple ordinances have been performed for the dead since the early days of the Church. Consequently, some ordinances for our ancestors may have already been done. To find out which ancestors need temple ordinances, we can look in two places. Our own family records might have information about what has been done. If not, the Church has a record of all ordinances that have been performed in the temple. Your ward or branch family history consultant can help you in this effort.

Make Certain the Ordinances Are Performed
Many of our ancestors in the spirit world may be anxious to receive their temple ordinances. As soon as we identify these ancestors, we should arrange for this work to be done for them.
One of the blessings of family history work comes from going to the temple and performing ordinances in behalf of our ancestors. We should prepare ourselves to receive a temple recommend so that, when possible, we can do this work. If our children are 12 years old or older, they can share in these blessings by being baptized and confirmed for their ancestors.

If it is not possible for us to go to the temple to participate in the ordinances, the temple will arrange to have the ordinances performed by other Church members.
• How has the Lord helped you or members of your family find information about your ancestors?
I haven't had too much luck with this but I know that if I keep trying I will figure it out and be able to do more family history.
Additional Family History Opportunities
• What are some simple ways for someone with many other responsibilities to participate in family history work?
Go and do the ordinances, keep track of names and schedules or do family history on line for others.

In addition to providing temple ordinances for the ancestors we know about, we can help those in the spirit world in many other ways. We should seek the guidance of the Spirit as we prayerfully consider what we might do. Depending on our circumstances, we can do the following things:
1. Attend the temple as often as possible. After we have gone to the temple for ourselves, we can perform the saving ordinances for others waiting in the spirit world.
2. Do research to identify ancestors who are more difficult to find. Family history consultants can guide us to helpful resources.
3. Help with the Church’s indexing program. Through this program, members prepare genealogical information for use in the Church’s family history computer programs. These programs make it easier for us to identify our ancestors.
4. Contribute family history information to the Church’s current computer programs for family history. These programs contain genealogies contributed by people all over the world. They allow people to share their family information. Family history consultants can provide more information about the Church’s computer programs.

5. Participate in family organizations. We can accomplish much more for our ancestors as we work together with other family members.
• Think about what you can do to increase your participation in temple and family history work.
Additional Scriptures
• 1 Peter 4:6 (gospel was preached to the dead)
• Malachi 4:5–6; D&C 2:2; 3 Nephi 25:5–6 (mission of Elijah)
• 1 Corinthians 15:29; D&C 128:15–18 (work for the dead)
• D&C 138 (redemption of the dead)

The Law of Chastity

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Chapter 39: The Law of Chastity,” Gospel Principles, (2009),224–32

A Note to Parents
This chapter includes some parts that are beyond the maturity of young children. It is best to wait until children are old enough to understand sexual relations and procreation before teaching them these parts of the chapter. Our Church leaders have told us that parents are responsible to teach their children about procreation (the process of conceiving and bearing children). Parents must also teach them the law of chastity, which is explained in this chapter.
Parents can begin teaching children to have proper attitudes toward their bodies when children are very young. Talking to children frankly but reverently and using the correct names for the parts and functions of their bodies will help them grow up without unnecessary embarrassment about their bodies.
Children are naturally curious. They want to know how their bodies work. They want to know where babies come from. If parents answer all such questions immediately and clearly so children can understand, children will continue to take their questions to their parents. However, if parents answer questions so that children feel embarrassed, rejected, or dissatisfied, they will probably go to someone else with their questions and perhaps get incorrect ideas and improper attitudes.
It is not wise or necessary, however, to tell children everything at once. Parents need only give them the information they have asked for and can understand. While answering these questions, parents can teach children the importance of respecting their bodies and the bodies of others. Parents should teach children to dress modestly. They should correct the false ideas and vulgar language that children learn from others.
By the time children reach maturity, parents should have frankly discussed procreation with them. Children should understand that these powers are good and were given to us by the Lord. He expects us to use them within the bounds He has given us.
Little children come to earth pure and innocent from Heavenly Father. As parents pray for guidance, the Lord will inspire them to teach children at the right time and in the right way.
The Power of Procreation
• Why should parents teach their children about procreation and chastity? If children are not taught what is right they are more likely believe false ideas and or do things that are wrong. They my also get information from others that is not correct.
How can they appropriately do this?
Start young FHE's example and by answering questions corectly.God commanded each living thing to reproduce after its own kind (see Genesis 1:22). Reproduction was part of His plan so that all forms of life could continue to exist upon the earth.
Then He placed Adam and Eve on the earth. They were different from His other creations because they were His spirit children. In the Garden of Eden, He brought Adam and Eve together in marriage and commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth (see Genesis 1:28). However, their lives were to be governed by moral laws rather than by instinct.
God wanted His spirit children to be born into families so they could be properly cared for and taught. We, like Adam and Eve, are to provide physical bodies for these spirit children. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have stated, “We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). God has commanded us that only in marriage between a man and a woman are we to have sexual relations. This commandment is called the law of chastity.
The Law of Chastity
• What is the law of chastity?
To not have sex before you are married- and to only have sex with YOUR spouse after your are married.
We are to have sexual relations only with our spouse to whom we are legally married. No one, male or female, is to have sexual relations before marriage. After marriage, sexual relations are permitted only with our spouse.
To the Israelites the Lord said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). Those Israelites who broke this commandment were subject to severe penalties. The Lord has repeated this commandment in the latter days (see D&C 42:24).
We have been taught that the law of chastity encompasses more than sexual intercourse. The First Presidency warned young people of other sexual sins:

“Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body” (For the Strength of Youth [pamphlet, 2001], 27).

Like other violations of the law of chastity, homosexual behavior is a serious sin. Latter-day prophets have spoken about the dangers of homosexual behavior and about the Church’s concern for people who may have such inclinations. President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“In the first place, we believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We believe that marriage may be eternal through exercise of the power of the everlasting priesthood in the house of the Lord.
“People inquire about our position on those who consider themselves so-called gays and lesbians. My response is that we love them as sons and daughters of God. They may have certain inclinations which are powerful and which may be difficult to control. Most people have inclinations of one kind or another at various times. If they do not act upon these inclinations, then they can go forward as do all other members of the Church. If they violate the law of chastity and the moral standards of the Church, then they are subject to the discipline of the Church, just as others are.
“We want to help these people, to strengthen them, to assist them with their problems and to help them with their difficulties. But we cannot stand idle if they indulge in immoral activity, if they try to uphold and defend and live in a so-called same-sex marriage situation. To permit such would be to make light of the very serious and sacred foundation of God-sanctioned marriage and its very purpose, the rearing of families” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 91; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 71).
Satan Wants Us to Break the Law of Chastity
• What are some ways Satan tempts people to break the law of chastity?
Any way he can. Imodesty- porn- petting- movies- music-a little at a time.
Satan’s plan is to deceive as many of us as he can to prevent us from returning to live with our Heavenly Father. One of the most damaging things he can do is entice us to break the law of chastity. He is cunning and powerful. He would like us to believe it is no sin to break this law. Many people have been deceived. We must guard ourselves against evil influences.

Satan attacks the standards of modesty. He wants us to believe that because the human body is beautiful, it is something to flaunt and expose. Our Heavenly Father wants us to keep our bodies covered so that we do not encourage improper thoughts in the minds of others.
Satan not only encourages us to dress immodestly, but he also encourages us to think immoral or improper thoughts. He does this with pictures, movies, stories, jokes, music, and dances that suggest immoral acts. The law of chastity requires that our thoughts as well as our actions be pure. The prophet Alma taught that when we are judged by God, “our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God” (Alma 12:14).
Jesus taught, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27–28).
President Gordon B. Hinckley warned: “You live in a world of terrible temptations. Pornography, with its sleazy filth, sweeps over the earth like a horrible, engulfing tide. It is poison. Do not watch it or read it. It will destroy you if you do. It will take from you your self-respect. It will rob you of a sense of the beauties of life. It will tear you down and pull you into a slough of evil thoughts and possibly of evil actions. Stay away from it. Shun it as you would a foul disease, for it is just as deadly. Be virtuous in thought and in deed. God has planted in you, for a purpose, a divine urge which may be easily subverted to evil and destructive ends. When you are young, do not get involved in steady dating. When you reach an age where you think of marriage, then is the time to become so involved. But you boys who are in high school don’t need this, and neither do the girls” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 71–72; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 51).
Satan sometimes tempts us through our emotions. He knows when we are lonely, confused, or depressed. He chooses this time of weakness to tempt us to break the law of chastity. Our Heavenly Father can give us the strength to pass through these trials unharmed.

The scriptures tell about a righteous young man named Joseph who was greatly trusted by his master, Potiphar. Potiphar had given Joseph command over everything he had. Potiphar’s wife lusted after Joseph and tempted him to commit adultery with her. But Joseph resisted her and fled from her. (See Genesis 39:1–18.)

Paul taught, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Alma emphasized that we will “not be tempted above that which [we] can bear” as we “humble [ourselves] before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually” (Alma 13:28).
• How are modesty and chastity related? It is difficult to be chaste if you are immodest. Its difficult for others to think pure thoughts when you dress suggestively too. How can parents teach their children to be modest in dress, language, and behavior? Correct on the spot- be a good example.
• How can we fight the spread and influence of pornography?
Follow counsel keep the computer in a high traffic area with filters and a time limit. Screen movies and music.
• What promises has the Lord given us to help us overcome Satan’s temptations?
Families, other fun things to do,Prayer.
Breaking the Law of Chastity Is Extremely Serious
The prophet Alma grieved because one of his sons had broken the law of chastity. Alma said to his son Corianton, “Know ye not, my son, that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost?” (Alma 39:5). Unchastity is next to murder in seriousness.
If a man and a woman break the law of chastity and conceive a child, they may be tempted to commit another abominable sin: abortion. There is seldom any justifiable reason for abortion. Church leaders have said that some exceptional circumstances may justify an abortion, such as when pregnancy is the result of incest or rape, when the life or health of the mother is judged by competent medical authority to be in serious jeopardy, or when the fetus is known by competent medical authority to have severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth. But even these circumstances do not automatically justify an abortion. Those who face such circumstances should consider abortion only after consulting with their local Church leaders and receiving a confirmation through earnest prayer.
“When a man and woman conceive a child out of wedlock, every effort should be made to encourage them to marry. When the probability of a successful marriage is unlikely due to age or other circumstances, unwed parents should be counseled to place the child for adoption through LDS Family Services to ensure that the baby will be sealed to temple-worthy parents” (First Presidency letter, June 26, 2002, and July 19, 2002).
It is extremely important to our Heavenly Father that His children obey the law of chastity. Members of the Church who break this law or influence others to do so are subject to Church discipline.
Those Who Break the Law of Chastity Can Be Forgiven
Peace can come to those who have broken the law of chastity. The Lord tells us, “If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, … all his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him” (Ezekiel 18:21–22). Peace comes only through forgiveness.
President Kimball said: “To every forgiveness there is a condition. … The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. … There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 353).
For many people, confession is the most difficult part of repentance. We must confess not only to the Lord but also to the person we have offended, such as a husband or wife, and to the proper priesthood authority. The priesthood leader (bishop or stake president) will judge our standing in the Church. The Lord told Alma, “Whosoever transgresseth against me … if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also” (Mosiah 26:29).
But President Kimball warned: “Even though forgiveness is so abundantly promised there is no promise nor indication of forgiveness to any soul who does not totally repent. … We can hardly be too forceful in reminding people that they cannot sin and be forgiven and then sin again and again and expect repeated forgiveness” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 353, 360). Those who receive forgiveness and then repeat the sin are held accountable for their former sins (see D&C 82:7; Ether 2:15).
Those Who Keep the Law of Chastity Are Greatly Blessed
• What blessings do we receive as we keep the law of chastity?
Blessings from on high- respect- health- protection.
When we obey the law of chastity, we can live without guilt or shame. Our lives and our children’s lives are blessed when we keep ourselves pure and spotless before the Lord. Children can look to our example and follow in our footsteps.
Additional Scriptures
Matthew 19:5–9; Genesis 2:24 (marriage relationship is sacred)
• Titus 2:4–12 (instructions for chastity)
• 1 Corinthians 7:2–5; Ephesians 5:28 (loyalty to spouse)
• Revelation 14:4–5 (blessings for obedience to the law of chastity)
• Proverbs 31:10 (virtue praised)
• Alma 39:9 (do not go after the lusts of your eyes)
D&C 121:45 (let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly)
• Alma 42:16 (repentance does not come without punishment)
• Alma 42:30 (do not excuse yourself for sinning)
• D&C 58:42–43 (the repentant confess and forsake their sins)
_________________
Elaine S. Dalton and David L. Beck, “Dating and Virtue,” Ensign, Sep 2010, 14–20

Ten things parents can do to help their children prepare for dating.
As worldly morals continue to degenerate, they challenge and even threaten traditional beliefs of dating and marriage. These threats are aimed forcefully at the rising generation. Particularly when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex, members of the Church need to hold to the iron rod. This has never been more true with the principles of dating than it is now, say the leaders of the Church’s youth organizations.
"there’s a big challenge today, just being in the world,” explains Brother David L. Beck, Young Men general president. “Do we need to teach? Do we ever! We’ve got to counteract all the wrong messages that are coming, not only through the media, but also through associates and friends. Parents have a solemn responsibility to teach. It starts in the home.”
Here, Brother Beck and Sister Elaine S. Dalton, Young Women general president, share 10 ideas to help parents teach their children appropriate methods of dating and help safeguard young people from the pitfalls of the world.
1. Understand the doctrine of dating and celestial marriage.
“The first thing parents need to do is understand the doctrine,” says Sister Dalton. “The doctrine is the plan of salvation and includes celestial marriage, family, and parenthood. ‘The Family: A Proclamation to the World’ states that ‘marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.’ That’s why we’re here on the earth—to form eternal families.”
“I agree,” says Brother Beck. “The family proclamation also declares that ‘the family is central to the Creator’s plan … [and] is ordained of God.’ Marriage between a man and a woman is essential to His eternal plan and our eternal possibilities. The proclamation also has the doctrine for dating; it describes the boundaries on our physical relationships in that ‘the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between … husband and wife.’”1 (For a better understanding of what is meant by “sexual purity” and “immoral behavior,” please see the sidebar on page 18, “For the Strength of Youth: Sexual Purity.” )
Sister Dalton adds that young people also need to understand the role of agency and their own identity. “In the premortal council in heaven, all of us fought to have agency. But when you step over the line into immorality, you’re compromising the agency of another person. You’re actually tampering with a power that God has entrusted us with to create other lives. If Satan can get youth to break the law of chastity, he can frustrate the purposes that we fought for valiantly in the premortal realm.
“If we could see each other for who we really are—children of our Father in Heaven—we would treat each other with the reverence, respect, and dignity that our spiritual heritage demands,” says Sister Dalton. “When we understand our divine identity, it will define all of our relationships with each other.”
2. Don’t be influenced by the ways of the world.
The world, especially the media, would have us violate or ignore Heavenly Father’s teachings on dating and marriage. We don’t have to do that, says Brother Beck. “When we cross a line and engage in immoral behavior, we offend the Spirit, and when we lose that influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives, all those wonderful things that the Spirit provides to us are lost. Immoral behavior destroys faith. Nothing I’ve seen seems so destructive to faith as immoral behavior.”
That’s one of the main reasons parents have to be so careful about what messages their children receive. “We’re just immersed in incorrect worldly messages through the media. It’s an overflowing scourge. You can’t spend an hour on television without getting false messages that create distorted views of reality which are against God’s purposes for us here on the earth. That’s why pornography—and all the immorality it portrays—is so destructive to relationships. It dehumanizes. Be very careful with the media you let into your home.”
3. Teach that virtue is not outdated.
With all those messages, parents have to remind their children that prophetic counsel hasn’t changed. “The prophets and seers have been telling us this for years,” says Sister Dalton, “and we have the words of current prophets, seers, and revelators as well. That is why we added the value of virtue to the Young Women theme and values. The word ‘virtue’ means chastity. The core of a virtuous life is chastity and sexual purity.
“Parents, teach your children that the body is a temple. Make sure they understand that we must be pure in heart to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost. That means we need to live so that we are worthy to enter the temple—now!
“When young men and young women start dating, teach them to ask themselves, ‘Will this person in this relationship lead me to the temple?’ If they can’t honestly answer yes, then they ought to think about what they are doing and make some changes.”
4. Teach the appropriate seasons of dating.
In the Young Men and Young Women programs, youth receive guidance in addition to what they may receive in the home on interacting with the opposite sex, explains Brother Beck. To help youth interact properly and successfully, “the Church sponsors group activities. We hold mutual and combined activities for youth beginning at age 12. These teach youth the fundamental lessons about respect. At age 14, youth start having youth conferences, dances, and other activities. For the Strength of Youth clearly points out that dating can occur at age 16 under conditions such as group and double dates that are positive and help maintain self-respect.”
Dating in these circumstances doesn’t mean youth can’t or won’t have fun, according to Sister Dalton. “I’ve watched a lot of stake and multistake dance festivals, as well as mutual and service activities. Both the girls and the boys are excited to attend. And while they are having a good time, they learn appropriate social interaction and how to be respectful of one another, how to be careful about the way they dress. Even the Beehives and deacons learn how to honor one another in these wholesome settings. I believe that is why our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, says that he is an advocate of these activities.”
5. Encourage good friendships.
Proper dating and developing wholesome friendships are really about being a disciple of Jesus Christ, says Sister Dalton. “When I talk to young women about dating, I like to ask them to define what a friend is. I married my best friend. We became friends first. And he’s still my best friend.
I love Elder Robert D. Hales’s definition of a friend,” Sister Dalton continues. “‘True friends make it easier to live the gospel.’2 It is pretty simple. A person who brings out righteous qualities in you makes you better.”
Brother Beck says, “Teach young men about their priesthood responsibilities in the context of dating and how they should treat young women. Doctrine and Covenants 20 explains that a teacher should watch over the Church always and be with and strengthen the members. To the young men, I would say, ‘Think about that in the context of a relationship with a young woman you are watching over. You have this priesthood responsibility to watch over her when you are in her presence, to strengthen her. When you are with her, how are you strengthening and inviting her to come unto Christ?’”
Sister Dalton adds, “I call that being a guardian of virtue. I believe that these young men with priesthood power must be guardians of virtue. They must be virtuous themselves so that they can access that priesthood power and exercise it in purity and in holiness, and they also need to protect others’ virtue. And the young women also have to be guardians of their own virtue and guardians of the boys’.”
6. Set a positive example of dating and relationships.
"One of the most important things parents can do,” says Brother Beck, “is set the example by the respect they show each other and the joy they have in their relationship—seeing that it really is a wonderful thing. I don’t know that we could overstate what a motivator that is. Parents should try to model what a marriage can and should be.”
I agree,” says Sister Dalton. “Those things make a big difference when we start dating and looking for qualities we want in an eternal relationship. I think parents can teach and model respect in their homes.”
7. Use Church resources.
Brother Beck explains that in addition to the Church programs already mentioned, there are a number of excellent resources to help parents teach their children. “Parents can use For the Strength of Youth to teach what the prophets have written to us about dating. Don’t just read or memorize it. Take these standards and appreciate them as words from the Lord’s anointed, and really listen to make sure our children understand them. For the Strength of Youth will provide a great protection for them.”
Sister Dalton concurs. “I think every parent would be wise to use For the Strength of Youth as a family home evening resource, especially with teenagers.”
“There’s also the Family Guidebook,” adds Brother Beck. “It teaches the organization and purpose of a family. We also need to point out that families bring happiness to Heavenly Father’s children by teaching them correct principles in a loving atmosphere. Those principles are best taught by example in the home.”
“There’s another powerful resource—the Book of Mormon,” says Sister Dalton. “Dating practices and principles are contained right there. For example, Alma 39, with Alma’s advice to his son Corianton, is a very good place to start. Also in Doctrine and Covenants 88:40, the scripture says that light cleaveth to light and virtue loveth virtue. I think that’s a relationship scripture. We need to remember that good attracts good.”
8. Teach and influence by listening and spending time together.
Every point of teaching works better when we listen, says Brother Beck. “We need to emphasize the ability to listen with the Spirit so parents can really understand and have the kind of relationship in which a child will want to talk and open up.
“As a priesthood leader, I spend the vast majority of my time just listening. Sometimes you don’t need to say anything. It’s the same for parents. Parents need to teach, but they also need to listen and invite their children to express their feelings about what is going on.
“This can happen in family home evening, family council, at mealtimes, and in interviews,” Brother Beck continues. “During those times, listen and also express how you view these standards. Share your commitment, understanding, and appreciation for them.
“In addition, we need to spend time with our children and do things with them that they like to do—not just the things we want to do. This builds confidence and trust.”
9. Prepare in advance to deal with difficult situations.
“Parents can also teach what I call ‘refusal skills,’” says Sister Dalton. “Discuss with your children what situations might occur on dates and how they would react. Ask: ‘So what if you get in this situation? What will you do?’ Then let them actually act it out. Chances are good that they will do what they actually planned to do.
“The other thing is to help youth make ‘preplanned decisions and commitments.’ There are certain things you can decide right now, and you don’t ever have to decide them again. Then, in the heat of the moment, you don’t have to make that decision again. It’s made! When I was a teenager, if someone offered me liquor or a cigarette, I’d respond, ‘Are you kidding? I made that decision when I was 12. I’m not doing that.’ I made those decisions once. I never had to remake them.
“But make sure you teach them to believe in the power and principles of repentance. They are young. They will make mistakes. But they need to believe they can repent and get back on track.”
10. Let them know their parents and leaders trust them.
“Our youth need to know we believe in them,” says Brother Beck. “We need to encourage them to do hard things and sometimes to take the path that stretches them. When each of us as individuals confronts our fears, we discover who we are. We discover God in our lives and we develop confidence. Go forward in faith, knowing that the Lord will support you. His grace is sufficient to help us through challenging situations.”
Sister Dalton adds: “This generation of youth is the most noble and incredible ever. They’re uniquely positioned in the world right now to make a difference. And they are full of hope. They want to be validated for who they really are. They come with such nobility inside. We need to provide opportunities that foster authentic relationships and help them develop the feeling and knowledge of their own divine identity. Parents, you can do that. Teach them to focus on the temple and on being worthy to make and keep covenants. Teach them with love and respect, and they will develop those same patterns.”
For the Strength of Youth: Dating
“In cultures where dating or courtship is acceptable, dating can help you develop lasting friendships and eventually find an eternal companion. Date only those who have high standards and in whose company you can maintain your standards. A young man and a young woman on a date are responsible to help each other maintain their standards and to protect each other’s honor and virtue. You must honor the sanctity of the priesthood and of womanhood.
“Do not date until you are at least 16 years old. Dating before then can lead to immorality, limit the number of other young people you meet, and deprive you of experiences that will help you choose an eternal partner.
“Not all teenagers need to date or even want to. Many young people do not date during their teen years because they are not yet interested, do not have opportunities, or simply want to delay forming serious relationships. However, good friendships can and should be developed at every age.
“When you begin dating, go in groups or on double dates. Avoid going on frequent dates with the same person. Make sure your parents meet those you date. You may want to invite your dates to activities with your family. Plan dating activities that are positive and inexpensive and that will help you get to know each other. Do things that will help you and your companions maintain your self-respect and remain close to the Spirit of the Lord.”
For the Strength of Youth, pages 24–25.
For the Strength of Youth: Sexual Purity
“When you obey God’s commandment to be sexually pure, you prepare yourself to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple. You prepare yourself to build a strong marriage and to bring children into the world as part of a loving family. You protect yourself from the emotional damage that always comes from sharing physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage.
“Do not have any sexual relations before marriage, and be completely faithful to your spouse after marriage. Satan may tempt you to rationalize that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable when two people are in love. That is not true. In God’s sight, sexual sins are extremely serious because they defile the power God has given us to create life. The prophet Alma taught that sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder or denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:5).
“Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body.
“In cultures where dating or courting is acceptable, always treat your date with respect, never as an object to be used for your lustful desires. Stay in areas of safety where you can easily control your physical feelings. Do not participate in talk or activities that arouse sexual feelings.”
For the Strength of Youth, pages 26–27.
For more on this topic:
• Gordon B. Hinckley, “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 50–53.
Gordon B. Hinckley, “Your Greatest Challenge, Mother,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 97–100.
• Gordon B. Hinckley, “A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” Ensign, Jan. 2001, 2–11.
All three of these addresses are available from Distribution Services on a single DVD entitled, “President Hinckley Speaks to Parents and Youth,” item number 54591000 (DVD) or 53591000 (VHS).
• For the Strength of Youth, item number 36550000
• The Family Guidebook, item number 31180000
Our children are being challenged by the world’s teachings about relationships. Counteracting those wrong messages starts with parents in the home.
Be careful with the media you let into your home. The media immerses us in incorrect worldly messages that can destroy faith.
Participation in wholesome group activities helps youth learn to honor each other while having fun.
A true friend makes it easier to live the gospel, brings out righteous qualities in you that make you better, and helps you be a guardian of virtue.
Learn to listen with the Spirit so that you can understand your children and develop a relationship in which they will want to talk and open up to you.
Encourage youth to do hard things, and sometimes to take the path that stretches them. Let them know you believe in them. Let them discover who they are and come to know GodIllustrations by Dilleen Marsh
1. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102.
2. Robert D. Hales, “The Aaronic Priesthood: Preparing for the Decade of Decision,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2007, 49.

Eternal Marriage

2010-09-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Chapter 38: Eternal Marriage,” Gospel Principles, (2009),218–23

Marriage Is Ordained of God
Marriage between a man and a woman is a vital part of God’s plan. The Lord has said, “Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man” (D&C 49:15). Since the beginning, marriage has been a law of the gospel. Marriages are intended to last forever, not just for our mortal lives.
Adam and Eve were married by God before there was any death in the world. They had an eternal marriage. They taught the law of eternal marriage to their children and their children’s children. As the years passed, wickedness entered the hearts of the people and the authority to perform this sacred ordinance was taken from the earth. Through the Restoration of the gospel, eternal marriage has been restored to earth.
• Why is it important to know that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God?
So many people think that you dont need to get married... or like nuns or priests who believe that they will get closer to god by being single- nothing could be more wrong. God wants us to be married and to be married in the temple.
Eternal Marriage Is Essential for Exaltation
• What is the Lord’s doctrine of marriage, and how does it differ from the views of the world?
Its between a man and one woman...Its a convent made in the temple... done with the power of the priesthood... lasts forever if we are true to the covenant.
Many people in the world consider marriage to be only a social custom, a legal agreement between a man and a woman to live together. But to Latter-day Saints, marriage is much more. Our exaltation depends on marriage, along with other principles and ordinances, such as faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe that marriage is the most sacred relationship that can exist between a man and a woman. This sacred relationship affects our happiness now and in the eternities.
Heavenly Father has given us the law of eternal marriage so we can become like Him. The Lord has said:
“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it” (D&C 131:1–3).
Eternal Marriage Must Be Performed by Proper Authority in the Temple
• Why must a marriage be performed by proper authority in the temple to be eternal?
Its the only way its valid. Out side the temple we are married for time. Even if some one claims to marry for eternity outside the temple they are not doing it by the proper authority and its still not valid for the eternities.
An eternal marriage must be performed by one who holds the sealing power. The Lord promised, “If a man marry a wife by … the new and everlasting covenant … by him who is anointed, … and if [they] abide in [the Lord’s] covenant, … it … shall be of full force when they are out of the world” (D&C 132:19).
Not only must an eternal marriage be performed by the proper priesthood authority, but it must also be done in one of the holy temples of our Lord. The temple is the only place this holy ordinance can be performed.

In the temple, Latter-day Saint couples kneel at one of the sacred altars in the presence of their family and friends who have received the temple endowment. They make their marriage covenants before God. They are pronounced husband and wife for time and all eternity. This is done by one who holds the holy priesthood of God and has been given the authority to perform this sacred ordinance. He acts under the direction of the Lord and promises the couple the blessings of exaltation. He instructs them in the things they must do to receive these blessings. He reminds them that all blessings depend on obedience to the laws of God.

If we are married by any authority other than by the priesthood in a temple, the marriage is for this life only. After death, the marriage partners have no claim on each other or on their children. An eternal marriage gives us the opportunity to continue as families after this life.
Benefits of an Eternal Marriage
• What are the blessings of an eternal marriage in this life and in eternity?
I don't want to be with out my husband forever. I love my family and want to be with them too. Knowledge that if some thing happens -death- its not the end and we have gone to the temple so our family is eternal if we live as we should. It brings comfort.
As Latter-day Saints, we are living with an eternal perspective, not just for the moment. However, we can receive blessings in this life as a result of being married for eternity. Some of those blessings are as follows:
1. We know that our marriage can last forever. Death can part us from one another only temporarily. Nothing can part us forever except our own disobedience. This knowledge helps us work harder to have a happy, successful marriage.
2. We know that our family relationships can continue throughout eternity. This knowledge helps us be careful in teaching and training our children. It also helps us show them greater patience and love. As a result, we should have a happier home.
3. Because we have been married in God’s ordained way, we are entitled to an outpouring of the Spirit on our marriage as we remain worthy.
Some of the blessings we can enjoy for eternity are as follows:
1. We can live in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom of God.
2. We can be exalted as God is and receive a fulness of joy.
• How can an eternal perspective influence the way we feel about marriage and families?
Work harder to make them strong and happy and to work through problems.
We Must Prepare for an Eternal Marriage
• What can we do to help youth prepare for eternal marriage?
Teach them the difference it makes by being married in the temple. Go to the temple when 12 so they understand how wonderful it is there.

President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all the decisions and has the most far-reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness, but also with eternal joys. It affects not only the two people involved, but also their families and particularly their children and their children’s children down through the many generations. In selecting a companion for life and for eternity, certainly the most careful planning and thinking and praying and fasting should be done to be sure that of all the decisions, this one must not be wrong” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 193).

An eternal marriage should be the goal of every Latter-day Saint. This is true even for those already married by civil law. To prepare for an eternal marriage takes much thought and prayer. Only members of the Church who live righteously are permitted to enter the temple (see D&C 97:15–17). We do not suddenly decide one day that we want to be married in the temple, then enter the temple that day and get married. We must first meet certain requirements.
Before we can go to the temple, we must be active, worthy members of the Church for at least one year. Men must hold the Melchizedek Priesthood. We must be interviewed by the branch president or bishop. If he finds us worthy, he will give us a temple recommend. If we are not worthy, he will counsel with us and help us set goals to become worthy to go to the temple.
After we receive a recommend from our bishop or branch president, we must be interviewed by the stake president or the mission president. We are asked questions like the following in interviews for a temple recommend:
1. Do you have faith in and a testimony of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost? Do you have a firm testimony of the restored gospel?
2. Do you sustain the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the prophet, seer, and revelator? Do you recognize him as the only person on earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys?
3. Do you live the law of chastity?
4. Are you a full-tithe payer?
5. Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?
6. Are you honest in your dealings with others?
7. Do you strive to keep the covenants you have made, to attend your sacrament and priesthood meetings, and to keep your life in harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?
When you ask for a temple recommend, you should remember that entering the temple is a sacred privilege. It is a serious act, not something to be taken lightly.
We must seek earnestly to obey every covenant that we make in the temple. The Lord has said that if we are true and faithful, we will enter into our exaltation. We will become like our Heavenly Father. (See D&C 132:19–20.) Temple marriage is worth any sacrifice. It is a way of obtaining eternal blessings beyond measure.
• What can we do to encourage young people to set a goal to be married in the temple? Take them there when 12 to go in and take them often to see the outside. Let them see you go. Talk about its importance.
How can we help them prepare for this?
Help them set goals that will help them be on the path that leads to the temple.
Additional Scriptures
• Genesis 1:26–28 (we should multiply and replenish the earth)
• Genesis 2:21–24 (the first marriage was performed by God)
• Matthew 19:3–8 (what God has joined)
• D&C 132 (the eternal nature of the marriage law)
• D&C 42:22–26 (marriage vows should be kept)
Jacob 3:5–7 (husbands and wives should be true to each other)

Family Responsibilities

2010-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Chapter 37: Family Responsibilities,” Gospel Principles, (2009),212–17

Responsibilities of the Parents
• What responsibilities do husbands and wives share in raising their children?
Teaching them the gospel. making sure they are provided with food clothing love education safety.
Each person has an important place in his or her family. Through prophets the Lord has explained how fathers, mothers, and children should behave and feel toward one another. As husbands, wives, and children, we need to learn what the Lord expects us to do to fulfill our purpose as a family. If we all do our part, we will be united eternally.
In the sacred responsibilities of parenthood, “fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). They should work together to provide for the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs of the family.
Some responsibilities must be shared by the husband and the wife. Parents should teach their children the gospel. The Lord warned that if parents do not teach their children about faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the sin will be upon the heads of the parents. Parents should also teach their children to pray and to obey the Lord’s commandments. (See D & C 68:25, 28.)
One of the best ways parents can teach their children is by example. Husbands and wives should show love and respect for each other and for their children by both actions and words. It is important to remember that each member of the family is a child of God. Parents should treat their children with love and respect, being firm but kind to them.
Parents should understand that sometimes children will make wrong choices even after they have been taught the truth. When this happens, parents should not give up. They should continue to teach their children, to express love for them, to be good examples to them, and to fast and pray for them.
The Book of Mormon tells us how the prayers of a father helped a rebellious son return to the ways of the Lord. Alma the Younger had fallen away from the teachings of his righteous father, Alma, and had gone about seeking to destroy the Church. The father prayed with faith for his son. Alma the Younger was visited by an angel and repented of his evil way of living. He became a great leader of the Church. (See Mosiah 27:8–32.)
Parents can provide an atmosphere of reverence and respect in the home if they teach and guide their children with love. Parents should also provide happy experiences for their children.
• How can husbands and wives support each other in their roles?
Help pick up the others slack. Realize that its a team effort and not one persons sole responsibility to parent. Pray for each other.
Where can single parents turn for support?
Church, family, Friends Visiting and Home teachers God

Responsibilities of the Father

• What positive examples have you seen of fathers raising their children?

My own dad going to games and concerts and trips, taking time to play with us, helping mom with her chores and school , working hard for the things we need. He taught me how to work and how to love to work, to do things right the first time (if you can), To sing when I work-even if others are listening and I don't know all the words.How to have good fun, He taught me that his time was important but that I was more important. Determination, how to pull practical jokes, how to tell others that I love them. And much much more. Allen teaching our kids about the gospel, playing with them, Pretending with Audrey, making sure they treat me nice and appreciate what I do, picks up my slack and takes them when I need it. He prays for them and blesses them, He explains the why? we do the things we do. He constantly surprises me with the good dad things he does.
“By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). A worthy father who is a member of the Church has the opportunity to hold the priesthood, making him the priesthood leader of his family. He should guide his family with humility and kindness rather than with force or cruelty. The scriptures teach that those who hold the priesthood should lead others by persuasion, gentleness, love, and kindness (see D & C 121:41–44; Ephesians 6:4).
The father shares the blessings of the priesthood with the members of his family. When a man holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, he can share these blessings by administering to the sick and giving special priesthood blessings. Under the direction of a presiding priesthood leader, he can bless babies, baptize, confirm, and perform priesthood ordinations. He should set a good example for his family by keeping the commandments. He should also make sure the family prays together twice daily and holds family home evening.
The father should spend time with each child individually. He should teach his children correct principles, talk with them about their problems and concerns, and counsel them lovingly. Some good examples are found in the Book of Mormon (see 2 Nephi 1:14–3:25; Alma 36–42).
It is also the father’s duty to provide for the physical needs of his family, making sure they have the necessary food, housing, clothing, and education. Even if he is unable to provide all the support himself, he does not give up the responsibility of the care of his family.
Responsibilities of the Mother

• What positive examples have you seen of mothers raising their children?

My mom and Grandma. Teaching the gospel very young teaching me how to do things like cook and clean and budget. She also taught me how to read, pray, play the piano, find my talents, encouraged me to explore new things, love for good music, how to serve others, be kind and Christ like, journal my life, be diligent in my calling, supportive, be Faithful, to be modest, that she loves me and wants to be with me always and much more.
President David O. McKay said that motherhood is the noblest calling (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 156). It is a sacred calling, a partnership with God in bringing His spirit children into the world. Bearing children is one of the greatest of all blessings. If there is no father in the home, the mother presides over the family.
President Boyd K. Packer praised women who were unable to have children of their own yet sought to care for others. He said: “When I speak of mothers, I speak not only of those women who have borne children, but also of those who have fostered children born to others, and of the many women who, without children of their own, have mothered the children of others” (Mothers [1977], 8).
Latter-day prophets have taught, “Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). A mother needs to spend time with her children and teach them the gospel. She should play and work with them so they can discover the world around them. She also needs to help her family know how to make the home a pleasant place to be. If she is warm and loving, she helps her children feel good about themselves.
The Book of Mormon describes a group of 2,000 young men who rose to greatness because of the teachings of their mothers (see Alma 53:16–23). Led by the prophet Helaman, they went into battle against their enemies. They had learned to be honest, brave, and trustworthy from their mothers. Their mothers also taught them that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them (see Alma 56:47). They all survived the battle. They expressed faith in the teachings of their mothers, saying, “We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:48). Every mother who has a testimony can have a profound effect on her children.
Responsibilities of the Children
How do children help their parents build a happy home?
By being obedient and helpful, asking questions and learning from parents, choosing to play and make friends at home.
Children share with their parents the responsibilities of building a happy home. They should obey the commandments and cooperate with other family members. The Lord is not pleased when children quarrel (see Mosiah 4:14).
The Lord has commanded children to honor their parents. He said, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land” (Exodus 20:12). To honor parents means to love and respect them. It also means to obey them. The scriptures tell children to “obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1).
President Spencer W. Kimball said that children should learn to work and to share responsibilities in the home and yard. They should be given assignments to keep the house neat and clean. (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 120.)
• What should children do to honor and respect their parents?
Speak kindly, tell them you love them, be obedient.
• What did your parents do that led you to honor and respect them?
Stayed together, prayed for me/us, taught us about the gospel, spent time with us and made time for fun things, respected me and my feelings, loved us unconditionally.
Accepting Responsibilities Brings Blessings
• What can each member of the family do to make home a happy place?
Be kind and show love to each other, do responsibilities so house runs smoothly, Make time to play with each other, Share and be helpful.
A loving and happy family does not happen by accident. Each person in the family must do his or her part. The Lord has given responsibilities to both parents and children. The scriptures teach that we must be thoughtful, cheerful, and considerate of others. When we speak, pray, sing, or work together, we can enjoy the blessings of harmony in our families. (See Colossians 3.)
• What are some traditions and practices that can make home a happy place?
FHE is a tradition, praying, Family Fun activities, spending time together, eating together.
Additional Scriptures and Other Sources
• Proverbs 22:6 (train up a child)
• Ephesians 6:1–3 (children are to obey parents)
• D & C 68:25–28; Ephesians 6:4 (responsibilities of parents)
• “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” (available on LDS.org and in many Church publications, including Ensign, Nov. 1995, page 102; For the Strength of Youth [item number 36550], page 44; and True to the Faith [item number 36863], pages 59–61)
• Family Guidebook (item number 31180)

The Family Can Be Eternal

2010-09-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

Chapter 36: The Family Can Be Eternal,” Gospel Principles, (2009),207–11

The Importance of Families
• Why did our Heavenly Father send us to earth as members of families?
So many reasons. One to help us to be happy, To be with those we love most, To learn how to take care of one another, Or family is teaching us how to be good eternal families.
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. … The family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).

After Heavenly Father brought Adam and Eve together in marriage, He commanded them to have children (see Genesis 1:28). He has revealed that one of the purposes of marriage is to provide mortal bodies for His spirit children. Parents are partners with our Heavenly Father. He wants each of His spirit children to receive a physical body and to experience earth life. When a man and a woman bring children into this world, they help our Heavenly Father carry out His plan.
Every new child should be welcomed into the family with gladness. Each is a child of God. We should take time to enjoy our children, to play with them, and to teach them.
President David O. McKay said, “With all my heart I believe that the best place to prepare for … eternal life is in the home” (“Blueprint for Family Living,” Improvement Era, Apr. 1963, 252). At home, with our families, we can learn self-control, sacrifice, loyalty, and the value of work. We can learn to love, to share, and to serve one another.
Fathers and mothers are responsible to teach their children about Heavenly Father. They should show by example that they love Him because they keep His commandments. Parents should also teach their children to pray and to obey the commandments (see Proverbs 22:6).
• Why is the home the best place to prepare for eternal life?
We want to be like our Father in heaven that means having spirit children in the here after. In order to do that we must be perfect parents This does not happen here none of us are perfect but we should strive to be the kind of parents our Father in heaven would want us to be. We can practice being god like here and learn how to take care of and teach one another.
• How can we help the youth of the Church understand the sacredness of the family and the marriage covenant?
Example help them see that the family is one of their biggest helps on the road to salvation. Stress that marrage should come before children. And that Eternal marrage should be their goal.
The Eternal Family

Families can be together forever. To enjoy this blessing we must be married in the temple. When people are married outside the temple, the marriage ends when one of the partners dies. When we are married in the temple by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we are married for time and eternity. If we keep our covenants with the Lord, our families will be united eternally as husband, wife, and children. Death cannot separate us.

Loving Family Relationships

• How can we develop greater harmony in our homes?

Speak kindly do things for one another. pray for each other.

Husbands and wives should be thoughtful and kind to each other. They should never do or say anything to hurt each other’s feelings. They should also try to do everything possible to make each other happy.

As parents come to know God and strive to be like Him, they will teach children to love one another. In the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin explained:
“Ye will not suffer your children … [to] fight and quarrel one with another. …
“But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:14–15).
As family members we can help each other feel confident by giving encouragement and sincere praise. Each child should feel important. Parents need to show they are interested in what their children do and express love and concern for their children. Children should likewise show their love for their parents. They should be obedient and try to live the kind of life that will bring honor to their parents and to their family name.

• What can parents do to encourage their sons and daughters to be good friends with one another? Spend time together find ways to serve each other.What can brothers and sisters do to nurture their friendship with one another? Talk and play, Do things together, Remember temple promises, pray for each other.

• What can husbands and wives do to help each other be happy?

Spend time together do special things. Help each other.

How to Have a Successful Family

• What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

Teach about the gospel, FHE, Family Fun, Family Chores ( need to do better at that) prayer and scriptures, Nurture them.

President Harold B. Lee taught, “The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee [2000], 134).
Satan knows how important families are to our Heavenly Father’s plan. He seeks to destroy them by keeping us from drawing near to the Lord. He will tempt us to do things that will draw our families apart.
The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities” (Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102).
All of us want to have happy, successful families. The following things will help us achieve this:
1. Have family prayer every night and morning (see 3 Nephi 18:21). Pray together as husband and wife.
2. Teach children the gospel every week in family home evening.
3. Study the scriptures regularly as a family.
4. Do things together as a family, such as work projects, outings, and decision making.
5. Learn to be kind, patient, long-suffering, and charitable (see Moroni 7:45–48).
6. Attend Church meetings regularly (see DandC 59:9–10).
7. Follow the counsel of the Lord in DandC 88:119: “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.”
8. Keep a family history, perform temple work together, and receive the sealing ordinances of the temple.
The family is the most important unit in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church exists to help families gain eternal blessings and exaltation. The organizations and programs within the Church are designed to strengthen us individually and help us live as families forever.
• What can families do to work through difficult times?
talk about it pray about it ask for help, seek blessings, don't give up.
• What evidence have you seen that efforts such as family prayer, family scripture study, family councils, family meal times, and family home evening make a difference?
My own family not only did they make a difference but they made my childhood a good one.
Additional Scriptures and Other Sources
• Moses 2:27–28 (man and woman created and blessed)
• Genesis 2:24 (man to cleave unto his wife)
D&C 49:15–16 (God ordained marriage)
• Ephesians 6:4 (train children in righteousness)
• D&C 132:15–21 (eternal marriage)
• D&C 88:119–26 (instructions for a successful family)
• D&C 93:40–50 (the Lord commands parents to bring up their children in light and truth)
• “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (available on LDS.org and in many Church publications, Including Ensign, Nov. 1995, page 102; For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God [item number 36550], page 44; and True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [item number 36863], pages 59–61)

Obedience

2010-09-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Chapter 35: Obedience,” Gospel Principles, (2009),200–206

We Should Obey God Willingly
• What difference does it make to obey willingly rather than unwillingly?
Doing something because you want to do it makes you happy doing something because you have to do it can be frustrating. Wanting to do what heavenly father wants you to do can help you be happy. Keeping the commandments and doing his will because you have to means you don't have a pure heart and you cant get all the blessings that you could for doing the same thing with gladness.
When Jesus was on the earth, a lawyer asked Him a question:
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36–40).
From these scriptures we learn how important it is for us to love the Lord and our neighbors. But how do we show our love for the Lord?
By doing His will and doing it willingly.
Jesus answered this question when He said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father” (John 14:21).
Each of us should ask ourselves why we obey God’s commandments. Is it because we fear punishment? Is it because we desire the rewards for living a good life? Is it because we love God and Jesus Christ and want to serve Them?
It is better to obey the commandments because we fear punishment than not to obey them at all. But we will be much happier if we obey God because we love Him and want to obey Him. When we obey Him freely, He can bless us freely. He said, “I, the Lord, … delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end” (D&C 76:5). Obedience also helps us progress and become more like our Heavenly Father. But those who do nothing until they are commanded and then keep the commandments unwillingly lose their reward (see D&C 58:26–29).
• How can we increase our desire to obey?
Remember Gods love for us and that should help us to want to love him back and do what he says.We Can Obey without Understanding Why
• Why do we not always need to understand the Lord’s purposes in order to be obedient?
Just like on earth our children don't always know the why or all of the why behind some of the things we tell them to do or not to do. But because then need to be obedient and be cause they love us they submit to our will. We don't have to know everything and we need to act by faith that all will turn out right.
By keeping God’s commandments, we prepare for eternal life and exaltation. Sometimes we do not know the reason for a particular commandment. However, we show our faith and trust in God when we obey Him without knowing why.

Adam and Eve were commanded to offer sacrifices to God. One day an angel appeared to Adam and asked why he offered sacrifices. Adam replied that he did not know the reason. He did it because the Lord commanded him. (See Moses 5:5–6 and the picture in this chapter.)

The angel then taught Adam the gospel and told him of the Savior who was to come. The Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, and Adam prophesied concerning the inhabitants of the earth down to the last generation. (See Moses 5:7–10; D&C 107:56.) This knowledge and great blessings came to Adam because he was obedient.
God Will Prepare a Way
The Book of Mormon tells us that Nephi and his older brothers received a very difficult assignment from the Lord (see 1 Nephi 3:1–6). Nephi’s brothers complained, saying that the Lord required a hard thing of them. But Nephi said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them” (1 Nephi 3:7). When we find it difficult to obey a commandment of the Lord, we should remember Nephi’s words.
• When has the Lord prepared a way for you to obey Him?
Help me to find time to do my scripture study even though free time is hard to come by with kids. He helped us to get to the temple. Helps me to forgive others.
No Commandment Is Too Small or Too Great to Obey

Sometimes we may think a commandment is not very important. The scriptures tell of a man named Naaman who thought that way. Naaman had a dreadful disease and traveled from Syria to Israel to ask the prophet Elisha to heal him. Naaman was an important man in his own country, so he was offended when Elisha did not greet him in person but sent his servant instead. Naaman was even more offended when he received Elisha’s message: wash seven times in the river Jordan. “Are not [the] rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?” he demanded. He went away in a rage. But his servants asked him: “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?” Naaman was wise enough to understand that it was important to obey the prophet of God, even if it seemed a small matter. So he washed in the Jordan and was healed. (See 2 Kings 5:1–14.)

Sometimes we may think a commandment is too difficult for us to obey. Like Nephi’s brothers, we may say, “It is a hard thing God requires of us.” Yet, like Nephi, we can be sure that God will give us no commandment unless He prepares a way for us to obey Him.
It was a “hard thing” when the Lord commanded Abraham to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice (see Genesis 22:1–13; see also chapter 26 in this book). Abraham had waited many years for the birth of Isaac, the son God had promised him. How could he lose his son in such a way? This commandment must have been exceedingly difficult for Abraham. Yet he chose to obey God.
We too should be willing to do anything God requires. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 160). This can be our rule also.
• When have you received blessings as a result of your obedience to commandments that seemed small?
The Word Of Wisdom is small thing to me and I am blessed by living it, Tithing is also an easy commandment and we have always had plenty. FHE and Scriptures and daily prayer are all easy things and I have been blessed and our family has been blessed and will be blessed as we do these things.
Jesus Christ Obeyed His Father
• What examples come to mind when you think of Jesus Christ obeying His Father?
The atonement is the big one.
Jesus Christ was the sublime example of obedience to our Heavenly Father. He said, “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). His whole life was devoted to obeying His Father; yet it was not always easy for him. He was tempted in all ways as other mortals (see Hebrews 4:15). In the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, saying, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).
Because Jesus obeyed the Father’s will in all things, He made salvation possible for all of us.
• How can remembering the Savior’s example help us be obedient?
We know that its hard sometimes but it is possible and that being obedient will make us happy. Being obedient will make us more like Christ.
Results of Obedience and Disobedience
• What are the consequences of obeying or disobeying the Lord’s commandments?
Disobedience leads us away from god. we are in Satan's power when we disobey. the more obedient we are the harder it is for Satan to tempt us because we will have the blessings from god and we will also have a strong testimony that being obedient to gods will is the right thing to do.The kingdom of heaven is governed by law, and when we receive any blessing, it is by obedience to the law upon which that blessing is based (see D&C 130:20–21; 132:5). The Lord has told us that through our obedience and diligence we may gain knowledge and intelligence (see D&C 130:18–19). We may also grow spiritually (see Jeremiah 7:23–24). On the other hand, disobedience brings disappointment and results in a loss of blessings. “Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled? I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing. Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled” (D&C 58:31–33).
When we keep the commandments of God, He fulfills His promises, as King Benjamin told his people: “He doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you” (Mosiah 2:24).
The Obedient Gain Eternal Life
The Lord counsels us, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7).
The Lord has described other blessings that will come to those who obey Him in righteousness and truth until the end:
“Thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.
“Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory.
“And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.
“Yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them, even the things of many generations.
“And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven. …
“For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man” (D&C 76:5–10).
• What does the phrase “endure to the end” mean to you?
Keep trying - do it when its hard- try not to complain about it.
• What can we do to stay true to gospel principles even when it is unpopular to do so? Know that what God thinks is more important than what is popular or what others think.
How can we help children and youth stay true to gospel principles?
Set good examples and teach them from a young age what is right and wrong.
Additional Scriptures
• Abraham 3:25 (we came to earth to prove our obedience)
• 1 Samuel 15:22 (obedience is better than sacrifice)
• Ecclesiastes 12:13; John 14:15; Romans 6:16; D&C 78:7; 132:36; Deuteronomy 4:1–40 (we should obey God)
2 Nephi 31:7 (Jesus Christ was obedient)
• Proverbs 3:1–4; 6:20–22; 7:1–3; Ephesians 6:1–3; Colossians 3:20 (children should obey their parents)
• D&C 21:4–6 (obey the prophet)
• John 8:29–32; Mosiah 2:22, 41; D&C 82:10; 1 Nephi 2:20 (blessings for obedience)
• D&C 58:21–22; 98:4–6; 134:5–7 (obey the laws of the land)
Isaiah 60:12; D&C 1:14; 93:39; 132:6, 39 (consequences of disobedience)
• 2 Nephi 31:16; D&C 53:7; Matthew 24:13; Luke 9:62 (endure to the end)

Developing Our Talents

2010-09-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Chapter 34: Developing Our Talents,” Gospel Principles, (2009),196–99

We All Have Different Talents and Abilities
We all have special gifts, talents, and abilities given to us by our Heavenly Father. When we were born, we brought these gifts, talents, and abilities with us (see chapter 2 in this book).
The prophet Moses was a great leader, but he needed Aaron, his brother, to help as a spokesman (see Exodus 4:14–16). Some of us are leaders like Moses or good speakers like Aaron. Some of us can sing well or play an instrument. Others of us may be good in sports or able to work well with our hands. Other talents we might have are understanding others, patience, cheerfulness, or the ability to teach others.
• How have you benefited from the talents of others?
There are so many things that I don't do well and Its nice to be able to ask others for the things that they do well that I do not.
We Should Use and Improve Our Talents
• How can we develop our talents?
Practice them often try and teach others... that will help us understand our own talent and provide service. Try new things and perhaps you will discover other talents.
We have a responsibility to develop the talents we have been given. Sometimes we think we do not have many talents or that other people have been blessed with more abilities than we possess. Sometimes we do not use our talents because we are afraid that we might fail or be criticized by others. We should not hide our talents. We should use them. Then others can see our good works and glorify our Heavenly Father (see Matthew 5:16).
There are certain things we must do to develop our talents. First, we must discover our talents. We should evaluate ourselves to find our strengths and abilities. Our family and friends can help us do this. We should also ask our Heavenly Father to help us learn about our talents.
Second, we must be willing to spend the time and effort to develop the talent we are seeking.
Third, we must have faith that our Heavenly Father will help us, and we must have faith in ourselves.
Fourth, we must learn the skills necessary for us to develop our talents. We might do this by taking a class, asking a friend to teach us, or reading a book.
Fifth, we must practice using our talent. Every talent takes effort and work to develop. The mastery of a talent must be earned.
Sixth, we must share our talent with others. It is by our using our talents that they grow (see Matthew 25:29).
All of these steps are easier if we pray and seek the Lord’s help. He wants us to develop our talents, and He will help us.
We Can Develop Our Talents in Spite of Our Weaknesses
• How can we develop our talents in spite of our weaknesses?
Pray for help, practice, ask for others to help teach you.
Because we are mortal and fallen, we have weaknesses. With the Lord’s help, our weakness and fallen nature can be overcome (see Ether 12:27, 37). Beethoven composed his greatest music after he was deaf. Enoch overcame his slowness of speech to become a powerful teacher (see Moses 6:26–47).
Some great athletes have had to overcome handicaps before they have succeeded in developing their talents. Shelly Mann was such an example. “At the age of five she had polio. … Her parents took her daily to a swimming pool where they hoped the water would help hold her arms up as she tried to use them again. When she could lift her arm out of the water with her own power, she cried for joy. Then her goal was to swim the width of the pool, then the length, then several lengths. She kept on trying, swimming, enduring, day after day after day, until she won the [Olympic] gold medal for the butterfly stroke—one of the most difficult of all swimming strokes” (Marvin J. Ashton, in Conference Report, Apr. 1975, 127; or Ensign, May 1975, 86).
Heber J. Grant overcame many of his weaknesses and turned them into talents. He had as a motto these words: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing is changed, but that our power to do is increased” (in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 35).
The Lord Will Bless Us If We Use Our Talents Wisely
President Joseph F. Smith said, “Every son and every daughter of God has received some talent, and each will be held to strict account for the use or misuse to which it is put” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 370). A talent is one kind of stewardship (responsibility in the kingdom of God). The parable of the talents tells us that when we serve well in our stewardship, we will be given greater responsibilities. If we do not serve well, our stewardship will eventually be taken from us. (See Matthew 25:14–30.)
We are also told in the scriptures that we will be judged according to our works (see Matthew 16:27). By developing and using our talents for other people, we perform good works.
The Lord is pleased when we use our talents wisely. He will bless us if we use our talents to benefit other people and to build up His kingdom here on earth. Some of the blessings we gain are joy and love from serving our brothers and sisters here on earth. We also learn self-control. All these things are necessary if we are going to be worthy to live with our Heavenly Father again.
• What are some examples of people whose talents have been magnified because they used them wisely? (Consider people you know or people in the scriptures or Church history.)
The Prophets gift for remembering the written word.
Additional Scriptures
• James 1:17 (gifts come from God)
• D&C 46:8–11; 1 Timothy 4:14 (seek and develop gifts)
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 (weak things made strong)
• Revelation 20:13; 1 Nephi 15:33; D&C 19:3 (judged by our works)
• Hebrews 13:21 (show good works)

Missionary Work

2010-09-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

Chapter 33: Missionary Work,” Gospel Principles, (2009),189–95

The Lord’s Church Is a Missionary Church
• In what ways is missionary work part of God’s plan for His children?
Here on earth and in the after life All god's children need to know about the gospel. They can choose to live it and accept it or reject it but in order for him to be a fair and just God everyone needs to hear about the Church and have the opportunity to gain the blessings of the temple.
The Lord revealed the gospel plan to Adam: “And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning” (Moses 5:58). Later, Adam’s righteous descendants were sent to preach the gospel: “They … called upon all men, everywhere, to repent; and faith was taught unto the children of men” (Moses 6:23).
All the prophets have been missionaries. Each in his day was commanded to preach the gospel message. Whenever the priesthood has been on the earth, the Lord has needed missionaries to preach the eternal principles of the gospel to His children.
The Lord’s Church has always been a missionary church. When the Savior lived on the earth, He ordained Apostles and Seventies and gave them the authority and responsibility to preach the gospel. Most of their preaching was to their own people, the Jews (see Matthew 10:5–6). After Jesus was resurrected, He sent Apostles to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He commanded the Apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

The Apostle Paul was a great missionary sent to the Gentiles. After he was converted to the Church, he spent the remainder of his life preaching the gospel to them. At different times during his mission he was whipped, stoned, and imprisoned. Yet he continued to preach the gospel (see Acts 23:10–12; 26).
Missionary work began again when the Lord’s Church was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Today the Apostles and Seventies have been given the chief responsibility for preaching the gospel and seeing that it is preached in all the world. The Lord told Joseph Smith: “Proclaim my gospel from land to land, and from city to city. … Bear testimony in every place, unto every people” (D&C 66:5, 7). In June 1830, Samuel Harrison Smith, the Prophet’s brother, began the first missionary journey for the Church.
Since that time, over one million missionaries have been called and sent forth to preach the gospel. The message they take to the world is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior. They testify that the gospel has been restored to the earth through a prophet of God. The missionaries are given the responsibility to preach the gospel to all people, to baptize them, and to teach them to do all things that the Lord has commanded (see Matthew 28:19–20). Latter-day Saint missionaries go at their own expense to all parts of the world to preach the gospel message.
The Gospel Will Be Preached to All the World
• What are some different ways the Lord has prepared for us to share the gospel?
As called missionaries, examples in what we do and say, Temples with places to learn about the church like visitor centers, pass along cards, the Internet, conference, magazines, And us we are all prepared in different ways to touch those we meet.
We have been told in latter-day revelation that we must take the restored gospel to every nation and people (see D&C 133:37). The Lord never gives us a commandment without preparing a way for us to accomplish it (see 1 Nephi 3:7). The Lord has prepared ways for us to teach the gospel in nations that were once closed to us. As we continue to pray and exercise faith, the Lord will open other nations to missionary work.
The Lord is also “inspiring the minds of great people to create inventions that further the work of the Lord in ways this world has never known” (Russell M. Nelson, in “Computerized Scriptures Now Available,” Ensign, Apr. 1988, 73). Newspapers, magazines, television, radio, satellites, computers, the Internet, and related technology help give the gospel message to millions of people. We who have the fulness of the gospel need to use these inventions to fulfill the Lord’s commandment: “For, verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every [person]” (D&C 58:64).
• In what ways have you seen technology used effectively to share the gospel?
the mormon messages, Internet chat Q&A, websites, and Conference now televised and or on the net so that we can ll hear the word of the Lord in our own tongue.
Missionary Work Is Important
• Why is it important for each person to hear and understand the gospel?
Because our eternal salvation depends on our accepting it or rejecting it.
“This is our first interest as a Church—to save and exalt the souls of the children of men” (Ezra Taft Benson, in Conference Report, Apr. 1974, 151; or Ensign, May 1974, 104). Missionary work is necessary in order to give the people of the world an opportunity to hear and accept the gospel. They need to learn the truth, turn to God, and receive forgiveness from their sins.
Many of our brothers and sisters on earth are blinded by false teachings and “are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it” (D&C 123:12). Through missionary work we can bring them the truth.
The Lord has commanded, “Labor ye in my vineyard for the last time—for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth” (D&C 43:28). As we teach the gospel to our brothers and sisters, we are preparing the way for the Second Coming of the Savior (see D&C 34:6).
We Should All Be Missionaries
• In what ways can we actively seek opportunities to share the gospel with others? be bold and keep our eyes open for opportunities to talk about the gospel. Pray for help.
In what ways can we prepare ourselves for such opportunities? Again Pray for help, Know the gospel, Know the missionaries,have a testimony and be ready to share it.
Every member of the Church is a missionary. We should be missionaries even if we are not formally called and set apart. We are responsible to teach the gospel by word and deed to all of our Heavenly Father’s children. The Lord has told us, “It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (D&C 88:81). We have been told by a prophet that we should show our neighbors that we love them before we warn them (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 262). They need to experience our friendship and fellowship.
The sons of Mosiah willingly accepted their responsibility to teach the gospel. When they were converted to the Church, their hearts were filled with compassion for others. They wanted to preach the gospel to their enemies the Lamanites, “for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble” (Mosiah 28:3). As the gospel fills our lives with joy, we will feel this kind of love and compassion for our brothers and sisters. We will want to share the message of the gospel with everyone who desires to listen.
There are many ways we can share the gospel. Following are some suggestions:
1. We can show friends and others the joy we experience from living the truths of the gospel. In this way we will be a light to the world (see Matthew 5:16).
2. We can overcome our natural shyness by being friendly to others and doing kind things for them. We can help them see that we are sincerely interested in them and are not seeking personal gain.
3. We can explain the gospel to nonmember friends and others.
4. We can invite friends who are interested in learning more about the gospel into our homes to be taught by the missionaries. If our nonmember friends live too far away, we can request that missionaries in their areas visit them.
5. We can teach our children the importance of sharing the gospel, and we can prepare them spiritually and financially to go on missions. We can also prepare ourselves to serve full-time missions in our senior years.
6. We can pay our tithing and contribute to the missionary fund. These donations are used for furthering missionary work.
7. We can contribute to the ward, branch, or general missionary fund to give financial support to missionaries whose families are unable to support them.
8. We can do family history research and temple work to help our ancestors receive the full blessings of the gospel.
9. We can invite nonmembers to activities such as family home evenings and Church socials, conferences, and meetings.

10. We can give copies of Church magazines. We can also share gospel messages by using features available on the Church’s official Internet sites, LDS.org and Mormon.org.

Our Heavenly Father will help us be effective missionaries when we have the desire to share the gospel and pray for guidance. He will help us find ways to share the gospel with those around us.
• Think about people you can share the gospel with. Decide how you will do so. Consider setting a goal to share the gospel with these people by a certain date.
The Lord Promises Us Blessings for Doing Missionary Work
The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that missionaries would receive great blessings. Speaking to elders who were returning from their missions, the Lord said, “Ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you” (D&C 62:3). He has also said that those who work for the salvation of others will have their sins forgiven and will bring salvation to their own souls (see D&C 4:4; 31:5; 84:61).
The Lord has told us:
“If it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
“And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:15–16).
• When have you experienced the joy of missionary work?
When I go VT I feel like Im sharing the Gospel even if it is with others who know it. Some times I have had sisters on my route that didn't know the Gospel well and I felt like a missionary. I am a missionary to my children I need to teach them what the plan of Salvation is all about.
Additional Scriptures

• D&C 1:17–23 (Joseph Smith commanded to preach)
• D&C 24:12 (Lord strengthens those who always seek to declare His gospel)
• D&C 38:41 (share the gospel in mildness and meekness)
• D&C 34:4–6; Acts 5:42 (gospel to be preached)
• D&C 60:1–2 (Lord warns those who are afraid to preach the gospel)
• D&C 75:2–5 (those who declare the gospel and are faithful will be blessed with eternal life)
• D&C 88:81–82 (all those who have been warned should warn their neighbors)
• Matthew 24:14 (gospel to be preached before the end shall come)
• Abraham 2:9–11 (gospel and priesthood to be given to all nations)

Tithes and Offerings

2010-09-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

Chapter 32: Tithes and Offerings,” Gospel Principles, (2009),184–88

Paying Tithes and Offerings
• How does our willingness to pay tithes and offerings show gratitude to our Heavenly Father for all His blessings to us?
We are ungrateful with we just take take take and never give to others. And its ungrateful to not give a small amount to some one who gives you every good thing you have ever been given.
We have been given commandments to help us prepare in every way to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. He has given us a way to thank Him for our blessings. Willingly paying tithes and offerings is one way we thank Him. As we pay these offerings, we show that we love Him and will obey His counsel.
• In what ways does the payment of tithes and offerings help us thank our Heavenly Father?
We can thank him by doing what he asks us to... and helping others tithing and fast offerings helps those around us.
Obeying the Law of Tithing
• What is an honest tithe?

10% of your increase.
Anciently, Abraham and Jacob obeyed the commandment to pay a tithe of one-tenth of their increase (see Hebrews 7:1–10; Genesis 14:19–20; 28:20–22).

In modern times the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed, “O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing” (D&C 119, section introduction). The Lord answered: “This shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever” (D&C 119:3–4). The First Presidency has explained that “one-tenth of all their interest annually” refers to our income (see First Presidency letter, Mar. 19, 1970).
When we pay tithing we show our faithfulness to the Lord. We also teach our children the value of this law. They will want to follow our example and pay tithing on any money they receive.
• In what ways is tithing a principle of faith more than a principle of finances?
Faith that God who can do every thing needs my 10 % to do his work. That we will be blessed for paying it. (I Have such a strong testimony of tithing that its not a principle of faith. I have never been tempted to not pay my tithing.)
• What can parents do to teach their children to pay tithing and understand its importance?
Start young let them give the envelop to the bishop. Let them see you pay tithing on money. Help them choose to pay tithing on their money.
We Should Give Willingly
• Why is our attitude important as we pay tithing?
The lord cant bless us as readily if we give grudgingly. You wont feel the joy of paying tithing if you do it with a grudging attitude.
It is important to give willingly. “When one pays his tithing without enjoyment he is robbed of a part of the blessing. He must learn to give cheerfully, willingly and joyfully, and his gift will be blessed” (Stephen L Richards, The Law of Tithing [pamphlet, 1983], 8).
The Apostle Paul taught that how we give is as important as what we give. He said, “Let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
• What does it mean to you to be a “cheerful giver”?
To be happy when paying your tithing be glad to give it to the lord.
Tithing and Other Offerings
• In what ways does the Church use tithing funds and other offerings?
Buildings, matterials, up keep, temples, Missionaries.
As members of the Church, we give tithing and other offerings to the Lord.
Tithing
Tithing is used by the Church for many purposes. Some of these are to:
1. Build, maintain, and operate temples, meetinghouses, and other buildings.
2. Provide operating funds for stakes, wards, and other units of the Church. (These units use the funds to carry out the ecclesiastical programs of the Church, which include teaching the gospel and conducting social activities.)
3. Help the missionary program.
4. Educate young people in Church schools, seminaries, and institutes.
5. Print and distribute lesson materials.
6. Help in family history and temple work.
Other Offerings

Fast Offerings. Church members fast each month by going without food and drink for two consecutive meals. They contribute at least the amount of money they would have spent for the meals. They may give as generously as they are able. This offering is called the fast offering. Bishops use these fast offerings to provide food, shelter, clothing, and medical care for the needy. (See chapter 25 in this book.)

As part of the fast day, members attend a meeting called the fast and testimony meeting, where they share with each other their testimonies of Christ and His gospel.
Other Donations. Church members may donate to other efforts of the Church, such as missionary work, the Perpetual Education Fund, temple construction, and humanitarian aid.
Service. Members also offer their time, skills, and goods to help others. This service allows the Church to help needy members and nonmembers around the world at community, national, and international levels, especially when disasters occur.
We Are Blessed When We Give Tithes and Offerings
The Lord promises to bless us as we faithfully pay our tithes and offerings. He said, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith … if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).
Latter-day revelation tells of another blessing for those who tithe: “Verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming” (D&C 64:23).
The blessings we have been promised are both material and spiritual. If we give willingly, Heavenly Father will help us provide for our daily needs of food, clothes, and shelter. Speaking to Latter-day Saints in the Philippines, President Gordon B. Hinckley said that if people “will accept the gospel and live it, pay their tithes and offerings, even though those be meager, the Lord will keep His ancient promise in their behalf, and they will have rice in their bowls and clothing on their backs and shelter over their heads. I do not see any other solution. They need a power greater than any earthly power to lift them and help them” (“Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign, Aug. 1997, 7). The Lord will also help us grow “in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel and to inspire our families to do the same” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 124).
Those who pay their tithes and offerings are greatly blessed. They have a good feeling that they are helping to build the kingdom of God on earth.
• What are some blessings you, your family members, or your friends have received through the payment of tithing and other offerings?
the knowledge that we are doing what is asked of us and that we can receive the blessings that we need when we need them.
Additional Scriptures
• D&C 119:1–4 (the law of tithing)
Genesis 14:18–20; Alma 13:13–16 (Abraham paid tithes)

Honesty

2010-08-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

Chapter 31: Honesty,” Gospel Principles, (2009),179–83
Honesty Is a Principle of Salvation

• What would society be like if everyone were perfectly honest?
different... lawyers politician's students and everyone would be influenced.
The 13th article of faith says, “We believe in being honest.” The Book of Mormon tells us about a group of people who were “distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end” (Alma 27:27). Because of their honesty, these people were noted by their fellowmen and by God. It is important to learn what honesty is, how we are tempted to be dishonest, and how we can overcome this temptation.
Complete honesty is necessary for our salvation. President Brigham Young said, “If we accept salvation on the terms it is offered to us, we have got to be honest in every thought, in our reflections, in our meditations, in our private circles, in our deals, in our declarations, and in every act of our lives” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 293).
God is honest and just in all things (see Alma 7:20). We too must be honest in all things to become like Him. The brother of Jared testified, “Yea, Lord, I know that thou … art a God of truth, and canst not lie” (Ether 3:12). In contrast, the devil is a liar. In fact, he is the father of lies (see 2 Nephi 9:9). “Those who choose to cheat and lie and deceive and misrepresent become his slaves” (Mark E. Petersen, in Conference Report, Oct. 1971, 65; or Ensign, Dec. 1971, 73).
Honest people love truth and justice. They are honest in their words and actions. They do not lie, steal, or cheat.
To Lie Is Dishonest
Lying is intentionally deceiving others. Bearing false witness is one form of lying. The Lord gave this commandment to the children of Israel: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). Jesus also taught this when He was on earth (see Matthew 19:18). There are many other forms of lying. When we speak untruths, we are guilty of lying. We can also intentionally deceive others by a gesture or a look, by silence, or by telling only part of the truth. Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.
The Lord is not pleased with such dishonesty, and we will have to account for our lies. Satan would have us believe it is all right to lie. He says, “Yea, lie a little; … there is no harm in this” (2 Nephi 28:8). Satan encourages us to justify our lies to ourselves. Honest people will recognize Satan’s temptations and will speak the whole truth, even if it seems to be to their disadvantage.
To Steal Is Dishonest
Jesus taught, “Thou shalt not steal” (Matthew 19:18). Stealing is taking something that does not belong to us. When we take what belongs to someone else or to a store or to the community without permission, we are stealing. Taking merchandise or supplies from an employer is stealing. Copying music, movies, pictures, or written text without the permission of the copyright owners is dishonest and is a form of theft. Accepting more change or goods than one should is dishonest. Taking more than our share of anything is stealing.
To Cheat Is Dishonest
We cheat when we give less than we owe, or when we get something we do not deserve. Some employees cheat their employers by not working their full time; yet they accept full pay. Some employers are not fair to their employees; they pay them less than they should. Satan says, “Take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor” (2 Nephi 28:8). Taking unfair advantage is a form of dishonesty. Providing inferior service or merchandise is cheating.
We Must Not Excuse Our Dishonesty
• What happens to us spiritually when we excuse our dishonesty?
We are trying to eccept evil for good and good for evil as it says in the scriptures. Accepting Excusing and Rationalizing dishonesty makes it that much easier to do it with other sins. Or Makes it easier to be dishonest about more and more things.
People use many excuses for being dishonest. People lie to protect themselves and to have others think well of them. Some excuse themselves for stealing, thinking they deserve what they took, intend to return it, or need it more than the owner. Some cheat to get better grades in school or because “everyone else does it” or to get even.
These excuses and many more are given as reasons for dishonesty. To the Lord, there are no acceptable reasons. When we excuse ourselves, we cheat ourselves and the Spirit of God ceases to be with us. We become more and more unrighteous.
We Can Be Completely Honest
• What does it mean to be completely honest?
To tell the whole truth and to have all your dealings be in the right.
To become completely honest, we must look carefully at our lives. If there are ways in which we are being even the least bit dishonest, we should repent of them immediately.
When we are completely honest, we cannot be corrupted. We are true to every trust, duty, agreement, or covenant, even if it costs us money, friends, or our lives. Then we can face the Lord, ourselves, and others without shame. President Joseph F. Smith counseled, “Let every man’s life be so that his character will bear the closest inspection, and that it may be seen as an open book, so that he will have nothing to shrink from or be ashamed of” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 252).
• In what ways does our honesty or dishonesty affect how we feel about ourselves?
I know the times I have been dishonest I have felt horrible. the guilt of it in most every case was worse than going back and putting it right. Being honest always makes me feel good... even when it can be embarrassing to be honest or uncomfortable to tell the truth I do feel good for being honest.
Additional Scriptures
Talks on Honesty
Richard C. Edgley October 2006 Three Towels and a 25-Cent Newspaper
There will never be honesty in the business world, in the schools, in the home, or anyplace else until there is honesty in the heart.

Be Honest David A. Bednar October 2005 New Era
Albert and Matilda had been married for 10 years when Albert was called in 1898 by President Lorenzo Snow (1814–1901) to serve as a missionary in Switzerland, his native land. At the time Albert received the call to serve, Matilda was expecting their fifth child. However, it never entered their hearts or minds to refuse the call.

Matilda assumed the total responsibility for the care of her young family, for their cotton farm, and for running the post office out of a small room in her home. Five months after Albert left on his mission, Matilda gave birth to twin girls, Edith and Ethel.
One day Matilda was attending to her duties in the post office. A man, as he was ready to depart after completing his postal business, gave her 25 cents to send to Albert in the mission field. I know 25 cents does not sound like much today, but to Matilda it meant a great deal! Matilda thanked the good brother, and then asked him if she could use 2 cents of the money to buy a stamp. She explained that she had written a letter to Albert a week or two earlier but did not have the 2 cents to purchase the necessary postage. The man agreed, and the letter was mailed.
Matilda was the manager of the post office. She easily could have borrowed and used a stamp—fully intending to repay the two cents when she was in a position to do so. And no one would have known. In her dire financial situation, it would have seemed reasonable to go ahead and mail her letter at the time she wrote it. But Matilda would have known! And she was a woman of integrity and honesty. She simply refused to use, in any way, something for which she could not pay. She also was careful to seek the man’s permission to use a portion of the money for a purpose other than that which he had intended.
The integrity and honesty of Matilda, my great-grandmother, have had a profound and lasting impact upon my life. She is an example of integrity and honesty with God, of integrity and honesty with herself, and of integrity and honesty with other people.
• D&C 50:17 (speak only by the spirit of truth)
• D&C 76:103–6 (destination of liars)
• D&C 42:27 (commandment not to speak evil of neighbors)
• Exodus 20:15–16 (commandments not to steal and not to bear false witness)
• D&C 42:20, 84–85; 59:6 (forbidden to steal)
• D&C 3:2 (God is honest)
• D&C 10:25–28 (Satan deceives)

Charity

2010-08-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

Chapter 30: Charity,” Gospel Principles, (2009),173–78
What Is Charity?
• How would you define charity?
The pure love of Christ... or loving someone no mater what and doing what you can for them no mater what they do or are.
The life of the Savior reflects His pure love for all people. He even gave His life for us. Charity is that pure love which our Savior Jesus Christ has. He has commanded us to love one another as He loves us. The scriptures tell us that charity comes from a pure heart (see 1 Timothy 1:5). We have pure love when, from the heart, we show genuine concern and compassion for all our brothers and sisters.
Charity Is the Greatest of All Virtues
The prophet Mormon tells us, “Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—but charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46–47; see also 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Nephi 26:30; Moroni 7:44–45, 48).
The Savior gave us the example of His life to follow. He was the Son of God. He had perfect love, and He showed us how to love. By His example, He showed us that the spiritual and physical needs of our fellowmen are as important as our own. Before He gave His life for us, He said:
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12–13).
Speaking to the Lord, Moroni said:
“I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world. …
“And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father” (Ether 12:33–34).
It may not be necessary for us to give our lives as the Savior did. But we can have charity if we make Him the center of our lives and follow His example and teachings. Like the Savior, we too can bless the lives of our brothers and sisters here on earth.
• Why is charity the greatest of all virtues?
It encompasses all the other virtues If we have charity we will by default have the other virtues in hand.

Charity Includes Giving to the Sick, Afflicted, and Poor

The Savior gave us many teachings in the form of stories or parables. The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us that we should give to those in need, regardless of whether they are our friends or not (see Luke 10:30–37; see also James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. [1916], 430–32). In the parable, the Savior said that a man was traveling to another city. On the road he was attacked by bandits. They stole his clothes and money and beat him, leaving him half dead. A priest came along, saw him, and passed him by. Then a temple attendant walked over, looked at him, and went on. However, a Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, came along, and when he saw the man he felt compassion (see the picture in this chapter). Kneeling beside him, the good Samaritan bandaged his wounds and took him on a donkey to an inn. He paid the innkeeper to take care of the man until he recovered.
Jesus taught that we should give food to the hungry, shelter to those who have none, and clothes to the poor. When we visit the sick and those who are in prison, it is as if we were doing these things for Him instead. He promises that as we do these things, we will inherit His kingdom. (See Matthew 25:34–46.)
We should not try to decide whether someone really deserves our help or not (see Mosiah 4:16–24). If we have taken care of our own family’s needs first, then we should help all who need help. In this way we will be like our Father in Heaven, who causes rain to fall on the just and on the unjust alike (see Matthew 5:44–45).
President Thomas S. Monson reminded us that there are those who need more than material goods:

“Let us ask ourselves the questions: ‘Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?’ [Hymns, no. 223]. What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace—to have inspired gratitude in another human being.

“Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2001, 72; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 60).
• In the parable of the good Samaritan, how would you describe those who passed the injured man? Selfish and proud.
How would you describe the Samaritan? Humble willing caring Christlike.
In what ways can we apply the message of this parable in our lives? Help those who are in need and goo the extra mile to help dont do the minimum.
Charity Comes from the Heart

• How can we love people in spite of their sins and faults?
Try to remove the person from the actions if they didnt act a certain way would you love them? Off course you would so treat them like they were a saintly grandma and love them for who they are in side.
Even when we give to those in need, unless we feel compassion for them we do not have charity (see 1 John 3:16–17). The Apostle Paul taught that when we have charity we are filled with good feelings for all people. We are patient and kind. We are not boastful or proud, selfish or rude. When we have charity we do not remember or rejoice in the evil others have done. Neither do we do good things just because it is to our advantage. Instead, we share the joy of those who live by truth. When we have charity we are loyal, we believe the best of others, and we are kind to them. The scriptures teach that “charity never faileth.” (See 1 Corinthians 13:4–8.)
The Savior was our example of how to feel toward and treat others. He despised wickedness, but He loved sinners in spite of their sins. He had compassion for children, the elderly, the poor, and the needy. He had such great love that He could beg our Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who drove the nails into His hands and feet (see Luke 23:34). He taught us that if we do not forgive others, our Father in Heaven will not forgive us (see Matthew 18:33–35). He said: “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. … For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?” (Matthew 5:44, 46). We must learn to feel toward others as Jesus did.
Developing the Virtue of Charity
• How can we become more charitable?
fast offerings more giving of time and talents share extra.
One way we can become charitable is by studying the life of Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments. We can study what He did in certain situations and do the same things when we are in the same kinds of situations.
Second, when we have uncharitable feelings, we can pray to have greater charity. Mormon urges us, “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love [charity], which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48).
Third, we can learn to love ourselves, which means that we understand our true worth as children of our Heavenly Father. The Savior taught that we must love others as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:39). To love ourselves, we must respect and trust ourselves. This means that we must be obedient to the principles of the gospel. We must repent of any wrongdoings. We must forgive ourselves when we have repented. We will come to love ourselves better when we can feel the deep, comforting assurance that the Savior truly loves us.
Fourth, we can avoid thinking we are better than other people. We can have patience with their faults. Joseph Smith said, “The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 428–29).
In the Book of Mormon we read of Enos, a young man who wanted to know that his sins had been forgiven. He tells us:
“My soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
“And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed” (Enos 1:4–5).

The Lord explained to Enos that because of his faith in Christ his sins had been forgiven. When Enos heard these words he no longer was concerned about himself. He knew the Lord loved him and would bless him. He began instead to feel concern for the welfare of his friends and relatives, the Nephites. He poured out his whole soul unto God for them. The Lord answered and said they would be blessed according to their faithfulness in keeping the commandments they had already been given. Enos’s love increased even further after these words, and he prayed with many long strugglings for the Lamanites, who were the enemies of the Nephites. The Lord granted his desires, and he spent the rest of his life trying to save the souls of the Nephites and the Lamanites. (See Enos 1:6–26.)
Enos was so grateful for the Lord’s love and forgiveness that he willingly spent the rest of his life helping others receive this same gift. Enos had become truly charitable. We too can do so. In fact, we must do so to inherit the place that has been prepared for us in our Father’s kingdom.
Additional Scriptures
• Colossians 3:12–14 (charity is the bond of perfectness)
• Alma 34:28–29 (our prayers are vain if we do not act charitably)
• 1 Corinthians 12:29–13:3 (definition of charity)
• D&C 121:45–46 (let us be full of charity toward all people)

The Lord’s Law of Health

2010-08-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter 29: The Lord’s Law of Health,” Gospel Principles, (2009),167–72
Our Bodies Are Temples of God
One of the great blessings we received when we came to earth was a physical body. We need a physical body to become like our Heavenly Father. Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our bodies are holy.
Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better people if we are healthy. The Holy Ghost can be with us if our bodies and minds are clean. Our Father knows that we face temptations to treat our bodies unwisely or to take harmful things into them. For this reason He has told us which things are good for our health and which things are bad. Much of the information God has given us concerning good health is found in Doctrine and Covenants 89. This revelation is called the Word of Wisdom.
We must obey the Word of Wisdom to be worthy to enter the temple. If we do not obey the Word of Wisdom, the Lord’s Spirit withdraws from us. If we defile the “temple of God,” which is our body, we hurt ourselves physically and spiritually.
We Are Commanded Not to Take Certain Things into Our Bodies
• What has the Lord commanded us not to take into our bodies?
Specifically alcohol or strong drinks, tea and tobacco, drugs. From latter day prophets anything that is addicting or damaging to our bodies including things we hear and see.

The Lord commands us not to use wine and strong drinks, meaning drinks containing alcohol. The First Presidency has taught that strong drink often brings cruelty, poverty, disease, and plague into the home. It often is a cause of dishonesty, loss of chastity, and loss of good judgment. It is a curse to all who drink it. (See “Message of the First Presidency,” Improvement Era, Nov. 1942, 686.) Expectant mothers who drink can cause physical and mental damage to their children. Many automobile accidents are caused each year by people who drink alcohol.

The Lord has also told us that “tobacco is not for the body” (D&C 89:8). It is harmful to our bodies and our spirits. We should not smoke cigarettes or cigars or use chewing tobacco. Scientists have shown that tobacco causes many diseases and can harm unborn children.
The Lord also counsels us against the use of “hot drinks” (D&C 89:9). Church leaders have said that this means coffee and tea, which contain harmful substances. We should avoid all drinks that contain harmful substances.
We should not use drugs except when they are necessary as medicine. Some drugs are even more harmful than alcohol and tobacco (which are also drugs). Those who misuse drugs need to seek help, pray for strength, and counsel with their bishop so they can fully repent and become clean.
We should avoid anything that we know is harmful to our bodies. We should not use any substance that is habit forming. We should also avoid overeating. (I need to work on that... this is difficult when nursing because I crave more food to make milk there is a fine line fore me a the full and satisfied and over eating.)The Word of Wisdom does not tell us everything to avoid or consume, but it does give us guidelines. It is a valuable temporal law. It is also a great spiritual law. By living the Word of Wisdom, we become stronger spiritually. We purify our bodies so the Spirit of the Lord can dwell with us.
• What are some things that are not specifically mentioned in the Word of Wisdom that we should avoid?
Energy drinks, addicting drinks like coke and surge sodas with high caffeine in them, miss using medicines, meth and other chemicals are not good. Porn and suggestive or satanic music should not enter our mind or body.
We Are Taught That Certain Things Are Good for Our Bodies
• According to the Word of Wisdom, what are some things the Lord says are good for us?
Wheat and Herbs, Meat and vegetable and fruit, A balanced of food, Sleep and rest, Work and exercise, Good fun stuff.
Fruits, vegetables, and wholesome herbs are good for us. We should use them with wisdom and thanksgiving.
The flesh of birds and animals is also provided for our food. However, we should eat meat sparingly (see D&C 49:18; 89:12). Fish is also good for us to eat.

Grains are good for us. Wheat is especially good for us.

• How has the use of these things blessed you?

I'm alive... keep me healthy... Keeps me happy, I love eating ripe fresh things it makes me feel blessed and they taste sooo goood.

Work, Rest, and Exercise Are Important

• What do work, rest, and exercise have to do with the Lord’s law of health?
If we only looked at the eat part and didn't get the sleep we needed or exercise then we are still not being healthy.
In addition to Doctrine and Covenants 89, other scriptures tell us how to be healthy. They tell us that we should “cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; … cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124). We are also told, “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work” (Exodus 20:9). The Lord counsels us not to labor more than we have strength for (see D&C 10:4).
A latter-day prophet has told us that we should keep our bodies healthy. He counseled, “Nutritious meals, regular exercise, and appropriate sleep are necessary for a strong body, just as consistent scripture study and prayer strengthen the mind and spirit” (Thomas S. Monson, in Conference Report, Oct. 1990, 60; or Ensign, Nov. 1990, 46).
Promised Blessings for Living the Lord’s Law of Health
• What blessings come to us as we obey the Word of Wisdom?
A long life a quickened mind, strength, health, blessings.
Our Heavenly Father has given us health laws to teach us how to care for our bodies. The scriptures tell us about God’s laws: “No temporal commandment gave I … , for my commandments are spiritual” (D&C 29:35). This means that His commandments concerning our physical state are for our spiritual good.
When we keep the Lord’s law of health and obey His other commandments, the Lord promises to bless us physically and spiritually.
Physically we have been promised good health. As a result of this good health we “shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint” (D&C 89:20). This is a great blessing, but the spiritual blessings He has promised us are even greater than the physical ones.

The Lord promises us that we “shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” (D&C 89:19). We will be taught important truths by the Holy Ghost through revelation. President Boyd K. Packer taught: “Our physical body is the instrument of our spirit. In that marvelous revelation the Word of Wisdom, we are told how to keep our bodies free from impurities which might dull, even destroy, those delicate physical senses which have to do with spiritual communication. The Word of Wisdom is a key to individual revelation” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, 16; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 14).

The Lord also promises that the destroying angel shall pass us by. President Heber J. Grant said, “If you and I desire the blessings of life, of health, of vigor of body and mind; if we desire the destroying angel to pass us by, as he did in the days of the children of Israel, we must obey the Word of Wisdom; then God is bound, and the blessing shall come to us” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 192).

• How can we help children and youth understand the eternal significance of the Word of Wisdom?

Live it point out examples of consequences for not living the WoW.
• What can we do to help family members or friends who have difficulty obeying the Word of Wisdom?
Be supportive set examples start at an early age to teach and train, Seek help when needed.
Additional Scriptures
• Judges 13:13–14; Proverbs 20:1; Isaiah 5:11–12; Daniel 1 (avoid strong drink)
• D&C 59:16–20 (things of the earth for the benefit of man)
• Proverbs 23:20–21 (warning against drunkenness, gluttony, laziness)
• D&C 136:24 (cease drunkenness)

Service

2010-08-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

Chapter 28: Service,” Gospel Principles, (2009),161–66
How We Can Serve
• Think about ways people have served you and your family members.
Calls Dinners baby sitting lawn mowing helping with callings blessings Home teaching, by doing their callings, on and on.
Jesus said, “I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:27). As true followers of Jesus, we also must serve others.
Service is helping others who need assistance. Christlike service grows out of genuine love for the Savior and of love and concern for those whom He gives us opportunities and direction to help. Love is more than a feeling; when we love others, we want to help them.
All of us must be willing to serve, no matter what our income, age, or social position. Some people believe that only the poor and lowly should serve. Other people think service should be given only by the rich. But Jesus taught otherwise. When the mother of two of His disciples asked Him to honor her sons in His kingdom, Jesus replied, “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26–27).
There are many ways to serve. We can help others economically, socially, physically, and spiritually. For example, we can share food or other articles with those who need them. We can help those in need by giving a generous fast offering. We can be a friend to a newcomer. We can plant a garden for an elderly person or care for someone who is sick. We can teach the gospel to someone who needs the truth or comfort someone who grieves.
We can do small and large acts of service. We should never fail to help someone because we are unable to do great things. A widow told of two children who came to her door shortly after she had moved to a new town. The children brought her a lunch basket and a note that read, “If you want anyone to do errands, call us.” The widow was gladdened by the small kindness and never forgot it.
Sometimes, however, we must sacrifice greatly to serve someone. The Savior gave up His life in serving us.
• Think about people in your family or community who are in need economically, socially, physically, or spiritually. Ponder things you can do to serve them.
Sisters with deployed husbands watch their children help in callings, emails and prayers , words of encouragement.
Why the Savior Wants Us to Serve Others
• Why does the Lord want us to serve others?
Its nothing but good for us. It makes us more like him, we help those around us, It makes us happy to serve , and it blesses those we serve. Teaches us humility and makes us grateful for things we have.

Through the service of men and women and boys and girls, God’s work is done. President Spencer W. Kimball explained: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 82).

Throughout our lives all of us depend on others for help. When we were infants, our parents fed, clothed, and cared for us. Without this care we would have died. When we grew up, other people taught us skills and attitudes. Many of us have needed nursing care during illness or money in a financial crisis. Some of us ask God to bless suffering people and then do nothing for them. We must remember that God works through us.
When we help one another, we serve God. King Benjamin, a great king in Book of Mormon times, taught his people this principle by the way he lived. He served them all his life, earning his own living instead of being supported by the people. In an inspired sermon he explained why he loved service, saying:
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. …
“And if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought not ye to labor to serve one another?” (Mosiah 2:17–18).
• What can we do to be ready to meet the needs of others?
Have our homes and lives in order so we can go and help when called for. Think of ways to help. Do a little extra - (cut the neighbors lawn when you do yours- make a little more dinner and take it to someone)This way you are meeting your needs and serving at the same time.
We Receive Blessings through Service
• What blessings do we receive through service to others?
Appreciation for the things we have and our own problems to work out, we become more Christ like.
When we serve others we gain important blessings. Through service we increase our ability to love. We become less selfish. As we think of the problems of others, our own problems seem less serious. We must serve others to gain eternal life. God has said that those who live with Him must love and serve His children (see Matthew 25:34–40).
When we consider the lives of people who serve unselfishly, we can see that they gain more than they give. One such person was a Latter-day Saint named Paul who lost the use of both legs in an accident. Some men might have become bitter and useless, but Paul chose to think of others instead. He learned a trade and earned enough money to buy a house. There he and his wife made room for many homeless, unwanted children. Some were badly handicapped. Until his death 20 years later, he served these children and others. In return he was greatly loved, and his thoughts turned away from his crippled legs. He grew close to the Lord.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, “We become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to ‘find’ ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 85–86).
Opportunities to Serve
Some of us serve only those we enjoy being around and avoid all others. However, Jesus commanded us to love and serve everyone. There are many opportunities to serve (see Mosiah 4:15–19).
We can serve members of our families. Husbands and wives should be aware of each other’s needs. Parents should serve their children not only by feeding and clothing them but also by teaching and by playing and working with them. Children can serve by helping with household chores and by helping brothers and sisters.

Husbands and wives serve and help each other. They can help each other take care of the children, and they can support one another in their individual interests and pursuits. A mother and father may sacrifice to send a child on a mission. An older boy may comfort a little sister who is afraid of the dark or help her learn to read. Our prophets have told us that a family is the most important unit in society. We must serve our families well (see Mosiah 4:14–15).

We have many opportunities to serve our neighbors, our friends, and even strangers. If a neighbor is having difficulty harvesting crops before a storm, we can help. If a mother is ill, we can watch her children or help with the housework. If a young man is falling away from the Church, we can lead him back. If a child is ridiculed, we can befriend him and persuade others to be kind. We do not need to know the people we serve. We should look for ways to serve as many of our Heavenly Father’s children as we can.
If we have special talents, we should use them to serve others. God blesses us with talents and abilities to help improve the lives of others.
We have opportunities to serve in the Church. One purpose of the Church organization is to give us opportunities to help each other. Members of the Church serve by doing missionary work, accepting leadership assignments, visiting other Church members, teaching classes, and doing other Church work. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there is no professional clergy, so the lay members must carry on all of the activities of the Church.
• How can we give enough time to our family, even with our many opportunities to give service in the Church and community?
Make service a family thing... you can serve others together.
Jesus Christ Is the Perfect Example of Service
• What are some of your favorite scripture stories in which the Savior sets an example of service?

When he blesses the sick and afflicted every where he goes. I see him in my minds eye helping to make and clean up food, playing with children, visiting with the lonely,helping lifting hauling using strong arms and tall arms to reach and get and lift. I see him just using every opportunity to help some one.The Savior provided the perfect example of service. He explained that He didn’t come to earth to be served but to serve and to give His life for us (see Matthew 20:28).

Jesus Christ loves all of us more than we can understand. When He was on earth He served the poor, the ignorant, the sinner, the despised. He taught the gospel to all who would listen, fed crowds of hungry people who came to hear Him, healed the sick, and raised the dead.

He is the Creator of the earth and our Savior, yet He did many humble acts of service. Just before His Crucifixion He met with His disciples. After teaching them, He took a basin of water and a towel and washed their feet (see John 13:4–10; see also the picture in this chapter). In those days washing a visitor’s feet was a sign of honor and was usually done by a servant. Jesus did it as an example of love and service. When we willingly serve others in the spirit of love, we become more like Christ.

• What can we learn from the Savior’s example of service?
Serve everyone all the time in every way.
Additional Scriptures
• Mosiah 2 (King Benjamin’s discourse on service)
• D&C 81:5 (succor, lift, strengthen)
• Colossians 3:23–24 (serve others as you would serve the Lord)
• Alma 17–18 (Ammon served the king)
Galatians 5:13 (serve one another by love)

Work and Personal Responsibility

2010-08-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter 27: Work and Personal Responsibility,” Gospel Principles, (2009),155–60

Work Is an Eternal Principle
• What experiences have you had that have shown you the importance of work?
When nothing gets done everyone is crabby because the system isn't working. When we work hard we feel satisfaction and we know that that we are doing is worth while (most of the time). Chores at home, going to school, having kids, these things are all hard work but they have all been important and meaningful and fulfilling.
Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have shown us by Their examples and teachings that work is important in heaven and on earth. God worked to create the heavens and the earth. He caused the seas to gather in one place and the dry land to appear. He caused grass, herbs, and trees to grow on the land. He created the sun, the moon, and the stars. He created every living thing in the sea or on the land. Then He placed Adam and Eve on the earth to take care of it and to have dominion over all living things. (See Genesis 1:1–28.)
Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17). He also said, “I must work the works of him that sent me” (John 9:4).
We Are Commanded to Work
Work has been the way of life on earth since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. The Lord said to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). Adam and Eve worked in the fields so they could provide for their own needs and the needs of their children (see Moses 5:1).
The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Six days shalt thou labour” (Exodus 20:9).
In the early days of the restored Church, the Lord told the Latter-day Saints, “Now, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them” (D and C 68:31).
A prophet of God has said, “Work is to be reenthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership” (Heber J. Grant, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 115).
Family Responsibility

• What are some responsibilities that fathers, mothers, and children have to maintain a home? We all need to work together to get things done. We each have our individual chores or responsibilities that make our home run smooth. We also do things as a family. What can family members do to share in the work? We can help one another we can do big jobs together we can try to make work fun.

Parents work together to provide for the physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being of their family. They should never expect anyone to take care of this responsibility for them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8).

Couples should seek inspiration from the Lord and follow the counsel of the prophets when establishing individual responsibilities. Creating a home where principles of the gospel are taught daily and where love and order abound is as important as providing the basic necessities of food and clothing.
Children should do their part in the work of the family. It is necessary for children to have work assignments to fit their abilities. They need to be praised for their successes. Good work attitudes, habits, and skills are learned through successful experiences in the home.
Sometimes people encounter hardships when trying to provide for their families. Chronic illness, the loss of a spouse, or the addition of an elderly parent can add to the responsibilities in a home. Our Heavenly Father remembers the families in these situations and gives them the strength to carry out their duties. He will always bless them if they ask Him in faith.
We Can Enjoy Our Work
• How does our attitude affect our work?
When we have fun and are silly and working as a family work is so much fun. When we are doing a chore on our own and with a grumpy attitude work can be a miserable experience.
To some people work is a drudgery. To others it is an exciting part of life. One way to enjoy life’s fullest benefits is to learn to love work.
Not all of us can choose the kind of work we do. Some of us labor for long hours for the bare necessities. It is difficult to enjoy such work. Yet the happiest people have learned to enjoy their work, whatever it is.

We can help one another in our work. The heaviest load becomes lighter when someone shares it.
Our attitude toward work is very important. The following story shows how one man saw beyond his daily labor. A traveler passed a stone quarry and saw three men working. He asked each man what he was doing. Each man’s answer revealed a different attitude toward the same job. “I am cutting stone,” the first man answered. The second replied, “I am earning three gold pieces per day.” The third man smiled and said, “I am helping to build a house of God.”
In any honest work we can serve God. King Benjamin, a Nephite prophet, said, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). If our work provides only enough for necessities for ourselves or our families, we are still helping some of God’s children.
• How can we improve our attitude about work?
Watch others who enjoy their work and do as they do. Pray for help, find ways to make it fun.
God Condemns Idleness
The Lord is not pleased with those who are lazy or idle. He said, “The idler shall not have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways” (D and C 75:29). He also commanded, “Thou shalt not be idle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer” (D and C 42:42).
From the earliest days of the Church, the prophets have taught Latter-day Saints to be independent and self-sustaining and to avoid idleness. True Latter-day Saints will not voluntarily shift from themselves the burden of their own support. So long as they are able, they will supply themselves and their families with the necessities of life.
As far as they are able, all Church members should accept the responsibility to care for their relatives who are unable to provide for themselves.
• How does idleness affect an individual? If you are idle you arnt moving forward you cant become the person that Heavenly Father wants you to be come if you don't work for it.
How does idleness affect a family?you place a hardship on some on else to do your responsibilities or they learn from your example and then you are teaching bad principles.
How does idleness affect a community? In a place where every one expects some one else to do things for them every one is crabby the ones who do things are crabby because there is too much work and the ones who don't do any thing are crabby because not enough is getting done but they aren't about to help. Things don't function as they should.
Work, Recreation, and Rest
• Why is it important to keep a balance in life between work, recreation, and rest?
God did and he is a God therefore if God needs to rest and work and enjoy things then we need to also. And if we focus too much in one of the areas then other people and aspects of your life suffer.
We should each find the proper balance between work, recreation, and rest. There is an old saying: “Doing nothing is the hardest work of all, because one can never stop to rest.” Without work, rest and relaxation have no meaning.
Not only is it pleasant and necessary to rest, but we are commanded to rest on the Sabbath day (see Exodus 20:10; D and C 59:9–12). This day of rest after each six days of labor brings refreshment for the days that follow. The Lord also promises the “fulness of the earth” to those who observe the Sabbath day (see D and C 59:16–20; see also chapter 24 in this book).
On other days of the week, in addition to working, we may spend time to improve our talents and enjoy our hobbies, recreation, or other activities that will refresh us.
• What can we do to keep a good balance between work, recreation, and rest? Have time set aside to do each of these things just like God does... He set the Sabbath day for rest and the other 6 for work. We can devote certain times to doing things that are productive and restful.How can parents help their children maintain this balance? Don't over schedule them and help them to find rest even amid school, music, and sports.
The Blessings of Work
• What are some blessings that come from honest work?
We are blessed when we work honestly by being paid and by knowing that we are in good standing with ourself, our employer, and God.
God revealed to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). In addition to being a temporal law, this was a law for the salvation of Adam’s soul. There is no real division between spiritual, mental, and physical work. Work is essential to each of us for growth, character development, and many satisfactions that the idle never know.

President David O. McKay said, “Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that the love of work is success” (Pathways to Happiness [1957], 381).

“Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Work is a key to full joy in the plan of God. If we are righteous, we will return to live with our Heavenly Father, and we will have work to do. As we become like Him, our work will become like His work. His work is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).

Additional Scriptures
• Moses 4:23–25 (Adam told that he would work all his life for his food)
• D & C 56:16–17 (God warns the rich and poor against greed, envy, and laziness)
• D & C 58:26–29 (men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause)
• Matthew 25:14–30 (parable of the talents)
• Ephesians 4:28 (steal no more but rather labor)
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (work with your own hands)
2 Nephi 5:17 (Nephi taught his people to work and be industrious)

Sacrifice

2010-08-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter 26: Sacrifice,” Gospel Principles, (2009),149–54
The Meaning of Sacrifice
Sacrifice means giving to the Lord whatever He requires of our time, our earthly possessions, and our energies to further His work. The Lord commanded, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Our willingness to sacrifice is an indication of our devotion to God. People have always been tried and tested to see if they will put the things of God first in their lives.

• Why is it important to sacrifice as the Lord asks without expecting anything in return?
Because if you are expecting blessings in return or honor or praise you are not sacrificing with a pure heart.

The Law of Sacrifice Was Practiced Anciently
• What was the significance of the sacrifices performed by the Lord’s covenant people anciently?
They were a type or a symbol of Christ and his sacrifice for us it was a way for them to give up their very best to help others and to remember that Christ would come.

From the time of Adam and Eve to the time of Jesus Christ, the Lord’s people practiced the law of sacrifice. They were commanded to offer as sacrifices the firstlings of their flocks. These animals had to be perfect, without blemish. The ordinance was given to remind the people that Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of the Father, would come into the world. He would be perfect in every way, and He would offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. (See Moses 5:5–8.)

Jesus did come and offer Himself as a sacrifice, just as the people had been taught He would. Because of His sacrifice, everyone will be saved from physical death by the Resurrection and all can be saved from their sins through faith in Jesus Christ (see chapter 12 in this book).
Christ’s atoning sacrifice marked the end of sacrifices by the shedding of blood. Such outward sacrifice was replaced by the ordinance of the sacrament. The ordinance of the sacrament was given to remind us of the Savior’s great sacrifice. We should partake of the sacrament often. The emblems of bread and water remind us of the Savior’s body and of His blood, which He shed for us (see chapter 23 in this book).
• Why is the Atonement considered the great and last sacrifice?
We don't offer sacrifices of blood any more because we don't have to look to the coming of the atonement instead we remember the atonement that has all ready taken place.We Still Must Sacrifice

• How do we observe the law of sacrifice today?
We offer up our time talents and all that the Lord has blessed us with to build up his kingdom on the Earth and we are to be pure in Heart and come to him with the right attitude (contrite spirit).
Even though sacrifice by the shedding of blood was ended, the Lord still asks us to sacrifice. But now He requires a different kind of offering. He said: “Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, … and your burnt offerings shall be done away. … And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (3 Nephi 9:19–20). A “broken heart and a contrite spirit” means that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.
We Must Be Willing to Sacrifice Everything We Have to the Lord
• Why are people willing to make sacrifices?
I do it because I want to be obedient, I know that with all the blessings I have been given there is very little that I am asked to give and therefore I am willing to give more and do more. I know that I will be blessed and in the end it’s not really a sacrifice at all.
The Apostle Paul wrote that we should become living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God (see Romans 12:1).
If we are to be a living sacrifice, we must be willing to give everything we have for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—to build the kingdom of God on the earth and labor to bring forth Zion (see 1 Nephi 13:37).

A rich young ruler asked the Savior, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.” And the rich man said, “All these have I kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said, “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he was sorrowful. He was very rich and had his heart set on his riches. (See Luke 18:18–23; see also the picture in this chapter.)
I hope that he decided to follow Christ later in life.
The young ruler was a good man. But when he was put to the test, he was not willing to sacrifice his worldly possessions. On the other hand, the Lord’s disciples Peter and Andrew were willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the kingdom of God. When Jesus said unto them, “Follow me, … they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:19–20).
Like the disciples, we can offer our daily activities as a sacrifice to the Lord. We can say, “Thy will be done.” Abraham did this. He lived on the earth before Christ, in the days when sacrifices and burnt offerings were required. As a test of Abraham’s faith, the Lord commanded him to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. The command to offer him as a sacrifice was extremely painful for Abraham.

Nevertheless, he and Isaac made the long journey to Mount Moriah, where the sacrifice was to be made. They traveled for three days. Imagine Abraham’s thoughts and his heartache. His son was to be sacrificed to the Lord. When they reached Mount Moriah, Isaac carried the wood and Abraham carried the fire and the knife to the place where they were to build the altar. Isaac said, “My father … behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb.” Then Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He bound Isaac and laid him upon the wood. He then took the knife to kill Isaac. At that moment an angel of the Lord stopped him, saying, “Abraham … lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” (See Genesis 22:1–14.)
We are told that we must all be tested even as Abraham. This guy had it hard. His only son... walk for 3 days... prepare for the three day journey... climb the mountain... (don’t for get he is ancient this had to be rough on his old body)... build an alter... Im sure that every step must have been torture, every stone that much closer to killing that which he loved most and lived for. This was a long agonizing test of sacrifice.

Abraham must have been overcome with joy when he was no longer required to sacrifice his son. But he loved the Lord so much that he was willing to do anything the Lord asked.
• What examples of sacrifice have you observed in the lives of people you know? Mothers love and care for children, people serving missions and giving the things that they have to others.

What examples of sacrifice have you seen in the lives of your ancestors? My great Great grandfather served many missions and was away from his wives (during plural marriage) and family often.

What examples of sacrifice have you seen in the lives of early members of the Church? Frostbite starvation blisters and sunburn to get to UT and establish the church.

In the lives of people in the scriptures? The lamanites sacrifice their lives instead of breaking the covenant not to kill the wise men at the birth of Christ gave gifts Mormon and Morni sacrificed time and energy how long it must have taken to write and care for the plates.

What have you learned from these examples? That I can do it too... I can sacrifice in a happy manner for the Church and for Christ sake.

Sacrifice Helps Us Prepare to Live in the Presence of God
Only through sacrifice can we become worthy to live in the presence of God. Only through sacrifice can we enjoy eternal life. Many who have lived before us have sacrificed all they had. We must be willing to do the same if we would earn the rich reward they enjoy.
We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But like Abraham, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord.
The Lord’s people have always sacrificed greatly and in many different ways. Some have suffered hardship and ridicule for the gospel. Some new converts to the Church have been cut off from their families. Lifetime friends have turned away. Some members have lost their jobs; some have lost their lives. But the Lord notices our sacrifices; He promises, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29).
As our testimonies of the gospel grow, we become able to make greater sacrifices to the Lord. Note the sacrifices made in these true examples:
A member of the Church in Germany saved his tithing for years until someone with priesthood authority could come and accept it.
A Relief Society visiting teacher served for 30 years without missing an assignment.
A group of Saints in South Africa rode for three days, standing up, to be able to hear and see the prophet of the Lord.
At an area conference in Mexico, members of the Church slept on the ground and fasted during the days of the conference. They had used all their money just to get to the conference and had nothing left for food and shelter.
One family sold their car to get the money they wanted to contribute to a temple building fund.
Another family sold their home to get money to go to the temple.
Many faithful Latter-day Saints have very little to live on, yet they pay their tithes and offerings.
One brother sacrificed his job because he refused to work on Sunday.
In one branch, the youth gave freely and willingly of their time to care for the young children while their parents helped build the meetinghouse.
Young men and women give up or postpone good job opportunities, education, or sports to serve as missionaries.
Many more examples could be given of those who sacrifice for the Lord. Yet a place in our Heavenly Father’s kingdom is worth any sacrifice we have to make of our time, talents, energy, money, and lives. Through sacrifice we can obtain a knowledge from the Lord that we are acceptable to Him (see D&C 97:8).
• Why do you think our willingness to sacrifice is related to our readiness to live in the presence of God?
We must be willing to give what ever it takes- This goes both ways. We can give to the lord and searve others and we can give up things that are keeping us from him and keeping us from doing his will. If we wont let go of certain things our favorite sins and things that keep us from doing our church assingments, then we are holding on meaning less things when we should be holding on to Christ. We need to sacrafice and as pres Dahlie said put the natural man on the alter of Sacrafice and slay him so that we can move closer to christ.
Additional Scriptures
• Luke 12:16–34 (where the treasure is, there is the heart)
• Luke 9:57–62 (sacrifice to be fit for the kingdom)
• D&C 64:23; 97:12 (today is a day of sacrifice)
• D&C 98:13–15 (those who lose life for the Lord will find it)
Alma 24 (the people of Ammon sacrifice their lives rather than break their oath to the Lord)

Fasting

2010-08-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

Chapter 25: Fasting,” Gospel Principles, (2009),144–48
How to Fast Properly
• What can we do to make fasting a joyful experience?
Be excited to help some one to do your fasting because you want to not because you should.
Since the time of Adam, God’s people have fasted to help them draw near to Him and to worship Him. Jesus showed the importance of fasting by His own example (see Luke 4:1–4). Through latter-day revelation we learn that the Lord still expects His people to fast and pray often (see D andC 88:76).
Fasting means to go without food and drink. Occasional fasting is good for our bodies and helps our minds become more active.
The Savior taught us that purposeful fasting is more than just going without food and drink. We must also concentrate on spiritual matters.
How often to we fast for physical or temporal things. Perhaps we need to shift our focus and fast more as the saviour taught us on spiritual things.

We Should Pray When We Fast
Prayer is a necessary part of fasting. Throughout the scriptures, prayer and fasting are mentioned together. Our fasting should be accompanied by sincere prayer, and we should begin and end our fasting with prayer.

We Should Fast with a Purpose

Fasting can have many purposes. We can overcome weaknesses or problems by fasting and praying. Sometimes we may wish to fast and pray for help or guidance for others, such as a family member who is ill and needs a blessing (see Mosiah 27:22–23). Through fasting we can come to know the truth of things just as did the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon. He said: “I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit” (Alma 5:46).

We can fast to help others embrace the truth. Fasting can help comfort us in times of sorrow and mourning (see Alma 28:4–6). Fasting can help us become humble and feel closer to our Heavenly Father (see Helaman 3:35).
Our purpose in fasting should not be to impress others. The Lord counseled:
“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast.
“Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
“But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast” (Matthew 6:16–18).
We should be cheerful when we fast and not advertise our fasting to others.
• How does our attitude influence our experience when we fast?
When we arent thinking about our fast its hard to remember not to eat food or not do what we are fasting from (nursing pregnant moms) We need to have a attitude of determination and focus if we want it to be any thing but going hungry.
The Fast Day
One Sunday each month Latter-day Saints observe a fast day. On this day we neither eat nor drink for two consecutive meals. If we were to eat our evening meal on Saturday, then we would not eat or drink until the evening meal on Sunday.
All members who are physically able should fast. We should encourage our children to fast after they have been baptized, but we should never force them. The fast day is a special day for us to humble ourselves before the Lord in fasting and prayer. It is a day to pray for forgiveness from our sins and for the power to overcome our faults and to forgive others.
On fast Sunday, members of the Church meet together and partake of the sacrament. They strengthen themselves and one another by bearing testimony in fast and testimony meeting.
• How have you benefited from sharing your testimony in fast and testimony meeting? It feels so good to share my testimony with others. I haven't had much of a problem with it ever that I can remember. I love the way the spirit talks to me and helps me know what to say. I can tell when He is no longer prompting me because the thoughts are not as moving for me and then I end my testimony and sit down. It is very satisfying and makes me happy. I under stand the scriptures better. They say when they were moved upon my the spirit they would teach or pray or sing all by the guidance of the spirit. I feel that way when I share my testimony I feel like the spirit tells me what to say and how to do it.
Moroni 6:9
9And their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.

How have you benefited from hearing others share their testimonies? I Love it when others really bear testimony of the Gospel principles and then the Holy Ghost testifies that to me again.
Fast Offerings
• Why do we contribute fast offerings?
To bless the lives of others and to be humble and obedient.

When we fast each month, the Lord asks us to help those in need. One way we do this is by giving through the proper priesthood authority the money we would have spent on food for the two meals. We should give as generously as we are able. Through our fast offerings we become partners with the Lord in administering to the needs of our less-fortunate brothers and sisters.

We Are Blessed When We Fast
• What blessings can we receive when we fast properly?
Heath and Strength and control over our own bodies and appetites it helps us to control other things in our lives. Blessings for the things that we are fasting for.
Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, wrote of the Lord’s rich promises to those who fast and help the needy. We are promised peace, improved health, and spiritual guidance. Isaiah tells us of the blessings that come when we fast: “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am” (Isaiah 58:8–9).
Fasting improves our lives and gives us added strength. It helps us live other principles of the gospel because it draws us nearer to the Lord.
Fasting Teaches Self-Control
Fasting helps us gain strength of character. When we fast properly, we will learn to control our appetites and passions. We are a little stronger by having proved to ourselves that we have self-control. If we teach our children to fast, they will develop the spiritual strength to overcome greater temptations later in their lives.
Fasting Gives Us Spiritual Power
When we fast wisely and prayerfully, we develop our faith. With that faith we will have greater spiritual power. For example, Alma (a Book of Mormon prophet) tells the story of meeting again with the sons of Mosiah many years after their miraculous conversion. He felt great joy when he learned that they had strengthened their faith and had developed great spiritual power. They had gained this power because “they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation” (Alma 17:3).
The sons of Mosiah had been preaching for 14 years to the Lamanites. Because the sons of Mosiah had fasted and prayed, the Spirit of the Lord increased the power of their words. This gave them great success in their missionary work. (See Alma 17:4.)
The Savior has said to those who fast properly, “Thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:18).
• How can fasting increase our spiritual power to resist temptations? to receive revelation? to do righteous acts?
When we deny our selves of food and water and we resist the temptation to eat and drink we can better resist the temptations of the devil. We rely on God to help us and he blesses us for being obedient.
We can receiver revelation because fasting helps us put of the natural man and be closer to god and thus in a better position to receive revelation.
Fasting also gives us an opportunity to share our blessings with others. By paying our fast offerings are are making sure that those around us who need food and shelter and other necessities are being taken care of.
Additional Scriptures
• Luke 2:37; Alma 45:1 (worshipping God through fasting)
• Isaiah 58:3–11 (proper fasting)
• Mosiah 27:19, 23 (fasting for the sick)
• 3 Nephi 27:1–3; Exodus 34:27–28 (fasting for revelation and testimony)
• Alma 6:6; 17:9 (fasting for those who do not know God)
• Acts 13:2–3 (fasting for selection of Church officers)
Mosiah 4:26 (retaining a remission of our sins as we help those in need)

The Sabbath Day

2010-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Chapter 24: The Sabbath Day,” Gospel Principles, (2009),138–43
The Meaning of the Sabbath Day
• What is the Sabbath day?
The Sabbath is the day of rest... A day to worship and think of God.
Sister Savage- I have this quote that I have in my scriptures that I like to share when we talk about the Sabbath (I had her email it to me so I wont get it wrong here it is)
"Sabbath Day "rest" = the "work" of Sanctification. God's work is the sanctification of His children to the point where they can enter into the ultimate rest, which is the fullness of His glory. ... Once each week man is commanded to cease his own labors and allow God to perform His work of sanctification on him."“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8; see also D&C 68:29).
The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning rest. Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Sabbath day commemorated God’s day of rest after He finished the Creation. It was a sign of the covenant between God and His people. We read in the book of Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, which He called days: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” (Genesis 2:2–3). Now the Sabbath also commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath day is every seventh day. It is a holy day ordained by God for us to rest from our daily labors and worship Him.
The Purpose of the Sabbath Day
• How would you explain the purpose of the Sabbath day to someone who does not know about the Sabbath?
Sunday is a day to stop from your work and think about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. You can find all kinds of ways to rest from the things you do in a normal day and spend your time doing things that improve your spirit and let you spend time with your family. You can serve others and you should go to church and partake of the sacrament to help you remember Christ and your covenants to god.
Jesus taught that the Sabbath day was made for our benefit (see Mark 2:27). The purpose of the Sabbath is to give us a certain day of the week on which to direct our thoughts and actions toward God. It is not a day merely to rest from work. It is a sacred day to be spent in worship and reverence. As we rest from our usual daily activities, our minds are freed to ponder spiritual matters. On this day we should renew our covenants with the Lord and feed our souls on the things of the Spirit.
• Think about what you can do to keep the purpose of the Sabbath in mind as you prepare for the day each week.
Don't do certain things on Sunday like play with friends or go to work or spend time on the computer change media to Sunday films like Jesus the Christ and other church publications.... Audrey loves "Joy to the World" and "Lamb Movie" AKA "feed My Sheep" right now and we watch it almost every Sunday. Spend time as a family doing things together that make your family stronger and closer together and to God.
There is a big list of Do's and Donts that could be given. Just try hard to make Sunday different. If its work and you dont have to do it then dont. If its Service, Family, or Gospel oriented and you can do it then Do.
Natalie Call- Try not to make it a day of Dont do's and Can't do's but focus on the things that make it special the things you get to do on Sunday that you dont get to do other days of the week.
Summer Evans- There is a FHE where you teach about the Sabbath using Ice Cream Sundays. You have the ice cream out and then have all the fun Sunday toppings also have other toppings like bell peppers and Onions and toppings that would go on pizza or on other foods. Then let the children pic what toppings they want to go on their Sundays. Then talk about how there are somethings that are better on Sundays and things that shouldn't go on Sundays. That the Sabbath is like that there are things that make the sabbath Sweet and things that we shouldn't do on Sundays.
History of the Sabbath
The seventh day was consecrated by God as a Sabbath in the beginning of the earth (see Genesis 2:2–3). Since earliest times, the tradition of a sacred seventh day has been preserved among various peoples of the earth. God renewed a commandment concerning this day to the Israelites, saying, “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Keeping the Sabbath day was also a sign that the Israelites were His covenant people (see Exodus 31:12–13, 16; Isaiah 56:1–8; Jeremiah 17:19–27).

However, some Jewish leaders made many unnecessary rules about the Sabbath. They decided how far people could walk, what kind of knots they could tie, and so forth. When certain Jewish leaders criticized Jesus Christ for healing sick people on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded them that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man.
The Nephites also observed the Sabbath day according to the commandments of God (see Jarom 1:5).
In modern times the Lord has repeated His commandment that we should remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (see D&C 68:29).
The Lord’s Day
• Why was the Sabbath changed from the seventh day to the first day?
Because Christ was resurrected on Sunday and we remember the Resurrection as part of the Sabbath.
Anne Schofield- In Israel the church being flexible and meeting the members needs holds meetings on Saturday since that is the day of the week that is held aside for worship. She told of russian member s who woudl get up in the morning and rid a buss and then sit in meetings that that were held in English and get back on a bus to get home before curfew. They were so happy just to be there and sacraficed so much to be there. I learned a lot from thier divotion. And In Isreal there are a ton of rules and customs that people do so as not to "break the sabbath" like set timers for light switches and ovens so they dont have to physically turn them on. They also set out chairs 10 paces from their homes on Friday so that if they want to go some where on Sunday they can walk 10 paces and then sit and then continue on. They Get focused on the letter of the law and the rules that have become custom for many.

We need to focus on the Spirit of the law. Brother Bednar when he came talked about how he wears his Sunday clothes all day on Sunday not because its a commandment but because the spirit tells him that he will have a more meaningful sabbath if he does. I have gone from being the kind of person who comes home and lips out of the skirt and into pajama pants to wearing my Sunday clothes all day. I am making a more honest effort to obey the spirit of the sabbath and not just go to church and finish my Sunday worship with the last closing payer.
Until His Resurrection, Jesus Christ and His disciples honored the seventh day as the Sabbath. After His Resurrection, Sunday was held sacred as the Lord’s day in remembrance of His Resurrection on that day (see Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). From that time on, His followers observed the first day of the week as their Sabbath. In both cases there were six days of labor and one for rest and devotion.
The Lord has given us a direct commandment in these days that we too should honor Sunday, the Lord’s day, as our Sabbath (see D&C 59:12).
• How can the remembrance of the Resurrection influence our worship on the Sabbath?
When observing the Sabbath on Saturday the focus is the creation and that is wonderful but when honoring the Sabbath on Sunday the focus is the Resurrection and that is something we are all looking forward to it also helps us remember Christs life and atonement and the events leading up to the Resurrection.
Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy
• What does it mean to keep the Sabbath day holy?
To make it different and to worship God on that day.
The Lord asks us, first, to sanctify the Sabbath day. In a revelation given to Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord commanded the Saints to go to the house of prayer and offer up their sacraments, rest from their labors, and pay their devotions to the Most High (see D&C 59:9–12).

Second, He asks us to rest from daily work. This means we should perform no labor that would keep us from giving our full attention to spiritual matters. The Lord told the Israelites, “Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle” (Exodus 20:10). Our prophets have told us that we should not shop, hunt, fish, attend sports events, or participate in similar activities on that day.
President Spencer W. Kimball cautioned, however, that if we merely lounge about doing nothing on the Sabbath, we are not keeping the day holy. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts. (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 170.)
What kinds of things may we do on the Sabbath? The prophet Isaiah suggested that we should turn away from doing our own pleasure and should “call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable” (Isaiah 58:13).
We should consider righteous things we can do on the Sabbath. For example, we can keep the Sabbath day holy by attending Church meetings; reading the scriptures and the words of our Church leaders; visiting the sick, the aged, and our loved ones; listening to uplifting music and singing hymns; praying to our Heavenly Father with praise and thanksgiving; performing Church service; preparing family history records and personal histories; telling faith-promoting stories and bearing our testimony to family members and sharing spiritual experiences with them; writing letters to missionaries and loved ones; fasting with a purpose; and sharing time with children and others in the home.
In deciding what other activities we could properly engage in on the Sabbath, we could ask ourselves: Will it uplift and inspire me? Does it show respect for the Lord? Does it direct my thoughts to Him?
There may be times when we are required to work on the Sabbath. We should avoid this whenever possible, but when it is absolutely necessary, we should still maintain the spirit of Sabbath worship in our hearts as much as possible.
• Think about something you can do to improve in your efforts to keep the Sabbath day holy. If you are a parent or grandparent, think about something you can do to help your children or grandchildren understand the meaning of the Sabbath.
Study more on Sunday... have meals more prepared on Saturday.
Sister Savage- I was in a RS meeting once where two different sisters had two opposite things they did One sister said that on Sunday's she always used paper plates since there was less clean up and there for less work involved. The other sister said that on Sunday she always used her best china because it was putting forth her best efforts on Sunday. I think, Sister Savage says, That they were both right from their own point of view and that what we decided to do is very personal and has to work with our own family. My family loved to play board games on Sunday because our family was busy and it was time that we could spend together, other families don't do board games on Sunday because they do that during the week. Sundays are a day for us to come together as a family.
Summer Evans- I have come to find that Saturday is a family day and so I don't want to spend that time working on getting ready for Sunday... So I started to get ready for Sunday on Friday then I found I was stressing about getting ready for both Sunday and date night. I have since started my Sunday preparation on Thursday and it works for me.
Blessings for Observing the Sabbath
• What are some blessings we receive when we keep the Sabbath day holy?
Blessings of the spirit we can come closer to our Saviour and Father in Heaven if we use it as a moving day from world things to spiritual things.
We also gain physical blessings our bodies can rest from work and school and hard activities.
Our other labors will be blessed.
If we honor the Sabbath day, we may receive great spiritual and temporal blessings. The Lord has said that if we keep the Sabbath day with thanksgiving and cheerful hearts, we will be full of joy. He has promised:
“The fulness of the earth is yours, … whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
“Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
“Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&C 59:16–19).
Additional Scriptures
• Exodus 31:16–17 (the Sabbath is a perpetual covenant between the Lord and His people)
• Mosiah 13:16–19; 18:23; Exodus 35:1–3; Leviticus 26:2–4, 6, 12 (observe the Sabbath as a holy day)
• Luke 6:1–11 (lawful to do good on the Sabbath)
• Luke 13:11–17; John 5:1–18 (Jesus’s example of doing good on the Sabbath)

The Sacrament

2010-08-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

“Chapter 23: The Sacrament,” Gospel Principles, (2009),133–37

Christ Introduced the Sacrament

• What do the emblems of the sacrament teach about the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
They teach about the atonement and the Crucifixion of his body that was broken and bleeding from every poor.

They teach that he loves us and provides reminders for us. (He knows that we are forgetful and that we need a time and a place and symbols to remember him. He loves us so he makes these symbols simple- Bread and Water.) We need not make pilgrimages to the Mount of Olives to be forgiven or partake of nectar and ambrosia to remember his atonement. We simply go to church with a broken heart and contrite spirit and partake of bread for His body, and water for the blood that was shed in our behalf, and remember Him.

Our Savior wants us to remember His great atoning sacrifice and keep His commandments. To help us do this, He has commanded us to meet often and partake of the sacrament.
The sacrament is a holy priesthood ordinance that helps remind us of the Savior’s Atonement. During the sacrament, we partake of bread and water. We do this in remembrance of His flesh and His blood, which He gave as a sacrifice for us. As we partake of the sacrament, we renew sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father.

Shortly before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ gathered His Apostles around Him in an upstairs room. He knew He would soon die on the cross. This was the last time He would meet with these beloved men before His death. He wanted them to always remember Him so they could be strong and faithful.
To help them remember, He introduced the sacrament. He broke bread into pieces and blessed it. Then He said, “Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:22). Next He took a cup of wine, blessed it, gave it to His Apostles to drink, and said, “This is in remembrance of my blood … , which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins” (Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24; see also Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:15–20).
After His Resurrection, the Savior came to the Americas and taught the Nephites the same ordinance (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11; 20:1–9). After the Church was restored in the latter days, Jesus once again commanded His people to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of Him, saying, “It is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus” (D&C 20:75).
How the Sacrament Is Administered

The scriptures explain exactly how the sacrament is to be administered. Members of the Church meet each Sabbath day to worship and partake of the sacrament (see D&C 20:75). The sacrament is administered by those who hold the necessary priesthood authority. A priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder breaks bread into pieces, kneels, and blesses it (see D&C 20:76). A deacon or other priesthood holder then passes the sacrament bread to the congregation. Then the priest or Melchizedek Priesthood holder blesses the water, and it too is passed to the members. Jesus gave His disciples wine when He introduced the sacrament. However, in a latter-day revelation He has said that it doesn’t matter what we eat and drink during the sacrament as long as we remember Him (see D&C 27:2–3). Today, Latter-day Saints drink water instead of wine.

Jesus has revealed the exact words for both sacrament prayers. We should listen carefully to these beautiful prayers and try to understand what we are promising and what is being promised to us. Here is the prayer that is offered to bless the bread:
“O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen” (D&C 20:77).
Here is the prayer that is offered to bless the water:
“O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine [water] to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen” (D&C 20:79).
The ordinance of the sacrament is performed very simply and reverently.
• Carefully review the sacrament prayers. Think about the meaning of each phrase.
The Covenants We Renew during the Sacrament
• What covenants do we renew during the sacrament?
All of our Covenants should be renewed during the sacrament.
What blessings does the Lord promise us as we keep those covenants?
That we will have His spirit to be with us
Each time we partake of the sacrament, we renew covenants with the Lord. A covenant is a sacred promise between the Lord and His children. The covenants we make are clearly stated in the sacramental prayers. It is important to know what those covenants are and what they mean.
We covenant that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. By this we show we are willing to be identified with Him and His Church. We commit to serve Him and our fellowman. We promise that we will not bring shame or reproach upon that name.
We covenant to always remember Jesus Christ. All our thoughts, feelings, and actions will be influenced by Him and His mission.
We promise to keep His commandments.
We take these obligations upon ourselves when we are baptized (see D&C 20:37; Mosiah 18:6–10). Thus, when we partake of the sacrament, we renew the covenants we made when we were baptized. Jesus gave us the pattern for partaking of the sacrament (see 3 Nephi 18:1–12) and said that when we follow this pattern, repenting of our sins and believing on His name, we will gain a remission of our sins (see Joseph Smith Translation, Matthew 26:24).
The Lord promises that if we keep our covenants, we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A person guided by the Spirit will have the knowledge, faith, power, and righteousness to gain eternal life.
• What can we do to remember these promises during the week?
Repent when needed to be worthy to take the sacrament. Remember Christ as we pray and teach about him.
Our Attitude When Partaking of the Sacrament
• How can we prepare ourselves to partake of the sacrament? Be repentant, Sing the song, Pray, Be reverent and quiet, keep our children reverent and quiet, think about Christ listen to the prayers.What can we think about during the sacrament to help us remember the Savior’s Atonement?
The hymn, pictures of the atonement, his words and life.

Before partaking of the sacrament, we are to prepare ourselves spiritually. The Lord emphasizes that no one should partake of the sacrament unworthily. That means we must repent of our sins before taking the sacrament. The scriptures say, “If any have trespassed, let him not partake until he makes reconciliation” (D&C 46:4). The Lord instructed His twelve Nephite disciples, “Ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it; for whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul” (3 Nephi 18:28–29).
During the sacrament service we should dismiss from our minds all worldly thoughts. We should feel prayerful and reverent. We should think of the Atonement of our Savior and be grateful for it. We should examine our lives and look for ways to improve. We should also renew our determination to keep the commandments.

We do not need to be perfect before partaking of the sacrament, but we must have the spirit of repentance in our hearts. The attitude with which we partake of the sacrament influences our experience with it. If we partake of the sacrament with a pure heart, we receive the promised blessings of the Lord.
• Why do you think worthily partaking of the sacrament increases our spiritual strength?
Its a simple thing to take the bread and water if you are not worthy... if you need repenting no one will know but you and God if you take the sacrament unworthily. It takes strength to be clean and repentant before you take the sacrament. This may mean repentance at home or a talk with your bishop or branch president. This can be difficult and more work than just mindlessly taking the sacrament. You must strengthen yourself by repenting and coming with a pure heart and clean hands when for sacrament meeting.
Additional Scriptures
• 1 Corinthians 11:27–29 (partake of the sacrament worthily)
• John 4:5–14 (Jesus is the Living Water)
John 6:30–35 (Jesus is the Bread of Life)

VT Message Renewing Covenants through the Sacrament Ensign, June 2010

The Gifts of the Spirit

2010-08-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

Chapter 22: The Gifts of the Spirit,” Gospel Principles, (2009),125–32

The Gifts of the Spirit

• What spiritual gifts does the Lord give us?
The Holy Ghost and we all have personal gifts from god or qualities that make us more like him.
Following baptism, each of us had hands laid on our heads to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. If we are faithful, we can have His influence continually with us. Through Him, each of us can be blessed with certain spiritual powers called gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are given to those who are faithful to Christ. “All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26).They help us know and teach the truths of the gospel. They will help us bless others. They will guide us back to our Heavenly Father. To use our gifts wisely, we need to know what they are, how we can develop them, and how to recognize Satan’s imitations of them.
The scriptures mention many gifts of the Spirit. These gifts have been given to members of the true Church whenever it has been on the earth (see Mark 16:16–18). The gifts of the Spirit include the following:

The Gift of Tongues (D&C 46:24)
Sometimes it is necessary to communicate the gospel in a language that is unfamiliar to us. When this happens, the Lord can bless us with the ability to speak that language. Many missionaries have received the gift of tongues (see the picture in this chapter). For example, Elder Alonzo A. Hinckley was a missionary in Holland who understood and spoke very little Dutch even though he had prayed and studied hard. When he returned to a home he had visited before, a lady opened the door and spoke to him very angrily in Dutch. To his amazement he could understand every word. He felt a strong desire to bear his testimony to her in Dutch. He began to speak, and the words came out very clearly in Dutch. But when he returned to show his mission president that he could speak Dutch, the ability had left him. Many faithful members have been blessed with the gift of tongues. (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 2:32–33.)
The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues (D&C 46:25)

This gift is sometimes given to us when we do not understand a language and we need to receive an important message from God. For example, President David O. McKay had a great desire to speak to the Saints in New Zealand without an interpreter. He told them that he hoped that the Lord would bless them that they could understand him. He spoke in English. His message lasted about 40 minutes. As he spoke, he could tell by the expression on many of their faces and the tears in their eyes that they were receiving his message. (See Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:30–31.)
The Gift of Translation (D&C 5:4)
If we have been called by the leaders of the Church to translate the word of the Lord, we can receive a gift to translate beyond our natural ability. As with all gifts, we must live righteously, study hard, and pray to receive it. When we do these things, the Lord causes us to feel a burning inside concerning the correctness of the translation (see D&C 9:8–9). Joseph Smith had the gift of translation when he translated the Book of Mormon. This gift came to him only when he was in tune with the Spirit.
The Gift of Wisdom (D&C 46:17)
Some of us have been blessed with the ability to understand people and the principles of the gospel as they apply in our lives. We are told:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
“For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord” (James 1:5–7).
The Lord said, “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you” (D&C 6:7).
The Gift of Knowledge (D&C 46:18)
Everyone who becomes like Heavenly Father eventually knows all things. The knowledge of God and His laws is revealed by the Holy Ghost (see D&C 121:26). We cannot be saved if we are ignorant of these laws (see D&C 131:6).
The Lord revealed, “If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (D&C 130:19). The Lord has commanded us to learn as much as we can about His work. He wants us to learn about the heavens, the earth, things that have happened or will happen, things at home and in foreign lands (see D&C 88:78–79). However, there are those who try to gain knowledge by their own study alone. They do not ask for the help of the Holy Ghost. They are those who are always learning but never arrive at the truth (see 2 Timothy 3:7). When we receive knowledge by revelation from the Holy Ghost, His Spirit speaks to our minds and our hearts (see D&C 6:15, 22–24; 8:2; 9:7–9).
The Gift of Teaching Wisdom and Knowledge (Moroni 10:9–10)
Some people are given a special ability to explain and testify of the truths of the gospel. This gift can be used when we teach a class. It can be used by parents to teach their children. This gift also helps us instruct others so they can understand the gospel.
The Gift of Knowing That Jesus Christ Is the Son of God (D&C 46:13)
This has been the gift of prophets and apostles who have been called as special witnesses of Jesus Christ. However, others are also given this gift. Every person can have a testimony through the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. President David O. McKay taught: “It is given unto some, says the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants, to know by the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Son of God and that He was crucified for the sins of the world [see D&C 46:13]. It is to these I refer who stand firm upon the rock of revelation in the testimony that they bear to the world” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay [2003], 166).
The Gift of Believing the Testimony of Others (D&C 46:14)
By the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. If we want to know whether someone else is speaking the truth, we must ask God in faith. If the thing we are praying about is true, the Lord will speak peace to our minds (see D&C 6:22–23). In this way we can know when someone else, even the prophet, has received revelation. Nephi asked the Lord to let him see, feel, and know that his father’s dream was true (see 1 Nephi 10:17–19).
The Gift of Prophecy (D&C 46:22)
Those who receive true revelations about the past, present, or future have the gift of prophecy. Prophets have this gift, but we too can have it to help us govern our own lives (see 1 Corinthians 14:39). We may receive revelations from God for ourselves and our own callings, but never for the Church or its leaders. It is contrary to the order of heaven for a person to receive revelation for someone over whom he or she does not preside. If we truly have the gift of prophecy, we will not receive any revelation that does not agree with what the Lord has said in the scriptures.
The Gift of Healing (D&C 46:19–20)

Some have the faith to heal, and others have the faith to be healed. We can all exercise the faith to be healed when we are ill (see D&C 42:48). Many who hold the priesthood have the gift of healing the sick. Others may be given a knowledge of how to cure illness.
The Gift of Working Miracles (D&C 46:21)
The Lord has blessed His people many times in miraculous ways. When the Utah pioneers planted their first crops, a plague of locusts nearly destroyed them. The pioneers prayed that the Lord would save their crops, and He sent seagulls to devour the locusts. When we need help and ask in faith, if it is for our good the Lord will work miracles for us (see Matthew 17:20; D&C 24:13–14).
The Gift of Faith (Moroni 10:11)
The brother of Jared had great faith. Because of his faith, he received other gifts. His faith was so great that the Savior appeared to him (see Ether 3:9–15). Without faith, no other gift can be given. Moroni promises, “Whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him” (Mormon 9:21). We should seek to increase our faith, find out our gifts, and use them.
Some people lack faith and deny that these gifts of the Spirit actually exist. Moroni says to them:
“And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healings, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
“Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them” (Mormon 9:7–8).
• Why does the Lord give us spiritual gifts?
To bless us and to bless the lives of others through us, because he loves us and to make us more like Him.
We Can Develop Our Gifts
• How can we “seek … earnestly the best gifts”? (D&C 46:8).
Prayer, Trying new things, Learning from others, patriarchal blessing
The Lord has said: “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” (D&C 46:11–12).
To develop our gifts, we must find out which gifts we have. We do this by praying and fasting. We should seek after the best gifts (see D&C 46:8). Sometimes patriarchal blessings will help us know which gifts we have been given.
We must be obedient and faithful to be given our gifts. We then should use these gifts to do the work of the Lord. They are not given to satisfy our curiosity or to prove anything to us because we lack faith. Of spiritual gifts, the Lord said, “They are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do” (D&C 46:9).
• Think about some spiritual gifts that would strengthen you personally or help you serve the Lord and others. What will you do to seek these gifts?
Learn to pray like Christ would pray. Practice praying and study the prayers that have been recorded in the scriptures of Christ praying to Heavenly Father.
Satan Imitates the Gifts of the Spirit
• How can we discern between the true gifts of the Spirit and Satan’s imitations?
Pray about them... see how we feel/ are the fruits good/ is the spirit there?
Satan can imitate the gifts of tongues, prophecy, visions, healings, and other miracles. Moses had to compete with Satan’s imitations in Pharaoh’s court (see Exodus 7:8–22). Satan wants us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for the gift of discernment. The devil himself can appear as an angel of light (see 2 Nephi 9:9).
Satan wants to blind us to the truth and keep us from seeking the true gifts of the Spirit. Mediums, astrologers, fortune tellers, and sorcerers are inspired by Satan even if they claim to follow God. Their works are abominable to the Lord (see Isaiah 47:12–14; Deuteronomy 18:9–10). We should avoid all associations with the powers of Satan.
We Must Be Careful with Our Gifts of the Spirit
• How can we respect the sacredness of spiritual gifts?
Be humble and don't publicise your gifts.
The Lord said, “A commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation” (D&C 84:73). We must remember that spiritual gifts are sacred (see D&C 6:10).
In return for giving us these gifts, the Lord asks that we “give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing [we] are blessed with” (D&C 46:32).
Additional Scriptures
• 3 Nephi 29:6–7 (fate of those who deny gifts)
• Moroni 10:7–19 (gifts depend on faith)
• 3 Nephi 26:17; 27:20; D&C 84:64 (a gift given at baptism)
• 1 Corinthians 12 (gifts of the Spirit in the ancient Church of Jesus Christ)
D&C 46:9–26 (gifts of the Spirit in the Church today)
-_______RS lesson notes___________-
The Gifts of the Spirit

Think of some one you know well whom you admire. Make a list of qualities, gifts, and talents this person has.

• Why does the Lord give us spiritual gifts?

To bless us and to bless the lives of others through us, because he loves us and to make us more like Him.

At baptism we are all given the___________ Through Him, each of us can be blessed with certain spiritual powers called gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are given to those who are faithful to Christ. “All these gifts come from God, for the benefit of the children of God” (D&C 46:26).They help us know and teach the truths of the gospel. They will help us bless others. They will guide us back to our Heavenly Father. To use our gifts wisely, we need to know what they are, how we can develop them, and how to recognize Satan’s imitations of them.

Vote on 2 or 3 gifts and then talk about what is left if we have time.

The Gift of Tongues (D&C 46:24) 125

The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues (D&C 46:25) 127

The Gift of Translation (D&C 5:4) 127

The Gift of Wisdom (D&C 46:17) 127

The Gift of Knowledge (D&C 46:18) 128

The Gift of Teaching Wisdom and Knowledge (Moroni 10:9–10)128

The Gift of Knowing That Jesus Christ Is the Son of God (D&C 46:13)128

The Gift of Believing the Testimony of Others (D&C 46:14) 129

The Gift of Prophecy (D&C 46:22) 129

The Gift of Healing (D&C 46:19–20) 129

The Gift of Working Miracles (D&C 46:21) 129

The Gift of Faith (Moroni 10:11) 129

1

2

3 The Gift of Faith (Moroni 10:11) 129

131 more holiness give me

How can we “seek … earnestly the best gifts”? (D&C 46:8).

Prayer, Trying new things, Learning from others, patriarchal blessing

The Lord has said: “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby” (D&C 46:11–12).

To develop our gifts, we must find out which gifts we have. We do this by praying and fasting. We should seek after the best gifts (see D&C 46:8). Sometimes patriarchal blessings will help us know which gifts we have been given.

We must be obedient and faithful to be given our gifts. We then should use these gifts to do the work of the Lord. They are not given to satisfy our curiosity or to prove anything to us because we lack faith. Of spiritual gifts, the Lord said, “They are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do”

Look at your list you made

Do you find that the things you like in others are things that you wish you had?

Much of the time many good things we see in others are attributes that we wish we could acquire in our own lives.

Share list with that person – They may not know they are good at it. They might teach you how they learned.

Think about some spiritual gifts that would strengthen you personally or help you serve the Lord and others. What will you do to seek these gifts?

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

2010-08-16T05:11:00.000-07:00

“Chapter 21: The Gift of the Holy Ghost,” Gospel Principles, (2009),120–24

The Holy Ghost
In chapter 7 we learned that the Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead. He is “a personage of Spirit” (D&C 130:22). He does not have a body of flesh and bones. His influence can be everywhere at once. His mission is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of all truth. Furthermore, the Holy Ghost purifies, or sanctifies, us to prepare us to dwell in the presence of God. The Holy Ghost purifies our hearts so we no longer have the desire to do evil.
There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost. In this chapter we will learn what the gift of the Holy Ghost is and how we can receive this great gift from God.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

• What is the difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost?

The holy Ghost is the person who witness of Christ and the truthfulness of the Gospel the Gift of the Holy Ghost is a blessing from God to have His influence and help as long as you are worthy of it.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege—given to people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized, and been confirmed as members of the Church—to receive continual guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost.
Joseph Smith said we believe in the gift of the Holy Ghost being enjoyed now as much as it was enjoyed in the days of the first Apostles. We believe in this gift in all its fulness, power, greatness, and glory. (See Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 97–98.)
A person may be temporarily guided by the Holy Ghost without receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost (see D&C 130:23). However, this guidance will not be continuous unless the person is baptized and receives the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We read in Acts 10 that the Roman soldier Cornelius received inspiration from the Holy Ghost so that he knew the gospel of Jesus Christ was true. But Cornelius did not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost until after he was baptized. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if Cornelius had not received baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost would have left him (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 97).
Today people who are not members of the Church learn by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true (see Moroni 10:4–5). But that initial testimony leaves them if they do not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. They do not receive the continuing assurance that can come to those who have the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost
• What must we do to receive the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost?
First be baptized and then get the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Then we must try to live our covenants and be Christlike. Surround ourselves with things that are conducive to the spirit.
After people are baptized, they are confirmed members of the Church and given the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. The Lord said, “Whoso having faith you shall confirm in my church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them” (D&C 33:15).
Every worthy elder of the Church, when authorized, may give the gift of the Holy Ghost to another person. However, there is no guarantee that the person will receive inspiration and guidance from the Holy Ghost just because the elders have laid their hands on his or her head. Each person must “receive the Holy Ghost.” This means that the Holy Ghost will come to us only when we are faithful and desire help from this heavenly messenger.
To be worthy to have the help of the Holy Ghost, we must seek earnestly to obey the commandments of God. We must keep our thoughts and actions pure.
Recognizing the Influence of the Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost usually communicates with us quietly. His influence is often referred to as a “still small voice” (see 1 Kings 19:9–12; Helaman 5:30; D&C 85:6). President Boyd K. Packer explained: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. … While we speak of ‘listening’ to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, ‘I had a feeling …’” He continued: “This voice of the Spirit speaks gently, prompting you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 77; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 60).
One of God’s Greatest Gifts
• What blessings can we receive through the gift of the Holy Ghost?
Peace and comfort, Truth , remembrance, inspiration, protection and warnings, council, testimony.
The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Through the Holy Ghost we may know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and that His Church has been restored to the earth. We may have the promptings of the Holy Ghost to show us all the things we should do (see 2 Nephi 32:5). The Holy Ghost sanctifies us to prepare us for God’s presence. We may enjoy the gifts of the Spirit (see chapter 22 in this book). This great gift from our Heavenly Father can also bring peace to our hearts and an understanding of the things of God (see 1 Corinthians 2:9–12).
• Why is the gift of the Holy Ghost one of God’s greatest gifts to us?
Its a way to be with God even though we are far apart. A way to have him answer us and feel him near. Its a way to be reassured of the Gospel that brings us back to him. I love this gift and and hope to always have it to be with me.
Additional Scriptures
1 Corinthians 3:16–17; D&C 130:22–23 (the Holy Ghost dwells with the faithful)
• Acts 19:1–7 (gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed anciently)
• Moroni 8:25–26 (how to receive the Holy Ghost)
• Moroni 10:5 (the Holy Ghost is a witness to truth)
• Mosiah 5:2 (the Holy Ghost changes hearts)
• Alma 5:54 (the Holy Ghost sanctifies)

Baptism

2010-08-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

“Chapter 20: Baptism,” Gospel Principles, (2009),114–19
The Commandment to Be Baptized
• Why must we be baptized?
One to become clean,to show that we are willing to do what God asks, as a covenant to obey the commandments.
Today, as in the days of Jesus, there are certain principles and ordinances of the gospel that we must learn and obey. A gospel principle is a true belief or teaching. An ordinance is a rite or a ceremony. The first two principles of the gospel are faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance. Baptism is the first ordinance of the gospel. One of the instructions the Lord gave His Apostles was, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20).
We Must Be Baptized for the Remission of Our Sins

When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, repent, and are baptized, our sins are forgiven through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

From the scriptures we learn that John the Baptist “did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). The Apostle Peter taught, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Following Paul’s conversion, Ananias said to him, “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins” (Acts 22:16).
We Must Be Baptized to Become Members of the Church of Jesus Christ
“All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized … that … have truly repented of all their sins … shall be received by baptism into his church” (D&C 20:37).
We Must Be Baptized before We Can Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
The Lord said, “If thou wilt turn unto me, and … repent of all thy transgressions [sins], and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, … ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Moses 6:52).
We Must Be Baptized to Show Obedience
Jesus Christ was without sin, yet He was baptized. He said His baptism was necessary “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). The prophet Nephi explained that the Lord told him, “Follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do … with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism” (2 Nephi 31:12–13).
We Must Be Baptized to Enter the Celestial Kingdom

Jesus said, “Whoso believeth in me, and is baptized … shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned” (3 Nephi 11:33–34). Baptism is the gateway through which we enter the path to the celestial kingdom (see 2 Nephi 31:17–18).

The Correct Mode of Baptism
• How should we be baptized?
By immersion or to be completely submerged in the water, by some one who has the proper priesthood authority and only when we have been cleansed by repentance and are old enough to know what we are doing and how to chose right from wrong (8 years old or older).
There is only one correct mode of baptism. Jesus revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that a person having the proper priesthood authority to baptize “shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism. … Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out of the water” (D&C 20:73–74). Immersion is necessary. The Apostle Paul taught that being immersed in water and coming out again is symbolic of death, burial, and resurrection. After baptism we start a new life. Paul said:
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:3–5).
Baptism by immersion by a person having the proper authority is the only acceptable way of being baptized.
• Why is authority to perform a baptism important?
Just like with any ting if you don't have it done by the right person whit the right authority it doesn't count because it wasn't right.
• In what ways is baptism by immersion like the burial and Resurrection of the Savior?

We go down imperfect and arise perfect (spiritually speaking and
only until we do some thing wrong again. but that is what repentance is for so we can continue to be clean and be like Christ when we repent.)

Baptism at the Age of Accountability
• Who should be baptized?
Ever one who is old enough and aware enough to make choices for them selves and understand the consequences. Thus Everyone over the age of 8 who can reason out a choice for good or bad.
Every person who has reached eight years of age and is accountable (responsible) for his or her actions should be baptized. Some churches teach that little children should be baptized. This is not in keeping with the teachings of the Savior. When Jesus spoke of little children, He said, “Of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

The prophet Mormon said that it is mockery before God to baptize little children, because they are not capable of sinning. Likewise, baptism is not required of people who are mentally incapable of knowing right and wrong (see Moroni 8:9–22).

All other people are to be baptized. We must receive the ordinance of baptism and remain true to the covenants we make at that time.
• What might you say to a friend who believes that infants need to be baptized?
that I believe that all children are born Innocent and free of sin. I don't believe in that our loving Heavenly Father would send one infant to Hell because he was not baptized and save another because he was.
We Make Covenants When We Are Baptized

Many scriptures teach about baptism. In one of these scriptures, the prophet Alma taught that faith and repentance are steps that prepare us for baptism. He taught that when we are baptized we make a covenant with the Lord. We promise to do certain things, and God promises to bless us in return.

Alma explained that we must want to be called the people of God. We must be willing to help and comfort each other. We must stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places. As we do these things and are baptized, God will forgive our sins. Alma told the people who believed his teachings about the gospel:
“Behold, here are the waters of Mormon. … And now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, … what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?” (Mosiah 18:8, 10). The people clapped their hands for joy and said it was their desire to be baptized. Alma baptized them in the Waters of Mormon. (See Mosiah 18:7–17.)
Alma taught that when we are baptized we make covenants with the Lord to:
1. Come into the fold of God.
2. Bear one another’s burdens.
3. Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places.
4. Serve God and keep His commandments.
When we are baptized and keep the covenants of baptism, the Lord promises to:
. Forgive our sins (see Acts 2:38; D&C 49:13).
2. Pour out His Spirit more abundantly upon us (see Mosiah 18:10).
3. Give us daily guidance and the help of the Holy Ghost (see Acts 2:38; D&C 20:77).
4. Let us come forth in the First Resurrection (see Mosiah 18:9).
5. Give us eternal life (see Mosiah 18:9).
• What do you think it means to bear one another’s burdens? To help people when they need it and to not wait to be asked but to step in. to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places? To be an example of Christ no mater where you are or what you are doing.
Baptism Gives Us a New Beginning
With baptism we begin a new way of life. That is why we call it a rebirth. Jesus said that unless we are born of the water and of the Spirit, we cannot enter the kingdom of God (see John 3:3–5). This principle was explained clearly to Adam:
“Inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten” (Moses 6:59).
The Apostle Paul said that after our baptism we should begin a new life: “We are buried with him by baptism; … even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). One of the great blessings of baptism is that it provides us with a new start on our way toward our eternal goal.
• How was your baptism a new beginning?
you are clean you are now a member of gods church and you can start life over if you have not been leading a life that you should.
Additional Scriptures
• 2 Nephi 31:4–7 (purpose and necessity of baptism)
• 3 Nephi 11:21–27; D&C 20:72–74 (how to perform a baptism)
• Acts 2:38–39 (be baptized for the remission of sins)
• Moroni 8:8–12; D&C 20:71–72 (baptism is not required of little children; baptism is required of all who repent)
• Alma 7:14–16 (baptism is cleansing, entering into a covenant of eternal life)