Have you ever wondered what other Latter-Day Saints think about topics in the Ensign? Are you curious what this "Mormon Magazine" is all about? Come on in and learn and share!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Come to Zion, Elder D. Todd Christofferson
In our families and in our stakes and districts, let us seek to build up Zion through unity, godliness, and charity.
feels like an encouraging Father saying "Keep working on it, you will figure it out, get yourselves to a place where you can give"
I know that with the help of my Heavenly Father and my Husband this is a principle, that with due diligence, we can live.
I love the scriptures, I love my Heavenly Father who I know loves me. I cherrish my family. I am so grateful for those who have a testimony of "Zion" they are such great examples to me. I close in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
1 comment:
I really loved Elder Christofferson's talk on Zion. His story about the Home Teacher that cut his table in half and gave it tto a family in need really stuck with me.
In talking with my husband, I asked him "How do we get to that point? It seems hard for us to give when we have, how do we give, like this man, when we don't have?"
I was also discussing this with my sister yesterday about this story. She gave me some great insight. She mentioned that the story didn't tell us that he gave his table without hesitation. Just that he gave his table. It was probably a sacrifice for his family, but he gave. My sister has great insight. We also talked about giving of our time and talents as a way to help others, not just our resources. My sister also related her experience of gradually increasing fast offerings stating "We started with a little amount." I can see that as we gradually increase our Fast it may be easier to give.
As I am writting this right now, I feel a bit embarrased to be having such a problem with this. I guess I really do need to work on it.
Anyway, my sweet husband and I have been working on a challenge given by our Stake President to read the Book of Mormon again by December 23 (Joseph Smith's birthday). We were reading last night in Mosiah 4 and we came across some verses that I felt were speaking directly to my conversation and concernse early that day:
16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a aremission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
And because I have found that the Lord in consistant in his teachings with me, he tends to instruct and then encourage.. this last verse...
27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
feels like an encouraging Father saying "Keep working on it, you will figure it out, get yourselves to a place where you can give"
I know that with the help of my Heavenly Father and my Husband this is a principle, that with due diligence, we can live.
I love the scriptures, I love my Heavenly Father who I know loves me. I cherrish my family. I am so grateful for those who have a testimony of "Zion" they are such great examples to me.
I close in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Post a Comment