Each of the twelve high councilors in our stake spoke in assigned wards on "Understanding My Place In Heavenly Father's Plan". I would have really enjoyed being a "fly on the wall" to listen to the other eleven ... I'm sure there would have been eleven wonderful ways to express this. Here's mine. I'd love to hear what this topic means to you ...
Let me start by sharing a spiritual experience I had one recent morning. Willyne and I have had several experiences where we have been touched by the pain of life, both in our own lives, and in the lives of those we have worked with. Many around us our discouraged in the tough road to perfection, and want to give up because it’s impossible and too hard, so why try.
Let me start by sharing a spiritual experience I had one recent morning. Willyne and I have had several experiences where we have been touched by the pain of life, both in our own lives, and in the lives of those we have worked with. Many around us our discouraged in the tough road to perfection, and want to give up because it’s impossible and too hard, so why try.
Recently
I read the following verses again, which helped reaffirm my answer to this question about why keep trying when the path seems to difficult ...
"And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my
servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed.
"And blessed is he
(or she) that is found faithful unto my
name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared
for him from the foundation of the world.
And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen."
-- Ether 4:16, 19
-- Ether 4:16, 19
Our
Lord truly is merciful. These words give
me so much hope!
I have
returned many times in my life to pondering , as I’m sure many of you have, if
my faith would have been strong enough to pull a handcart across Wyoming with
no food and tattered clothes in a raging blizzard, praising God for the
experience the rest of my life. I
especially pondered it as I sat with my family in the Martin’s Cove visitor
center and later that day looked with wonder at Rocky Ridge and thought of what
those handcart pioneers did there.
Those
images are emblazoned in my mind forever, they are real to me.
Would
my faith have been strong enough to listen to a sermon on a Navy fighter in the
Pacific, telling me to make peace with my Maker that night because half of my
fellow soldiers would not be alive the following night, and then take the charge to
jump out of the ship into the sea water and charge an island with enemies
shooting all around. Or to do the same
thing off Normandy on D-Day? I heard
these stories from men I revered as a young boy. My fifth grade teacher lived it and wanted me
to learn from it often. My Scoutmaster
who later became my Bishop and confidant as I prepared to serve a mission lived
it and wanted me to learn from it often.
Those images are emblazoned in my mind forever, they are real to me.
My
place in Heavenly Father’s plan is to strengthen my faith to understand and
accept the charge to be his valiant servant today, in the war with the
adversary that now rages.
We have
been blessed in the LaVerkin Utah Stake to have been consistently led by
inspired stake presidencies. Let’s
remember some of our past stake themes, which helped prepare us for what the
Lord needs each of us on His team to do now:
“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in
him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of
all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is
his grace sufficient for you, that be his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.” (Moroni
10:32-33)
“And now,
my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy
One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his
redemption. Yea, come unto him, and
offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and
praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” (Omni 1:26)
“And
we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of
Christ, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission
of their sins. “ (2 Nephi 25:26)
“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 or order, a house of God” (D & C 88:119)
“Therefore,
O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your
heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the
last day. Therefore, if ye have desires
to serve God ye are called to the work:
(D & C 4:2-3)
“…
to warn expound, exhort, and teach, and invite all to come unto Christ.” (D
& C 20:59)
“Verily,
verily, I say unto you this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must
do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do”
(3 Nephi 27:21)
“And
now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be
entreated; full of patience and longsuffering; being temperate in all things;
being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever
things ye stand in need both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks
unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. And see that ye have faith, hope,
and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” (Alma 7:23-24)
All of
which have prepared us for the
La
Verkin Utah Stake Theme ---- 2014
“For behold, this is my awork and my bglory—to bring to pass the cimmortality and deternal elife of man.”
----
Moses 1:39
“Wherefore,
whoso believeth in God might with asurety bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God,
which chope cometh of dfaith, maketh an eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast,
always abounding in fgood
works, being led to gglorify God.”
---- Ether 12:4
My
place in Heavenly Father’s plan is to strengthen my faith to understand and
accept the charge to be his valiant servant today, in the war with the
adversary that now rages.
This is a different challenge
than the handcart pioneers and the soldiers who fought for our freedom in World
War II. It is the battle of our generation
of our day, and it is every bit as important.
Perhaps our reluctance is,
because it is hard, we say “I’ll try instead of I’ll do”.
A priesthood lesson I heard as a young deacon
is seared in my soul, before Mr. Miyagi or Yoda said it in the movies:
“There is no try, only do.”
(note hymn 260) Who’s On The Lord’s Side, Who,
Now is the time to show!
I pray that as you, and I, get
on our knees in our regular daily devotionals, that you will receive a personal
witness that this is your place in Heavenly Father’s plan too, and commit to show
we’re on the Lord’s side. Every day.
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