June 2012 HP Lesson - You Matter to Him (Uchtdorf)

October 2011 General Conference You Matter to Him Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First PresidencyThe Lord uses a scale very different from the world’s to weigh the worth of a soul.

Outline - Learner Readiness

• Read the name of the lesson (Your Matter to Him) and the theme (The Lord uses a scale very different from the world's to weight the worth of a soul).
• Q: When I read this, does it give you positive, warm feeling or a cynical feeling (like, I don't matter Him or God doesn't watch over me, I take care of myself)?
• There are three section to President Uchdorf's talk:
• We are less than we suppose
• We are greater than we suppose
• The last shall be first
• Let's discuss what is mean to be less than we suppose.  When Moses was give a vision of the workmanship of God's hands, he declared, I know that man is nothing.
• Let's read from P. Uchdorf's talk.  Who has 'A'

A - Astronomers have attempted to count the number of stars in the universe. One group of scientists estimates that the number of stars within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world’s beaches and deserts.

This conclusion has a striking similarity to the declaration of the ancient prophet Enoch: “Were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations.”⁵

Given the vastness of God’s creations, it’s no wonder the great King Benjamin counseled his people to “always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness.”

Q: In what context are we less than we suppose?

Say: Let's move to the next section of President Uchdorf's talk, "We Are Greater than we Suppose"

Who had Reading Selection B?

B - But even though man is nothing, it fills me with wonder and awe to think that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”⁷

And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, “What is man in comparison to the glory of creation?” God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind.⁸ In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

Let's read C

C - This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it.

Learner Involvement starts here.

The Folly of Pride

READ - The great deceiver knows that one of his most effective tools in leading the children of God astray is to appeal to the extremes of the paradox of man.


Q: So, what are the two side of the paradox? (we believe we are not important to God or we believe  that we are all important without God.)

Read E

E - Abraham Lincoln is said to have loved a poem that reads:

Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud?

Like a swift-flitting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,

A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,

Man passeth from life to his rest in the grave. ⁹

Q: What might be the meaning is of this poem?

Read F

F - Disciples of Jesus Christ understand that compared to eternity, our existence in this mortal sphere is only “a small moment” in space and time.¹⁰ They know that a person’s true value has little to do with what the world holds in high esteem. They know you could pile up the accumulated currency of the entire world and it could not buy a loaf of bread in the economy of heaven.

Question:  How does wealth or security effect our estimation or ourselves?
Q: Should it?
[if there is opposition] Q: Why is it that we tie a man's earthly success to the amount of fame, education or money they possess?
Answer: Is it our American tradition, our Calvinist heritage?  

READ G

G - Those who will “inherit the kingdom of God”¹¹ are those who become “as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love.”¹² “For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”¹³ Such disciples understand also “that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”¹⁴

Q: How does the Lord measure a man?

Say, Let's more to the other side of the paradox.

We Are Not Forgotten

Read H

H- Another way Satan deceives is through discouragement. He attempts to focus our sight on our own insignificance until we begin to doubt that we have much worth. He tells us that we are too small for anyone to take notice, that we are forgotten—especially by God.

Say: Br U. tells a story about going to Big Spring, Texas for pilot training.  He didn't know english very well and was in competition with the best of the best.  In his spare time he worked on building the chapel with other ward members.  He concludes the story by saying:

READ G

G - At the time, Big Spring, despite its name, was a small, insignificant, and unknown place. And I often felt exactly the same way about myself—insignificant, unknown, and quite alone. Even so, I never once wondered if the Lord had forgotten me or if He would ever be able to find me there.

READ H

H - I knew that it didn’t matter to Heavenly Father where I was, where I ranked with others in my pilot training class, or what my calling in the Church was. What mattered to Him was that I was doing the best I could, that my heart was inclined toward Him, and that I was willing to help those around me. I knew if I did the best I could, all would be well.

Q: Regarding each us, what matters to the Lord?
Q: What does it mean to do our best?
Q: Is my best different from someone else's best?
Q: What does it mean to incline our hearts toward Him?


The Last Shall Be First

Read I

I - The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use—in His own way and for His holy purposes—those who incline their hearts to Him.

Q: What does it mean to incline one's heart to Heavenly Father?

Read J

J - God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good.¹⁶

Q: Is there a quality that some have developed more than others that make a person want to wear out his days in doing good?

One such couple, parents of a friend of mine, exemplify this principle for me. The husband worked at a steel mill in Utah. At lunch he would pull out his scriptures or a Church magazine and read. When the other workers saw this, they ridiculed him and challenged his beliefs. Whenever they did, he spoke to them with kindness and confidence. He did not allow their disrespect to make him angry or upset.

Years later one of the more vocal mockers became very ill. Before he died, he requested that this humble man speak at his funeral—which he did.

This faithful member of the Church never had much in the way of social status or wealth, but his influence extended deeply to all who knew him. He died in an industrial accident while stopping to help another worker who was stranded in the snow.

Within a year his widow had to undergo brain surgery, which has left her unable to walk. But people love coming to spend time with her because she listens. She remembers. She cares. Unable to write, she memorizes her children’s and grandchildren’s telephone numbers. She lovingly remembers birthdays and anniversaries.

Those who visit her come away feeling better about life and about themselves. They feel her love. They know she cares. She never complains but spends her days blessing the lives of others. One of her friends said this woman was one of the few people she had ever known who truly exemplifies the love and life of Jesus Christ.

This couple would have been the first to say they were not of much importance in this world. But the Lord uses a scale very different from the world’s to weigh the worth of a soul. He knows this faithful couple; He loves them. Their actions are a living witness of their strong faith in Him.


Q: What is the scale that the Lord uses to weigh the worth of a soul?
Q: Even though the Lord loves all his children, can one be more highly favored than another?  
Q: What is the criteria for being highly favored of the Lord?  
Q: The Pharisees were obedient to a strict set of rules but they weren't highly favored.  What is it that I highly favored person does?

You Matter to Him

Read K


K - My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! If you ever doubt that, consider these four divine principles:

Say: First, God loves the humble and meek, for they are “greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Second, the Lord entrusts “the fulness of [His] gospel [to] be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world.”¹⁸ He has chosen “the weak things of the world [to] come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones”¹⁹ and to put to shame “the things which are mighty.”²⁰

Q: Who are the weak and simple?
Q: What do the weak things of the earth possess that will break down the mighty and strong ones?

Third, no matter where you live, no matter how humble your circumstances, how meager your employment, how limited your abilities, how ordinary your appearance, or how little your calling in the Church may appear to you, you are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.


Q: What if we are fighting against our current difficult circumstances?  What is the key that we are missing?

Fourth and finally, please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him.²¹ Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.


Q: is there a difference between going through the motions and looking the part, and really deepening your discipleship?

Conclusion

Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”²²

Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love.


Amen

Read Helaman 12:5-8

5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!

 6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hathcreated them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set atnaught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.

 7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.

 8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God.

1. 
   

President Hinckley on Debt 1998

To the Boys and to the Men

Gordon B. Hinckley

President of the Church

I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

My brethren, it is a tremendous opportunity and an awesome responsibility to speak to you.

I wish to speak initially to the younger men who are here tonight. Thank you for your presence, wherever you may be gathered. Thank you for attending seminary as well as your Sunday meetings. I honor you for your desire to learn of the gospel, to deepen your scholarship in studying the word of the Lord. I thank you for the desire you carry in your hearts to serve missions. I thank you for your dreams of marrying in the temple and rearing honorable families of your own.

You are not “dead-end” kids. You are not wasting your lives in drifting aimlessly. You have purpose. You have design. You have plans that can only lead to growth and strength.

When your energies are harnessed, when your dreams are focused, marvelous things happen. I recently received a proclamation from a group of LDS young men from the northern area of California. They are from 19 stakes, and as they gathered in the mountains, they visited the scene of a pioneer tragedy. As the boys pondered the things they saw and the reminders of their inheritance, they were invited to sign a Mormon Trail Scout Encampment Proclamation. I should like to read this pledge to you:

“Be it known to all that we are Boy Scouts … and bearers of the Aaronic Priesthood of God. We pledge our allegiance to the values and principles that guided the men of the Mormon Battalion and the Latter-day Saint Pioneer men and women who helped establish this state of California. As their grateful sons, we rejoice in our heritage of service.

“On this 18th day of July 1998, we pledge to become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will study the scriptures. We will pray for strength to obey. We will work. We will strive with all our hearts to follow the example of Jesus.

“We will magnify the priesthood we have been given by serving other people. We will keep ourselves worthy to administer the sacrament of the Lord’s supper. Wherever there is a need for help, like our forefathers, we will step forward.

“We will prove ourselves worthy of the greater, Melchizedek Priesthood. We commit ourselves to the Lord’s army and will go forth as full-time missionaries to invite all to come unto Christ.

“We are young men of the covenant. We will prepare ourselves to receive the covenant of eternal marriage. We pray for righteous wives and children whom we will honor and protect with our own lives.

“Be it known that whatever the risks, whatever the temptations, whatever the state of the world around us, as our forefathers were faithful, so we will be. Like those who have gone before, we will turn away from self-aggrandizement and set aside personal gain in order to build a peaceful society, governed by God.

“At all times and in all places, we will be true to our pledge.”

I compliment every boy who signed this pledge. I pray that not one will ever default on the promises he has made to himself, to the Church, and to the Lord.

What a different world this would be if every young man could and would sign such a statement of promise. There would be no lives wasted with drugs. There would be no gangs with children killing children and young men headed either for prison or death. Education would become a prize worth working for. Service in the Church would become an opportunity to be cherished. There would be greater peace and love in the homes of the people. There would be no viewing of pornography, no reading of sleazy literature. You would honor and respect the girls with whom you associate, and they would never have any fear about being alone with you in any set of circumstances. It would be as if the stripling warriors of Helaman had recruited the youth of the world to their way of living.

On the agenda of your lives, of course, would be a mission. You would gladly go wherever you might be sent to do the work of the Lord, giving it your full time and attention, your strength and energy and love.

Permit me to read to you parts of a letter from a young man now serving a mission. It is written to his family, and I hope I do not violate propriety in reading it to this great gathering. I will not disclose the name of the writer or the mission in which he serves.

He says: “This past year has been great! I transferred out of the mission office and came to this small branch. My life has changed dramatically since that last transfer. I have in the past few months learned what is really important. I have learned what matters. I have learned to forget myself. I have learned to work effectively. I have learned to love others. I have learned that God loves me and that I love Him. In short, I have learned to live what I believe. …

“I have learned about people and things. I have watched tears of joy come to those who never knew they were children of God. I have seen the prayers of the penitent be answered. I have seen people absorb the gospel of Jesus Christ and want to change into new persons, all because of a feeling. …

“I often dream about the plan of salvation. I think about the marvelous work and a wonder that has taken place. I think about the power and force of angels that stand among us. I wonder at times how many of these are around me helping to bear testimony in a language I never thought could be fully understood.

“I ponder upon the peaceable things of immortal glory visioned by Enoch. … I am thankful to God to be who I am. My greatest blessing in life is to be alive—alive in the service of our God. In this, I find great peace and joy.”

Now, my dear young friends, I hope all of you are pointed in the direction of missionary service. I cannot promise you fun. I cannot promise you ease and comfort. I cannot promise you freedom from discouragement, from fear, from downright misery at times. But I can promise you that you will grow as you have never grown in a similar period during your entire lives. I can promise you a happiness that will be unique and wonderful and lasting. I can promise you that you will reevaluate your lives, that you will establish new priorities, that you will live closer to the Lord, that prayer will become a real and wonderful experience, that you will walk with faith in the outcome of the good things you do.

God bless you young men, the boys, of this, His great Church. May each of you walk with a higher resolve, a determination to be Latter-day Saints in every meaning of the word. May achievement, accomplishment, and service become your reward in the fascinating and wonderful life which lies ahead of you.

Now, brethren, I should like to talk to the older men, hoping that there will be some lesson for the younger men as well.

I wish to speak to you about temporal matters.

As a backdrop for what I wish to say, I read to you a few verses from the 41st chapter of Genesis.

Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him: “Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

“And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

“And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed. …

“And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: …

“And I saw in my dream … seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

“And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

“And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: …

“And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, … God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

“The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. …

“… What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

“Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

“And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;

“… And God will shortly bring it to pass” (Gen. 41:17–20, 22–26, 28–30, 32).

Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.

So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.

We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.

I hope with all my heart that we shall never slip into a depression. I am a child of the Great Depression of the thirties. I finished the university in 1932, when unemployment in this area exceeded 33 percent.

My father was then president of the largest stake in the Church in this valley. It was before our present welfare program was established. He walked the floor worrying about his people. He and his associates established a great wood-chopping project designed to keep the home furnaces and stoves going and the people warm in the winter. They had no money with which to buy coal. Men who had been affluent were among those who chopped wood.

I repeat, I hope we will never again see such a depression. But I am troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people. In March 1997 that debt totaled $1.2 trillion, which represented a 7 percent increase over the previous year.

In December of 1997, 55 to 60 million households in the United States carried credit card balances. These balances averaged more than $7,000 and cost $1,000 per year in interest and fees. Consumer debt as a percentage of disposable income rose from 16.3 percent in 1993 to 19.3 percent in 1996.

Everyone knows that every dollar borrowed carries with it the penalty of paying interest. When money cannot be repaid, then bankruptcy follows. There were 1,350,118 bankruptcies in the United States last year. This represented a 50 percent increase from 1992. In the second quarter of this year, nearly 362,000 persons filed for bankruptcy, a record number for a three-month period.

We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one’s home. But no mention is made of interest.

President J. Reuben Clark Jr., in the April 1938 general conference, said from this pulpit: “Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1938, 103).

I recognize that it may be necessary to borrow to get a home, of course. But let us buy a home that we can afford and thus ease the payments which will constantly hang over our heads without mercy or respite for as long as 30 years.

No one knows when emergencies will strike. I am somewhat familiar with the case of a man who was highly successful in his profession. He lived in comfort. He built a large home. Then one day he was suddenly involved in a serious accident. Instantly, without warning, he almost lost his life. He was left a cripple. Destroyed was his earning power. He faced huge medical bills. He had other payments to make. He was helpless before his creditors. One moment he was rich, the next he was broke.

Since the beginnings of the Church, the Lord has spoken on this matter of debt. To Martin Harris through revelation He said: “Pay the debt thou hast contracted with the printer. Release thyself from bondage” (D&C 19:35).

President Heber J. Grant spoke repeatedly on this matter from this pulpit. He said: “If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet” (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 111).

We are carrying a message of self-reliance throughout the Church. Self-reliance cannot obtain when there is serious debt hanging over a household. One has neither independence nor freedom from bondage when he is obligated to others.

In managing the affairs of the Church, we have tried to set an example. We have, as a matter of policy, stringently followed the practice of setting aside each year a percentage of the income of the Church against a possible day of need.

I am grateful to be able to say that the Church in all its operations, in all its undertakings, in all of its departments, is able to function without borrowed money. If we cannot get along, we will curtail our programs. We will shrink expenditures to fit the income. We will not borrow.

One of the happiest days in the life of President Joseph F. Smith was the day the Church paid off its long-standing indebtedness.

What a wonderful feeling it is to be free of debt, to have a little money against a day of emergency put away where it can be retrieved when necessary.

President Faust would not tell you this himself. Perhaps I can tell it, and he can take it out on me afterward. He had a mortgage on his home drawing 4 percent interest. Many people would have told him he was foolish to pay off that mortgage when it carried so low a rate of interest. But the first opportunity he had to acquire some means, he and his wife determined they would pay off their mortgage. He has been free of debt since that day. That’s why he wears a smile on his face, and that’s why he whistles while he works.

I urge you, brethren, to look to the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.

This is a part of the temporal gospel in which we believe. May the Lord bless you, my beloved brethren, to set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts. That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable.

I leave with you my testimony of the divinity of this work and my love for each of you, in the name of the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

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HP Lesson - May 2012 - Doing the Right Thing, at the right time, without delay

Teaching for Our Times

Doing the Right Thing, at the Right Time, Without Delay

Jose L Alonso

Learner Readiness

Theme: The Savior … gave us a great example about not waiting to administer relief to those who have lost a sense of happiness and joy.


Remember the fireside on the JST last year?  Tell example of Jesus going to the little down Nain (about 10 miles SW  of Capernaum)   where the son had died.  We can only assume that the mother who was a widow had faith and was praying for help.  Jesus had to get up at 2:00 AM to walk to Nain from Capernaum.  This would have been inconvienient to himself and is disciples.

Luke 7::11-16

Q: How is this an example of doing the right thing, at the right time, without delay?

P. 180-181 of 'The Second Comforter'  The author, Denver Snuffer, gives a story of driving by a truck where the load of drywall had all fallen out. I'm sure we all have had something like this happen to us.  Let's read his account.

Q: Have we had similar experiences?  How do we develop the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, without delay?

My personal experience: I have been so busy at work that I believe I didn't take the time to counsel with my oldest son when he would come by.  Perhaps it wouldn't have made a difference but maybe it would have made a difference if I had taken the time right then without delay.

READ A In our day many people are living in the midst of sadness and great confusion. They are not finding answers to their questions and are unable to meet their needs. Some have lost a sense of happiness and joy. The prophets have declared that true happiness is found in following the example and teachings of Christ. He is our Savior, He is our teacher, and He is the perfect example.

READ B His was a life of service. When we serve our neighbor, we help those who are in need. In the process we may find solutions to our own difficulties. As we emulate the Savior, we show our love to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and we become more like Them.

READ C King Benjamin spoke of the value of service, saying that when we are “in the service of [our] fellow beings [we] are only in the service of [our] God.”¹ Everyone has opportunities to give service and show love.

There will be a question the next quote so listen carefully.

READ D President Thomas S. Monson has asked us to go “to the rescue” and serve others. He said: “We will discover that those whom we serve, who have felt through our labors the touch of the Master’s hand, somehow cannot explain the change which comes into their lives. There is a desire to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to live more like the Savior. Having received their spiritual eyesight and glimpsed the promises of eternity, they echo the words of the blind man to whom Jesus restored sight, who said, ‘One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.’”²

Q: According what we just read, what is one of inadvertent spiritual benefits of serving others?

Learner Involvement

READ E Each day we have the opportunity to give help and service—doing the right thing at the right time, without delay. Think of the many people who have a difficult time obtaining a job or who are ill, who feel lonely, who even think that they have lost everything. What can you do to help? Imagine that a neighbor, caught out in the rain with his car broken down, calls you for assistance. What is the right thing to do for him? When is the right time to do it?

[find Ensign article about home teaching and asking the general question]

Q: When someone is drowning, do you ask them if they need help?   Do we have people that we know that are 'drowning' in some way or another?

READ F: I recall an occasion when we went as a family to downtown Mexico City to buy clothing for our two children. They were very young. Our older son was just barely two years old, and the younger son was a year old. The street was crowded with people. While we were shopping, leading our children by the hand, we stopped for a moment to look at something, and without realizing it, we lost our older son! We did not know how, but he was not with us. Without a moment’s delay, we took off running to look for him. We searched and called out for him, feeling great anguish, thinking that we might lose him forever. In our minds we were pleading for Heavenly Father to help us find him.

READ G: After a little while we found him. There he was, innocently looking at toys through a store window. We hugged and kissed him, and we made the commitment to watch over our children diligently so that we would never lose one again. We learned that in order to go to our son’s rescue, we did not need planning meetings. We simply acted, going out in search of the one who had been lost. We also learned that our son never even realized that he was lost.

Q:  Why did Elder Alonso say that we don't need planning meetings when we go to the rescue?

READ H: Brothers and sisters, there may be many who, for some reason, are lost from our sight and who do not know that they are lost. If we delay, we could lose them forever.For many who have need of our help, it is not necessary to create new programs or take actions which are complicated or costly. They only need our determination to serve—to do the right thing at the right time, without delay.

Learner Application

Q: What stops us from see a need and responding quickly? [Fear (come and fear not verse in Alma 7)]

Q: What kind of needs are in our ward? (write them down on the board]

READ J    I know that our Heavenly Father is loving, understanding, and patient. His Son, Jesus Christ, likewise loves us. They render help to us through Their prophets. I have learned that there is great safety in following the prophets. “The rescue” is still going on. President Monson said: “The Lord expects our thinking. He expects our action. He expects our labors. He expects our testimonies. He expects our devotion.”⁶

Present the 21 Day Positive Psychology (or, Have a Done Any Good in the World Today)

...a friend sent me a video presentation.... try an experiment for 21 days to see if I could make it a habit.  I propose that we could try this in our group.

[it could be of benefit to some of you have more intention to do spiritual things everyday and to do self evaluation at the end of each day].  You may want to pick one of these to do or all five.  You may want to modify your daily list for your own needs.

1. Write down three things that you are grateful for.
2. Write down one positive experience that happened to you today
3. Exercise everyday.
4. Meditate everyday.
5. Do one random act of gratitude, service or kindness everyday.  Write it down.

The purpose of writing it down everyday is to hold yourself accountable to yourself.  It helps you take it seriously.

The purpose of the 21 Day experiment is to experience a positive shift in our way of thinking.

You assignment, if you choose to accept, is for the next month to do something with intention on a daily basis and to a self evaluation each night to see how you did.

Let's say you chose number 5, do a random act of gratitude, service or kindness and at the end of the day you realize that you haven't done anything.  What are you going to do to stay true to your goal?  The author of this suggested writing a gratitude email to someone you know.

[I have some slips of paper here in the front of the class with these particular five things listed if any of you might want them.]

READ K  We have a responsibility and a great opportunity. There are many who need to once again experience the sweet savor of happiness and joy through activity in the Church. That happiness comes from receiving the ordinances, making sacred covenants, and keeping them. The Lord needs us to help them. Let us do the right thing at the right time, without delay.

Lesson April 2012 - Russell Nelson, Covenants

April 2012 - Elder Russell Nelson, Covenants

Learner Readiness


You Read: One of the most important concepts of revealed religion is that of a sacred covenant. In legal language, a covenant generally denotes an agreement between two or more parties. But in a religious context, a covenant is much more significant. It is a sacred promise with God. He fixes the terms. Each person may choose to accept those terms. If one accepts the terms of the covenant and obeys God’s law, he or she receives the blessings associated with the covenant. We know that “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.”⁴

Q: What is a covenant?
Q: What is the relationship between being a believer and covenants?
Q: Do signs follow the believer?
Q: How do we know that the level at which we are keeping our covenants is acceptable to God? (Introspective)

Q: What are some of the covenants that we make or that we are a part of?

1. Abrahamic Covenant
2. Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
3. Baptism and Sacrament
4. Temple Covenants

Q: What is a significant sign that the Lord has commenced to gather covenant Israel once again?

[if you have a chalk board, write the out line on the board]

Covenants> Abrahamic Covenant - write Nelson's introspective question>>>Oath and Covenant - write Nelson's introspective queston >>>> the Sign - Book of Mormon >>>>

ABRAHAMIC COVENANT (maybe)

You Read: The covenant God made with Abraham¹³ and later reaffirmed with Isaac¹⁴ and Jacob¹⁵ is of transcendent significance. It contained several promises, including:

• • Jesus the Christ would be born through Abraham’s lineage.
• • Abraham’s posterity would be numerous, entitled to an eternal increase, and also entitled to bear the priesthood.
• • Abraham would become a father of many nations.
• • Certain lands would be inherited by his posterity.
• • All nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed.¹⁶
• • And that covenant would be everlasting—even through “a thousand generations.”¹⁷

Read 


A - Some of these promises have been fulfilled; others are still pending. I quote from an early Book of Mormon prophecy: “Our father [Lehi] hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham.”¹⁸ Isn’t that amazing? Some 600 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, prophets knew that the Abrahamic covenant would be finally fulfilled only in the latter days.


Q: Why is this amazing? [because everything is happening as prophecied and we are in the middle of it]


[ask multiple people why they think it is amazaing]

Say: [Elder Nelson then says]:  To facilitate that promise, the Lord appeared in these latter days to renew that Abrahamic covenant. To the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Master declared:

“Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, … my servant Joseph. …

“This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham.”

Q: How did the Lord renew the Abrahamic Covenant in the latter days? [ask multiple brethren the same question to make sure everyone is following along]

OATH and COVENANT of the PRIESTHOOD

READ

B - With this renewal, we have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. We have the right to receive the fulness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, and qualify for God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life.

READ

C - Ours is the responsibility to help fulfill the Abrahamic covenant. Ours is the seed foreordained and prepared to bless all people of the world.²⁹ That is why priesthood duty includes missionary work. After some 4,000 years of anticipation and preparation, this is the appointed day when the gospel is to be taken to the kindreds of the earth. This is the time of the promised gathering of Israel. And we get to participate! Isn’t that exciting? The Lord is counting on us and our sons—and He is profoundly grateful for our daughters—who worthily serve as missionaries in this great time of the gathering of Israel.

Q: Why is it exciting that we get to participate in the promised gathering of Israel? [again, ask multiple men when this should be exciting]  Or, perhaps it's not exciting, why isn't it exciting (we have fallen asleep?)

Learner Involvement

***** The Book of Mormon - A Tangible Sign

Say, I believe Elder Nelson is trying to get latter day Israel excited about our involvement in the latter day work!
Q: What is a tangible sign that the Lord has commenced to gather covenant Israel?

READ:

D - The Book of Mormon is a tangible sign that the Lord has commenced to gather His children of covenant Israel.³⁰ This book, written for our day, states as one of its purposes that “ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel … is already beginning to be fulfilled. … For behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel.”³¹

Say: Elder Nelson goes on to say:

- That the Book of Mormon helps us to make covenants with God.  It convinces us the Jesus is the Christ.
- That we have claim on the blessings by making covenants.
- That we keep the covenant by obedience to God's commandments

READ :

E - At baptism we covenant to serve the Lord and keep His commandments.³⁴ When we partake of the sacrament, we renew that covenant and declare our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. Thereby we are adopted as His sons and daughters and are known as brothers and sisters. He is the father of our new life.³⁵ Ultimately, in the holy temple, we may become joint heirs to the blessings of an eternal family, as once promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their posterity.³⁶ Thus, celestial marriage is the covenant of exaltation.

Q: What does, "He is the father of our new life" mean?
Q: Who is the 'Father' spoken of by Elder Nelson?
Q: What is the essence of having a new life in Christ?

Q: Are we all in this new life in Christ?  (introspective).  
Say:  I think Elder Nelson is saying once we have cleanse ourselves sufficiently and have caught the vision that we are children of the covenant, we start feeling God's power in our lives.

READ:

F - When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us.³⁷ His law is written in our hearts.³⁸ He is our God and we are His people.³⁹Committed children of the covenant remain steadfast, even in the midst of adversity. When that doctrine is deeply implanted in our hearts, even the sting of death is soothed and our spiritual stamina is strengthened.

SAY: Elder Nelson said that when the covenant doctrine is deeply planted in our hearts....
Q: How do we get this doctrine deeply implanted in our hearts?

Learner Application


Q: How much should this idea or fact that we are the covenant people of the Lord in the last days, be a driving factor in our lives?


Q: How different from the world ought we be?


Q: How was Abraham different from Lot?  If we were to be more like Abraham than Lot, what would we change?

READ:

G - The greatest compliment that can be earned here in this life is to be known as a covenant keeper. The rewards for a covenant keeper will be realized both here and hereafter. Scripture declares that “ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, … and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven … [and] dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.”⁴⁰

Q:  Who can tell me from their own experience some aspects of this blessed and happy state, being blessed in all things?  (is this the state that we are in or is there something more?)
Q:  What is the relationship between being in a blessed and happy state and covenant keeping?

God lives. Jesus is the Christ. His Church has been restored to bless all people. President Thomas S. Monson is His prophet today. And we, as faithful children of the covenant, will be blessed now and forever. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

1. 
   

Meditation Exercise

Before you read the meditation, remember, that it will take three or four tries before you start feeling a good feeling.  It may seem corny at first and you may want to change some of the words.  But, the idea is get to a place where love fills your being and all stresses depart.  Once you get to this place, you pray for different things.

Here's the meditation:

1. Close our eyes and breathe deeply 3 or 4 times, while saying the following to yourself: I am the full expression of God's love, Just as God is love, so am I.  I am love.

2. Hold in your mind the image of someone you love.  Then imagine yourself putting your arms around that person in a loving embrace while simultaneously saying "I love you" in your mind.  Hold on to this feeling of love, allowing it to spread throughout your entire being.  [don't move too fast, take a minute or two just relaxing letting the feeling spread]

3. While holding  on to this feeling of love, silently say to yourself, "I feel love."  After a few moments mentally say, "I feel God."  Then finally, in your mind say, "Thank you," allowing the feeling of gratitude and appreciation to wash over you.

4. Remain in this state of being for a few minutes, imagining the love in you radiating outward in an egg-shaped sphere of vibratory energy that flows out unto all people encompassing the world and the universe. [sounds a little strange for us Mormons.  Change to oneness with God or something else if you like.]

This exercise is disarmingly simple.  If you want to have the love of God in your heart (the fruit of the tree of life in Lehi's dream), then practice placing yourself in state of feeling love.  Repeat the mediation exercise one time or multiple times.  After a few times doing it, it becomes easier and easier to put yourself in a loving, warm, happy state. Fear can't exist and faith and trust begin to grow.  

April 2012 General Conference - Final Session

L. Tom Perry

Book of Mormon has a theme of deliverance.

Mosiah 20 - Bondage of King Limhi.  Three times defeated.
v.15 slow to hear their cries.  Lamanite eased burdens, but the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage.  Lord was slow because of their iniquities.
Mosiah 24 - Alma and his people in the land of Helam.  v. 13 - voice of the Lord, lift up your hearts and be of good comfort.  I will deliver you out of bondage.

What is the difference.  People of Alma were peaceful and more righteous.  appropriate and fair to be delivered quickly.

We are promised deliverance.  His atonement and resurrection.  Escape from physical and spiritual death.

**** Read the Book of Mormon every day.

Secularism is overpowering religious people now today.

We need the BOM.  Both are necessary for the complete doctrine of Christ.  Both are neccsssary.  When used together the Bible and the BOM confound false doctrine.

Harmonious - Deliverance of Abraham from the Childeans.  Also, Lot, his nephew chose the plains of Jordan.  Most of the problems of his life came from positioned his tent toward Sodom.  Abraham dwelt in the plains of Mamran and built an alter.  He thinks Abraham's tent faced the Altar.  King Benjamin had everyone face their tent to the temple.

Elder Ballard

Liahona similar to a GPS.  Curious workmanship.  GPS is a blessing.  I can be right and say I don't need to ask anyone.

We have a tool more remarkable than a GPS.  It is through the pompting of the Holy Ghost.  And through the Atonement.  We and our society has lost its way.  Focus on the family.

**** Visit with Karen how to convert our home to a more divine institution.  It is our home and families that need reforming.  Growing disregard of marriage.  More than half of birth of women under 30 have children outside of marriage.

**** Ever growing gap between the rich and the poor.  Poor less likely to go to church.

Good is bad and bad is good.  Families that aren't broken up have children of hight economic status.


Elder 70

We must have a vision or we will perish.  Christ helps you catch a vision of yourself.  We act on  Christ's teachings.  Jesus made the 12 fishers of men instead of just fisherman.

Put into action the teachings of our leaders.  Catch a vision of these teachings.  Exercise your faith to take action.  Act on your inspiration.

*****Fasting and prayer -  This is an action.  We experience hard things in our life.  We get too busy.
*****Relook at responsibilities and time wasters.
You will bring a different order to your life as we gain a vision.  Our lives will be blessed in unexpected ways.

***** Believe that the Lord can bless you with vision in your life.  My yoke is easy and my burden is light.  Let us see ourselves as the Savior see us.

***** go to the temple in the morning once a week.  Fast and pray once a week.

Larry Wilson

Rights of the Priesthood (wife driving story)
We lose that power when we exercise compulsion on others.  We lose our right to the Lord's Spirit.  We think that controlling is good for people but its not.  We can't force others to do the right thing.  It builds mistrust.  Learning opportunities are lost.  Easy trap to fall into.  Withholding approval  or love is the way some do it.

Children need to make choices.  Sabbath day story.  Not let her team down.  Parents decide that their daughter was ready to make her own decision.  She carried out her choice.  She said that felt awful.

Help children establish their own connection to heaven.  They that are wise and have taken the Holy Spirit as their guide...

We must act only by persuasion.  Let them feel our confidence.

David Evans

Children - 2 Nephi 25:26

Children trust because they see the good modeling of the parents.
Our brethren need to feel the love.  People returning are the same as long time members.

It doesn't matter how matter when someone comes back.  The grace is the same for all.

***** Contact Bill Lebaron

Piper

Seek an answer to a sincere question.  All were change from the encounters with the divine.  Our experiences with the divine might not be as direct.  Still small voice guides and directs, lights our mind.  We feel it.  So natural and subtle.  individualized messages.

**** Daily reflecting and recording promptings. DC 59:21Llink When we record our promptings we are saying that this is important.

Give priority to the sacred.

**** spend more time each time to meditate and pray and read scriptures.

The world wants us to abandon beliefs.

Did I not speak peace in your heart concerning the matter.
**** Remember that you have received peace regarding your job issue.  Don't murmur anymore.  Don't tell people that you have problems.

Hold sacred what you have received.


Elder Neil Anderson

What thinks Christ of me?
These are days of destiny.  Badge of honor.
The Lord blesses us with customized direction - as we listen to and think about the General Conference.  Discipleship is not a competition.  It is life long migration to a more celestial life.

***** Take up your cross daily and follow me.  I will give you rest.  You are heavy laden.
***** Hershel Pederson's comment that I haven't figured out how to fast and pray because my weight was still high.

***** Contact Sid King in Logan

Haiti - family apt destroyed.  They believed.  three children in apt.  just one child alive.They were all discovered alive under the building.

be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

as you trust him, you will feel his approval.  By his grace he will do for you what you cannot do for yourself.

What thinks Christ of me?  He lives.

Thomas S. Monson

Pray always.  I will pour out my spirit upon you....

**** Spend Dr Who time with Steve.  Stay close to him
**** Golf pass

Become even better than  you were.  He invoked a blessing upon all of us.