What Callings in the Church Mean to Me

When we are called to serve, we are given the privilege of acting in the Lord's behalf, doing some task for Him. All of the things we do in his service also help our fellow man, for his purpose is the immortality and eternal life of man.

In serving God and others, it allows us to change our focus from self to those around us, and we thus become more like Him. This is one of the main purposes for our callings; to enable our own growth through service.

Often in our callings, we work together with other servants of the Lord. These good people become fast friends, examples for good, and the support us much in our efforts to live well and faithfully.

Also, the Lord helps us in our callings by providing inspiration through his spirit, which helps us know how best to meet our responsibilities. All those who serve faithfully and who keep themselves worthy of this spirit receive this help, and it spill over into other aspects of their lives. I testify that when I have served to the best of my ability, the guidance of the spirit has helped me an all parts of my life, and not just in my callings.

Through our callings we teach our children by example that we love the Lord and that He is important in our lives.

All of these blessings, and others not mentioned here, come to us through faithful service to the Lord's church, in what-ever calling comes our way.

What the Meetings and Organizations of the Church Mean to Me

One day, a few years ago when Shana was graduating from High School, I was very worried about her health. I prayed very hard for comfort. That Sunday a youth speaker quoted D&C 101:16, suggesting that we insert our own name in place of the word "Zion". If you put in Shana's name it reads, "Therefore, let your heart be comforted concerning Shana; for a flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God." This hit me with great force; the spirit touched me and brought comfort.

At a later meeting, Bishop Tarbet bore testimony about the miraculous preservation of a group of soldiers from Cedar City during an 18 month tour of duty in Iraq. The spirit was strong. During the closing prayer, I was brought to tears of appreciation as the ward prayed for Shana's health and strength.

I have felt the spirit and received comfort in other church meetings also.

These are blessings that come from church meetings.

And of course, the opportunity to renew covenants through the Sacrament is the most important thing provided by our Sunday meetings.

These meetings give opportunity for the saints to support and strengthen one another. As one who has received that support and strength, I believe it to be a very important function of the church.

Also, I am very grateful for the organizations of the church, both because of what they do for me, and because of what they do for my family. We have benefited greatly over the years from Primary, Young Women, Young Men and scouting, Relief Society and Priesthood. They have all helped in the growth and development of my family. I am especially thankful to have been a member of the ward choir over the years. Good spiritual music gives me a boost that helps for the entire week.

These are only a few of the many benefits I have seen come from the meetings of the church and from its organizations and activities.

Thoughts on How I Will Benefit from LDS General Conference

I have really enjoyed the conference yesterday and today. I am grateful to have this opportunity to hear and see the instruction from apostles and prophets.

However, they give instruction on so many different subjects that I find it a bit overwhelming. Since I want to do what the Lord has suggested to me through his servants, and I don't feel capable of suddenly living up to all of the instruction that has been given (too many changes to handle all at once), I have decided that I will try the following approach;

1. Prayerfully select a subject that was discussed in conference, asking Heavenly Father what he would have me change or improve on at this time.
2. Study the talks that were given on that subject, and pray and ponder about how the Lord wants me to apply that instruction in my life.
3. Take the appropriate action or start the appropriate habit to follow the promptings received in step 2.
4. When I am satisfied for the time being (I may come back to it again, later) with my progress on that subject, it will be time to repeat the process.

Hopefully this will allow me to take the fullest advantage of the conference in learning and in improving my life and in serving those around me, in a way that I can handle, without taking on more than I am able at one time.

What Does Modern Revelation Mean to Me

As I see it, there are several purposes of modern revelation. Among them are:

1. To restore truths lost in the apostasy,
2. To restore priesthood authority, organization, offices, and duties, and
3. To give God's guidance as to our own day and age

Consider the state of religious knowledge when Joseph Smith came on the scene. Much truth about our Heavenly Father and his Son had been lost. The creeds of apostate Christianity were so confused that it was obvious that man did not know whom or what they worshiped, of even that we are literally our Heavenly Father's children. Much of the other pure doctrines and truths were also lost. Without modern revelation, this apostasy would still be in effect today. The truth about God and mankind's relationship to him would have remained unknown. In fact, the remaining truths would likely have continued to be misunderstood and lost. I think the situation would still be getting worse and worse, if not for modern revelation.

Modern revelation, along with visitations of angels and ordinations to authority, also brought back to earth true priesthood authority, along with the knowledge of how to exercise it. The offices and duties of priesthood holders was revealed. This allows us to have God's power in our lives, and to use it to bless the lives of others.

The Proclamation on the Family, the recent (in terms of modern vs ancient) statement from the LDS First Presidency on marriage being between a man and a woman and the duties of husband, wife, and children, is one item I can think of right off when trying to list where modern revelation has been given concerning the immediate and present circumstances in which we live today. Others are warnings against pornography and gambling. There are many others. All one needs to do is look at the reports of the church conferences, and at the church magazines and church news to see many more examples. This helps to guide us through the pitfalls in the world that we currently face.

Another example of current revelation for our times is the personal revelation available to every worthy person, to aid them in their personal lives and in their own church duties. I testify that such revelation has helped me in my life. It has helped me make right decisions, guide my family, and find peace in hard times.

Another form of modern revelation is the patriarchal blessing, wherein the Lord, speaking through the local patriarch, gives instruction to the individual, which is tailored to his or her individual circumstances and to the Lord's plans for that person. I testify that these blessings are accurate and extremely helpful, as I have seen with my own patriarchal blessing.

I am grateful to the Lord for the blessings that I have discussed in this post, and for others, all of which cam to me because of modern revelation.

This Says it Better (On Grace)

So...

Just after my last post, I read this:

http://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/09/his-grace-is-sufficient?lang=eng

This is pretty much the idea I was trying to get across, but it says it much better than I did.

Grace and Works: Relief from the Burden of Earning Our Way into Heaven

I am leaving my normal format of "What does this or that mean to me" to address another issue that is on my mind today. A high council speaker in our meeting today gave a very thought provoking message based on John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." He had some very good advice about why the commandments are important, and what should motivate us to keep them. I have since been pondering about this, and about the Grace and Works issue.

I am fully aware that some accuse the Latter-day Saints of trying to earn their way into heaven, as if by doing good works we could somehow make ourselves pure and worthy of salvation. While there are those in the LDS church and in other churches who take this approach in the belief that good works in themselves have some saving value, I believe that such people are misguided and do not understand the doctrines of salvation.

The scriptures are full of assurances that we are saved only through the atonement of Christ and his grace. Examples are all over the scriptures here are just a few:

• Ephesians 2:8-9 "For grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

• Book of Mormon, Mosiah 13:32 "...they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were through the redemption of God."

• Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 9:7 "...save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. ..."

There are many more. It appears that no effort we make can compare to the infinite atonement. All of my effort plus infinity is still infinity. For that matter, all of my lack of effort plus infinity is still infinity. No effort of ours can contribute in any significant way to our salvation - we can only rely on the merits of Christ. "And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins." (Book of Mormon, Alma 22:14)

So, if we are saved through his grace and by no act of our own, what is the purpose of the Lord's commandments? If any attempt to save ourselves or become pure by our own effort is doomed to failure, is there a reason for such good works as obedience to the commandments, or the making and keeping  of covenants? 

I believe there is.

For one thing, the commandments provide guidelines by which the we can invite the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit of the Lord, into our lives. The Lord gave us these commandments to enable us to live in the light of that spirit and in its guidance.

Now we come back to John 14:15. The one thing we must do is love the Lord. There is only one way we can love him, and that is by trying to serve him. Those who claim to love God, but who place no importance on obeying him, are deceiving themselves and/or trying to deceive others.

Those who truly love the Lord will naturally do all they can to obey him. And when we love him and try to obey him, He blesses us with his spirit. The Holy Ghost makes the atonement effective in our lives. The cleansing power of the atonement comes to us through the spirit. In 3 Nephi 27:20, it says "..that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost." Without this spirit we are as the unbelievers who reject the atonement, and the atonement will have no effect on us.

Moroni said, in Moroni 10:32, "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 by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."

So in summary, it is God's grace that saves us. That grace becomes operative in our lives when we love him. No amount of struggle to earn our way into heaven can take the place of loving him.

The understanding of this principle will free some from a heavy burden. We do not have to do it all. We need to stop burdening ourselves with the struggle to be so good as to earn worthiness, and instead strive to love God with our all. If we truly love him, that is enough. If we truly love him, we are doing more than just going through the motions. We then do good works because, in our love for him, we want to please him. This brings his cleansing spirit into our lives. Thus, love of God overcomes our imperfections, and this is something we could never do on our own. Loving him in this way is the only way to be saved. Salvation cannot be earned, but it can be received by those to whom He grants it. And He grants salvation to all who love him.

What Does Joseph Smith Mean to Me?

In 1820, a fourteen year old boy believed the words in the fifth verse of James, chapter 3, that God will answer our questions if we just ask Him in faith. Joseph went to ask which church was right. The resulting vision of God and Christ began the restoration of the true gospel to earth.

The Book of Mormon, priesthood authority, true temple worship, and every other aspect of the gospel and church of Jesus Christ has been restored to bless our lives, all through the instrumentality of this remarkable young man.

Joseph was obedient and faithful throughout his life to the instructions that were given him in this vision and others. His faithfulness is an example to us, as is his courage in the face of persecution, his willingness to work hard and steadily in translation of the Book of Mormon, his love for family and for the brethren of the church, his dedication to Christ, and many other traits.

According to the Doctrine and Covenants, in section 135, verse 3, Joseph did more for the salvation of men than anyone in history, with the exception of Jesus Christ himself.

Personally, I am extremely grateful for all of the blessings of the gospel in my life and in the lives of my family. I thank Heavenly Father for the sealing power that binds me to them permanently. I'm grateful to hold the priesthood, and to give priesthood blessings to family members. I'm grateful for opportunities to partake in the saving ordinances of the gospel, to know about our Father's plan of salvation, and to serve in the church. I'm thankful for a living prophet, apostles, and inspired bishops and other local leaders.

All of this is available because Joseph Smith know and followed and obeyed our God, and so it follows that my gratitude for Joseph is immense.