"Becometh as a Little Child"

Hello Everyone!

This week’s topic was about how we should become as little children.

In Matthew 18:3-4 it says,

“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

In D&C 78:17-18 it says,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.”

We should be as little children but why a little child?

Children are humble and like a child we do not understand everything. Children cannot bear heavy loads and we should be like them and not have to have that burden. So if we are humble and meek like a little child that is when we can go unto the Lord and enter into the kingdom of heaven.

How does the Lord say that He will help us?

He tells us that that we should be of good cheer because He will guide us along. When I think of that I think of a little kid in an amusement park that is super happy to go on all the rides but is holding back because she doesn’t know what to do or where to go but Christ, like her parents, will walk with her hand in hand to all the places she will go and the experiences she will have. Christ will always be there with us.

In Mosiah 3:19 it reads,

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

We can become like little children when we put off the natural man and repent through the Atonement. We can be as a child when we become submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and having a willingness to go through trials and experiences.

Being as a little child is something that will help us to learn and grow by listening to what is best for us and being humble enough to do what we should do and what we know is right.

Walking on the Sea

Hey Everyone!

So the topic for this week is about Christ walking on the sea and the reaction of the fisherman.

Matthew 14:25-33

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

When the Apostles saw Christ waling towards them they didn’t know what or who it was and because of that they were troubled and afraid. When I think of that reaction it reminds me of how most of us act when we look at the trials ahead of us and we are afraid of what is going to happen.

As Christ was coming towards them Peter asked that if he were Christ to showing them a sign or in this case to be called out on the water to Christ. I am not sure what this response of Peter’s tells about him other than he wanted to do what Christ was doing so that he knew it was Christ. For us, we sometimes ask to have a sign that our trials will be over or that something will come into our life to make the trial easier to bear.

So Christ had Peter walk out onto the water to him but in verse 30 Peter looked around him at the waves and the danger and he lost faith that he could walk on the water and he started to sink. Many of us have faith that we can accomplish things but when we start looking around at what the world is throwing at us we lose our faith and can no longer stand up.

As Peter was sinking he cried out for help from Christ to save him and in verse 31 Christ immediately stretched out His hand to help Peter. That is something that I really liked about this section. Christ didn’t stop for a moment after Peter asked for help but he “immediately” helped him!

In D&C 88:67 it reads,

“And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.”

The principle from this verse is that we should have our eyes single to the glory of God. I had no clue what that meant but the second week I was home from Idaho I gave a talk for church and I was asked to talk about having our eyes single to the glory of God. What I learned from that was that having our eyes single or at one with the glory of God. I had found a quote that really helped me to understand what this phrase meant.

Elder Nelson in April 1988 said the following,

“Imagine, if you will, a pair of powerful binoculars. Two separate optical systems are joined together with a gear to focus two independent images into one three-dimensional view. To apply this analogy, let the scene on the left side of your binoculars represent your perception of your task. Let the picture on the right side represent the Lord’s perspective of your task—the portion of His plan He has entrusted to you. Now, connect your system to His. By mental adjustment, fuse your focus. Something wonderful happens. Your vision and His are now the same. You have developed an “eye single to the glory of God”. With that perspective, look upward—above and beyond mundane things about you. The Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought”. That special vision will also help clarify your wishes when they may be a bit fuzzy and out of focus with God’s hopes for your divine destiny. Indeed, the precise challenge you regard now as “impossible” may be the very refinement you need, in His eye.”

So having our eyes single to the glory of God means that we align our sight with what Christ sees and knows. Christ knows all that is going to happen and He knows when we are going to need His help and so Peter asking Christ to help him teaches us that when things are hard we shouldn’t look around at the world but look to Christ for help and guidance and if we do that, we will succeed!

Christ Taught in Parables

Hello Everyone!

So this week I picked the assignment about how Christ taught in parables.

What is a parable exactly?

Well in the bible dictionary a parable, with its word origin being Greek, means a setting side by side, a comparison. So in other words it is a comparison of earthly things that we know and can comprehend with that of divine truth or spiritual knowledge in a way that teaches the listener.

Christ, being the Master Teacher, understood the way those He taught learned but He also knew that by using parables He would “convey to the hearer religious truth exactly in proportion to his faith and intelligence; to the dull and uninspired it is a mere story, “seeing they see not,” while to the instructed and spiritual it reveals the mysteries or secrets of the kingdom of heaven.” Only he who seeks will find.

In Matthew 13 there are six parables that are given and they are found in:

Matthew 13:24-30 is the parable of the tares.

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 13:31-32 is the parable of the mustard seed.

The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Matthew 13:33 is the parable of the leaven.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Matthew 13:44 is the parable of the treasure hid in a field.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Matthew 13:45-46 is the parable of the pearls.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Matthew 13:47-50 is the parable of the net.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

For the assignment we have a few questions that we are supposed to decide which parable best answers each one of them.

Question:

What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Answer: Parable of the Tares

Question:

Why does the Church send out so many missionaries?

            Answer: Parable of the Net

Question:

How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church, considering that is fairly new compared to most world religions and started small in the American frontier?

            Answer: Parable of the Mustard seed

Question:

Why are some members of the church willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the Church?

            Answer: Parable of the Treasure in the Field, Parable of the Pearl

Question:

Why do some Church members choose to leave the Church?

            Answer: Parable of the Tares

(I had a really hard time with this section on trying to figure out which parables answered each question the best.)

The parable of the treasure and the pearl were both about giving all you had up for a treasure. Sacrifice is something that each of us face in our lives and its not always easy but sacrifice isn’t meant to be easy. If I had to make sacrifices to obtain the treasure of the gospel I would do so.

When I was in middle school our branch temple trips were always scheduled the same day that there was a parade that I was supposed to march in for school. My aunt gave me the choice of going on the temple trip or marching. I thought about what I would be missing out on if I went with one or the other. If I missed out on the temple trip I would miss the great experiences I knew I would have and if I missed the marching event I would get a 0% for the event and I would be required to write a lengthy paper over the subject of the band director’s choosing. In the end I decided I needed to go on the temple trip. This wasn’t one of the biggest sacrifices I could have had to make but it was one that gaining the “treasures of the gospel” made it worth giving up. Many people I know have had to sacrifice their family for the gospel because their family did not want to be a part of the person’s life after they joined the church or some lost jobs in other situations.

The net in the parable of the net cast into the sea represents missionaries that go out and teach and gather people and when you are gathered into the net you are given the gospel. However, once the net is on the shore and the good are gathered into vessels and the bad are cast out represents the judgment day I believe.  I remember learning in Seminary about how when Christ comes again and we are being judged, the good will be gathered while the bad will be cast out just like in the parable.

Christ taught in parables like those in Matthew 13 so that He could teach all those that were listening in a way that they will either take what He was saying as a story or with faith, seek the knowledge that can be gained by “seeing” rather than “seeing not”. We should seek after knowledge and try to understand it so that we can use that knowledge in our daily lives.

The Beatitudes

Hello Everyone!

The choice assignment this week covers Matthew 5:1-12 or what most people know to be The Beatitudes!

The Beatitudes are:

1.     Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2.     Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

3.     Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

4.     Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

5.     Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6.     Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

7.     Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

8.     Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

What does blessed or blessedness mean?

Beatitude means to be fortunate, happy, or blessed and blessedness means being higher than happiness. In other words, blessedness means that you feel extreme happiness as well as feeling extremely fortunate.

There is a quote from the Insitute manual that I really like and believe defines blessedness quite well.

“Happiness comes from without and is dependent on circumstances; Blessedness is an inward fountain of joy in the soul itself, which no outward circumstances can seriously affect.”

In The Beatitudes the “blessed” attributes are:

1.     They that are poor in spirit

2.     They that mourn

3.     They that are meek

4.     They that hunger and thirst after righteousness

5.     They that are merciful

6.     They that are pure in heart

7.     They that are peacemakers

8.     They that are persecuted for righteousness’’ sake

The three Beatitudes that stand out to me most in how living it will increase your happiness are they that are pure in heart, they that mourn, and they that are persecuted.

They that are pure in Heart

How can living this trait bring you happiness?

Those that will see God are those that are pure in heart. President Harold B. Lee said,

“There is in Jewish writings the story of a man who saw an object in the distance, an object that he thought was a beast. As it drew nearer he could perceive it was a man and as it came still closer he saw it was his friend. You can see only that which you have eyes to see.. Some of the associates of Jesus saw him only as the son of Joseph the carpenter. Others thought him to be a wine-bibber or a drunkard because of his words. Still others thought he was possessed of devils. Only the righteous saw him as the Son of God. Only if you are the pure in heart will you see God, and also in a lesser degree will you be able to see the ‘God’ or good in man and love him because of his goodness you see in him”

Those that have a pure heart will be given happiness because they are not “filthy” and they lived their lives in a manner that brought them closer to God and the ability to see God or the God or good in man. Being able to see the good in others is a really great trait for someone to have because it not only brings others happiness because you don’t judge them but it also brings yourself happiness because you see the good in the world and it brings you joy.

They that mourn

How can mourning bring happiness into your life?

It may seem like something that is a contradiction because you can’t gain happiness when you mourn, right? Not necessarily! Mourning for the loss of loved ones and mourning for the sins you have committed in the process of repentance are two things that you could imagine as the mourning that this Beatitude is talking about. Mourning for the loss of loved ones isn’t what this one is about but rather feeling godly sorrow for sins committed. Christ is teaching us that when we trurly mourn for the sins we have committed and seek forgiveness of them He will comfort us and forgive us that we will no longer feel the pain or weight the sin had on us. This last week I was teaching the primary lesson for my best friends mom and what I taught about was the story of Alma the Younger’s experience when he repented for the wrongs he had committed. One of the little girls when asked what one of the things we need to do to repent said that, “We need to feel sorry and apologize just like when we hurt a friend and tell them we are sorry but we have to mean it!” When we mourn we gain happiness because we are showing the Lord that we are humble enough to see the wrong we have done and to truly feel sorry about it and turn to God and ask him to forgive what you have done. In the lesson I had a backpack full of heavy things labeled with sins, that the kids picked up with all the burdens as well as once all the sins were removed. It was to show that when we repent, Christ takes all of our burdens off our back and we no longer feel the weight on our shoulders.

They that are persecuted

How can you be happy when you are being persecuted?

Each day we may be teased or harassed about the things we believe or the standards we have set for ourselves or we are judged by how we look on the outside. President Harold B. Lee tells us that, “If you stand firmly for the right despite the jeers of the crowd or even physical violence, you shall be crowned with the blessedness of eternal joy.” That is a great promise and one that will not be easy to obtain but it will be worth the joy after all the persecution is over! In the last two verses of this section it says,  

“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

President Lee shared a story that really explains what the Beatitudes are about.

It was late one night when I was abruptly awakened out of my sleep by a telephone call. On the other end of the line was a voice of a distraught ward member. He indicated that there had been some problems in the home and wondered if I could come over.

When I walked into Richard and Jennifer’s home, the atmosphere was charged with tension. Richard spoke first. He was nearly in tears. Jennifer wanted to leave him and the children. He spoke vaguely of some problems she had had earlier during the day, obviously wanting to protect her. Jennifer then interrupted, “Why don’t you quit beating around the bush, Richard. Say it. Tell him that I struck one of the children. Tell him what I’ve said to you and the children! Or are you afraid what the bishop might think of our ‘model’ home!” Richard only looked at me.

“Suppose, Jennifer, you tell me what’s wrong,” I said.

“I’ve had it—that what’s wrong, Bishop. I’m fed up with my husband—my kids—and this house. I’m tired of the pretense of being an ideal Latter-day Saint family when we’re anything else but. I want out of this situation, the sooner the better.”

And so I listened—from 1:00 A.M. until 3:00 A.M. in the morning—to a woman who had previously enjoyed the Spirit of the Lord but who was now filled with vindictive, accusing feelings. It is not necessary to attempt to recreate the sordid scene, nor the events of that day or days previous which brought about this nightmare. It is sufficient to say that the Spirit which had once attended this sister was now gone. All feelings of refinement, sensitivity, kindness, congeniality, and charity had disappeared. In their place were accusation, coarseness, abusiveness, and hatred. I prayed inwardly for the wisdom beyond my natural ability to help.

When she had finished her tirade, she said defiantly: “Now I suppose, Bishop, that you’re going to try to dissuade me from leaving Richard.”

“No, Jennifer, it appears to me that you have already made up your mind about what you’re going to do. Neither I nor anyone else could dissuade you. So perhaps the thing for you to do is to leave.” I paused and then added, “But, Jennifer, I want you know before I leave here tonight that there is a way out of your misery if you’re willing to try.” Though she didn’t say anything, her eyes pled for help.

“Do you remember what the Savior taught those who sought to be his disciples? You have probably read or heard some of these teachings many times. You remember as a girl in Sunday School how you were asked to memorize the teachings of Jesus called the Beatitudes. Tonight as you were talking I couldn’t help but think that they must apply here.

“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit.’ The first step, Jennifer, is to realize that you have need for the Lord’s help. The Book of Mormon states: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me.’ This is the way you can solve this problem—by coming to the Lord for help. But how can you come unto him?

“‘Blessed are they that mourn.’ We come unto the Savior by manifesting a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In other words, we mourn about the condition which prevents us from becoming his friend and having his Spirit with us always. I’m not talking about self-pity, Jennifer. I’m talking about the kind of sorrow that purges ugly feelings and desires from the heart. The Savior then tells us how we may overcome this depression and despair that is such a burden for you right now.

“‘Blessed are the meek.’ To be meek is to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask and plead for his help to overcome our weakness. The Savior has also said, ‘My grace is sufficient for the meek.’ What does that mean? ‘If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they be humble . . . for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.’ [Ether 12:26–27.]

“‘Now, Jennifer, you have discovered a weakness in your character that is preventing you from having the Spirit of the Lord. Don’t you desire the blessings that will enable you to overcome your weaknesses? Don’t you desire that joy and happiness that has been absent from your life during these past months?

“‘Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.’ That’s the blessing you need so desperately, Jennifer! Now let’s consider the rest of the Savior’s beatitudes.

“Do you want to be more kind? ‘Blessed are the merciful.’

“Do you really desire to overcome hypocrisy? ‘Blessed are the pure in heart.’

“Do you want peace in your own home? ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’

“And then there is the teaching about being able to bear persecution. But what about bearing up against stress and persecutions of the adversary in your own home?

“The point is, Jennifer, if you really want these attributes, they are available to you as you ‘hunger and thirst’ after them. This is the righteousness the Savior is referring to—these are the blessings that come as one is filled with the Holy Ghost. By recognizing your need to depend daily, even hourly, upon the Lord, by fasting and prayer you can overcome this problem that is now leading you to such misery. Here is the Savior’s promise to you:

“. . . remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.’ [Helaman 5:12.]

I then bore testimony to her of the truthfulness of these principles. Her tears, the first indication of the spirit of repentance, told me she also knew them to be true. There was a way out. There was a hope. Perhaps for the first time in her life, she began to sense how the gospel becomes a power to solve our problems, to refine our natures, and to help us become more Christlike in our disposition.

Before leaving that night we knelt in prayer together. As we arose from our knees, I knew that Jennifer would not be leaving her husband or her home.

It has been seven years since the incident of that evening. Jennifer and Richard have added three more children to their family. Overcoming her problems

has not been easy; in fact, it has been an intense struggle. Gradually, however, by applying the principles of the Savior on a daily basis, she has found a strength she did not previously know.

The Beatitudes are things that we can do in our life so that we can have immense happiness and they are a way to help us keep our standards and our testimony strong!

Have a wonderful week!