RS Lesson: Two Perspectives
An Especially Noble Calling (Additional Material Link)
By Sister Joy D. Jones
One more thing to consider is how to handle overwhelm or discouragement. Some scriptures come to mind: Alma 37:6-7 says, "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." We can approach difficulties one small step at a time, breaking down a challenge into small manageable chunks. Another two scriptures, D&C 98:12, states "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith." And Ether 12:27, "...if men [and women] come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all...that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
When we are asked to be perfect, we are not expected to be so immediately, but instead to work to change day by day. Elder Bednar quotes President Oaks, "Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained that in renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, “we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the [ultimate and] most important sense.” Elder Bednar goes on in saying, "These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple. We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ." And finally, to quote Sister Jones, "We access the power of the priesthood through covenants, made first in the waters of baptism and then within the walls of holy temples. President Nelson taught us, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”
We can strive to follow promptings and Hear Him in all that we do by constant prayer, daily scripture study, pondering and participating in the covenants we have made and will continue to make. Let us all strive to be a little more challenged each day to live the life God wants to bless us with.
An Especially Noble Calling (Additional Material Link)
By Sister Joy D. Jones
Cynthia Stevenson - North Relief Society
In my pondering of the talk, An Especially Noble Calling, the interview between the children and our prophet stands out as the centerpiece of the talk. The question is asked, "Is being a prophet hard?" -- Could we ask ourselves that same question and reframe the word, "hard" into a different word, "challenge" --Are we choosing to go through challenges and humble ourselves willingly, rather than the alternative -- we are often compelled to be humble when the Lord wants to call us to repentance. If we choose an easy road, how much growth can we expect? Isn't it better to choose to change and take upon ourselves challenges? We don't have to reserve repentance for when we have committed sin. We can, instead, see the good that we are doing and then still change. Perhaps in doing so we are becoming more of who we truly are and who the Lord wants us to be.
One more thing to consider is how to handle overwhelm or discouragement. Some scriptures come to mind: Alma 37:6-7 says, "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls." We can approach difficulties one small step at a time, breaking down a challenge into small manageable chunks. Another two scriptures, D&C 98:12, states "For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith." And Ether 12:27, "...if men [and women] come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all...that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
When we are asked to be perfect, we are not expected to be so immediately, but instead to work to change day by day. Elder Bednar quotes President Oaks, "Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained that in renewing our baptismal covenants by partaking of the emblems of the sacrament, “we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. [Rather], we witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the [ultimate and] most important sense.” Elder Bednar goes on in saying, "These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple. We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ." And finally, to quote Sister Jones, "We access the power of the priesthood through covenants, made first in the waters of baptism and then within the walls of holy temples. President Nelson taught us, “Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”
We can strive to follow promptings and Hear Him in all that we do by constant prayer, daily scripture study, pondering and participating in the covenants we have made and will continue to make. Let us all strive to be a little more challenged each day to live the life God wants to bless us with.
Berenice Ventura - South Relief Society
I have loved going over Sister Jones's talk again. So many of her words ring true to my heart.
Personal revelation is probably the one that sunk deeper this time.
I am so grateful that we live in a time when we are allowed, encouraged, and expected to look for answers to our questions without the need for intermediaries. In this Plan in which agency has an integral role, it gives me peace to know that I can ask questions to my Father in Heaven, I can ask Him for confirmation on any words pronounced by those acting under the name of the Lord, and I can receive additional light and knowledge on past events on my quest for truth.
At the end of last week, I brought my camping chair to the green area across from the Provo Temple, and sat there, looking towards that sacred and beloved structure, talking to my Father in my heart and in my mind. It's been a tough year, it had been a tumultuous week, and I needed some heavenly help discerning what was what. While there, an immense sense of peace came over me, and I had no doubt that Heavenly Father was listening, and telling me: "You're looking in the right direction; there's truth there, and there's truth in the covenants you've made with me."
As President Nelson said, “Every woman... who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.”20
Direct access to the power of God means direct access to the priesthood, through our covenants with God. This knowledge gives me peace, it gives me joy, and it gives me spiritual power. There is no problem that I can't solve, no question that I can't have answered, no task that I have to perform alone if I have direct access to the power of God.
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