"Our twelfth article of faith
states our belief in being subject to civil authority and “in obeying,
honoring, and sustaining the law.” But man’s laws cannot make moral what
God has declared immoral. Commitment to our highest priority—to love
and serve God—requires that we look to His law for our standard of
behavior. For example, we remain under divine command not to commit
adultery or fornication even when those acts are no longer crimes under
the laws of the states or countries where we reside. Similarly, laws
legalizing so-called “same-sex marriage” do not change God’s law of
marriage or His commandments and our standards concerning it. We remain
under covenant to love God and keep His commandments and to refrain from
serving other gods and priorities—even those becoming popular in our
particular time and place." - Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Sunday Morning Session, October 2013 General Conference.
This is my favorite quote from all of conference. As we look around us and see that laws of men changing due to social pressure from various forces, this quote reinforces that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. It reaffirms that the Gospel of Jesus Christ follows Heavenly Father's plan and not mortal man's. No matter what man with his agency decides to do, it will NOT change the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, abut he brevealeth his csecret unto his servants the dprophets." - Amos 3:7
This scripture from the bible lets us know that the Plan of Heavenly Father is revealed through his chosen prophet and not through just any man, woman, or child in the world. Today that means revelation for the Plan comes to Thomas S. Monson. He is the one chosen by the Lord to lead this church and receive revelation. So has it been since Adam, so it will be after President Monson passes.
We have the agency to ask for ourselves if the words of the prophets are true. Anyone who feels that the words spoken in conference are in error have every right to get confirmation from the Holy Ghost. That is how I go about it. Normally however the Holy Ghost tells me in the very moment I hear the words that they are true and not contrary to the Plan.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Obeying, Honoring and Sustaining the Law
While preparing for my lesson this week I ran into the following from Doctrine and Covenants 98:4-6:
4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
The context of these three verses is around the time when the Saints where in Jackson County Missouri. There was at this time negative sentiment towards the Saints by the people and leaders in that county. Mobs had formed and were threatening the Saints. The Saints were told that they could pursue the legal course as setup by the law. In this case the law did not help the Saints and they were driven from Jackson County.
Today, however, I feel that these verses apply to us. Especially verse 5 discussing supporting the freedom of maintaining rights and privileges. The Lord tells us that these laws belong to mankind and are therefore correct in front of Him.
This means that we should follow the 12th Article of Faith:
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
Our Constitution contains laws that maintain the rights and privileges of men in supporting principles of freedom. During this July where we celebrate the birth of this great country, we need to remember this and be grateful we have such laws.
4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
The context of these three verses is around the time when the Saints where in Jackson County Missouri. There was at this time negative sentiment towards the Saints by the people and leaders in that county. Mobs had formed and were threatening the Saints. The Saints were told that they could pursue the legal course as setup by the law. In this case the law did not help the Saints and they were driven from Jackson County.
Today, however, I feel that these verses apply to us. Especially verse 5 discussing supporting the freedom of maintaining rights and privileges. The Lord tells us that these laws belong to mankind and are therefore correct in front of Him.
This means that we should follow the 12th Article of Faith:
We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
Our Constitution contains laws that maintain the rights and privileges of men in supporting principles of freedom. During this July where we celebrate the birth of this great country, we need to remember this and be grateful we have such laws.
Monday, June 24, 2013
A Vision of Heaven
It's been a while since I've posted in here. Apologies for those who read the only 2 posts I've done so far. After an inspirational meeting yesterday, I've decided to post in here again. Since my last post, I've been called to teach the CTR 10 class. These are children who start the year at 9 years of age and will turn 10 during the year. The lessons this year are on Church History and this week was on the vision that Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon of Heaven.
So in order to start off I had the boys (our class is all boys by the way) close their eyes. I asked them how much they could see. They answered very little. I then had them imagine that they had the stars at night to guide them and they said they could see a little better. We did the same with the moon and sun and each time they could "see" better than the last. Of course this also led to a discussion of pupils dilating and showing how that occurs. Did I mention that 9-10 year old boys are easily distracted?
Anyways, once we got back on track we started to discuss the vision of Heaven. It was received in 1832 after Joseph and Sydney were pondering on John 5:29. This verse discusses the resurrection of people who have done good versus those who have done evil. This led to a discussion on being rewarded for what you have done in this life and that there must be multiple places, or kingdoms, in Heaven.
Joseph and Sydney were in the home of John Johnson in Hiram, Ohio. Joseph's family was staying with the Johnson family. There were twelve other men in the room, but only Joseph and Sydney were allowed to behold the vision. The others received commentary of what they were seeing and recorded what took place.
At the end of the vision Joseph looked firm and calm, Sydney sat limp and pale (worn out). Joseph quipped that Sydney wasn't as used to visions as he was and that was why he looked the way he did.
After relating the story we discussed the three kingdoms that were seen in vision. The three are:
The boys got excited about learning what it would take to get into the topmost kingdom. It was good to see that enthusiasm. Of course, now with the change in missionary age for Young Men I made sure they understood that they would be teaching this on their missions. This made some of them more excited.
All in all a good week in the class. I think the boys enjoyed the account of this vision and understood the basic concepts of the 3 kingdoms of Heaven.
So in order to start off I had the boys (our class is all boys by the way) close their eyes. I asked them how much they could see. They answered very little. I then had them imagine that they had the stars at night to guide them and they said they could see a little better. We did the same with the moon and sun and each time they could "see" better than the last. Of course this also led to a discussion of pupils dilating and showing how that occurs. Did I mention that 9-10 year old boys are easily distracted?
Anyways, once we got back on track we started to discuss the vision of Heaven. It was received in 1832 after Joseph and Sydney were pondering on John 5:29. This verse discusses the resurrection of people who have done good versus those who have done evil. This led to a discussion on being rewarded for what you have done in this life and that there must be multiple places, or kingdoms, in Heaven.
Joseph and Sydney were in the home of John Johnson in Hiram, Ohio. Joseph's family was staying with the Johnson family. There were twelve other men in the room, but only Joseph and Sydney were allowed to behold the vision. The others received commentary of what they were seeing and recorded what took place.
At the end of the vision Joseph looked firm and calm, Sydney sat limp and pale (worn out). Joseph quipped that Sydney wasn't as used to visions as he was and that was why he looked the way he did.
After relating the story we discussed the three kingdoms that were seen in vision. The three are:
- Celestial - the topmost kingdom where God reigns
- Terrestrial - The second highest kingdom where Christ will visit, but God will not
- Telestial - The "lowest" kingdom where the Holy Ghost will visit, but God and Christ will not
The boys got excited about learning what it would take to get into the topmost kingdom. It was good to see that enthusiasm. Of course, now with the change in missionary age for Young Men I made sure they understood that they would be teaching this on their missions. This made some of them more excited.
All in all a good week in the class. I think the boys enjoyed the account of this vision and understood the basic concepts of the 3 kingdoms of Heaven.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Honesty and The Bread of Life
This week the lessons revolved around the principle of Honesty and the portion of the New Testament where Jesus declares himself to be the Bread of Life.
The reading in the New Testament was John chapters 5 & 6, Mark chapter 6 verses 30 - 44 and Matthew chapter 14 verses 22-33. The beginning of the reading tells the story of the pool at Bethesda. This pool was thought to have healing powers that would only work for the first person who entered the pool after it was "troubled". There was a man there who had some kind of infirmity for 38 years. The condition left him hobbled so that he could not move fast enough to be the first one in the pool. This he explained when Jesus asked him about his condition. Jesus then healed the man by stating "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk". The man was healed and immediately did what the Lord commanded.
As he was on his way the leaders of the Jews saw him carrying his bed. This of course was against the law of the Sabbath and brought this to the man's attention. The man explained that the person who healed him had told him to take up his bed and walk. The leaders wanted to know who this person was, but the man did not know.
Here is where things get interesting. Jesus finds the man later and tells him to sin no more lest a worse thing happens to him. Every time that Jesus healed someone there was some kind of follow-up, either a commandment to do something or a warning about what would happen if sin were committed. I believe the follow-up was to affirm to the individual who had healed him/her and to testify of the Divinity of the Savior.
The leaders of the Jews having discovered from the man that Jesus healed him then confronted the Savior. They accused him of doing wrong on the Sabbath. Then Jesus goes on to explain that everything he did came from the fact that the Father showed him what the Father did. This is significant. It means that 1) Jesus and the Father are distinct beings, and 2) that the Father had done similar work in a different time.
Jesus after his explanation and telling the leaders about witnesses to his Divinity other than himself challenges the leaders to "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." The leaders of the Jews were the ones who professed to understand the scriptures and know what God's plan was, and yet here again they are being reminded to look into those sacred writings because they testified of the Lord.
The next part of the lesson describes a miracle where 5000 people were fed with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fishes. Jesus had the multitude sit down and started to divide up the bread and fishes and gave to his disciples who then gave to the crowd. All were filled, meaning they received enough to eat to satisfy their hunger. When it was over the Lord gives, what I feel, is an interesting instruction on not being wasteful. He instructs his disciples to gather the remnants of what was left and they came back with 12 baskets full of remnants. This I'm sure did not go to waste but nothing is said further of this.
After the miracle Christ sends the disciples on a boat to cross over to Capernaum while he goes and communes with His Father. In the night (around the fourth watch) a storm has arisen and the disciples are working hard to get the boat across the sea. One of them spots Jesus walking on the water towards them and soon they are all afraid thinking it is a spirit. Jesus hails them and Peter asks to be allowed to walk on the water to the Lord. Peter's faith is tested here. He starts out and is able to walk on the water, however when he feels the wind and sees the waves his faith falters and he starts to sink. He cries out to the Lord to save him and when He does he chides Peter's lack of faith.
The next day the people who were fed realize that Jesus is no longer there. They also know that he did not travel with his disciples in the boat. They head to where the disciples have gone figuring that Jesus would catch up with the disciples. When they arrive they find out that Jesus is already there and astonished they ask how can that be? Jesus instead of directly answering the question tells them that they came because he fed them and not because they saw the miracle. Here is where the Bread of Life portion comes in.
Jesus talks about the scriptures where Moses and his people were given manna from heaven. Even though the Israelites ate the manna they still died. Jesus then declares that He is the Bread of Life and that anyone who eats of this bread shall not die. Of course Jesus is speaking metaphorically and means that those who accept Him and live His Gospel will not suffer spiritual death. Spiritual death is the separation of man from God. Living by the Bread of Life will allow all mankind to live with God and not be separated from Him.
During the 3rd hour of church today the lesson was on Honesty. The 13th Article of Faith begins "We believe in being honest, . . . ". The time was spent discussing how we can be completely honest so that we can partake in salvation. Discussion was held on lying and cheating and stealing as all being dishonest. To me, honesty also means being true to your word. It was a good discussion on a topic that probably most of us feel we have mastered.
The reading in the New Testament was John chapters 5 & 6, Mark chapter 6 verses 30 - 44 and Matthew chapter 14 verses 22-33. The beginning of the reading tells the story of the pool at Bethesda. This pool was thought to have healing powers that would only work for the first person who entered the pool after it was "troubled". There was a man there who had some kind of infirmity for 38 years. The condition left him hobbled so that he could not move fast enough to be the first one in the pool. This he explained when Jesus asked him about his condition. Jesus then healed the man by stating "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk". The man was healed and immediately did what the Lord commanded.
As he was on his way the leaders of the Jews saw him carrying his bed. This of course was against the law of the Sabbath and brought this to the man's attention. The man explained that the person who healed him had told him to take up his bed and walk. The leaders wanted to know who this person was, but the man did not know.
Here is where things get interesting. Jesus finds the man later and tells him to sin no more lest a worse thing happens to him. Every time that Jesus healed someone there was some kind of follow-up, either a commandment to do something or a warning about what would happen if sin were committed. I believe the follow-up was to affirm to the individual who had healed him/her and to testify of the Divinity of the Savior.
The leaders of the Jews having discovered from the man that Jesus healed him then confronted the Savior. They accused him of doing wrong on the Sabbath. Then Jesus goes on to explain that everything he did came from the fact that the Father showed him what the Father did. This is significant. It means that 1) Jesus and the Father are distinct beings, and 2) that the Father had done similar work in a different time.
Jesus after his explanation and telling the leaders about witnesses to his Divinity other than himself challenges the leaders to "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." The leaders of the Jews were the ones who professed to understand the scriptures and know what God's plan was, and yet here again they are being reminded to look into those sacred writings because they testified of the Lord.
The next part of the lesson describes a miracle where 5000 people were fed with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fishes. Jesus had the multitude sit down and started to divide up the bread and fishes and gave to his disciples who then gave to the crowd. All were filled, meaning they received enough to eat to satisfy their hunger. When it was over the Lord gives, what I feel, is an interesting instruction on not being wasteful. He instructs his disciples to gather the remnants of what was left and they came back with 12 baskets full of remnants. This I'm sure did not go to waste but nothing is said further of this.
After the miracle Christ sends the disciples on a boat to cross over to Capernaum while he goes and communes with His Father. In the night (around the fourth watch) a storm has arisen and the disciples are working hard to get the boat across the sea. One of them spots Jesus walking on the water towards them and soon they are all afraid thinking it is a spirit. Jesus hails them and Peter asks to be allowed to walk on the water to the Lord. Peter's faith is tested here. He starts out and is able to walk on the water, however when he feels the wind and sees the waves his faith falters and he starts to sink. He cries out to the Lord to save him and when He does he chides Peter's lack of faith.
The next day the people who were fed realize that Jesus is no longer there. They also know that he did not travel with his disciples in the boat. They head to where the disciples have gone figuring that Jesus would catch up with the disciples. When they arrive they find out that Jesus is already there and astonished they ask how can that be? Jesus instead of directly answering the question tells them that they came because he fed them and not because they saw the miracle. Here is where the Bread of Life portion comes in.
Jesus talks about the scriptures where Moses and his people were given manna from heaven. Even though the Israelites ate the manna they still died. Jesus then declares that He is the Bread of Life and that anyone who eats of this bread shall not die. Of course Jesus is speaking metaphorically and means that those who accept Him and live His Gospel will not suffer spiritual death. Spiritual death is the separation of man from God. Living by the Bread of Life will allow all mankind to live with God and not be separated from Him.
During the 3rd hour of church today the lesson was on Honesty. The 13th Article of Faith begins "We believe in being honest, . . . ". The time was spent discussing how we can be completely honest so that we can partake in salvation. Discussion was held on lying and cheating and stealing as all being dishonest. To me, honesty also means being true to your word. It was a good discussion on a topic that probably most of us feel we have mastered.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Inaugural Post
It seems only fitting that the inaugural post for My Sunday Lessons occurs during General Conference. What better way to start this journey of study and revelation than to be filled with the words of the leaders of the Church. I guess I should start by explaining why I've created this blog and what I hope to share in it.
As I recently set new goals it has occurred to me that I would get more out of my religious goals if I were able to write down the things that I learn during the week. The thought of how best to do that had weighed heavily on my mind and then the inspiration to start this blog hit me. Following that prompting has led me to this creation.
As for the goals of this blog? They are simple:
General Conference is comprised of six total sessions over a three day period.
In April there is a General Young Women meeting the week before the actual conference begins. This is a time where the Young Women can gather and receive messages specifically tailored to them.
The next Saturday the General sessions of conference begin. There are 4 of these sessions, 2 each on Saturday and Sunday. These are where the General Authorities of the Church give messages tailored to the Church as a whole. Topics are selected by the speakers and are approved by the First Presidency of the Church. These messages are both uplifting and cause one to ponder on one's own life.
The sixth session is the Priesthood session. This is held on Saturday evening. It is where the holders of the Priesthood gather together to receive messages specifically tailored to them and the duties they have.
Some of the topics that have been presented so far in this conference are:
As I recently set new goals it has occurred to me that I would get more out of my religious goals if I were able to write down the things that I learn during the week. The thought of how best to do that had weighed heavily on my mind and then the inspiration to start this blog hit me. Following that prompting has led me to this creation.
As for the goals of this blog? They are simple:
- Capture the things I learn as I prepare for the Sunday lessons I'll participate in
- Share the things that I learn
- Share the experiences I have when I'm asked to teach a Sunday lesson or give a discourse in Church
General Conference is comprised of six total sessions over a three day period.
In April there is a General Young Women meeting the week before the actual conference begins. This is a time where the Young Women can gather and receive messages specifically tailored to them.
The next Saturday the General sessions of conference begin. There are 4 of these sessions, 2 each on Saturday and Sunday. These are where the General Authorities of the Church give messages tailored to the Church as a whole. Topics are selected by the speakers and are approved by the First Presidency of the Church. These messages are both uplifting and cause one to ponder on one's own life.
The sixth session is the Priesthood session. This is held on Saturday evening. It is where the holders of the Priesthood gather together to receive messages specifically tailored to them and the duties they have.
Some of the topics that have been presented so far in this conference are:
- Doing what is right is not always easy, but the blessings that come from doing what's right are worth it
- Hope can inspire dreams and the realization of those dreams
- Priesthood means reaching out and helping others
- We need to live up to the privileges the Priesthood gives us
- Manifestations occur and the Heavens are open to man once again
- Personal growth is the reason for the trials that hit us in our most vulnerable areas
- Self reliance is a product of Provident Living
- The importance of Temples
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