Our Best Offerings

One of the principles taught in the book of Malachi that caught my attention this week was the importance of giving the Lord our best offerings (Malachi 1). The Come, Follow Me manual asks us to ponder the question "why does the Lord ask us to give Him our best offerings?" I thought about this for a few days and after a lot of study and thought on this question, I think one answer could be that by offering our best to the Lord, we are mirroring the sacrifice He gave to us. God gave us His Best in sending and sacrificing His firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Savior for all of His children. By offering our best to the Lord, we are modeling God-like behavior and honoring the sacrifice of His only-begotten Son.

As you continue to read into chapter three, Malachi reminds the Israelites of the important principle of paying their tithes. In connection with the principle of "giving the Lord our best" I asked myself the question "how do we give the Lord our best when we pay our tithing?" After much thought and study the idea came to me that if the Lord originally asked the Israelites to sacrifice the "firstlings of their flocks" (Moses 5) and the "firstfruits" of their harvest (Leviticus 2), then it seems we should follow that same pattern and give the first portion of our paychecks to the Lord as our tithing sacrifice.

Returning back to Malachi 1, I love the self-reflective question the Lord poses to the Israelites with regard to the "lame and sick" offerings they were bringing to sacrifice. He says "offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee?" (1:8) Another good question to ask ourselves is who/what represents the "governor" in our lives that we mistakenly give our finest offerings to, and by so doing, end up giving our "lame" offerings to God?

What kind of sacrifices are we making for the Lord? Are we sacrificing our time, talents and efforts in order to strengthen our relationship with Him and build His kingdom? Sacrifice is hard! It's giving up something we really cherish and value for something else that is more important. Sacrificing for the Lord shows our faith in Him and that He sent His son to earth, to give His life for us and show us how to live so that we can one day return and live with Him again someday.

Surviving or Thriving

In the Bible Dictionary we read that "the two chapters in the book of Haggai contain an exhortation to the people to be more zealous about the public worship of God and the rebuilding of his temple." It seems as if the people were so comfortable (and maybe a a bit worn out) from rebuilding their homes that they had put off rebuilding the Lord's house (1:2-4). The Lord was not pleased with their misplaced priorities and tells them twice to "consider your ways" (1:5,7) or in today's lingo, get your priorities straight!

I love that the verse inbetween the exhortations of "consider your ways" is a verse filled with metaphors describing things that are unsatisfactory-seeds that don't produce much fruit, food and drink that doesn't fill you up, clothes that don't keep you warm, and a bag that won’t hold your money (v. 6).  The lesson I understood from these verses is that if our priorities are out of whack then we will never get past just surviving. But if we put our priorities in order then we can thrive!

One of my favorite talks about priorities is by Sister Julie B. Beck called Choose Ye This Day to Serve the Lord. In this talk she shares her thoughts about a prioritizing system that she was inspired to create that has helped her keep her priorities straight. Her three categories are:

1. essential things 
2. necessary things 
3. nice-to-do things

In her essential category goes everything that is essential to receiving personal revelation; daily scripture study and prayer, weekly attendance at church meetings, time in the temple, sharing the gospel, and serving others.

On her necessary list are things like work, cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Finally, on the nice-to-do list go things such as hobbies and movies. I love her short testimony of how this system has worked for her. She says, "To walk with the Lord, we have to know what is essential, what is necessary, and what is nice to do. There is a lot to do, but I find that it is amazing how much I get to do on my nice-to-do list. The Lord blesses us with those mercies, but only if the other priorities are in order." 

This same pattern holds true with the people in the book of Haggai. As they repent and begin their work on the temple, the Lord begins again to bless them in many ways (2:18-19). The same pattern can also be realized in our lives as well. As we "consider our ways" by looking at our priority lists and making sure we are doing the most important things first, the Lord will also bless us to prosper and flourish.

Messages of Hope

In the introductory paragraph for this week’s Come, Follow Me lesson it reads “Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah…weren’t just prophets of doom-they were prophets of deliverance. The descriptions of destruction are tempered by invitations to come unto Christ and receive His mercy.” As we understand that God always offers us hope during the dark times, we can read these books and look for the messages of hope that shine through the darkness.

Nahum

• 1:7-The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
• 1:15-him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!

Habakkuk 

• 1:5-I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
• 2:4-the just shall live by his faith.
• 2:14-the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
• 3:18-19-I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength.

Zephaniah 

• 3:14-Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart.
• 3:15- thou shalt not see evil anymore.
• 3:16-Fear thou not
• 3:17-The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy
• 3:19-I will undo all that afflict thee

Our prophet, President Nelson, also shares messages of hope that shine through the darkness of our day. I read through his most recent talk about Overcoming the World and looked specifically for the messages of hope he gives to us...There were a lot! Here's just a sample of the ones I found.

• "In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior's power that the world has ever seen."
• "Between now and the time He returns 'with power and great glory,' He will bestow countless privileges, blessings. and miracles upon the faithful."
• "Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples-and keeps them-has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ...this power eases our way."
• "Covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God."
• "as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world. You can overcome the spiritually and emotionally exhausting plagues of the world."
• "Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives."

Pres. Nelson has said "the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives." (Joy and Spiritual Survival). Looking for, and focusing on messages of hope that come from our prophets and apostles can help us feel more peace and joy in a world that can so easily feel scary and overwhelming.

Extending Mercy towards All

Turns out that Jonah's decision to initially avoid going to Nineveh had little to do with being scared of teaching the people there, but instead, "it seems to have been resentment against the Lord for giving the hated enemy a chance to repent." (Old Testament Institute Manual). Wow! This was a new principle in the book of Jonah that I had never thought about: Are we okay with God extending mercy towards our enemies?  Elder Holland gave a masterful talk on this principle entitled The Laborers in the Vineyard. He said "Brothers and sisters, there are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon...God really is both just and merciful, giving to all who stand with Him “all that he hath,”² as the scripture says.”

The perfect balance that God strikes between  justice and mercy is something that I'm still trying to more fully understand and better implement as part of my personal character. It is hard. I can relate to Jonah in this story as my personality tends to lean towards applying the principle of justice in most situations. For example, when I've told my children over and over not to... (i.e. climb on back of the couch) because they are going to fall and get hurt and they ignore my warnings and proceed to fall and get hurt, this "justice-leaning-mother" shows little mercy and and says "I told you that was going to happen." (Fortunately I'm married to a merciful husband who comforts said child in their distress). But God's reaction to Jonah's attitude toward the repentant Ninevites is obviously disappointment (Jonah 4:10-11). And I think He feels the same about us when we refuse to extend mercy and compassion to those who are repentant and willing to change, whether or not we think they deserve His mercy. The Lord will forgive whom ever He wants to forgive, but He requires us to forgive all men (D&C 64:10).

Brotherly Covenant

In the first two chapters of the Book of Amos, Amos is prophesying to several different cities about future punishments that are coming because of their transgressions. Each city is rebuked for a specific offense they have committed against God, but it turns out that there is a common thread to each of these transgressions-they all have to do with how people (probably the poor and needy) were being treated in their respective cities (see the table in Old Testament Student Manual). The rebuke that stood out most to me was in Amos 1:9 where it says "[they] remembered not the brotherly covenant." (italics added)

I've spent some time this week thinking about what this "brotherly covenant" means. It’s the only place this phrase shows up in all of our canon of scripture. A quick search in the topical guide under the words "brotherhood and brotherly" gives some deeper context to the phrase. The word brotherly is often connected to words like love, compassion, kindness and mercy. The scripture Mosiah 18:8 is also referenced which is part of our baptismal covenant to be "willing to bear one another's burden."

So what I'm beginning to understand is that the brotherly covenant is a commitment we make to Jesus Christ that we will take care of others. And, based on the writings of Amos, its a covenant that God takes very seriously. That if we don't treat others with kindness and take care of the poor and needy then there are severe punishments in store for us.

Sister Sharon Eubank spoke recently during General Conference and said the following: "The Church of Jesus Christ is under divine mandate to care for the poor.² It is one of the pillars of the work of salvation and exaltation...As baptized members of the Church, we are under covenant to care for those in need."(I Pray He'll Use Us). I was grateful that the book of Amos provided me with a reminder of my covenantal responsibility to care for and treat others as Jesus Christ would do.

Strengthening a Covenant Relationship

I don't ever remember studying the book of Hosea before this week, but I enjoyed contemplating the different facets of the marriage metaphor that he teaches us. I loved the introductory paragraph from the Come, Follow Me manual that explains what to expect when reading the book of Hosea. It states "Israel's covenant with the Lord was meant to be so deep and meaningful that the Lord compared it to a marriage. The covenant, like a marriage, included eternal commitment, shared experiences, building a life together, exclusive loyalty, and most of all, wholehearted love."  One of the thought provoking questions in the manual is "ponder your own relationship with the Lord...how can we be faithful to our covenants with Him? As I thought about this question, I was reminded of a Liahona article I read some time ago that really helped me think of more concrete ways that I can strengthen my relationship with Him. The article listed the following ten items that might help deepen our connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

1. Communicate honestly, out loud, and with real intent through prayer.²

2. Be a good listener.³

3. Show Them appreciation.⁴

4. Make sacrifices for Them.⁵

5. Learn about Them.⁶

6. Spend quality time with Them.⁷

7. Serve together.⁸

8. Show Them trust and commitment.⁹

9. Admit when you’re wrong.¹⁰

10. Learn how They show you love.¹¹

"Strengthening my Relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ"

Pres. Nelson recently said "Once we make a covenant with God, we leave neutral ground forever. God will not abandon His relationship with those who have forged such a bond with Him. In fact, all those who have made a covenant with God have access to a special kind of love and mercy....we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us." (The Everlasting Covenant). May we reciprocate towards Him the same kind of effort and patience that He shows towards us as we try to grow stronger and deeper in our relationship with Him.

Raising Zion Children in the midst of Babylon

While studying the book of Daniel this week, many of my study materials talked about looking for the parallels between ancient Babylon and our world today. My thoughts turned to Daniel and his friends and their unwavering faith while living in the wicked city of Babylon. The question I asked myself was "what had these young men been taught by their parents in order to spiritually survive in Babylon?" Even though there is no direct answer to this question, through their stories we can infer a lot about the values these boys were taught in order to stay strong in a culture that was very different than the homes they'd been raised in.

They knew their true identity (Daniel 1:7). Even though Babylon labeled them with new names, they stayed true to who they were. In a devotional given to the Young Adults in May 2022 Pres. Nelson said "I believe that if the Lord were speaking to you directly tonight, the first thing He would make sure you understand is your true identity.¹¹...the way you think about who you really are affects almost every decision you will ever make." (Choices for Eternity)

They knew their covenants (Daniel 1:8, 3:12, 18, 6:10-11). Refusing to eat certain foods and worship idols shows that these boys had been taught different standands than those living in Babylon and they were not going to lower their standards to try and fit in. Pres. Nelson recently said "The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way." (Overcome the World and Find Rest)

They knew the power of prayer (Daniel 2:16-19). When faced with the challenge of revealing and interpreting the king's dream, Daniel turns to God in prayer and invites his friends to pray with him. Pres. Nelson has said "If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true. Even Saints who are otherwise faithful can be derailed by the steady beat of Babylon’s band." (Make Time for the Lord)

They knew how to recognize Gods’ hand in their lives (Daniel 2:19-23, 28). When the king's secret is revealed to Daniel in a night vision, the first thing that he does is give thanks to God in heaven.  Pres. Eyring gave a talk in 2007 titled "O Remember Remember" where he shared an experience that strengthened his testimony regarding the importance of recognizing Gods hand in his life. He said "As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done...that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done. More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew...[I] urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies."

They knew how to have faith in God's will (Daniel 3:17-18, Daniel 6:23). When the four friends each faced the death penalty for not obeying their mortal king's request, they all relied on their faith that by obeying their Heavenly King they could be saved. Elder Maxwell once said "As one’s will is increasingly submissive to the will of God, he can receive inspiration and revelation so much needed to help meet the trials of life."(Swallowed up in the Will of the Father)

Pres. Boyd K. Packer spoke to the youth of the church 10 years ago and said "You are growing up in enemy territory... the adversary has infiltrated the world around you. He is in homes, entertainment, the media, language—everything around you." (How to Survive in Enemy Territory) We are living in modern day Babylon, surrounded by a culture that continues to move further and further away from the teachings of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful that the scriptures and our latter-day prophets and apostles give us guidance and direction in helping us know the best strategies on how we can confidently live in this world and still enjoy happiness and hope for better things to come.

A Prophets Role-a Watchman

In Ezekiel 3:17 and 33:3,7, Ezekiel is told that his responsibility to the house of Israel is to warn them of spiritual danger just like a watchman on a tower would warn others of physical danger. With this instruction in mind, I liked going back through some of Pres. Nelson's talks and seeing some of the "warning" language that our current watchman has been using to warn us of impending danger... (emphasis added)

"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost,”  (Revelation for the church, Revelation for our lives)

"The assaults of the adversary are increasing exponentially, in intensity and in variety. Our need to be in the temple on a regular basis has never been greater." (Becoming exemplary Latter Day Saints)

“The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord. He is arming his minions with potent weapons to keep us from partaking of the joy and love of the Lord.

Repentance is the key to avoiding misery inflicted by traps of the adversary.” (We can do better and be better)

"The adversary has other disturbing tactics. Among them are his efforts to blur the line between what is true and what is not true. The flood of information available at our fingertips, ironically, makes it increasingly difficult to determine what is true." (What is truth?)

Elder Spencer W. Kimball explained the need to have a watchman: “I am sure that Peter and James and Paul found it unpleasant business to constantly be calling people to repentance and warning them of dangers, but they continued unflinchingly. So we, your leaders, must be everlastingly at it; if young people do not understand, then the fault may be partly ours. But, if we make the true way clear to you, then we are blameless." (Old Testament Student Manual)

If you feel like our prophet is constantly repeating his pleadings and warnings to us, then you are right!  His prophetic duty as a spiritual watchman is to make sure we understand the Lords' warnings for us and he will continue to warn us so that he is not held accountable for our iniquities, but has done his best to "deliver every soul." (Ezekiel 3:18-19) Parents and leaders can also find application to the responsibilities placed on a watchman. We might not be responsible to warn the whole House of Israel of spiritual dangers, but we are responsible to warn those living in our own homes or those who are under our stewardship. And just like the prophet has to continually repeat his warnings to us, it is our job as parents and leaders to continually teach others within our sphere of influence what the prophet is saying. And as we do our part to fulfill the responsibilities of a watchman, I would think the same promise would also apply to us that we can be held blameless.

Letter and Spirit of the Law

 In Jeremiah 31:31-33 we can see the principle of God wanting us to live the letter of the law in order to help us more fully live the spirit of the law. The children of Israel were given laws, written on stone tablets, that they broke (v 32). They didn't connect those outward performances to anything meaningful, spiritually speaking. The Lord wants these outward practices to change us, spiritually, so that we feel these laws are written on our hearts; that we are living these covenants, not out of "show" to others, but out of our love for God.

Now that I understand this principle better, the connection between Jeremiah 31:31-33 and the revised "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet is unmistakable to me. When I first read the revised copy I was a little bit distraught, thinking "how am I going to teach my kids appropriate standards without any do's and don'ts?  I like the old version because it's like a checklist to me." But once I studied this Come, Follow Me lesson I realized that the Lord wants us to move beyond a "spirituality checklist" and into a mindset of "how am I letting God prevail in my life today."

Pres. Nelson summarized this principle perfectly when he said "When your greatest desire is to let God prevail... so many decisions become easier. So many issues become nonissues! You know how best to groom yourself. You know what to watch and read, where to spend your time, and with whom to associate. You know what you want to accomplish. You know the kind of person you really want to become." (Let God Prevail)

So now that I better understand the principle behind the change, the question is "how do I adapt my parenting in order to embrace these changes?" In his talk, "Jesus Christ is the Strength of Youth", Elder Uchtdorf gives some great counsel. He said "Is it wrong to have rules? Of course not. We all need them every day. But it is wrong to focus only on rules instead of focusing on the Savior. You need to know the whys and the hows and then consider the consequences of your choices."

What I understand from this is that my role as a parent is not to make the decisions for my children, but to teach the principles of the gospel that will then help them make their own decisions based on their own personal revelation and their own understanding of how they can best let God prevail in their life.

The Patience of a Potter

The symbolism of the potter and the clay have been on my mind since last weeks CFM lesson where Isaiah first mentions this metaphor (Isaiah 64:8). I loved that in this weeks reading of Jeremiah, the Lord used the same metaphor to help teach Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:3-6). To help me better understand all the symbolism this metaphor has to offer, I read a talk given by Camille Fronk at BYU entitled "Lessons from the Potter and the Clay" To prepare for her talk, she visited a BYU ceramics professor to learn about the processes that takes place in order to make a clay pot. I wanted to share some of the lessons she learned that helped me better understand the symbolism imbedded in this metaphor.

• Clay is "a lowly substance capable of being formed into vessels of glory. It reminds us of our own nothingness without the skills, the vision, and the sacrifice of the Master Potter."
• "the potter must add water—another seemingly simple element, but one that has vital properties. Water brings the clay to life. The symbolic water we receive from the Savior is as critical to our existence as physical water is to the clay."
• "the potter dries out the clay while kneading it and eliminating air pockets...These “kneadings” of the potter can be paralleled to disappointments and at times severe challenges we experience individually or as a people. They are not intended to destroy but have a refining capacity to bring increased perspective and wisdom."
• "During the kneading process, the potter will become aware of stones and other foreign objects mixed in with the clay. They will need to be identified and removed by running a wire through the clay as the final preparation to shaping...It is through the process of repentance, confessing and forsaking our sins, that we do our part to become pure and receptive in the hands of the Potter."
• "It is critical that the clay be totally centered [on the wheel] or it can never respond to the directives of the potter and therefore never be formed into a vessel of honor. When the clay does not deviate to the left nor to the right, the potter knows it is centered...Once we are centered [on Christ], right to our very core, we have no need to fear."
• "a potter...does not concentrate on the outward appearance of the vessel. He knows that the outside will take care of itself when the inner space is formed. In other words, the form of the inner chamber determines the appearance of the exterior."
• "Of all sculpting materials, clay responds the easiest to touch and retains the most minute detail, even a thumbprint. Each detail can be changed innumerable times until the potter is satisfied and declares the vessel complete."
• "Not all clay vessels go into their desired shape the first time. Some become marred while they are on the potter’s wheel...While there are no guarantees that once on the wheel you will never go wrong, all is not lost for those who contend against the Potter... It is given another chance to be obedient and pliable in the hands of the potter."

Now, that I understood the symbolism of the metaphor a little bit better, it was easier to see how it applied to me-not only as clay, but also in my role as a potter. In Elder Schmitt's talk "That They Might Know Thee" given in General Conference two weeks ago, he challenged us to learn the different names of Christ.  Each week when we take the sacrament we commit to take upon us the name of Christ. What if each week we thought of a different name of Christ and the attributes associated with that name? If one of Christ's name is "potter", then what are some attributes we can learn about Him because of that name? Sister Fronk describes a potter like this...

• "A good potter always gives the clay respect by not moving it faster than it is capable of enduring and will never force it into a shape."
• "With a combination of pinching and pulling movements, adding the living water constantly to keep it flexible and alive, the potter leads the vessel to its proper form."
• "He can feel unique tendencies within the clay that, when followed, lead him to create a different vessel every time."

Patience and consistency. These are two words that will now come to my mind when I think of the Lord as a potter. As I am given "potter-like" responsibilities, when I am asked to help mold and shape some "wedges of clay", I hope I can reflect on this lesson: to be more like Christ I need to be more patient and consistent with the clay I've been given to work with.  Remembering that my job is not to force it into a certain shape but to lead it towards its proper form.

Isaiah Insights-Part 5

Watching General Conference the weekend before studying these last Isaiah chapters really framed the way I studied this weeks Come, Follow Me material (Isaiah 58-66). In the talk entitled “That They Might Know Thee” given by Elder Jonathan S.Schmitt he talked about the importance of taking the Lord's name upon us and challenged us to learn about all the different names of Jesus Christ, and by so doing, it might inspire us to become more like Him and to develop those different Christlike attributes. As I thought about this challenge and wondered how/when to start gathering those different names, one of the Come, Follow Me podcasts I listened to (Follow Him) talked about how prolific the book of Isaiah is when it comes to giving us different names of Jesus Christ! So, I had my answer. Start now with the book of Isaiah. Here are the names that I found...

Chapter 58: rereward (rearguard, or protector),  the holy of the Lord

Chapter 59: intercessor, Spirit of the Lord, Redeemer

Chapter 60: Lord thy God, Holy One of Israel, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel, Savior, Redeemer, mighty One of Jacob, Salvation, Praise, everlasting light

Chapter 61: bridegroom

Chapter 62: bridegroom

Chapter 63: Savior, father, redeemer

Chapter 64: father, potter

Chapter 65: God of truth

I also found it interesting to see some of the names that He calls us, His righteous followers...the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths, trees of righteousness, Priests of the Lord  Ministers of our God, clay and the work of thy hand.

I loved what I learned about what it might mean to be a "tree of righteousness." In the Follow Him podcast, Dr. Ross Baron talked about the characteristics of trees and how we might compare them to ourselves. 

1) trees always grow towards the light

2) trees require opposition to thrive

3) trees are best grown in forests, not in isolation

4) trees draw strength from previous generations of trees

5) trees point upward and use the power of the sun to provide oxygen for life

I love how he went into detail about point #3 and talked about how your ward and family are great laboratories where you get to practice developing Christlike attributes like faith, knowledge, temperance, patience...because you don't get that kind of development in isolation. It’s easy to be spiritual living alone on top of a mountain, but the real test of spirituality is found by putting yourself in a ward and in a family and then try living the gospel of Jesus Christ. This principle reminded me of another talk that was given in General Conference. Sister Michelle D. Craig in her talk entitled "Wholehearted" said "when your faith, your family, or your future are challenged-when you wonder why life is so hard when you are doing your best to live the gospel-remember that the Lord told us to expect troubles." She goes on to say that "living in convenience does not bring power." We don't need to go looking for trials, they will come no matter what. But when they do come we can try to see that adversity as a way to develop some Christlike attributes.

Isaiah Insights-Part 4

This week the Come, Follow Me manual covered Isaiah chapters 50-57. Here's what I learned...

Isaiah 50:1-2 If we ever feel distanced from God, it is us that have moved away from Him and not Him that has left us.

Isaiah 51 Invitations to remember who we are and invitations to act according to that knowledge (i.e. hearken, look, lift up your eyes, awake, put on and stand up.

Isaiah 53:12 what God gives us (divides) can only end up being multiplied to make more of it (i.e. His knowledge, His power, His love). It is the divine economy of heaven. It's why He can promise to give everyone all that he has, because those attributes are only multiplied once they are shared.

Isaiah 54:1-3 even those without children are told to expand their living spaces and to expect those spaces to be filled. God will promise us unexpected blessings.

Isaiah 55:8-9 God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours. We need to look to Him to inspire our ways and our thoughts.

Isaiah 56:3-8 Righteous living (not our genealogy) determines whether or not we are accepted into the Lord's kingdom. God is willing to let everyone in, if they choose to make and keep covenants with Him.

(my study resources were: "Don't Miss This" podcast, "Book of Mormon Central" podcast, "Follow Him" podcast, "Unshaken Saints" podcast, NIV Bible translation, ESV Bible translation, KJV Bible & footnotes, Old Testament Student Manual)

Isaiah Insights-Part 3

This weeks study of the book of Isaiah concentrated on chapters 40-49. Here are some of my take-aways...

Isaiah 40:28-31 One of the characteristics of God is that he never grows faint or weary. We are promised those same characteristics as we "wait upon the Lord" (serve Him and trust in Him). Could this blessing apply not only physically, but spiritually as well?

Isaiah 41 Three times in this chapter the Lord tells us to "Fear not" because He is with us and will hold us and help us. I find those words very comforting during these last days.

Isaiah 42:1-3 Christ came to earth as a quiet leader "for His was not an earthly kingdom wherein His voice and His works and His wonders were to be heralded abroad; rather His was a heavenly kingdom." (Old Testament Student Manuel). Can we be more like Christ by quietly going about doing good works? And not expect our works to be heralded abroad? But do them instead for our Heavenly King?

Isaiah 44: 9-20 The Lord condemns the worship of idols several times in these verses and then compares the worship of idols to someone feeding on ashes (v 20). How is worshipping false gods like eating ashes? Ash will never satiate your hunger pangs. You can eat it and eat it and still be hungry and malnourished because it doesn't fill your real needs. What are some modern day ashes that people feed upon? (social media, worldly lifestyle..)

Isaiah 45:22 Salvation only comes by and through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 46:3-4 The ultimate analogy of the love of God for each of each is the love of a mother for her children. Their life comes at the expense of her own life and that's exactly what Christ has done for each of us.

(my study resources were: "Don't Miss This" podcast, "Book of Mormon Central" podcast, "Follow Him" podcast, "Unshaken Saints" podcast, NIV Bible translation, ESV Bible translation, KJV Bible & footnotes, Old Testament Student Manual)

Isaiah Insights-Part 2

Isaiah 13:11-12 The Lord sees His righteous followers as being more rare than gold.

Isaiah 14 God's promises and purposes will be fulfilled and no one can stop that from happening.

Isaiah 25:4 The Lord is our strength, refuge and shadow from the heat.

Isaiah 26:3 Keeping our minds focused on Jesus Christ will bring us perfect peace.

Isaiah 27:1 The Lord can easily destroy Satan and the chaos he creates, so we should trust and believe in His power to save us.

Isaiah 28:7-8 Are we spiritually drunk? Stumbling because we're trying to walk and follow the messages of the world..(the "vomit" the world is spewing forth)?

Isaiah 28:23-29 Parable of the Plowman can be about the wisdom Christ has with His personal care for each of us.

Isaiah 29:4 God wants us to learn from our ancestors through the scriptures, temple work and family history stories.

Isaiah 30:9-14 Rejecting the word of God leads to destruction.

Isaiah 35:1 God will help things grow when you involve Him in your life.

(my study resources were: "Don't Miss This" podcast, "Book of Mormon Central" podcast, "Follow Him" podcast, "Unshaken Saints" podcast, NIV Bible translation, ESV Bible translation, KJV Bible & footnotes, Old Testament Student Manual)

Isaiah Insights

The Come, Follow Me manual suggested that one way to study Isaiah is to read each chapter and focus on what that chapter is teaching you about Jesus Christ. This is the way I tried to study chapters 1-12 of Isaiah this week. Although I didn't make it through all the chapters, I wanted to share what I found in the chapters I did study.

• Isaiah 1:11-17 Christ instituted religious rituals in order to stir up our hearts with a desire to change for the better and to help others along the way. If our worship is insincere then it is offensive to God.
• Isaiah 2:2-6 Christ wants us to go to the temple where we can be taught by Him how we should live and not look to the world for how we should live.
• Isaiah 3:16-26 Christ is warning us not to let the excesses of the world overcome us because they will lead us into bondage.
• Isaiah 4: 3-6 The Lord will save and protect the righteous.
• Isaiah 5:2-7 Jesus Christ has given us everything to be successful and to thrive in this life and He is frustrated when He sees us taking it for granted.
• Isaiah 6:6-8 Just like Isaiah received his call to be a prophet, we also are given the opportunity each week to be cleansed of our sins and to recommit ourselves to do the Lord's work as we partake of the sacrament.
• Isaiah 7:4 Christ wants us to listen to His chosen prophet. If we listen and do what he says then we have no need to fear.
• Isaiah 8: 11-14 The Lord wants us to fear (respect and reverence) Him before man.
• Isaiah 9:1-2 The teachings of Jesus Christ bring light to a world and to people that are living and suffering in darkness.
• Isaiah 10:12-15 Christ is the one in charge and he uses us to move His work forward here on this earth-either for good or for bad.

(my study resources were: "Don't Miss This" podcast, "Book of Mormon Central" podcast, "Follow Him" podcast, "Unshaken Saints" podcast, NIV Bible translation, ESV Bible translation, KJV Bible & footnotes, Old Testament Student Manual)

A Virtuous (Wo)Man

The Come, Follow Me manual highlights Proverbs 31 and challenges the reader to look for the different traits that describe a virtuous women. In addition to this, one of the podcasts I listened to (Don't Miss This) added the thought to analyze just the verbs that are mentioned in this chapter and think about what those verbs look like in your discipleship and effort to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

By isolating the verbs, I was able to formulate questions that help me examine my character traits more closely and see in what areas I can improve.

• v. 13-seeketh; do I have a desire to look harder? 
• v. 13-worketh; am I putting in the daily effort to reach my goals?
• v. 14-bringeth; am I ready and willing to invite others to come unto Christ?
• v. 15-riseth; am I quick to stand up and help those around me?
• v. 16-considereth; do I think before I act?
• v. 16-planteth; do I have faith enough to "plant" and patience enough to wait for the harvest?
• v. 17-girdeth; am I preparing myself for challenges?
• v. 17-strengtheneth; do I build others up with my words and actions?
• v. 18-perceiveth; do I look to see things with a different perspective?
• v. 18-candle goeth not out; is my testimony always burning brightly for others to see?
• v. 20-stretcheth; am I willing to stretch outside of my comfort circle?
• v. 20-reacheth; do I give up on others too easily? do I help others feel loved?
• v. 22-maketh; do I use my talents?
• v. 24-delivereth; do I come to the rescue?
• v. 26-openeth her mouth with wisdom; do I share the things I know to be true?
• v. 27-looketh; am I an approachable person?
• v. 30-feareth the Lord; do I reverence the Lord enough to do all He has asked me to do?

Self-reflective questions can lead us to better be able to do what our prophet, President Nelson has asked us to do which is..."We Can Do Better and Be Better"

Power of Sacred Music

I learned this week that the book of Psalms was like an ancient hymn book and the words were designed to be set to music. Learning this important piece of information really helped shape my understanding of the Come, Follow Me reading. Another neat thing I learned about the book of Psalms is that it is the most quoted book in the New Testament (see Bible Dictionary).

When I thought about how important the Psalms must have been to the people living during Bible times, it made me think about how important sacred music is for us as well.

How often has music been able to touch your heart and bring comfort and peace to your soul? There is a power in music that reaches us differently than the spoken word. President Nelson has said “Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end…Hymns can also help us withstand the temptations of the adversary…Worthy music also has the power to persuade...Music has a sweet power to promote unity and love in the family…Music has power to provide spiritual nourishment. It has healing power. It has the power to facilitate worship. It provides power for us to express prayerful thoughts and bear testimony of sacred truths…Music has power to overcome language barriers…Worthy music is not only a source of power but also of protection.” (The Power and Protection of Worthy Music)

For the last (almost) 10 years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been putting a greater emphasis on providing new music for the youth each year. The music is more contemporary, catchy and appealing to the youth and their families. If you haven’t tuned in yet, you are missing out! The Church is providing so many resources for families in an effort to help fortify us and our children and to help all of us get on and stay on the covenant path, and music is another one of those amazing resources! Here's a link to the new youth music website Youth Music, or you can download the app "Sacred Music" to your phone. Here's a link to one of my favorite songs "Healer" from this years youth album. Happy listening😀

Seeing God's Hand in our Lives

As I studied about the Book of Esther this week, it was interesting to me to learn from several sources that there is no mention of God in the entire book! As readers, it is up to us to look for the hand of God in her story because even though He is not mentioned by name, His works are all throughout this book. Here are some examples...

• Queen Vashti is removed from her position which makes a way for Esther to be in a position to become the next queen. (Chapter 1)
• Esther is the least decorated of all the women and yet she is still the one chosen to be the queen. (Chapter 2)
• Mordecai overhears a plot to kill the king. He tells Esther and she is able to warn the king and save his life. (Chapter 2)
• The king does not kill Esther when she comes unannounced into court. (Chapter 5)
• Esther holds back her request to the king for a few days and while waiting, feels prompted to invite he and Haman to come to a banquet with her. (Chapter 5)
• Following the banquet and the night before Haman plans to have Mordecai killed, the king is reminded about Mordecai's good deed. (Chapter 6)
• Once Haman is killed, Mordecai is appointed to take his place. Together, he and Esther are able to convince the king to reverse the decree that mandates the killing of the Jews (Chapter 8)

Do you ever feel like the presence of God is hidden in your life like He is in the book of Esther? Sometimes it takes some time looking deeply to find Him in our personal stories. 

The talk giving by Pres. Eyring entitled O Remember, Remember gives great counsel regarding how to see the hand of God in our lives. He says "the challenge to remember has always been the hardest for those who are blessed abundantly. Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers...Sadly, prosperity is not the only reason people forget God. It can also be hard to remember Him when our lives go badly. When we struggle, as so many do, in grinding poverty or when our enemies prevail against us or when sickness is not healed, the enemy of our souls can send his evil message that there is no God or that if He exists He does not care about us. Then it can be hard for the Holy Ghost to bring to our remembrance the lifetime of blessings the Lord has given us from our infancy and in the midst of our distress...My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done."

Rise Up and Build

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah introduce us to some good men who were builders in the Kingdom of God:

• Zurabbabel and Jeshua lead the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 3:2)
• Ezra rebuilds peoples faith by learning, living and teaching the law (Ezra 7:10)
• Nehemiah rebuilds the walls and gates of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:7)

What lessons can we learn from these stories about being a builder of the kingdom?

• expect opposition as a builder (Ezra 4:4, Nehemiah 4:8)
• surround yourself with other builders (Ezra 3:8,  Nehmemiah 2:18, Nehemiah 8:7)
• builders sacrifice things to build the kingdom of God-all these men left their homes in Babylon/Persia to return to Jerusalem (see chapter headings Ezra 1, Ezra 7-8, Nehemiah 2)

The principle of being a builder reminded me of a poem I heard some time ago titled "Am I a Builder or a Wrecker?"

I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and lusty yell,
They swung a beam and a sidewall fell.

I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
The men you’d hire if you had to build?”

He gave me a laugh and said, “No indeed!
Just common labor is all I need.
I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken a year to do.”

And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these two roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds by a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?

                              Poem by Edgar Guest

Some good questions we can ask ourselves are...Am I a builder or a wrecker? What can I do to stop being in opposition to the building? How can I contribute to the building up of my family, ward, or community? I hope that we can all think of something we can do to emulate the lives of these great men, and the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and do our part to help build the Kingdom of God.

A Pattern for Conquering Enemies

The story that had the most impact on me this week was that of King Hezekiah and the actions that he took when his city (Jerusalem) was under attack. The Assyrian army had overtaken the Northern Kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 18:9-11) and continued moving south conquering cities in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. (2 Kings 18:13). The Assyrian armies last target was the capital city of Jerusalem and Hezekiah knew they were coming for him (2 Kings 18:17-18).

Preceding the attack on Jerusalem, a group of Assyrian messengers come to the outskirts of the city and started mocking and taunting the people by saying things that might have them question their faith in their king. Things like "who do you trust?", "If you surrender, the king of Assyria will bring you gifts.", "Hezekiah is deceiving you, he doesn't have the power to save you.", "No god has saved any city from the king of Assyria, what makes you any different?" 2 Kings 18:19-35)

As Hezekiah's servants return to him and report about what is going on "outside", Hezekiah shows us a great pattern of what we can do when we find our faith or our families under attack:

1. Go to the house of the Lord (2 Kings 19:1)
2. Seek the prophets guidance (2 Kings 19:2)
3. Go back to the house of the Lord (2 Kings 19:14)
4. Pray to the Lord (2 Kings 19:15)
5. Trust in the Lord's promises (2 Kings 19:32-35)

I love this story that Pres. Nelson told about a mother who followed these steps when she found her son under enemy attack. He states, "In our worldwide youth devotional last June, I spoke about a young man whose life changed when his parents exchanged his smartphone for a flip phone. This young man’s mother is a fearless woman of faith. She saw her son drifting toward choices that could prevent him from serving a mission. She took her pleadings to the temple to know how best to help her son. Then she followed through with every impression. She said: “I felt the Spirit guiding me to check my son’s phone at specific times to catch specific things. I don’t know how to navigate these smartphones, but the Spirit guided me through all the social media that I don’t even use! I know the Spirit helps parents who are seeking guidance to protect their children." (Sisters' Participation in the Gathering of Israel)

We all have to decide what voice we’re going to listen to and who’s voice we're going to trust. The enemy has a very powerful and persuasive voice. But our prophet, Pres. Nelson has said that as we spend time in the temple we will be better able to hear the voice of the Lord (Hear Him), and His voice will provide us with the inspiration that we need to conquer our enemies.

Spiritual Lessons found in the Miracles of Elisha

In the Come, Follow Me manual this week, one of the suggestions was to study the miracles of Elisha found in 2 Kings 2-6 and ponder the spiritual lessons we can learn from those miracles. Here's what I learned from my studies of these miracles:

When we follow the prophet and allow the Lord to be part of our lives, then...

• Miracles will happen (woman of Shunem, 2 Kings 4:14-17)
• Dead things can be brought back to life (boy-2 Kings 4:35; soup-4:40-41)
• We will always have access to Living Water (ditches-2 Kings 2:16-20)
• We are blessed in unexpected ways to conquer our enemies (Moabite army-2 Kings 2:21-24)
• We are given protection from the enemy (Syrian army-2 Kings 6:12)
• Our insufficiencies will be made sufficient (oil-2 Kings 4:1-7, bread-2 Kings 4:42-44)
• Lost things will be found (ax head-2 Kings 6:5-7)
• Healing will occur (water-2 Kings 2:19-22 Naaman-2 Kings 5:1-14)
• Eyes will be opened, perspectives widened, vision enhanced (heavenly armies-2 Kings 6:17)

I also noticed that these miracles were seen in all demographics of people: wealthy and destitute, believer and non-believer, adults and children, male and female. "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34) and is eager and willing to bless us with miracles in our lives. In April 2022 General Conference, Pres. Nelson said "the Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, 'doubting nothing.' Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ 'giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.'" 

Three Kings

Over the last two weeks of Come, Follow Me study we've witnessed the rise and fall of kings that were all faithful enough to be chosen by God but sadly lost favor in the sight of God because of their poor choices. What really caught my attention in these books is that three kings in a row followed this same pattern! Which means these stories can be understood as cautionary tales for each of us. As I read through each of the three kings' stories, I tried to determine what temptations got ahold of each of their hearts. This is what I found...

Saul's downfall was his pride. We first see this in 1 Samuel 13 when he acts in place of Samuel as the priest in offering up a burnt offering. Then in 1 Samuel 15 instead of destroying the Amalekite herds like he's been commanded to do, he keeps the best animals. After David slays Goliath, Saul becomes jealous that the people are honoring David and not him (1 Samuel 18). From that point on, Saul seeks to kill David (1 Samuel 19)

David's downfall was his lust of the flesh. 2 Samuel 11 tells of David committing adultery with Bath-sheba, and instead of confessing and repenting of his sin, he tries to cover his sin by committing another sin, that of premeditated murder when he arranges for the death of Bath-sheba's husband.

Solomon's downfall was his desire for power. 1 Kings 11 talks about how Solomon's many marriages outside of Israel turned his heart from worshipping God to worshipping false idols. The Lord advised against these marriages, but Solomon went against the Lord because he knew that these marriages would provide alliances with others kingdoms.

In the podcast Unshaken Saints, the host talked about how these temptations parallel the same three temptations that Satan used on Jesus Christ, recorded in Matthew 4. Turning stones into bread (appealing to the lusts of the flesh); Cast thyself off the top of the temple (appealing to pride); Worship me and receive kingdoms and glory (appealing to power). 

If these are the top three temptations Satan used on Christ, and we see them playing a role in the downfall of these three great kings, then it's a pretty safe bet that Satan is going to use them on us as well. But the good news is, is that it's not a sin to tempted! We know Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and that was possible because he didn't give in to temptation. In the June 2022 Liahona magazine, one of the articles entitled "How we can Overcome a Lust-Filled World" states "Sin occurs when we choose to entertain, cultivate, or act on the temptation to do something we know we shouldn't. Because of moral agency, we can choose not to act on temptation, even when it's difficult."

The lesson for me is this: We can never reach a point in our lives where we think "I've made it! My testimony is strong enough and I will never fall away." We have to continually work and put forth the effort to strengthen our testimonies and rely on the Lord for his guidance, direction, and help.

Hearing the voice of the Lord

While studying the first Book of Samuel these past two weeks, the story that left the biggest impression on me was Samuel's call to be a prophet (Chapter 3). Samuel's story helps us understand some ways that will prepare us to hear the voice of the Lord.

• Spend time in sacred places-when the Lord spoke to Samuel, he was in the temple. Pres. Nelson has said "I promise that as you increase your time in the temple...you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him." (Hear Him). Other sacred places can be in our homes, churches, and even in nature.
• Quiet time-the voice of the Lord spoke to Samuel in the middle of the night, a time when it's quiet and there are no distractions. If we're going to be able to hear the still, small voice of the Lord (1 Nephi 17:25) then we need to create quiet times/spaces in our lives that are conducive to hearing His voice.
• Follow counsel of leaders-at first, Samuel doesn't recognize it’s the Lord’s voice speaking to him, so he asks Eli for help (his parent figure/priesthood leader). We need to pay attention to the words of our leaders. Pres. Nelson has said "we hear Him as we heed the words of prophets, seers, and revelators." (Hear Him)

President Nelson has said “It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now.” (Hear Him) As we try to follow the counsel of our prophet, we can look to Samuel’s story as an example of ways to help us create an environment where we can more easily hear the voice of the Lord. 

Israelites fall vs. Pioneers success

In Joshua’s last sermon to the Israelites, he implored the people to make a consistent effort to choose to serve the Lord every single day (Joshua 24:15), and the Israelites responded by making a covenant that they would serve and obey the God of Israel (Joshua 24: 23-25). 

In the book of Judges we watch the Israelites struggle to keep this covenant to serve the Lord. After all the miracles they’ve witnessed (and their parents witnessed), why was it so hard for them to stay faithful?

As I was on a youth pioneer trek this past week I remembered a lesson I heard recently contrasting the Israelites journey to the promised land with the pioneers westward migration:

• The Israelites had the Red Sea and Jordan River parted for them so they could walk through on dry ground. The pioneers had many river crossings-none of them on dry ground.
• The Israelites were given manna from heaven to eat. The pioneers had very little food and many starved to death.
• The Israelites clothes never wore out. The pioneers suffered greatly and often froze to death or left bloody footprints on the ground because their clothes and shoes were so worn out.
• The land of Canaan was already “flowing with milk and honey” for the children of Israel. The Salt Lake Valley was a barren desert that would need lots of work to make it “blossom as a rose.”

These two exodus stories that differed so much also resulted in two very different outcomes. The Israelites struggled to stay faithful to the covenants they had made to the Lord (see the whole book of Judges), but the pioneers remained faithful and because of their faithfulness many generations have remained faithful as well. The lesson I learned from this comparison is that the more we have to work for something, the more we're going to appreciate it (like our testimonies). Pres. Nelson recently spoke to the young adults of the church and said "I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth...As you make your testimony your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life." The pioneers witnessed different miracles than the Israelites did, but the biggest miracle was their deep conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ that came through their daily effort and sacrifice to trust in the Lord and follow His chosen prophet.

Gleaning

In Chapter 2 of the Book of Ruth we read about how Ruth was able to gather food in order for her and her mother-in-law, Naomi, to physically survive.  "And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field...and her hap (good fortune) was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was...kindred." (v. 3)

What spiritual lessons can we apply from this part of Ruth's story? One institute teacher I listened to this week (Jared Halverson, Unshaken Saints Podcast) talked about looking at the word glean and thinking about what kind of "fields" we choose to glean from each day? And are we gleaning any spiritual nourishment from those "fields?" Who do we choose as friends and mentors? Are we intentionally and wisely choosing who we learn (glean) from? Do we glean from the fields of prophets, seers and revelators? Do we glean from the scriptures and other amazing minds that help enlighten our own? Are we careful about what fields we glean in? The grain that you're gathering every day will have an affect on your spirit, your ideology and your world views - You are what you eat! 

Pres. Nelson recently said "If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true. Even Saints who are otherwise faithful can be derailed by the steady beat of Babylon’s band...I pleas with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life--each and every day." (Make Time for the Lord)

Our Marching Orders

One of the principles of the gospel that really stood out to me in this week's reading of Come, Follow Me was in Joshua 6. In this chapter the Lord instructs Joshua (who has just succeeded Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; Deut. 34:9) on how to conquer the city of Jericho.

What impressed me about this chapter is how obedient the Israelite army was to the words of their prophet, and through their obedience they witnessed a miracle.

Are we as obedient to our latter-day prophet as the Israelites were to theirs? What are the "marching orders" we've been given by Pres. Nelson to help us conquer our enemies so we can inhabit the promised land? I recently studied the 32 general conference talks that Pres. Nelson has given since he became the President of the Church (April 2018-Oct 2021) and I kept track of the instructions (themes) that he has most often repeated. Here's a list of what he's talked about most...

• Faith
• Daily Repentance
• Hear Him
• Study Scriptures
• Study General Conference messages
• Spiritual Survival
• Speak of Christ
• Let God Prevail
• Serve
• Fast and Pray
• Spend more time in the temple (this was by far the top instruction that was repeated)

In this past general conference, Pres. Nelson asked us to "seek and expect miracles" in our lives and to "do the spiritual work to seek miracles." For the past four years Pres. Nelson has been telling us what that spiritual work is (see list above), as we obey his prophetic counsel then we will see miracles in our lives.