Testimony vs. Conversion

While studying the parables of Christ this week in Matthew 13 and Luke 8 & 13, I learned that, although there is normally one intended interpretation of a parable, there may be many lessons and truths that we can learn from each of the parables. The parable I studied the most this week was the parable of the sower. Joseph Smith taught that Christ used the parable of the sower to teach about the gathering of Israel (New Testament Student Manual). As I studied this parable, the Spirit taught me that one of the lessons we can learn from this parable is the difference between having a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and being converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It wasn't until recently that I started to understand that there is a difference between having a testimony of Jesus Christ and being converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of my first visiting teaching assignments in a family ward was to a less active sister. I remember walking into her home and being a little shocked that most of her living room decorations showcased her knowledge of the restored gospel. I was so confused. Why would she have sayings on her wall like "Christ is the Center of our Home" and yet not seem to care about many of the other things we're asked to do as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? Years later I now realize that this sister had a testimony of the gospel, but she had not yet been converted.

Elder Bednar has said: "knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion. We should know the gospel is true and be true to the gospel." (Converted Unto the Lord)

As I thought about this, the parable of the sower had a new lesson for me to see…

The seeds that fell on the rocky soil and the soil with thorns are like people that have heard the gospel, received a testimony of the gospel, but have not properly taken of their testimony so it doesn’t grow deep enough roots to keep it strong. (Matt 8:20-22). Elder Bednar said that "testimony alone is not and will not be enough to protect us in the latter-day storm of darkness and evil in which we are living. Testimony is important and necessary but not sufficient to provide the spiritual strength and protection we need." (Converted Unto the Lord)

The seeds that fell on good ground also heard and received a testimony of the gospel, but they became fruitful because of their conversion to the gospel. They understood the word and gave proper nourishment to the seed so that it could grow roots deep enough to bring forth fruit. (Matt 8:23) Elder Bednar stated that "the powerful combination of both testimony and conversion unto the Lord produce(s) firmness and steadfastness and provide(s) spiritual protection." (Converted Unto the Lord)

How do we grow the deep roots needed to become converted? Elder Bednar offered this analogy: “drip irrigation...is used in many gardens and in agricultural areas throughout the world...With drip irrigation, applications of water are more focused and more frequent than with the other methods. The steady drips of water sink deep into the ground and provide a high moisture level in the soil wherein plants can flourish. In like manner, if you and I are focused and frequent in receiving consistent drops of spiritual nourishment, then gospel roots can sink deep into our soul, can become firmly established and grounded, and can produce extraordinary and delicious fruit...The spiritual pattern of small and simple things bringing forth great things produces firmness and steadfastness, deepening devotion, and more complete conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel.” (By Small and Simple Things are Great Things brought to Pass)

Having a testimony alone won't be enough to keep us strong through life's challenges. In the parable, the scorching sun (Matt 13:6) represents tribulation and persecution (Matt 8:21).  In order to have the scorching sun benefit our seeds of faith, we have to grow deep roots of conversion. We have to nourish that testimony every day with the little things like prayer, scripture study, service, faith and repentance. As we do these small things, our roots will reach deep into the soil where they will find living water that will provide the strength and nourishment they need in order to benefit (and not be damaged) from the rays of the sun.

Holiday=Holy Day

After studying teachings about the sabbath day in Matthew 12, I had some insights about this important day that I previously had not thought about.

First, did you know that the word “holiday” is a compound word stemming from the words “holy” and “day?” After learning about the connection between these two words, I have been looking at my sabbath day observance with a new set of eyes. Think about your favorite holidays and why you love them so much. Is it the food? gathering with family? celebrating special traditions? or the different music and clothing associated with those days? Celebrating holidays can be burdensome and overwhelming for some of us, and that's the exact opposite of how we want the Sabbath Day to feel. But, is there a way that we can replicate some different and meaningful things that make holidays special into our Sunday worship that would elevate our love and anticipation for that weekly Holy Day? I know in our family, having certain “sabbath day rituals” (like attending church, going on family walks, watching family home videos or making homemade donuts) help to set apart our sabbath day as something different and special from other days of the week.

The second insight came with the suggestion of reading Matthew 11:28-Matthew 12:13 while skipping over the Matthew 12 chapter heading. By eliminating the "man-made" chapter break it's easier to see the connection that Jesus is making: one way He can help us find rest for our souls is by keeping the sabbath day holy.

The Bible Dictionary states: "the importance of a sacred day for man to rest from his temporal labors, contemplate the word of the Lord, and assemble for public worship is a major item in a person's spiritual development...The existence of a weekly holy day is a most important safeguard; it leaves a constant reminder to the individual of his need for spiritual sustenance and his duty before God."

I'm grateful for the gift of the sabbath day in my life. Just like we've been blessed to live more fully off of 90% of our income instead of 100%, I have a testimony that we are also blessed to live more fully "using" only 6 out of 7 days of the week for our own needs rather than using every day of the week for ourselves. I know that I can do so much more in six days with the Lord's blessing than I can in seven days without the Lord's blessing. The Lord has His ways of blessing us when we keep His commandments and I have seen those blessings in my life as I've done my best to keep the Sabbath Day holy.

(Thanks to the “Don’t Miss This” and “Follow Him” podcasts for their Come, Follow Me lessons on Matthew 12 that gave me insight into this week’s blogpost)

Can Jesus See My Faith?

While studying some of Christ’s miracles this week, I was intrigued by a phrase in Matthew 9:1 that reads “and Jesus seeing their faith.” (also found in Mark 2:5). This phrase is in reference to the four friends who carried their friend to Jesus to be healed. I was struck by this phrase because normally we refer to faith as something that we can’t see, (“if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” Alma 32:21, italics added), but in these verses it says that Jesus was able to see their faith. So I asked myself, “in these stories of miraculous healings, what attributes did these people have that allowed Jesus to see their faith?"

• How did the four friends show their faith? Through grit. When the traditional way to get to Jesus wasn't going to work, they didn't give up. Instead they tried something different. They knew Jesus could heal their friend and they weren't going to give up when they were so close. How can we follow the example of these four men and show Christ our faith? By persevering even when things get hard. (Mark 2, Matthew 9)

• How did the women with the issue of blood show her faith? Through courage. Because of her health condition she was considered ritually unclean and that means she would have been an outcast in her community for twelve years (New Testament Student Manuel). For her to press through a crowd to reach Jesus would have taken an immense amount of courage. How can we follow her example and show Christ our faith? By having the courage to come to Christ even when it's against the culture of our day. (Mark 5, Matthew 9)

• How did Jairus show his faith? Through worship. Although Jairus is one of the rulers of the local synagogue he seeks out Jesus and kneels before Him to ask Him to heal his daughter. How can we follow Jairus's example and show Christ our faith? By worshipping Him privately and publicly. (Mark 5, Matthew 9)

• How did the blind men show their faith? Through testimony. After Christ touched the eyes of the two blind men so that they could see, they testified and shared their witness to others about how Christ had healed them. How can we follow the example of the two blind men and show Christ our faith? We can bear our testimony to others about how Christ has touched our lives, opened our eyes and healed us from our infirmities. (Matthew 9)

Faith was an attribute that was present in the lives of each of the individuals that experienced the miracles. Pres. Nelson has said "it it our faith that unlocks the power of God in our lives." (Christ is risen; faith in Him will move mountains) If we're looking for ways to increase our faith so that we can unlock the power of God in our lives, these stories provide examples of the attributes we can work on that will help to increase our faith.

Don't let Christ fall asleep on your boat!

The most poignant and powerful principle this week for me came from the story of Christ calming the stormy sea (Matt 8: 23-27). In the podcast “Unshaken Saints”, the host shared a powerful symbolic lesson regarding this story: don’t let Christ “fall asleep” on your boat. Or, in other words, do we forget Jesus when we’re working in our comfort zones (i.e. our careers, callings and relationships)?

As soon as the disciples stepped onto those boats with Jesus, they entered into their comfort zones. Fishing on the Sea of Galilee had been their occupation for as long as they could remember. They knew the sea, they knew boats, they were completely relaxed as they stepped back into their comfort zone of fishing life.

Spiritually speaking, do we do the same thing? When challenged to do something unfamiliar do we rely on Christ more than when we're back doing something more routine? If we do that, what happens when the storms of life come during our "routine living?" Do we run to Christ and wake Him up and accuse Him of not caring about us? Or do we realize it was we that forgot about Him, and treated the situation as if He were asleep?

I've had a recent personal experience with this principle that I feel impressed to share. When Covid 19 hit and our family was immediately swept up in that life storm, most of our simple family routines were tossed overboard. It took some time and effort to reestablish new normal routines, but one that never got totally saved was our nightly couple prayers together. Because of the changes required in each of our stewardships during this time period, exhaustion hit us at different times and we rarely went to bed at the same time and thus rarely had that moment together at night to pray. Our 20 years of solid, "comfort zone" marriage, occasionally felt like it was sinking because it was being battered by the storms of life. For a while I've tried to diagnose the cause of this sinking without success-until I had a spiritual breakthrough these last few weeks...

Lent started last week, and this year I wanted to be more thoughtful about what I could sacrifice that would bring me closer to Christ. After a lot of thought and study I decided that I needed to give up reading on my phone before I go to bed each night, and instead, replace that nightly behavior with a couple prayer . I can testify that by putting our focus back on Christ and bringing Him more intimately back into our marriage relationship, those troubled waters have been rapidly calming.

I didn't understand the connection that was happening until I studied this Come, Follow Me lesson. Our marriage has always been one of my comfort zones, something we've been really good at-but we were good at it because we had included Christ. As soon as we took our eyes off of Him and tried to sail our marriage boat with Him asleep, things got really turbulent for awhile. 

To conclude, I wanted to share a couple of lessons that the Spirit has taught me through this experience…

First: there are some storms in life we can totally avoid if we keep Christ “awake in our boats”

Second: if we’ve gotten too comfortable and have let Christ “fall asleep in our boat” one way to “wake Him up” is through prayer. 

Third lesson: no matter how good (spiritually) we think we are doing, if we ask for and seek out ways we can improve, the Lord will show us how we can be better.

Building a strong spiritual foundation

One of my favorite scriptural analogies is comparing the process of constructing physical buildings to what it takes to Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection...

• Both need blueprints or instructions to be constructed properly.
• Both are built to a standard that will withstand outside forces that would damage them.
• Both need regular upkeep/upgrades to maintain their strength and integrity.
• Both are built to be places of safety and refuge from the storms of life.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ gives us the spiritual blueprints we need to build a strong spiritual foundation. The foundational principles He emphasizes in Matthew 6&7 are…

• Giving service (Matt 6:1-4)
• Prayer (Matt 6:5-13, 7:7-8)
• Humility (Matt 6:8-10)
• Forgiveness (Matt 6: 14-15)
• Fasting (Matt 6:16-18)
• Putting God first in our lives (Matt 6:19-24, 33, 7:21-23)
• Faith and trust in God (Matt 6:25-34)
• Righteous judging (Matt 7:1-5, 15-20)
• Kindness (Matt 7:12)
• Make covenants with God (Matt 7:13-14)
• Obedience (Matt 7:24-27)

It is no coincidence that Jesus gives the example of the foundations of the wise man and the foolish man (Matt 7:24-27) at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, thus emphasizing the importance of using all the principles He just taught in order to build our spiritual foundations upon solid ground.

In the October 2021 General Conference, Pres. Nelson gave a talk entitled The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation. In this talk he used the same analogy as Christ did when he compared the physical structure of the Salt Lake Temple to our own personal spiritual strength.  He states: "it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures - perhaps measures we have never taken before-to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures." If we feel like our spirit is in need of some strengthening, we can look to Christ's Sermon on the Mount for inspiration regarding where we can improve on our journey to become more like Him. 

Insights from the temptations of Christ

There were so many lessons to learn this week while studying the temptations of Christ in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. I will share just three of my big take-aways.

1. Identity: previous to this study, I had learned that the temptations of Christ could fit into three different categories; appetites, pride and power. What I realized this time while studying is that there was a fourth temptation-that of questioning our divine identity. Twice, while Satan is speaking to Christ, he starts with the phrase "If thou be the Son of God" (Matt 4:3,6). Attacking our identity and tempting us to question who we are is a tactic Satan continues to use against us today. In a recent YSA Devotional 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...you are literally spirit children of God...But is that eternal truth imprinted upon your heart? Has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation?" (Choices for Eternity) Just like Christ, we can also have the strength to resist temptation when we know and embrace the truth of our divine identity.
2. Scriptures: Knowing that Christ was able to combat temptation by quoting scripture is a powerful lesson that we can each internalize. While speaking to seminary and institute teachers, Elder Rasband counseled them to "help students identify a ‘protection scripture,’" one they can call to mind when they are in a perilous situation or need the strength to step away." (Jesus Christ is the Answer). I loved this idea and when I thought about what my "protection scripture" could be, I had one come to mind right away. Do you have a protection scripture? Maybe you have several. But just like Christ, we can use the words of the scriptures to help us overcome temptation.
3. Look Down, Look Up: in several Come, Follow Me podcasts I listened to this week, the hosts pointed out that when you read these scriptures closely you'll notice that Satan is always trying to bring Christ down (i.e. cast thyself down) while the Spirit is lifting Christ to higher ground (JST writes that the Spirit taketh him up). We can liken this to ourselves by realizing that when we are having thoughts and feelings that bring us down we can know that those are coming from Satan. In contrast, feelings that come from the Spirit will be lifting us to higher and holier places. 

I like knowing that when I am feeling the influence of Satan in my life I can turn away from these negative influences by: 1) remembering my divine identity (singing the words "I am a child of God") and 2) repeating my protection scripture to myself. As I've had times of struggle and moments of weakness this week, I would repeat my protection scripture to myself, and I can testify that an immediate sense of hope, light and peace entered my mind and my heart as I repeated those words in my mind. I know that the words of Christ have the power to raise our sights and lift us to higher ground.

Symbols of Baptism

I enjoyed learning more deeply about baptism this week, and especially some of the deeper symbolism that we can learn from baptism. The Bible Dictionary talks about how "baptism symbolizes death, burial and resurrection." The scriptures also compare our physical birth to baptism, which is our spiritual rebirth.

Moses 6:59 teaches that when we are born into this world there is water, blood and spirit present at the birth. When we are born again into the Kingdom of Heaven, water, blood and the Spirit are all present. We come forth out of the water after being fully immersed. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through His Atonement and we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost which allows us the privilege to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ with us as we live worthy of it.

There are other parallels we can draw between birth and baptism...(Follow Him Podcast)

• When we're born we become part of an earthly family: when we're baptized we are welcomed into God's family.
• When we're born we are given a name: when we are baptized we are asked to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.
• When we're born, our earthly family makes a commitment to love and take care of us: God makes this same promise to us when we are baptized. 
• Children go and do the same things as their family: when we become part of God's family through baptism, we make a commitment to go and do the things God wants us to do.

Today during sacrament meeting I was introduced to another symbol relating to baptism by immersion. When we are baptized by immersion, our body has to be "all in" the water. This concept of being "all in" can also be symbolic of our commitment to be "all in" to living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we putting our best efforts into keeping our baptismal covenant to keep His commandments, always remember Him and to take His name upon us? If so, then we are continually immersing ourselves in His gospel.

The Word

While studying John 1 this week my thoughts were turned to the many different names of Jesus Christ that are mentioned in just this one chapter (I counted 13!). The one title I was most drawn to studying and thinking about was "the Word."

D&C 93:8 states that "He (Jesus Christ) was the Word, even the messenger of salvation" and "the Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the messenger of the Father to the world. As such, He declares the Father's words." (New Testament student manual)

While studying the talk “This Day” by Elder Rasband, footnote 7 shares the scripture 1 Nephi 15:23-24 which talks about how the iron rod symbolizes the word of god. Because I’d been thinking about “the Word” as another name of Jesus Christ, I read that scripture with new insight… “and whoso would hearken unto the word of God (Christ), and would hold fast unto it (Christ), they would never perish." 

Our scriptures-the "word", lead us to Christ-the "Word"-and it is through Christ that we are saved from the fiery darts of the adversary. So as we sing the words “hold to the rod, the iron rod, Tis strong and bright and true, the iron rod is the word of god, twill safely guide us through”, in addition to thinking of the word as the scriptures, we can also think about holding on to Christ who is strong and bright and true. He is the one who will safely guide us through the trials and challenges of this life.

As I attended my Stake Conference meetings this weekend, one of the speakers asked a question that turned my thoughts again to this particular name of Christ. The question posed was "how do we spend more time with the Lord?" The word that immediately came to my mind was "Word." The Spirit was teaching me that one of the most important ways we can spend more time with the "Word" is by studying His words.

Seeking Jesus

In Luke 2 we read a story about how Mary and Joseph lost Jesus and searched for him for three days before they found him at the temple (v. 46). I like the personal application here that teaches us what we can do if we feel separated from Christ:

• We can find Him at the temple.

In addition to finding Him at the temple, Jesus also tells his parents (us) in v. 47 that if they ever lose sight of  Him then they can always find Him doing His Father's business (v.49). What application does that scripture have for us today? What does doing the Fathers' business look like for us?

Moses 1:39 says that Gods work is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." So how do we help with God's work? The Handbook for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says that we participate in God's work of salvation and exaltation by:

• Living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• ​​Caring for those in need.
• ​​Inviting all to receive the gospel.
• ​​Uniting families for eternity.

We need to find ways to incorporate the work of salvation into our daily lives so that our connection with Jesus is always close. When we feel like we've lost our connection with Christ, focusing on doing these things will help us reconnect with Him.

The Influence of Parents

My thoughts this week turned to the character of Mary and Joseph, the mortal parents of Jesus Christ. I read Matthew 1 and Luke 1 looking for attributes and gifts that they possessed that they must have taught their Son, probably through their words but certainly through their examples.

Matthew 1:19 Before the angel ever appeared to Joseph to tell him what was going on with Mary, Joseph was willing to show mercy and kindness to Mary ("to put her away privily").

Matthew 1:20 Joseph knows the importance of giving time and space to pondering ("while he thought on these things") in order to allow the Spirit (or in Joseph's case, an angel) to speak to us.

Matthew 1:24 Joseph knows the importance of obeying Gods commands ("Joseph...did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him") even though marrying Mary "could have brought upon him public shame and ridicule" (New Testament Student Manual)

Luke 1:38 Mary shows us her willingness to be submissive to Gods will ("be it unto me according to thy word") even though she would also face many difficulties (New Testament Student Manual)

Luke 1:46-55 Mary has a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and His mission, and she bears it!

Luke 1:48 Mary is humble ("For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden".

Mary and Joseph possessed wonderful Christlike attributes even before becoming parents to Jesus. I like to think that these attributes would have been taught and shown as Jesus grew up in the home of Mary and Joseph. It helps me consider what Christlike attributes my character is teaching my children - maybe not just through words, but by my actions. Do they see me being obedient and submissive to God's will, even if it goes against our current cultural trends? Do they see me bearing testimony of my Savior? Am I showing humility in my words and actions? The example we set for our children plays a big role in parenting. Understanding more about the character of both Mary and Joseph helps me better understand why God chose them to be the ones to raise His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

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.