Giving a Talk on Sunday...All Done!
All done preparing it anyway...It remains to be seen if I'll go into shock as I'm walking to the microphone 8 hours from now...
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John & I are giving talks in Sacrament meeting this Sunday. I started preparing this on Thursay...now we have 8 hours until the big moment, and as John has gone to bed without preparing his talk yet, I whipped up something for him: he can choose from two Ensign talks I selected for him, if he finds he's at a loss for words: Link Link (Remember: he was just baptized less than two years ago...and in situations like this, he might be a man of few words, so I don't think he'll mind getting some help.) I haven't given a real talk in...seven years. The last time was at a district conference in Seoul. I guess I was spiritually up to the task then. In the past six years though, I've been through the depths of sin, but I'm feeling a little better now. We'll just see how it goes.
The topic for this Sunday is based on Alma 37:37, Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings. So for me right now, speaking on this topic WILL NOT be a matter of practicing what I preach, but rather it's a refreshing reminder, and a way to exercise my spiritual muscles. For that reason alone, I'm glad the Bishopric gave us this opportunity. Just pondering the topic, I feel better already.
So I thought I'd first write it out in this comparatively harsh world of JoeUser, since my ideas flow pretty well here, giving me the sensation of presenting it to the public, even if no one reads this WAAAAH! I'll get some of the kinks out right here anyway.
So here I go shedding my bitterness & cynicism, and opening my mind to heaven:
I am most at peace when my will is in complete harmony with Heavenly Father's will. That is a blessing that I’ve been given, and I sense it strongly. So I am only truly happy when I’m living in complete accordance with his will, otherwise, I am not happy. So unfortunately, I spend a lot of time being “not happy,” because it is just so hard to be perfect. I have a long way to go, but I continue to draw on the Lord for strength. And that does make me happy. It's a wonderful feeling to bask in the peace that comes when we work so hard to live Heavenly Father’s will. It feels just as fresh and pure as springtime air to my soul. I would love to feel that way all of the time.
Proverbs chapter three tells us to, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
That is a wonderful promise, and it's true! In all thy ways acknowledge him... We do a lot of things in our busy lives...and acknowledging the Lord throughout all of it is really a beautiful thing. As we're constantly mindful that he has given us all that we are and all that we can accomplish, he will continue to broaden our capacities.
I came up with a list of five ways I’ve learned to obtain the peace that comes from walking with the Lord:
1) keep the commandments; ~Mosiah 2:22~ All that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land;
2) keep our baptismal and temple covenants; At baptism we take upon ourselves the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and always remember him. We covenant to serve others, in turn doing service to the Lord. We make many covenants, and by being true to them, we prosper the kingdom of God.
3) feast on the words of the Lord, study them, ponder them, and live them. ~Quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson: We begin with a determination to “liken all scriptures unto us … for our profit and learning.” If we “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, … [we] shall have eternal life. To feast means more than to taste. To feast means to savor. We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience. When we feast upon the words of Christ, they are embedded in our hearts. They become an integral part of our nature.
4) pray fervently, enjoying a real relationship with the Savior;
5) be humble, and joyfully shower all of the glory upon Heavenly Father. ~Alma 29:9: I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
Focusing on all of these things will help us to live in the world, but not of the world. That means that although we're trudging through the same daily tasks as everyone else around us, we must always have it in the forefront of our minds that we are children of God. We live our lives with high standards, and glorify our Father with every good thing that we do. It's a delicate balance with all of the choices and distractions we're faced with. But when we put Heavenly Father's will first, everything else will fall into place.
We can always have a song of thankfulness in our hearts for him. And we can turn to him for any need we have, however great or small. We have to make a deliberate effort to stay close to the Lord, praying always for his guidance, and for the Holy Ghost to be welcome with us in everything we do. That peace is available to all of us.
Mosiah chapter seven, verse thirty-three, reads, "if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."
It's important that we have complete faith in the Lord. When we submit our lives to Heavenly Father's will, we can become his instruments. Living our lives in complete accordance with his will, we can even have moments when we can feel a sense of his eternal capacities. How humbling it is to have a sense of our Heavenly Father's greatness! And to be a small, but significant part of his glorious plan. It affects me deeply when I contemplate how great he is, and how small I am, but with his power I can be great because of him.
We can turn to the Lord any time of day or night. We can initiate a conversation with him verbally, or in our hearts. Indeed, we can include him in all of our doings.
When we come to the point that we realize that God is perfect, and we're not, that's the time to turn our will over to Him completely. Desiring to seek the will of the Lord is a big first step to make, especially with all of the choices and distractions that we have to keep us otherwise occupied. Desiring to do the Lord’s will may require that we set aside some unproductive pastimes that keep us distracted. We can fill that time with activities that build Zion. We can spend time with our families, serve others, share the gospel with friends and colleagues, and counsel with the Lord throughout all of our daily activities, because we desire our will to be in harmony with God's will.
In the book of Proverbs we also learn to, "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
And that reminds me of the scripture in Second Nephi, "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish."
I've honestly heard at least one person try to use that scripture to justify not pursuing a higher education...but that's really not what it's about. It's wonderful to have wisdom. Heavenly Father gave us our powerful minds so that we might think things through for ourselves. But he also implores us to remember Him, and to counsel with Him. By thinking for ourselves, and also counseling with the Lord who is all-knowing, our wisdom will be added to with the light of the Lord, which is perfect wisdom.
We can work to make our counsels with the Lord a two-way conversation. He truly can speak to us through the Holy Spirit. As we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, he speaks to us, and as we pray, we are mindful of what we've learned through the scriptures, making us more receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Thinking: Be Humble. Humble. Humble. There are a lot of other people giving talks that day. I want to just try to give a simple, heart-felt talk that would please Heavenly Father .
Another thought: giving a talk at church requires the shedding of worldly pragmatism, in momentary exchange for a more exalted level of thought. That may seem hypocritical to some, but when it's done with a sincere desire to be a better person, it's just plain refreshing to be able to shift mindsets like that. I imagine that people who do it often enough eventually master such an exalted level of thought...and speech...and life. I'd love to be like that.
"
The topic for this Sunday is based on Alma 37:37, Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings. So for me right now, speaking on this topic WILL NOT be a matter of practicing what I preach, but rather it's a refreshing reminder, and a way to exercise my spiritual muscles. For that reason alone, I'm glad the Bishopric gave us this opportunity. Just pondering the topic, I feel better already.
So I thought I'd first write it out in this comparatively harsh world of JoeUser, since my ideas flow pretty well here, giving me the sensation of presenting it to the public, even if no one reads this WAAAAH! I'll get some of the kinks out right here anyway.
So here I go shedding my bitterness & cynicism, and opening my mind to heaven:
I am most at peace when my will is in complete harmony with Heavenly Father's will. That is a blessing that I’ve been given, and I sense it strongly. So I am only truly happy when I’m living in complete accordance with his will, otherwise, I am not happy. So unfortunately, I spend a lot of time being “not happy,” because it is just so hard to be perfect. I have a long way to go, but I continue to draw on the Lord for strength. And that does make me happy. It's a wonderful feeling to bask in the peace that comes when we work so hard to live Heavenly Father’s will. It feels just as fresh and pure as springtime air to my soul. I would love to feel that way all of the time.
Proverbs chapter three tells us to, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
That is a wonderful promise, and it's true! In all thy ways acknowledge him... We do a lot of things in our busy lives...and acknowledging the Lord throughout all of it is really a beautiful thing. As we're constantly mindful that he has given us all that we are and all that we can accomplish, he will continue to broaden our capacities.
I came up with a list of five ways I’ve learned to obtain the peace that comes from walking with the Lord:
1) keep the commandments; ~Mosiah 2:22~ All that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land;
2) keep our baptismal and temple covenants; At baptism we take upon ourselves the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and always remember him. We covenant to serve others, in turn doing service to the Lord. We make many covenants, and by being true to them, we prosper the kingdom of God.
3) feast on the words of the Lord, study them, ponder them, and live them. ~Quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson: We begin with a determination to “liken all scriptures unto us … for our profit and learning.” If we “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, … [we] shall have eternal life. To feast means more than to taste. To feast means to savor. We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience. When we feast upon the words of Christ, they are embedded in our hearts. They become an integral part of our nature.
4) pray fervently, enjoying a real relationship with the Savior;
5) be humble, and joyfully shower all of the glory upon Heavenly Father. ~Alma 29:9: I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
Focusing on all of these things will help us to live in the world, but not of the world. That means that although we're trudging through the same daily tasks as everyone else around us, we must always have it in the forefront of our minds that we are children of God. We live our lives with high standards, and glorify our Father with every good thing that we do. It's a delicate balance with all of the choices and distractions we're faced with. But when we put Heavenly Father's will first, everything else will fall into place.
We can always have a song of thankfulness in our hearts for him. And we can turn to him for any need we have, however great or small. We have to make a deliberate effort to stay close to the Lord, praying always for his guidance, and for the Holy Ghost to be welcome with us in everything we do. That peace is available to all of us.
Mosiah chapter seven, verse thirty-three, reads, "if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage."
It's important that we have complete faith in the Lord. When we submit our lives to Heavenly Father's will, we can become his instruments. Living our lives in complete accordance with his will, we can even have moments when we can feel a sense of his eternal capacities. How humbling it is to have a sense of our Heavenly Father's greatness! And to be a small, but significant part of his glorious plan. It affects me deeply when I contemplate how great he is, and how small I am, but with his power I can be great because of him.
We can turn to the Lord any time of day or night. We can initiate a conversation with him verbally, or in our hearts. Indeed, we can include him in all of our doings.
When we come to the point that we realize that God is perfect, and we're not, that's the time to turn our will over to Him completely. Desiring to seek the will of the Lord is a big first step to make, especially with all of the choices and distractions that we have to keep us otherwise occupied. Desiring to do the Lord’s will may require that we set aside some unproductive pastimes that keep us distracted. We can fill that time with activities that build Zion. We can spend time with our families, serve others, share the gospel with friends and colleagues, and counsel with the Lord throughout all of our daily activities, because we desire our will to be in harmony with God's will.
In the book of Proverbs we also learn to, "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."
And that reminds me of the scripture in Second Nephi, "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish."
I've honestly heard at least one person try to use that scripture to justify not pursuing a higher education...but that's really not what it's about. It's wonderful to have wisdom. Heavenly Father gave us our powerful minds so that we might think things through for ourselves. But he also implores us to remember Him, and to counsel with Him. By thinking for ourselves, and also counseling with the Lord who is all-knowing, our wisdom will be added to with the light of the Lord, which is perfect wisdom.
We can work to make our counsels with the Lord a two-way conversation. He truly can speak to us through the Holy Spirit. As we immerse ourselves in the scriptures, he speaks to us, and as we pray, we are mindful of what we've learned through the scriptures, making us more receptive to the whisperings of the Spirit.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Thinking: Be Humble. Humble. Humble. There are a lot of other people giving talks that day. I want to just try to give a simple, heart-felt talk that would please Heavenly Father .
Another thought: giving a talk at church requires the shedding of worldly pragmatism, in momentary exchange for a more exalted level of thought. That may seem hypocritical to some, but when it's done with a sincere desire to be a better person, it's just plain refreshing to be able to shift mindsets like that. I imagine that people who do it often enough eventually master such an exalted level of thought...and speech...and life. I'd love to be like that.
"
. This part I liked: