Lesson for March 25, 2016

Lesson for March 27, 2016 Today our lesson was given by Kristine Hansen about talks by Elder Ballard (“God is at the Helm”), Elder Christofferson (“Why the Church”), and Elder Bednar (“Chosen to Bear Testimony of My Name”). On this Easter, she reminded us of something President Hinckley said: that there would be no Christmas if there had been no Easter. Our lesson today is about the Lord’s church as it is organized based on how the Church at Christ’s time was established. He taught us that it should bear His name and be based on apostles and evangelists. She invited us to share our thoughts. Her nephew drew a clipper ship on a poster for Kristine to use as an object lesson. She says the fastest growing segment of religious people is people who say they believe in God and they feel they can go it alone. However Elder Bednar said that the Church is to strengthen and edify those in the Church and we are the members of the body of Christ. One of the blessings is to have a community to join. When we think of serving together and praying together, we bond and unite. The Lord wants us to bear one another’s burdens, so we need someone we trust to go through with these things. Claudia Laycock said she knows a young woman who recently moved to Tennessee and instantly had a family in her new ward. It causes you to learn to like and love others who you never would have sought out otherwise. It enriches your life in ways you never would have known. What a blessing it is to have people we can talk about religion with. It is so nice to have friends who are like us. It is good to see other families and see examples whom we can look up to. Elder Ballard introduced us to the concept of the old ship Zion, and to hold on and not jump ship. He gives four things to hold on to. (1) Prophets and apostles, we need to see the extraordinary things they do in spite of their humanity. Elder Bednar said it is good we have older men in positions of authority who are spiritually seasoned and wise to guide us. The mortal limitations of these men actually show the divine object of God in calling these men, so the Lord is blessing and sustaining them. Elder Hales said when you can’t do everything, you do what matters. Sisters brought up the Proclamation on the Family and knowing they were emphasizing good things rather than telling people they are bad. Also, admonitions to love one another. Also we need to see the potential in people—just love them—no matter what path they should be on. We don’t need to fear the future; the future is as bright as our faith. These prophets and apostles give us the means to have personal revelation in General Conference. (2) We have the Plan of Salvation. (3) We have a voice of warning. It is a blessing to be reproved and shown our faults. Repentance is individual, but fellowship on that painful path comes from the Church. (4) They teach us to keep the commandments. (5) We can make covenants and ordinances. Families can qualify for eternal life through covenants. The Church does not supplant the family. (6) We also get the gift of the Holy Ghost. We do not become converted to the Church, but to the gospel, and the Church strengthens us. The size of the Church and the organization is to work together with the families to strengthen us. We all benefit because we share our talents and service. Because the Church is as big as it is, we can help the poor and send supplies to disaster areas. We can build buildings and temples. We can take the gospel to the world. The goal of the Church is to establish Zion and prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord. The Prophets and Apostles are the officers of the ship and we are the crew and the Lord is the guidance system. If we stay on the ship we will arrive at our destination.

Lesson for March 6, 2016

Lesson for March 6, 2016 Today our lesson was given by Andrea Gerber of the Relief Society presidency. She taught us about understanding our eternal worth and living consistent with our divine heritage. We need to find our worth in eternal things and not just worldly things. She said as a teenager, she did not understand how to feel self-confident, especially as a daughter of God. She said she finally realized that she was very self-absorbed and worried about how other people thought of her. She said it was not an enjoyable way to live. She had to constantly be aware of threats or seeking for approval. It was an impediment to her spiritual connection to God and her ability to help others. There is a difference between humility and lack of confidence. If we know that God can use our weaknesses to bless others and our own good. Lack of confidence means you reject God’s ability to work with us. We’re not always aware of how we are denying our divine nature. Every time we’re sinning, we are not being close to God. If we compare ourselves to others, we do not have a good foundation. When we see others as competitors, we live small. When we aren’t willing to ask others to teach us, we live small. Neglecting self-care can also be detrimental. Calling yourself bad names blocks the Spirit. Then judging others indicates lack of the Spirit. Three benefits of being aware are knowledge, preparing our minds, and one more way we can overcome. The big picture is that there was a time when we were with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and we have their attributes in ourselves, even if some are dormant. If we recognize our divine nature, we can face down Satan and temptations, because we know who we are a children of God. Then every time we fail, and we will, we will believe we do not measure up and that we never will, or that we’re not worthy. Sometimes we resent that God knows all about us. Then our foundation is shaky. If we accept that God and Jesus Christ love us, then we can build and look upward and hopeful for where it can lead us. That critical inner voice is not God’s. The difference between God and Satan is an interesting one Satan, in the pre-earth life, was a leader and said he would do everything for us. God, on the other hand, knew we could do these things ourselves and that we could grow. Heather Cantrell always felt less than she was. She found that reading the scriptures and focusing on the Lord and His love for her, she felt like she had self-worth. We not only need to realize what we need to work on, we need to acknowledge our strengths. One sister said she started saying two nice things about herself whenever she said something negative about herself and her whole family picked up the habit, too. Looking at a patriarchal blessing is like seeing a love letter from God. Reading is important, especially patriarchal blessings, scriptures, and conference talks. It is good motivation to realize that the negatives are what Satan would like us to think. Elder Cook said it is hard to feel gratitude and envy at the same time. There is a difference between how God tells us what we’ve done wrong and how Satan tells us. God is kind and gentle and answers our prayers. Being familiar with the hymns and Primary songs can be good to use as response to negative feelings. Guilt is often overdone. The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. We may not remember the pre-earth life, but we can know that we were important in the sight of God and we chose Him. By being modest, we can show our own worth. Our Heavenly Father knows our struggles and wants to bless us. He says to us that we are good enough, but He can make us so much better.