Lesson for November 6, 2016

Lesson for November 6, 2016 Today our lesson was given by Adele Hickman on “Believing Christ” with quotes from Stephen E. Robinson, Elder J. Devin Cornish of the Seventy, and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Seventy, and C.S. Lewis. Adele started by saying, “Be ye therefore perfect” and pausing. She asked if that made us feel hopeless. Much of this lesson is from the talk by Stephen E. Robinson. He told the story of his daughter Sarah who wanted to buy a bicycle and saved, but did not have enough. If as sinful beings, we might feel hopeless. The amazing thing is that the Atonement works in amazing ways. Brother Robinson told his son to go to his room until he felt like he could do better. Then Brother Robinson forgot him. Michael came out of his room in tears some time later and asked if they could ever be friends again. The answer with Christ and us is “Yes!” He says that though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. We have to be willing to admit that we can sin, but we need to believe that Christ’s Atonement can make us enough to reach the celestial kingdom. If we can teach our children that Heavenly Father always wants us back. Brother Robinson said his wife Janet was called to be Relief Society president after having their fourth child, graduated from college and passed the CPA. She started feeling inadequate and overwhelmed and discouraged about doing it all all the time. She was trying to save herself. She knew that Jesus is an advisor, teacher, and head of the Church, but she was forgetting His role as the Savior. She finally realized that He could save her from herself. Adele said she was living in New York and overwhelmed by everything including when her husband called her to be Young Women’s president. We have to know we can say no. We have to realize we have seasons and when would be an appropriate time to do the things we need to do. Why do we compare ourselves with others? Why is that such a natural instinct? We’re looking for a yardstick to judge our progress, but we need a better yardstick. Elder Cornish said we torture ourselves needlessly by competing and comparing. We falsely judge our self-worth by the things we do or don’t have and by the opinions of others. If we must compare, let us compare how we were in the past to how we are today. He said we are going to make it. The only opinion of us that matters is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us. Our Heavenly Father intends that we should make it. That’s His plan, His work, and His glory. Elder Gong said this plan was prepared from the foundation of the world. He said that if we don’t deny the power of God, we can be sanctified. We need to become one with Him, like a small bankrupt bank that is merged with a huge successful bank and becomes solvent. As it says in John 3:17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Sometimes we are so petrified by our fear, we can feel our Savior’s arms around us and we can trust Him and let him support us, like when Brother Robinson’s daughter was learning to swim and panicked until he told her to trust her. Adele asked us if we can be perfect in some things, such as paying tithing, or never taking a drink. We add those perfections to others as we work on them and know that we can reach perfection.