Lesson for May 28, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Kristine Hansen on Russell M. Nelson's conference talk, "Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives." Kristine also spoke briefly in sacrament meeting on this lesson. She does believe that if we draw this power into our lives it helps us with everything. Christ never intended for us to go through the troubles in this life alone. He intended for us to get power for help. There are six ways to draw this power into our lives. The first is to learn about Him She is taking the challenge of reading about everything in the Topical Guide about Jesus Christ. She asked five sisters to take the challenge with her and keep track of their feelings and insights and how it influenced. It helped these sisters to love Him more and understand who He is. Using technology of computer or paper and pencil helped the sisters understand the scriptures better Jayne picked uplifting parts of Christ's ministry. She found that if you don't take notes, you don't remember what you read. Then go back and see what you learned. What Jayne learned that in the OT there was nothing about Christ being an exemplar, but there was about Him being a Good Shepherd Jayne was led on a scripture hunt, such as going from being the Word to being the Light. She found many great and powerful words with the most important being to rejoice. McKenzie said she took the challenge as she tried to wean her baby. She found that all the scriptures helped her in many aspects of her life. One of her favorites was the Atonement and it was beautiful. She read the part about how Christ is the Advocate and the Comforter. One verse John 14:8 said I will not leave you comfortless. She felt Christ'S help all week. Heavenly Father is the perfect example to us as He was a perfect parent. She loved that Heavenly Father introduced Christ by saying He was well pleased by Christ. So, positive things all around. Lisa Anderson said she apppreciates the opportunity to read through by topic. She chose those things that help her remember the Savior. She loved that all things are created in the Spirit first. She was comforted that Christ did not give in to temptation. Jeanette said she has been doing it for some time now. It has reflected her whole month. In the temple, the matron challenged them to do what Elder Nelson wanted them to do. She said in the temple, she had a witness of the Holy Ghost that there were angels in the room assisting people who needed help and blessings in that session. She felt she was a witness that angels do come when we need them. Learning about Christ helps us broaden our understanding and deal with our lives. The Lord is there to strengthen us.Elder Nelson also encourage us to study "The Living Christ" and see how it affects us. Elder Nelson also said to put the Savior at the center, not his deeds or teachings, but the Savior himself. It is doctrinally incomplete to talk of the Atonement without saying the Atonement of Jesus Christ because it is the Savior who delivers us from physical death and our sins. His atoning sacrifice shows his commitment to Him. We should get into that habit so He is who we look to for our help. The third thing he recommended is to have faith and then act on it--to follow him. Do you have the courage to speak up when someone badmouths the Church. Lana said she went to college and had to stand up to her English professor who wanted her to read something inappropriate. We need to find a way to do it with kindness and love, especially on Facebook. When we act on that faith, we get more power. Finally, keep covenants. People slack off on keeping their covenants. They feel they can become casual and maybe life would be easier. These decisions make us go inactive We need to put Christ at the center of our lives and remember we made our covenants with Jesus Christ. We will. Less prone to slacking off. When we are given the ordinances, we are given access to great power. Ask, why you would remove yourself from the blessings? We might pray to recognize what we receive and to avoid confusion. There is so much deception all around us and not be deceived. We can also stay unspoiled from the world. It's not true that we are not good enough, or pride, or cynicism, and we need to understand what our standards are and how it should be enacted in our lives. Justification of our beliefs is important. We need to remember what is normal and what is OK to be normal and what is not. We need to reach out to Christ for help and know how to handle our problems. If the Lord's power is in our lives it is as if a drowning person reaches out for safety If Christ knows we are sincere we can draw the power of Christ into our lives. We can feel optimism and strength and happiness.