Lesson for December 10, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Maggie Kopp about Lesson 25 “Move Forward with Faith.” Maggie began the lesson by reading a quote from the first section: the one thing needed to succeed is faith, a practical pragmatic faith. Get on your knees and pray and go forth and make it happen. President Hinckley said it is action. It isn’t abstract, but follows principles. It is a living vital force that motivates us to action. Faith includes works. It takes faith to keep the commandments. President Hinckley said he worked for the railroad and found that a railroad journey is a series of short journeys Illuminated by light, so we can apply this to our lives by taking one step at a time. Do you have the faith to do the little everyday things. The manual tells a story of President Hinckley who was asked by the mission president to go to a publisher and lodge a complaint about a book being published that contained false information about the church. President Hinckley went to the publisher and had a civil conversation with the publisher who then recalled all the copies of the book and inserted a page that said the book was a work of fiction and not meant to offend anyone. Maggie gave three principles: (1) Accept the challenge with faith; (2) call on the Lord; (3) go to work. We all face circumstances that cause fear. fear is the antithesis of faith. Dealer can make us frozen. It consumes us and stops us from moving forward. Satan tries to keep us from making good choices that help us move forward. Fear doesn’t come from the Lord. It helps to see other people who have faced the situation successfully. Sometimes we need to plan differently so we have our lives in balance. We feel joy by focusing on Jesus rather than on ourselves. The scriptures say not to run faster than we have strength. We can only do so much. We should not over schedule ourselves. Sometimes everyday life can be what we fear. There are ways to overcome our fears. We can compare our trials with people who have overcome more than we have had to or remind ourselves what we have accomplished in the past. It helps to look upwards, have conviction, confidence, courage. Identify the next action steps and take it so you know what to do next. Maggie said there was a time when she was very anxious and found that she had to focus on one problem at a time. Just because we’re some way, we don’t need to stay that way. We can learn how to cope. We can focus on something peaceful and realize that most things pass. The things in our lives that are hard right now won’t be the same in five years. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. Start with one thing and take into consideration the well being of the family or yourself. That way you will be strong. Having a different perspective can help. Relying on the Lord can help us, especially if we make the decision to follow the Lord before we are confronted with any situations. Imagine the Savior beside you cheering you on what would you do? Would you feel braver and more able to are things on? President Hinckley was an optimist and knew that everything will work out. He said the testimony of Jesus will light a lamp that lights the way to the celestial kingdom.

Lesson for December 3, 2017

Today our lesson was given by Andrea Gerber on The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, lesson 24 on “The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Vast in Its Reach, Intimate in Its Effect.” Andrea started by saying that she wanted to cover this topic. President Hinckley sad there would be no Christmas if there were no Easter. Without the Atonement, life would be meaningless. Some of the doctrine The name Christ means the Anointed One. Messiah is the same. The anointing was done by the Father with the Holy Ghost and with power.. It broke the bands of death both physical and spiritual. All of us are covered from Adam’s fall. Children are innocent because of the Atonement. It also means there is the possibility of salvation and sanctification. We can renew ourselves and become something new. here will be the power to do good works and we can choose. Heavenly Father’s love is expressed by giving us his Son. God the Father sacrificed his son. It helps us now that the Atonement allows us to start new each day. It covers all the pain and illness we experience. The Savior has paid for our pain and our sins. It gives hope because life will not be the same forever. The Atonement is like oxygen, so everyone needs it, although some people need it more than others. We can trust God and let things pass and allow Christ into our lives to take our pain away. He understands what we are going through and he has the power to do something bout it. THrough the Savior’s atonement, all people will be resurrected. Our pains are not permanent. The resurrection is a blessing that can soften the tragedies in our lives. We can feel the atonement for us and allow that it can work for others as well. We just need to understand how it works for us. What can we do to show gratitude for thi gift? We have the opportunity to renew our covenants while taking the sacrament. One of the ways we can show our gratitude is by repenting and using it. We can share our testimony with others and help them o not feel alone. It strengthens your own understanding and testimony. Write it down so you have them to look bac on. There is a power in the written word, which can also increase gratitude. The Atonement can help us overcome all the hardships we have as we think about what Christ would do in our circumstances. Show gratitude by being a nicer human being. W can then e one with him. If you had something wrong with your foot, you wouldn’t cut it off, you would comfort it and help it heal, which is what Christ owes for us. We ended with President Hinckley’s testimony that Christ is the king of kings. He wishes for all of us a time to contemplate the majesty of Jesus Christ.