Ensign

Ensigh September 2012
Repentance That Brings Conversion

"For both new and old members of the Chruch, here are five pratcies that can change our lives.  These are commandments of God and will help us remain faithful, even in the face of trials and temptations.  If we follow them, these practices will allow the Holy Spirit to continue to strive with us and strengthen us as our testimonies grow:

    1.  Hold personal and family scripture study.
    2.  Hold Personal and family prayer.
    3.  Hold family home evening.
    4.  Pay and honest tithe.
    5.  Serve other by fulfilling church callings.

If we establish the traditions of a righteous people, we will overcome our weaknesses, progress in our faith, and not fall away.

I have known a couple of families that have fallen away from the church. I can't help wondering if they did all of this and if not if they would have fallen away if they did.  I get so tired of hearing all of the negative comments and doubts that seem to be out there lately about the church.  It would be nice to hear once in awhile good comments and strong testimonies.  I think it can be really easy to fall away if we start to doubt and keep continuing.  I am going to cut out these five steps to remind me and keep my testimony strong.

Mosiah 24: 12, 14, 15, 22

In verse 12 I find that throughout the day I pour my heart out to Heavenly Father.  I'm glad that he knows the thoughts of my heart.  Just this afternoon as I was walking by the Catholic church there was a funeral going on. In my heart I asked Heavenly Father to please bless and comfort the family of the deceased.  Sometimes I even cry out what am I going to make for dinner!

In verse 14 isn't it interesting how he said he will ease and lighten the burdens not take them away.  At the end of verse 15 it says they did submit cheerfully and with patience.  How many people submit cheerfully and patience with their trials?  It is indeed a hard thing!  We had a period where we had trial after trial and I admit we did not submit cheerfully or with patience.  I finally with the Lord's help did submit cheerfully and with patience.  It worked a lot better than the way I was trying to handle it!  At one point we had some work we needed done on a car.  I was discouraged and angry and crying buckets of tears.  I was so distraught that I cried out in my heart for peace.  I immediately felt peace and was happy again even though nothing changed.  The following Sunday in Relief Society the Hymn we were going to sing was 122.  Sister Hart said let's sing 123 instead and I was so grateful to her.  The line that struck me was "Lord, grant me thy abiding love and make my turmoil cease."  That day when I need it so much he made my turmoil cease.

My last thought was verse 22.  "And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God."  I love that everyone even the children that could speak praised God.  That is so powerful and should always be that way!

Teachings of Presidents of the Church George Albert Smith

A really good lesson to read about is Chapter 6 Sustaining Those Whom the Lord Sustains.  I loved this chapter!  I can't even choose I quote to give because I pretty much  underlined the whole chapter!  You just just have to read it yourself.  It's also a good one to read with General Conference coming up.  I'm so excited to see and hear from our Prophet Thomas S. Monson in a couple of months!

2 Nephi 29:8-9

This is a great scripture to explain why we have both the Bible and The Book of Mormon.  I think it's also kind of funny.  God is just like I'm God I can do what I like.  If I want to write more scripture I'll have someone right it.  It also makes since that he has more than one nation and would want scripture from more than one.  It's kind of like saying there should be a history book on the United States but not one on England or Russia.  I love reading all the scripture God has given us and I am grateful for them.

Gospel Principles

I wanted to add more to the last post.  I had a life experience where choosing the right gives you more choices than choosing the wrong.  We have been counseled by the Prophets to stay out of debt.  My husband and I have acquired quite a bit of debt because we thought oh we have to have it now.  Well a few years down the road we are tight and having a hard time making it.  Now when we want something we can't afford it's because we're busy paying off minimum payments.  This year we decided to use our taxes to pay off our truck.  The first time I did the bills without a truck payment I was in complete shock!  We now actually have some money to go here or there.  You have so many more options when you choose the right and not go into debt.

Gospel Principles

When I was a teenager I didn't understand how choosing the right would give you more choices than choosing wrong.  Maybe in a way I still wonder but I just read an example that explained it perfectly.

"Imagine seeing a sign on the seashore that reads: 'Danger--whirlpool.  No swimming allowed here.'  We might think that is a restriction.  But is it?  We still have many choices.  We are free to swim somewhere else.  We are free to walk along the beach and pick up seashells.  We are free to watch the sunset.  We are free to go home.  We are also free to ignore the sign and swim in the dangerous place.  But once the whirlpool has us in it's grasp and we are pulled under, we have very few choices.  We can try to escape, or we can call for help, but we may drown."

I don't think that a lot of people today understand that you are free to choose your action but you are not free to choose your consequence.  Every action you choose has a natural consequence whether it be bad or good.  I also think that today some people try to take care of a bad choice that someone has made so that they don't have a bad consequence.  In my daughter's first grade class there was a simple sign that everyone needs to hang in their house:

Good Choice = Good Consequence

Bad Choice = Bad Consequence

2 Nephi 15; 19 and 20

Right now I am reading scriptures from Isaiah.  I have a hard time concentrating and understanding him but I'm trying.  Something that struck me was a sentence that was repeated five times.  "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."  When I first read this my impression was he can be angry with you but he still wants you to come to him.  Afterwards though I wondered if I was wrong because of all the talk of destruction around it.  Does anybody have any thoughts that they can share with me?

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith

I loved this quote:
            "The purposes of our God are great, His love unfathomable, His wisdom infinite, and His power unlimited; therefore, the Saints have cause to rejoice and be glad."

In 2 Nephi chapter 9 he says several things that express exactly what I feel.  Here is a list of them.

O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!
O how great the goodness of our God.
O how great the plan of our God!
O the greatness and the justice of our God!
O the greatness of the mercy of our God.
O how great the holiness of our God!