A More Determined Discipleship

I received a portion of this article from my bishop this morning, and felt inspired to study the entire thing. So here goes my study....

  Click here for the Talk

First of all, before reading this article, I think it fitting to see the date... It was given 30 years and 9 days ago. And yet it almost seems tailor made for our situation now...

The first point I find interesting is this...

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. (See 1 Kgs. 18:21.)" 

Elder Maxwell uses 1 Kings as an example ... and I love this story.  Sometimes I think it would be nice to gather all those who oppose the prophets and have a "duel" like they did here.  But the truth is that the people probably still wouldn't believe.

Another point I liked about this talk was this -

President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had “never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ! 

Just in talking with people, and seeing comments on facebook, I realize that this truly is a hard doctrine for some. But it is wise and true doctrine that we must follow. 

It reminds me of a talk by President Benson back in Feb of 1980... Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet

It is one I like to read over and over again. 

The next point I found interesting, especially in the wake of the Prop 8 "riots" was this...

If people, however, are not permitted to advocate, to assert, and to bring to bear, in every legitimate way, the opinions and views they hold which grow out of their religious convictions, what manner of men and women would we be?

... And if our governments and schools were to fail us, would we be able to fall back upon and rely upon the institution of the family, when so many secular movements seek to shred it?

It may well be that as our time comes to “suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41), some of that special stress will grow out of that portion of discipleship which involves citizenship.

This verse from Acts 5 is a goal of mine... here the apostles were beaten for holding true to their convictions and standing firm in  their testimonies... and yet ...they departed from the presence of the council, ^arejoicing that they were counted worthy to ^bsuffer ^cshame for his ^dname.  (42) And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and ^apreach Jesus Christ.

Would I leave from a situation like that "rejoicing" to be counted worthy to suffer shame... and would I go again and "cease not" to teach and preach of Jesus Christ...

To finish off my post of this study (because work is over) I will end with this...

If the challenge of the secular church becomes very real, let us, as in all other relationships, be principled but pleasant. Let us be perceptive without being pompous. Let us have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash.

Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel.

There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself.

Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, “summer is nigh” (Matt. 24:32). Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat!

I miss the eloquence of Elder Maxwell... And I love his council... 

Its a great talk and it is time for a More Determined Discipleship... Happy studying...

Plans...

I know I haven't posted in a while... partly because I got busy, and partly because I was embarrassed that I hadn't studied... but now is the time to repent.

I'm writing this post from the car on the way home from our weekend trip to Overton, NV... We went to see my brother-in-law's baptism. It was a wonderful trip with lots of family, and it was a beautiful baptism.

My post tonight, however, is not about the ordinance of baptism. It's about a previous promise to post my thoughts on planning!

As Peach and I drive, I like to ask him lots of questions. I don't really like the silence, and I think it's a great time to talk because there really aren't that many distractions. Mostly, I like to ask him about our future together, what he would like to accomplish, and what are PLANS are...
It reminds me of the closing line of one of my favorite movies, "Dan in Real Life"... at the end of an article Dan writes about plans... he says "Instead of telling our young people to plan ahead, we should tell them to plan to be surprised".
I have found that that's about how it goes. We can make our plans, but the Lord has a plan for us... and sometimes, no matter how much we want something, or how hard we've worked for it, our plans go out the window. The beauty of this though is that the Lord's plans are always far better than anything we could have imagined or accomplished alone.

Anyway, to continue with my study on plans... I find the best chapter to encourage planning is Abraham Chapter 4.
When I was in high school, I always just read this chapter as a good scripture about the creation. But then on my mission, we were taught this chapter as we were learning about the importance of plans. Right in the "chapter summary"...
The Gods plan the creation of the earth and all life thereon—Their plans for the six days of creation are set forth.
It makes it worth it to ask such questions as... Do I plan that effectively? Is planning that important in my life? and How can I plan better?

The thing I like the most about these plans is the order... they put first things first.
That's something we can learn from. What is my highest priority each day? What is the first thing I dedicate my time to?

The second thing I notice about these plans is the faith they have that everything will work out as stated... and as we know... they did.
I learn from that the need to include the Spirit in my plan making... Each night I should plan out the next day so that I ensure that my time is used properly. I ought to pray before I plan so that the spirit can guide me. This way, I can be a better instrument in the Lord's hands as well. If there is someone in the ward that needs help, I am more inclined to receive the inspiration and have the time to help if I include the Spirit.

The third thing I notice is the reliability of the Lord. He does what he says he will do. The earth was created... in order. We were given the opportunity to come to the earth, to gain bodies, and to have this terrestrial experience in order that we might be tested and return to our Heavenly Father. Am I as reliable? Do I follow through?

I think the last verse sums up well these three points
And the Gods said: We will do everything that we have said, (Point No. 3) and organize them (Point No. 1); and behold, they shall be very obedient. (Point No. 2) And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and they numbered the asixth time.

Anyway... it is worth studying...
We're home now, so I need to unload the car... and get planning for tomorrow!