Obedience

Obedience

I am teaching the lesson in Relief Society (Women's group) in Church on Sunday, July 28th.  The lesson is based on the talk "Obedience Brings Blessings" by President Thomas S. Monson from Spring Conference 2013.  I developed a little worksheet to go along with it.  Match the person to their act of obedience and the blessings that came as a result.  Answers are at the bottom.  Have fun!  :)

Who                  Act of Obedience                                    Blessings

Noah                 Willing to offer his son as sacrifice          Freedom of the Israelites from Egypt

Moses                Lived a sinless life and died on cross       Book of Mormon

Nephi                 Returned to Egypt, mouthpiece of God   Salvation of humankind

Joseph Smith     Stopped persecuting Christians                Safety of his family and animals

Abraham            Built an Ark                                              Spread Gospel furthest in 1st Century

Job                     Followed directions of Angel Moroni      Saved language and record of family

Jesus                  Never cursed God in his trials                  Blessed generations numerous as sand

Paul                   Returned for brass plates                           Blessed with more than he lost

"He that keepeth [God's] commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things."  Obedience is necessary to salvation.   Obedience is directly related to the happiness, peace, progress, prosperity and the eternal salvation and exaltation of God's people.  The greatest and most perfect example of obedience is Jesus Christ.

ANSWERS

Who                  Act of Obedience                                    Blessings

Noah                  Built an Ark                                             Safety of his family and animals

Moses                Returned to Egypt, mouthpiece of God   Freedom of Israelites from Egypt

Nephi                 Returned for brass plates                         Saved language and record of family

Joseph Smith     Followed directions of Angel Moroni     Book of Mormon

Abraham           Willing to offer his son as sacrifice         Blessed generations numerous as sand

Job                     Never cursed God in his trials                 Blessed with more than he lost

Jesus                  Lived a sinless life and died on cross      Salvation of humankind

Paul                   Stopped persecuting Christians                Spread Gospel furthest in 1st Century

Scripture Snippet - Proverbs 31

Scripture Snippet - Proverbs 31

This Scripture snippet came from a Relief Society Women's Conference.   To read the Proverb click here.  The passage is often referred to as the Proverbs Woman.  It is a passage where the King is recalling the advice his Mother gave him in choosing a woman to marry and become his queen.  Here are the thoughts that this passage evoked in me:

• I want to be a beautiful, faithful, virtuous, interesting, exciting, happy, fun woman.
• I want to be a woman other people want to be around.
• I want to be a woman other women want to be like and look up to.
• I want to be a woman who speaks no ill and lifts up rather than breaking down.
• I want to think more often before I speak and contemplate more in my actions.
• I want to be a woman who focuses on spiritual goals and holds high spiritual things.
• I want to be a woman people look at and say 'that is a woman of faith'.
• I want to create a Christ-centered home.
• I want to judge others less and have fewer negative feelings.
• I want the word 'charismatic' to describe me.
• I want to put others first while feeling better about myself.

Unsharpened Pencil

"Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil, there is no point."

- unknown

Scripture Snippet - 2 Nephi 2:25

Scripture Snippet - 2 Nephi 2:25

This Scripture snippet is one that most Latter Day Saints know well. To learn more about the Book of Mormon go to Mormon.org.

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

My thoughts and feelings:

• Adam chose to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that he could be with Eve and fulfill Heavenly Father's command to 'go forth and multiply'. 
• Adam and Eve felt the possibility of experiencing joy outweighed the risk of sorrow and pain.  In order to have true joy, to return to Heavenly Father and even to have the potential to be like Heavenly Father it was necessary that they (we) experience sorrow, pain, disappointment, etc. 

What we can learn from this passage:

• The reward of joy, health, happiness, faith, hope and love far out weigh anything we have to face here on earth.
• We must pass through a lifetime of sorrow and sin in order to live for eternity in joy.

Scripture Snippet - 1 Nephi 3:7

Scripture Snippets - 1 Nephi 3:7

This Scripture snippet is one of my favorite scriptures and a concept that I whole-heartedly believe in.  To learn more about the Book of Mormon go to Mormon.org.

Synopsis:

Nephi's father Lehi has been asked to do a hard thing, his entire family is supposed to leave all of their valuables, take only what they need to survive and leave their home. Then Nephi and his brothers are told they must go back to their home and get the record plates from Laban, a greedy and evil man. Nephi's brothers grumble and say the task is impossible but Nephi answers with this quote, "...The Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." - 1 Nephi 3:7

My thoughts and feelings:

• The Lord makes a way.  If the Lord asks you to do something He will make a way for it to be done. 
• This does not insure that the way will be easy, only that it will be possible.
• The Lord will never ask more from us than we are capable of.  Therefore, we can be assured that if He has asked us to do something, it is something we can accomplish.

What we can learn from this passage:

• We are never given anything for free, we must do our part.
• Sometimes we are asked to do things that we do not think we can do. We may feel inadequate or overwhelmed, but if we have faith in God and we are willing to work we will find ourselves being stretched and doing more than we ever thought possible.

Scripture Snippet - Psalm 37

Scripture Snippet - Psalm 37

This Scripture snippet was inspired by a friend of my Mom's who suggested she read this Psalm when she was having problems with another family member who was trying to make her life difficult. To read the Psalm click here.

My thoughts and feelings:

• The righteous shall be rewarded.  The righteous will be taken care of and will not want for anything. 
• The wicked shall be punished.
• God can see the grand scheme and make sense of things we do not understand.
• Bad things happen to good people but they are temporary and God never leaves the righteous.

What we can learn from this passage:

• Don't waste time thinking about the wicked because their time will come when they will be held accountable for their actions.
• Worry only about your own actions and let God handle the rest of the worrying.

Scripture Snippet - Psalm 117

Scripture Snippet - Psalm 117

This Scripture snippet is of one of the shortest Psalms.  This Psalm is simple, to the point and beautiful.  I am going to try to commit it to memory so that I can say it often.

"O Praise the Lord, all ye nations: Praise Him, all ye people.  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever.  Praise ye the Lord." - Psalm 117

My thoughts and feelings:

• Praise the Lord for his mercy and truth.  Give thanks for the goodness of God.  Marvel in His eternal greatness.  Benefit from His mercy and ultimate forgiveness. 
• Look forward to the day of judgment when the Lord, a fair and righteous judge will look at you and in you.  We will be given the chance to truly see ourselves as He sees us.  I hope I like what I see.

What we can learn from this passage:

• Heavenly Father's mercy, patience and forgiveness are never-ending.  As many times as we require forgiveness, He will forgive.  As many times as we require 'second chances' they will be awarded us.