Build Zion In Our Lives Today

Some thoughts and notes from the Sunday School Lesson today - Doctrine and Covenants section 45

D&C 45:9 - And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me.

The EVERLASTING COVENANT is the Standard, Is the messenger, is what God has sent to be the light to the world. It is what we are to seek to! The Everlasting Covenant prepares the way before him and his return/his coming. What is the Everlasting Covenant? Maybe it's FAMILY! Sealed families, families sealed in the temples of God.

Elder Richard G. Scott - Trials are either for our progression or because of transgression

If ye are prepared ye shall not fear - Bumpy road, shock absorbers, potholes in the road

How Can We Build Zion In Our Lives and Communities Today?

5 Principles delivered by Joseph Smith:

1. Faithfully Endure Trials
2. Obey God's Law
3. Exercise Agency
4. Preach the Gospel
5. Purify our Hearts

Elder Christofferson - Zion is Zion because of the character, attributes, and faithfulness of her citizens. Zion will come only as they happen. 

AND in that talk, Elder Christofferson quotes one of my favorite verses! 1 Nephi 14:14! "And so today the Lord’s people are gathering “out from among the nations” as they gather into the congregations and stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that are scattered throughout the nations. Nephi foresaw that these “dominions” would be small but that the Lord’s power would descend “upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, … who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they [would be] armed with righteousness” (see 1 Nephi 14:12–14). The Lord calls upon us to be beacons of righteousness to guide those who seek the safety and blessings of Zion: “Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations; And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:5–6).

Demand of yourself improvement, Divine Discontent by Elder Maxwell

Power of God Lesson

SO - I gave the lesson in our Relief Society zoom today. I would have preferred if we were at church and I had a bigger table in front of me to lay out all my papers on and where I could see people, but what ya gonna do. My phone's zoom screen just showed me and 3 other sisters. I've gotten a few texts that the lesson was good and that they loved it. I hope they got something out of it that that they can put to use. I know that I loved preparing for it. I spent the past 2 weeks preparing, pondering, and feasting on talks. I just put together the notes of what we actually talked about, from what I could remember, and here they are: 

Enduring Power by Elder Kelly R. Johnson (He uses the word power 37 times, Endure/enduring 2x)

Elder Johnson - FIRST PARAGRAPH - POWER: A word that President Nelson has frequently talked about: Power, specifically God's power, and how we can access is. (Power, Strength, Virtue) Virtue - VIR - Latin for "man", vertu - Old French for "force, strength, vigor"

The Living Christ "We offer our testimony of the reality of his matchless life and the infinite virtue (power and strength!) of His great atoning sacrifice"

• April 2017 - Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives "God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to help us. And His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. All so that we could have access to godly power—power sufficient to deal with the burdens, obstacles, and temptations of our day. 
• Oct 2020 - By Union of Feeling we Obtain Power with God - Sister Eubank
• Apr 2017 - Overcoming the World - Elder Neil Anderson
• Apr 1987 - Overcome... Even As I Also Overcame - Elder Neal Maxwell
• Apr 2020 - Hear Him - President Nelson
• Oct 2019 - Spiritual Treasures - President Nelson
• Oct 2015 - A Plea To My Sisters - President Nelson

1 Nephi 14:14 - And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. 

A prophecy yet to be fulfilled in April 1987 - Overcome... Even As I Also Overcame - Elder Neal Maxwell: "One day, and why not soon, the people of the Church will fulfill this prophecy: 'The power of the Lamb of God … descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, … the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. However, our collective light does not yet shine brightly enough to be “a standard for the nations"

Fulfilled! April 2020 General Conference - Hear Him - President Nelson "We live in the day that 'our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation.' We have front-row seats to witness live what the prophet Nephi saw only in vision, that 'the power of the Lamb of God' would descend 'upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.' You, my brothers and sisters, are among those men, women, and children whom Nephi saw. Think of that!"

Elder Johnson - FOURTH PARAGRAPH - IT IS HARD, So we need Grit to Endure! Understanding what we must to do access God's power in our lives is not easy, but I have found it is doable by studying it out in our minds and praying for the Holy Ghost to enlighten us. 

• Elder Scott - April 2013 For Peace At Home - "God's power, power to do more than we can do by ourselves"
• S. Michael Wilcox - The Fourth Watch - The Lord waits until we're on our last meal (widow of Zarephath
• Elder Holland - Cast Not Away Your Confidence - Revelation comes when we are in urgent need, life or death situations, like Moses and the children of Israel at the Red Sea
• Oct 2019 - Spiritual Treasures - President Nelson "This process is neither quick nor easy. Accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do. ... Sometimes we speak almost casually about walking away from the world, but truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. The Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is not longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy"
• Sister Eubank "By Unity of Feeling We Obtain Power With God" - Us trying to dig about in our own little vineyards, Ye shall clear away the bad as fast as the good can grow. It is messy, sometimes uncomfortable, and happens gradually when we clear away the bad, we are never alone in our efforts. Deeply wounding experiences... Jesus Christ's power reaches to the very bottom and is reliably there for us when we call on Him.
• Oct 2007 - Good, Better, Best - Elder Oaks - for faithful members, it might be more deciding between good better best instead of clearing away the bad. Choose the best!
• Apr 2017 - Overcoming the World - Elder Neil Anderson "Overcoming the world is not one defining moment in a lifetime, but a lifetime of moments that define an eternity. Overcoming the world is not a global invasion but a private, personal battle, requiring hand-to-hand combat with our own internal foes.
• Apr 1987 - Overcome... Even As I Also Overcame - Elder Neal Maxwell "Real disciples absorb the fiery darts of the adversary by holding aloft the quenching shield of faith with one hand, while holding to the iron rod with the other. There should be no mistaking, it will take both hands!"

HOW - WHAT WE CAN DO:

• April 2017 - Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives "We begin by 1) learning about Him. - The more we know about the Savior’s ministry and mission—the more we understand His doctrine and what He did for us—the more we know that He can provide the power that we need for our lives. 2) Consecrate a portion of our time each week to studying everything Jesus said and did as recorded in the standard works- use Topical guide as your personal core curriculum. 3) Study "The Living Christ 4) Stand out, speak up, be different - undaunted, devoted, courageous
• Oct 2019 - Spiritual Treasures - President Nelson - study Lord's counsel to Emma in D&C 25: "You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating. What could possibly be more exciting than to labor with the Spirit to understand God’s power—priesthood power? What I can tell you is that accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do. So, I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach YOU."
• Talking Scriptures Podcast Episode 94, Lord's counsel to Emma at minute 33:22, especially don't murmur and don't compare
• Examine our thoughts - journal, Explore all your habits, thoughts, reasons, good better best. Read "Through His Eyes" By Virginia Hinckley Pearce
• What is your part? What are your goals, your desires? Study your patriarchal blessing
• Brad Wilcox - 5 Minute Fireside - Write 100 goals to learn about yourself and what you want from life, and write down 10 heroes and why you admire them to help you learn more about yourself
• The Practical Work of Building Zion - Troy Dougherty, BYU Idaho devotional

BONUS - Things we didn't get to today! 

A thought from Teaching with Power - A Woman's Power - like the Queen in Chess - In chess, each piece has a relative value and POWER. Pawns are not very powerful, don't carry a huge value, thus they are sacrifice for position or used to create a structure from which to protect more valuable/more important pieces of the game. The King is a critical piece, but the most powerful piece is the Queen - Most versatility, can move the fastest and the farthest in all directions. Most games are won by using the unique abilities of the queen in conjunction with other supportive pieces. Usually the Queen are at the center of the action. Putting pressure on the enemy king, rescuing pieces under attack, making captives, forcing retreat. SHE IS THE PIECE ON THE BOARD. Many players will resign the game if they inadvertently lose their queen. It's usually not even worth trying after that. King is the overall focus of attack, but he doesn't have power to work and move like the queen. She is the piece making things happen. The Chess Queen communicates the Power of Women. 

Oct 2015 - A Plea to My Sisters - President Nelson "Today, let me add that we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world."  - "Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the Spirit?" - "We know that the culminating act of all creation was the creation of woman! We need your strength!" (aka power!) If the world loses the moral rectitude of it's women, the world will never recover. We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation."

Sister Eubank "By Unity of Feeling We Obtain Power With God" - "The women of his Church have unlimited potential to change society. I have full spiritual confidence that, as we seek union of feeling, we will call down the power of God to make our efforts whole."

CS Lewis - "A housewife's work is the one for which all other work exists" 

President Nelson "Drawing in the Power of Jesus Christ" April 2017 - "There is nothing easy or automatic about becoming such powerful disciples. Our focus must be riveted on the Savior and His gospel. It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But when we do, our doubts and fears flee.

We can live without fear - Ann Voskamp "Worry is the facade of taking action. Prayer actually is."

Elder Johnson - Story of their microwave - There was nothing on the inside to absorb the energy/fiery darts. 

Elder Gary B. Sabin "Stand Up Inside and Be All In" We stand up inside when we lift up the hands that hang down. We stand up inside when we defend the truth against a wicked and secular world that is becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with light, calling evil good and good evil and “condemning the righteous because of their righteousness.” - Standing up inside in spite of difficulties is possible because of a clear conscience, the strengthening and comforting assurance from the Holy Ghost, and an eternal perspective which surpasses mortal understanding.19 In our premortal life we shouted for joy at the opportunity to experience mortality.20 We were “all in” as we excitedly made the decision to be valiant defenders of our Heavenly Father’s plan. It is time to stand up and defend His plan again! - Our son Justin passed away at age 19 after fighting a lifelong disease. In a sacrament meeting talk he gave not long before he left us, he shared a story that must have resonated with him about a father and his young son who went into a toy store where there was an inflatable punching bag in the shape of a man. The boy punched the inflatable man, who tipped over and immediately bounced back after every punch. The father asked his young son why the man kept bouncing back up. The boy thought for a minute and then said, “I don’t know. I guess it’s because he’s standing up on the inside.” In order to be “all in,” we need to “stand up inside,” “come what may.” ("Come What May and Love It" Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Oct 2008, "Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work and Count it All Joy" - Elder Jeremy Jaggi Oct 2020) - We stand up inside when we wait patiently upon the Lord to remove or give us strength to endure our thorns in the flesh. Such thorns may be disease, disability, mental illness, death of a loved one, and so many other issues.

HOW HAVE ANY OF YOU DONE THIS IN YOUR LIFE? Me - Oct 2017 "Worth Fighting For"

God Speaks

In 1939, before the outbreak of World War II, Brother Brown was invited by a member of England’s House of Commons to present a legal argument for Brother Brown’s claim that Joseph Smith was a prophet. In an address given at Brigham Young University on October 4, 1955, titled “The Profile of a Prophet,” President Brown described their conversation as follows:

I began … , “You say that my belief that God spoke to a man in this age is fantastic and absurd?”

“To me it is.”

“Do you believe that God ever did speak to anyone?”

“Certainly, all through the Bible we have evidence of that.”

“Did He speak to Adam?”

“Yes.”

“To Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, and on through the prophets?”

“I believe He spoke to each of them.”

“Do you believe that contact between God and man ceased when Jesus appeared on the earth?”

“No, such communication reached its climax, its apex, at that time.”

“Do you believe, sir, that after Jesus was resurrected, a certain lawyer—who was also a tentmaker by the name of Saul of Tarsus—when on his way to Damascus talked with Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, resurrected, and had ascended into heaven?”

“I do.”

“Whose voice did Saul hear?”

“It was the voice of Jesus Christ, for He so introduced Himself.”

“Then, I am submitting to you in all seriousness that it was standard procedure in Bible times for God to talk to man.”

“I think I will admit that, but it stopped shortly after the first century of the Christian era.”

“Why do you think it stopped?”

“I can’t say.”

“You think that God hasn’t spoken since then?”

“I am sure He hasn’t.”

“There must be a reason. Can you give me a reason?”

“I do not know.”

“May I suggest some possible reasons? Perhaps God does not speak to man anymore because He cannot. He has lost the power.”

He said, “Of course that would be blasphemous.”

“Well, then, if you don’t accept that, perhaps He doesn’t speak to men because He doesn’t love us anymore and He is no longer interested in the affairs of men.”

“No,” he said, “God loves all men, and He is no respecter of persons.”

“Well, then, if He could speak, and if He loves us, then the only other possible answer, as I see it, is that we don’t need Him. We have made such rapid strides in science and we are so well educated that we don’t need God anymore.”

And then he said—and his voice trembled as he thought of impending war—“Mr. Brown, there never was a time in the history of the world when the voice of God was needed as it is needed now. Perhaps you can tell me why He doesn’t speak.”

My answer was: “He does speak, He has spoken; but men need faith to hear Him.”

Emma’s Last Blessing

The Talking Scriptures Podcast for next week's Come Follow Me lesson is so good - Episode 94. (It's long, but so good!) This blessing that Emma wrote out was beautiful, I bolded my favorite parts. ... from the show notes:

Tradition says that just before Joseph returned to Carthage, Emma asked him for a blessing. The Prophet told her he didn’t have time just then to give her a blessing, but for her to write the best blessing she could and he would sign it when he returned. A typescript copy of the blessing she wrote exists although the original has not been found. While it cannot be proven authentic, most scholars accept it as her work. The sentiments are drawn from the revelations, reflecting a great deal of consideration and heartfelt desire to draw upon words Joseph had used. 

Emma wrote:

First of all that I would crave as the richest of heaven’s blessings would be wisdom from my Heavenly Father bestowed daily, so that whatever I might do or say, I would not look back at the close of the day with regret, nor neglect the performance of any act that would bring a blessing.  I desire the spirit of God to know and understand myself that I might be able to overcome whatever Tradition or nature that would not tend to my exaltation in the eternal worlds.  I desire a fruitful, active mind, that I may be able to comprehend the designs of God, when revealed through His Servants without doubting.  I desire the spirit of discernment, which is one of the blessings of the Holy Ghost.

I particularly wisdom to bring up all the children that are, or may be committed to my charge, in such a manner that they will be useful ornaments in the Kingdom of God, and in the coming day rise up and call me blessed.

I desire prudence that I may not through ambition abuse my body and cause it to be prematurely old and care-worn, but that I may wear a cheerful countenance, live to perform all the work I covenanted to perform in the spirit-world and be a blessing to all who may in any wise need aught at my hands.

I desire with all my heart to honor and respect my husband as my head, to ever live in his confidence and by acting in unison with him to retain the place which God has given me by his side… I desire to see my kindred and friend embrace the principles of Eternal Truth, that I may rejoice with them in the blessings which God has in store for all who are willing to be obedient to His requirements.

Finally, I desire that whatever may be my lot through life I may be enabled to acknowledge the hand of God in all things.

These desires of my heart were called forth by Joseph sending me word… that he had not time to write as he would like, but I could write out the best blessing I could think of and he would sign the same on his return

Source

An Increased Relationship

Corey's dad sent this article to us and this first paragraph quote, I really love it and it's given me a new insight into covenants. This book by Kerry Muhlstein is on my list to read.

The Unique Relationship with God that We are Promised in the Covenant - Kerry Muhlestein

"Through years of studying the blessings promised to Israel, I came to the understanding that the first and foremost aspect of the covenant, the concept on which everything hinged and from which everything flowed, was that GOD WANTED AN INCREASED RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS CHILDREN. This was both the purpose behind the covenant, the primary obligation of the covenant, and the most powerful blessing that flowed from it.

"God wants to have a different relationship with His children than they are capable of when they are both in and of this world. He wants us to take a step away from the world and towards Him. Because of this desire, He willingly binds Himself to us if we are only willing to bind ourselves to Him. This binding happens through an ordinance administered covenant, which allows His sanctifying power to enter us and change us into beings that are capable of being closer to Him, and which ties us to Him in an intimate and empowering relationship.

"When we remember that the purpose of the covenant is to increase our relationship with God, then it comes as no surprise that the great obligation is one that is designed to heighten that relationship.

"'It is the connection with God that counts. In other words, the defining duty of covenant holders is to remember what God has done for them, to be grateful for it, and to serve God. But above all, both in terms of duty and how it defines them, covenant holders are to love God. This love is to be the primary feeling of their heart, the central emotion of their consciousness, the consuming core of who they are.' - book God Will Prevail p. 62

"Because this covenant connection is so important, we will best understand the scriptures that speak of the blessings promised to Israel when we keep in mind the relationship God is trying to build with those blessings. The ultimate expression of that relationship will be when He has changed our natures so substantially that we have become Christlike, or godly, and thus will finally be capable of having the kind of full, close, and understanding relationship that God has been seeking for. If we understand passages about prosperity, protection, posterity, land, and having God as our God and being His people with this in mind, then we will find a greater recognition of those blessings in our lives."

Seeing His Hand

I found a little notebook today and shared a few memories in it with Melodie and Ethan on their missions. In Aug 2012 I had listened to President Eyring's October 2007 General Conference talk about writing down how you've seen the hand of the Lord in your life. I started to write them down. I have still have some pages to fill so I think I'll pick it up again. But here are the two entries I shared with them:

Thurs 6 Sep 2012

Sophia turned 1 year old today. Corey gave me a blessing before she was born that I would see the hand of the Lord during the delivery, so I prepped myself mentally for something to go bad/wrong during or after her birth, which the Lord would use as His way to show us his hand by healing her or me miraculously. Instead, everything went so over the top perfectly well with the delivery and my recovery that I was left scratching my head a little, asking and wondering "So, was that his hand?" I knew it was. So often we see his hand in our trials, but do we still see it in the prosperity and blessing he gives us freely without suffering? I hope I can, cause it seems like a much easier road to travel, to have faith and see his blessings without having to be "steamrolled over" by afflictions (see the book Triumph of Zion, pg 256-57) I think if you insert "gratitude" in the pride cycle after "Blessings & Prosperity" then it would just go right back to "Humility & Repentance" and we could just skip the whole Pride & Wickedness and Suffering & Destruction part of the cycle. Gratitude is key

Sunday 5 May 2013

We are home from our trip to California. This morning we attended the Valle Verde Ward, where a small miracle occurred. Before we went, Ethan was upset that he had to wear a dirty shirt that had some poop on the arm from when he held baby Sophia after she had a little accident last Sunday. He didn't want to come to church. We talked about the importance of going to Church as we drove. Ethan was crying. It was fast and testimony meeting. The counselor conducting shared his testimony of a time when he was on vacation in Vernal UT and felt obliged to attend church with his friend, but he only had jeans that he'd already been wearing for 3 days and his white shirt had some food stains on it. The only place to sit when they got there was up on the stand and he felt very embarrassed, but learned and knew he was where he should be and he testified of the importance of attending church. Attending church during less-than-ideal circumstances was a recurring theme in the testimonies through the meeting. It was cool, a lesson for all of us, a little tender mercy letting us know we'd made the right choice.  

Utterly Fantastic and Unprovable

"Miracles are outside of the realm of historical inquiry, and that's the reason why we say you have to have faith to believe. As desperately as we want to be able to prove every single aspect of the gospel, and as cool as those insight might be, fundamentally as a Christian, you believe something that is utterly fantastic, entirely unprovable. You believe that a carpenter, that lived 2000 years ago, was murdered by the Romans and came back to life, and because he came back to life, YOU'RE going to come back to life. That is not logical, it is not provable, no one else has done that, and it's absolutely true. We don't believe it cause we can prove it, we believe it because it's TRUE." 

Episode 3, Using Credible Sources in Studying Church History with Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaatmin 7:31