I’d like to express my appreciation for all that you do and all that you are, thank you.
Thank you to the teachers & their students,
to the leaders and their faithful flock,
to all who participate in sacrament meeting, to the voice speaking or the humble heart listening, thank you for accepting our imperfections and listening to the spirit.
Thank you to all who clean the building. I won’t say thank you for making a mess but thank you for being here to have someone to clean up after.
Thank you for visiting and home teaching and thank you for your welcoming homes.
Thank you for your work in the temple, for your work as a missionary, for you work at home.
In short thank you for expressing your love for the Lord through service. It is a testimony of who you are and of whom you serve and is much appreciated.
People not familiar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints might be confounded at how all this is accomplished with almost everyone being volunteers. Wondering, how do they do all that they do with hardly anyone being paid for their service? It is as “Ammon said I do not aboast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my bjoy is full, yea, my heart is brim with cjoy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am anothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will bnot boast of myself, but I will cboast of my God, for in his dstrength I can do all ethings; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.” (Alma 26:11-12) We are engaged in the working of miracles and it is a mighty thing to behold. I pray we’ll continually be blessed with strength in service.
May we be engaged in humble service, as was a bishop of the ripe old age of 22. He received a call from a ward member taken to the veteran’s hospital for treatment. Could the bishop come give the man a blessing? The Bishop explained he was just leaving for a stake meeting and that following the meeting he would stop by the hospital. As the meeting progressed the young bishop felt more and more uneasy. He was strongly prompted to leave the meeting at once and go directly to the hospital. The stake president was speaking and the bishop wrestled with himself. Surely it would be discourteous to leave while the stake president was speaking. He resigned to wait until the end of the president’s address, then, make his way to the door.
As soon as the president finished, before the closing prayer could be given, the young bishop was off on his errand. He hastened to the door. He ran through the hospital corridors, the impression so strongly upon him that he must get to that brother. When he arrived at the man’s door, there was a flurry of activity, a nurse stopped him and asked if he was the man’s bishop. “Yes” was his eager response. “I’m sorry”, said the nurse, “the patient was calling your name just before he passed away.” Crestfallen the young bishop walked out of the hospital vowing never again to fail to act on an impression from the Lord. To never fail when called on the Lord’s errand and no man could have been more true to that vow.
A member of the quorum of the twelve apostles was sent to visit a stake. This in itself was not an unusual thing but a few days before his departure he received a call from the President of the quorum of the twelve apostles. The President was impressed that he change his travel plans and visit another stake. The Elder knew of no reason he should visit this particular stake but upon his arrival he learned of a young girl suffering from terminal cancer. She wished to receive a blessing from a general authority. Looking over his schedule of appointments and upon learning that the child was some 80 miles away the apostle felt there was no way he could visit and asked that a special prayer request be made on her behalf during stake conference. The family, understanding the problem, placed their concerns in the hands of the Lord and prayed.
Preparing to speak in the Saturday evening leadership meeting the apostle recalled, “I heard a voice speak to my spirit. The message was brief, the words familiar: ‘Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God’ (Mark 10:14).” He knew what he must do. With the help of the stake president a visit was quickly arranged. Of the meeting the Elder said “I have been in hallowed places, even Holy houses, but never have I felt more strongly the presence of the Lord, than in the Methvin home.” The blessing was given and the child remembered in the prayer circle of the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve apostles. Ffour days later, says the then elder, “The pure spirit of Chrystal Methvin left it’s disease ravaged body and entered the paradise of God.” Later the story was related that the family had shown Chrystal a picture of the apostles and she had chosen the specific elder she wished to bless her. The family had hoped to travel to Salt Lake for the blessing but Chrystal was too sick. Confidently she testified that the Lord would bring the general authority to her and so he came once again on the Lord’s errand.
The young bishop and the apostle are one in the same and he has born this testimony today. “I have a testimony of this great work in which we are engaged. I don’t know when I first obtained it. I think it came step-by-step from goodly parents I’ve always had a testimony. The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting and act upon it and later find out that it was the fulfillment of someone’s prayer or someone’s need and I always want the Lord to know that if he needs an errand run Tom Monson will run that errand for him. I’m so grateful for his example and that’s whom we serve this is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I honor that name. I honor this church. The work is true and I testify of that truth from the depths of my soul and would say may God bless us everyone.”
Like President Monson we too may have experienced a time when we did not immediately head the promptings of the Holy Spirit and felt deep regret. We too may have experienced the joy and affirmation of following our own or other’s guidance. The Holy Spirit speaks to Bishops, Apostles, Prophets, children and to you & I if only we listen.
In the most resent Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Thomas S Monson, our modern day prophet, asked us to run the Lord’s errand with him, saying, “each of us can do something”. He warns us not to immerse ourselves in the “thick of thin things” In other words, to spend our time taking care of things which do not really matter much in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.” Sometimes as seen in President’s Monson’s life we are caught up in the thick of thick things but let us never forget we are the Lord’s hand upon the earth, he depends on us to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit so that we may in the word’s of Isaiah live in the spirit and also walk in the spirit.
Through listening and following the Holy Spirit we apply the balm of Gilead. Our afflictions are his afflictions. May we turn to Matthew Chapter 25 versus 34 through 46. As we read let us look upon Christ’s face and imagine speaking to him. “Then shall the King say unto them on his aright hand, Come, ye bblessed of my Father, cinherit the dkingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an ahungred, and ye bgave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye avisited me: I was in bprison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee asick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the aleft hand, bDepart from me, ye ccursed, into everlasting dfire, eprepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an ahungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the aleast of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into aeverlasting bpunishment: but the crighteous into dlife eeternal.” If Lazarus failed to drop water from his finger, if we fail to aid others, these would be eternal regrets.
President Monson spoke of a family whose evening tradition was asking “What did you do for someone today” I suggest we apply this question to our morning prayers. Every morning may we humble ourselves onto our knees and ask, “What can I do for someone today?” Asking the father what errand can I run?
Do not be too quick to start your day. Some will joyously embrace this idea. Tomorrow, set your alarm a little earlier; have your mother scream GET UP! a little sooner, then take a moment. Hang your toes off your bed; slowly pour yourself over the edge until your knees hit the floor. Please use caution if you sleep in a bunk bed. Many of us use e-mail on a regular basis, maybe checking it every morning then again before bed. If we have time for e-mail we have time for knee-mail.
You may have heard of read-only-memory or ROM in reference to computers, my father-in-law likes to say he has WOM, write only memory. This is true for a lot of us. We remember better the things we write down. I suggest becoming good friends with your journal. Take it with you to church to write down the wonderful inspirations you receive there, keep it nearby during your studies to write down the insights or questions that arise. Follow the counsel of Elder Scott when speaking of better understanding and heeding our promptings write them down, study them, pray about their truth, give thanks for the divine inspiration and then ask is there anything more. The heavens are open to us for personal revelation. Write it down. Study it. Pray. Give thanks. Ask is there more and lastly as President Kimball would say, do it!
Listen for promptings during your daily prayers and throughout your day. The Lord will soften your heart, to your children, your family, your neighbor a person in need. Through small things do great things come to pass and if we listen to the Lord all things are possible through Christ who strengthen us. It is not the work of God that is frustrated. The Lord will not overwhelm you with things to do. He will gently guide you to those things which are of eternal significance be they small or grand.
I now enlist you all into the secret service. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to give over your will to the Lord. To loose your life in his service and by doing so gain a better life one filled with the beauty and blessings of that divine service. Let him guide you in what you should do to help. President Monson mentioned a primary that collected warm fuzzies to show the service they performed for his Birthday. I invite all members of the secret service to fulfill their secret missions. Take a warm fuzzy home from the bishop’s office put it under your pillow as a reminder through out the week to begin each day in prayer asking “What can I do for someone today?” Commit acts of secret service and you will accomplish your mission. This message will not self destruct.
The prophet asks for our sustaining prayers for him and for our brothers and sisters. Let us stand by our covenant to bear one another’s burdens whether publicly or privately. May we love and serve our families more, be kind to them, treat them as your friends and pray to know what the Lord would have us do.
I know a loving prophet guides us today in our dear President Monson. I know Christ lives and our Father in Heaven loves us and fully knows each of us individually He wishes to help us on life’s journey and for us to help others. Have you ever noticed, in the picture of Christ at the door, there is no doorknob? It is because we must open the door. We must open our hearts and listen for what the Lord has to say. When we open the door, may we say as President Monson, Lord what errand can I run for you today? In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment