More Diligent and Concerned at Home

Elder Bednar's talk

My Relief Society lesson went well. I ran short on time and paraphrased the last bit. ;)





Put a piece of string on your coat/jacket.


I. What are some gifts from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to you?
(5 minutes)

(may include the following..)
Jesus Christ
Eternal Life
The Atonement
Eternal Families
Holy Spirit
Prayer
Scriptures/Word of God
The Priesthood
The Relief Society Sisterhood
The Commandments
Covenants
The Temple
Heaven and Earth
Our Bodies
Peace
Hope
The United States of America
Agency – Choice
Teachers Growth
Service
Opportunity to bear children and raise them in righteousness
Talents
teachers, counselors,

II. Gifts to give
Display the gift bag.

“What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give him—
Give my heart.”

Elder Bednar’s Conference talk More Diligent and Concerned at Home presents what gifts we may humbly offer the Savior.
Divide into 4 groups each group gets a wish list to complete for gifts to give the Savior.
Give 10 minutes to complete have each group present in the following order…
A. Expressing and showing love

“Our love of and for the Lord is evidenced by walking ever in His ways (see Deuteronomy 19:9), so our love for” others, “spouse, parents, and children is reflected most powerfully in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds (see Mosiah 4:30)”. (Bednar)

1. Thoughts
What thoughts evidence our walking in His way in our homes?
(possible ideas…)
Praying
Looking for the best in people
Concern
Turning away from wrath
Turning from gossip and judgment
Positive thoughts
Appropriate language
Pure and honest thoughts
Christ focused
Reverence
Scripture study
Any to add?
What was your group’s scripture or thought about the gift of loving thoughts?
“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45).
“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things” (Articles of Faith 1:13).
Thank you

2. Words
What words, speech, language evidence our walking in His way in our homes?
(possible answers…)
Speaking in kind tones/words (only yell if the house is on fire)
Common Courtesy (please, thank you etc to your children, spouse, to all)
If you can’t say anything nice…
Avoiding gossip and other harmful speech
Honest
Loving
Righteous
True
Humble
Do as I say Do as I do
Scripture Study
Prayer
Conscientious of how we speak of others and their doings, family, church members, people at work etc
Music
Media
Any to add?
What was your group’s scripture or thought about the gift of loving words?
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matthew 15:11).
A aSoft banswer turneth away cwrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1
…he that brefraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Even a fool, when he aholdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that bshutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Prov. 17: 28
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. Psalm 51:15

Thank you

3. Deeds
What deeds evidence our walking in His way in our homes?
(possible answers)
a broken hear and a contrite spirit
service (in the home, in the neighborhood)
keeping the Sabbath holy
keeping the spirit of the Sabbath as you prepare for church
attending church meetings
playing
affection
scheduling time together/ making each other a priority
Wholesome recreational activities
Appropriate music/television/computer use
Family Home Evening
Scripture Study
Prayer
Temple Worship
Any other ideas?
What was your group’s scripture or thought about the gift of loving deeds?
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Romans 2:13
Not every one that asaith unto me, bLord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that cdoeth the dwill of my Father which is in eheaven. Matt 7:21

Thank you

B. Testimony
We should both create and look for opportunities to bear testimony of gospel truths—and live them.
Ideas for creating and looking for opportunities to share our testimonies in our homes.
(possible ideas)
Family Home Evening
Share what you enjoyed about church
Mealtime chats share something you learned/something you prayed about etc.
Music, television, computer, magazines etc
When something moves you or you feel the spirit share it with your family
Talk about Conference

What scripture or thought would you like to share about the gift of sharing testimony?
Job 19:25 For I aknow that my bredeemer liveth, and that che shall dstand at the latter day upon the earth:
Tim 1:8 Be not thou therefore aashamed of the btestimony of our Lord…
Mosiah 18:9 …stand as cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Ether 4:11 But he that abelieveth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall bknow and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall cknow that these things are dtrue; for it persuadeth men to do good.

Thank you

C. Constancy
Steadfastness, as in purpose or affection; faithfulness, having a resolute mind, freedom from variation, stability, this is constancy and Elder Bednar warns we need to have more of it. Let us look at the gifts of sharing testimony, loving thoughts, words and deeds and think of good habits that will demonstrate our constancy our faithfulness in these gifts.

1. What good habits evidence we are walking in the Lord’s footsteps in our home? (5 minutes)
List on left side of wish list.
(possibilities include..)
Prayer
Scripture Study
Temple Attendance
Meetings
FHE
Visiting Teaching
Follow the Prophet

2. How have you had success making these habits?
(possibilities include…)
Prayer - if you brush your teeth twice a day you can remember to pray twice a day. toothbrush reminder
Scriptures –set a time and stick to it. Read on line before you check your e-mail.
FHE - Dessert only at FHE & no other time during the week it’s healthy and it really motivates!
FHE plan on Sunday
Goals – Rewards
Linking to other day to day activities
Scheduling time for them - writing it down
Visiting teaching first part of the month – make it a priority
These are not chores. They can be as fun as you make them and they can bless you & others when you do them. Keep it simple. Keep it fun. Live your priorities.

Hold up wheat field picture
Elder Bednar, in his talk, refers to a painting of a wheat field in his office. The painting is composed of single strokes of yellow, brown and gold paint. Each stroke does not seem remarkable in itself but each stroke when we take a step back blends into a beautiful painting. Each step we walk in His way makes a difference.
Turn over and read--.
We sow our (thoughts), we reap our (actions)
We sow our (actions), we reap our (habits)
We sow our (habits), we reap our (character)
We sow our (character), we reap our (destiny)

Please look over our lists of ways we can walk in the Lord’s footsteps & Choose one or a few that challenge you to work on as a give gift to Christ. Write your goal on the back of your bookmark.

II. Hypocrisy
What is hypocrisy?
A lie, pretending, deceit, ie pretending to be virtuous but not doing what is virtuous.

How can you tell the difference between a hypocrite and a disciple of Christ?
By what they do
Romans 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

The hypocrisy in our lives is most readily discerned and causes the greatest destruction within our own homes. We might have a thread on our jacket and who is most likely to notice it? Someone in our home, a spouse, a parent, a child. Children are very observant, quick to see and quick to report. As Elder Bednar says, “children often are the most alert and sensitive when it comes to recognizing hypocrisy. A public statement of love when the private actions of love are absent at home is hypocrisy—and weakens the foundation of a great work. Publicly declaring testimony when faithfulness and obedience are missing within our own homes is hypocrisy—and undermines the foundation of a great work. The commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness” (Exodus 20:16) applies most pointedly to the hypocrite in each of us. We need to be and become more consistent.”

This thread represents the flaxen cords with which the adversary gains control of us to lead us away. (2Nephi26:22) Flax is among the most fragile of natural fibers. Lucifer leads us by the neck with something so fragile and easy to break because it is that. Our certainty of our ability to escape at any time encourages us to persist in ways that lead us from safety into danger. And those threads and flaxen cords unobserved and quietly increasing, may finally become strong cords that bind us forever.

As President Eyring says. “There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday …” The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. …The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity.

Let us not become complaisant thinking there is plenty of time or thinking we “deserve” a rest. These are flaxen cords. Let us not feel overwhelmed thinking there is too much to do but instead asking the Lord what can I do with thy help?

These advent candles are a small Christmas gift from me to you. Each day read the scripture on your bookmark, work on your goal and burn the candle down one mark until Christmas. As you do you will enjoy the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of Christ.

Rely on the strength of the Lord and walk closer to Christ. Do not delay the blessing of knowing and serving Him.
Today, show and express love in thought, word and deed.
Today, create and look for opportunities to testify of Jesus Christ.
Today, be constant in doing what you know is true. Be not hypocrites. Do as a disciple of Christ.
Today, take upon you His name and walk in His ways at home and in the world.
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve and keep up the good work.
Today is a gift that is why it is called the present. It is a present from a loving Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ who will sustain you.
I leave you my testimony that each day is an opportunity to come unto Christ, a brush stroke to compliment a life’s work. When our life’s work is done may we step back as the artist to reveal life’s true beauty found in serving Christ.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.