Strengthening our Faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through Sabbath Day Observance and learning the doctrines of the Gospel in our home.

I have been asked to speak on Strengthening our Faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through Sabbath Day Observance and learning the doctrines of the Gospel in our home.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to return to the Lighthouse Ward and see all of your beautiful smiling faces.

I really want to welcome the Spirit to be here in hopes that we can be uplifted and edified.

In the scriptures we read that “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

When we read the scriptures our hearts can be changed.  Scripture study will help us turn to God and our Faith will increase.

One of my favorite scripture stories was the Story of Josiah, who was made King of Judah when he was only eight years old.

And even though his father and many of those before him were wicked, Josiah chose to do right in the sight of the Lord, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

18 years into his reign Josiah directed that the Temple should be repaired.  His High Priest Hilkiah found the book of the law and delivered it to Josiah.

When the book of the law was read to Josiah, he “rent his clothes” and wept before the Lord.

“Great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us,” he said, “because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” 2 Kings 22:13.

The king then read the book before all the people, and at that time they all made a covenant to obey all the Lord’s commandments “with all their heart and all their soul.” 2 Kings 23:3. Then Josiah proceeded to clean up the kingdom of Judah, removing all the idols, the groves, the high places, and all the abominations that had accumulated during the reign of his fathers, defiling the land and its people. …

“And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.” 2 Kings 23:25.

Josiah was touched by the Law of Moses.  The scriptures brought about a mighty change in the kingdom of Judah because their Leader Josiah took the time to study and practice the Law.  

I am grateful to live in the fullness of times, when we have the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, The Bible, and many resources to teach our Families.  All of these things are highly accessible and are not hidden within the Temple.

“We are living in the Fullness of Times that is spoken of in the scriptures”.

God has brought together all of the elements of previous dispensations.

Because of this tremendous enlightenment that has been poured out upon the world…….The hearts of men have turned to their fathers and Missionary work is moving forward full force. 

I am so grateful to be able to access this light so easily.

President Kimbel said, “The Lord is not trifling with us when he gives us these things, for “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48.) Access to these things means responsibility for them. We must study the scriptures according to the Lord’s commandment (see 3 Ne. 23:1–5); and we must let them govern our lives and the lives of our children.⁵

One of my deepest desires is that my children will know how to feel the Holy Spirit so that they can combat the pitfalls of youth.

President Eyring tells us that Doctrine gains its power as the Holy Ghost confirms that it is true. We prepare those we teach, as best we can, to receive the quiet promptings of the still, small voice. That takes at least some faith in Jesus Christ. It takes at least some humility, some willingness to surrender to the Savior’s will for us.

Truth can prepare its own way. Simply hearing the words of doctrine can plant the seed of faith in the heart. And even a tiny seed of faith in Jesus Christ invites the Spirit.

We can teach even a child to understand the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is therefore possible, with God’s help, to teach the saving doctrine simply.

I grew up in a home were Scripture Study was not a priority and when I met my husband he opened my eyes to the beauty of Scripture Study.

We have been married for about 20 years and my favorite thing to do with him is to go on a long walk and talk about the things we are reading.  I cherish those moments when we are able to liken the stories in the scriptures to our own life and we are able to make changes because of the examples in the scriptures.

As my family studied the life of Saul and David we talked about the different strengths and weaknesses each one of these great men had.  Saul was grand in stature and was given every opportunity to be a great leader, however, Saul never really was able to increase his Faith enough to truly become a disciple of Christ, and ultimately this was his downfall.  

David on the other hand had practiced and utilized his faith often and brought about incredible miracles.  However, we know that David fell to temptation.  This made me wonder….was David reading his scriptures and striving to do the will of the Lord during this period of time.  I would guess that he wasn’t.  He may have forgotten all that God had done for him. 

As Disciples of Christ are we remembering what God has done for us?

In the scriptures we read “And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

The Sabbath Day is the perfect day to study the doctrines with our families.

I wish I could say that the Sabbath Day has always been my favorite day, but I can’t…..Early in our marriage we walked our own paths on the Sabbath Day.

In the scriptures it says, “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth.

Years ago I went to my Heavenly Father in prayer asking him to help me.  I was looking for revelation or to be inspired.

The answer I received was different than what I thought I might need.  It was strong motivation from a loving Heavenly Father encouraging me to change.

I was confused by the prompting, however, I made a list of things that I felt that I could change.  Some of the things were small changes and others would be a constant lifetime change, a change of heart.  Among the list was to improve my Sabbath Day Observance.

The three things I chose to change were; to fast more sincerely, prepare for the sacrament more sincerely, and to study the scriptures more sincerely on the Sabbath Day.

In 2012 President Gibbons then Bishop Gibbons introduced the Come Follow Me Curriculum.  He spoke of how we would teach our Youth to Learn, Act, and Become.  He said that Action would be required….I could feel the spirit so strong.  I decided to study the Come Follow Me Curriculum on Sundays with my three kids.

We have had some of the most precious moments talking about and learning about truth and light.

And I can truly say that I love Sunday!!

As I have tried to change my behavior on Sunday I have seen amazing things happen.  I didn’t know how many blessing we were missing out on until I read Isaiah.

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.

 9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

 11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

 12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

I know that every single person in this room has the power to change.  With Heavenly Fathers help we can do anything.  Each one of us can be “Like” the watered garden, like a spring of water that will not fail.  We can touch the lives of our children and all that we come in contact with.

All we need to do is change….change to meet the will of the Lord.

I have thought about this talk deeply, and sometimes I think we take for granted the great miracles that God has given us.  We are so blessed to have the power of God in our lives.  He has delivered us from sin and death, and brought peace to our hearts.

When we in turn, love God with all of thine Heart, all of thy Soul, and all of thy Might we become examples to our children, so that when they fall into the bondage of sin they will know where to turn for deliverance.  Instead of turning back to Egypt (in our case the world)they will turn to God.

I have seen amazing miracles occur in my own home because of the scriptures and our signs to God on the Sabbath day.  I have seen members of my family be delivered from the bondage of sin and, in turn, be blessed with freedom, light, joy, peace, gentleness, love, and faith. 

If it wasn’t for the scriptures I don’t think this would have happened.

Think of how amazing it is that the thing that can change our lives the most is so easily accessible.

I am a witness of the power of God’s Grace; it has worked in my life and in the lives of those around me.  When we turn to God with all of our Heart, I know great miracles will follow.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Prepare Ye The Way

I am very grateful to be speaking today during the Month of December when everything around us is focused on the Birth of our Savior. 

I would like to welcome the Spirit to be here and I hope that your hearts will be touched by the messages shared today.

First I would like to share a personal story…..In 2005, we lived in Pearland Texas.  Pearland is located right on the outskirts of Houston and is about an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico. 

Three days before Hurricane Rita hit Texas; our local leaders warned the communities in the storm zone to evacuate.  This was insane because the population size was extremely large.  Houston alone has a population of about 2 million people.  If you add in the surrounding suburbs it was about 3 million. 

Three weeks earlier we had watched the devastating results of Hurricane Katrina.  Houston’s Reliant Stadium housed a small group of 100,000.  Our Stakes had received service assignments to help in many ways.  The individuals staying in the Stadium had lost so much, their family members, their homes, and their way of life.

As we saw the Category 5 Hurricane approaching Houston we packed up our children and headed to Dallas where my Sister lived. 

It normally would have been a 4 hour drive; however, we sat at a standstill on the freeway all day and all through the night with our frightened neighbors.

It was total kayos’ stores and consumers were running out of gas on the roads and there were altercations erupting throughout what seemed like a never ending journey to Dallas.  We were on the road for 16 long hours.

How grateful we were for the small blessings we noticed.  We somehow had enough gas to make the long journey to Dallas. We had two small children and one on the way, and we had food and water for them.  We were kept safe from the turmoil we saw all around us….and lastly as Hurricane Rita made its way into the Gulf it turned away from Houston and hit the eastern part of Texas.

There were 113 deaths reported from Hurricane Rita and out of those 113, 107 happened during the evacuation, because of weather and traffic issues.   

That experience caused me to ponder on two important questions.

1. In whom can we trust?
2. How can we be better prepared?

In Isaiah 41: 10 we are promised, Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

In 2 Nephi 4, it talks about how Nephi feels discouraged because of his weaknesses and iniquities.  His father Lehi has passed away and his brothers have turned against him. The words he spoke touched my heart.

16 Behold my soul delighted in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondered continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

17. Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimed: O wretched man that I am!

Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaned because of my sin; nevertheless, I know in who I have trusted.

20.  My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

Nephi continues

34. O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.  I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh.  Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

These scriptures allow us to see Nephi in a way that makes him very much like you and me.  We are not perfect and we all have struggles it is what we put our trust in, that makes us who we are.

Nephi gives us great words of advice when he says….“I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh”.  “Oh Lord I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.

Because of Nephi’s desire to know the Lord he was able to overcome great hardships through the companionship of our Savior, and he was lead to safety time and time again.

There seems to be no end to our Savior’s desire to lead us to safety. And there is consistency in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so that it will reach those willing to accept it.

And those means always include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets, whenever people have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to safety.

Apostle Paul wrote that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1)

Prophets have been sent to us to prepare the way for our return to our Heavenly Father.  We will hear the message that God wants us to hear from one prophet to the next.  As we seek for God’s guidance we will hear the warning more than once.  We will have way more than 3 days to prepare.

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote….Would it not be an extraordinarily strange thing if the Lord should come and begin his reign of peace, take vengeance on the wicked, cleansing the earth from sin, and not send messengers to prepare the way before him? Should we expect the Lord to come to judge the world without first giving it warning and preparing the means of escape for all who will repent?

-Noah was sent to the world to warn it of the flood. If the people had hearkened they would have escaped. 

-Moses was sent to lead Israel into the Promised Land, to fulfill the promises made to Abraham.

-John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of Christ.

In each instance the call came through the opening of the heavens.

The Lord promised to have the same interest in humanity preceding his second coming.

-Joseph Smith was sent to prepare the way for this second coming, by the proclamation of the fullness of the Gospel and the granting to all men the means of escape from iniquity and transgression.

-In our day we have a loving Prophet, President Monson and many great Apostles who are placed here on earth to teach and guide us so we will be prepared for the day when our Savior returns.

President Joseph Fielding Smith once told a group of Latter-day Saints that he was “praying for the end of the world.” He said, “If it came tomorrow I would be glad.” In response to that declaration, a woman spoke out, loudly enough for others to hear. “Oh, I hope not,” she said.

How can we be better prepared?

If you find yourself feeling discouraged about your preparation for the second coming and you are searching for some help, here are a few suggestions from our Prophet and his Apostles.

The first suggestion is to Pray Always-

When Oliver Cowdery failed in an attempt to translate, the Lord told him:

“Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.

“But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

“But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings” (D&C 9:7–9).

President Packer shared a story illustrating that principle.

There was a little girl who was upset with her brother; he had built a trap to catch sparrows.

Unable to get help, she said to herself, “Well, I’ll pray about it.”

After her prayer, the little girl told her mother, “I know he is not going to catch any sparrows in his trap because I prayed about it. I’m positive he won’t catch any sparrows!”

Her mother said, “How can you be so sure?”

She said, “After I prayed about it, I went out and kicked that old trap all to pieces!”

How often do we pray without the Faith to accept Gods Will???

We should learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil.

President Packer reminds us that we should conclude all our prayers with “Thy will be done”.

The second suggestion is to Study the Words of God

 President Monson shared….When we came to the earth, we brought with us that great gift from God—even our agency. In thousands of ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience.

We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We learn that decisions determine destiny.

I am certain we left our Father with an overwhelming desire to return to Him, that we might gain the exaltation He planned for us and which we ourselves so much wanted.

 Although we are left to find and follow that path which will lead us back to our Father in Heaven, He did not send us here without direction and guidance. Rather, He has given us the tools we need, and He will assist us as we seek His help and strive to do all in our power to endure to the end and gain eternal life.

To help guide us we have the words of God and of His Son found in our holy scriptures. We have the counsel and teachings of God’s prophets. Of paramount importance, we have been provided with a perfect example to follow—even the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and we have been instructed to follow that example.

Said the Savior Himself: “Come, follow me.”² “The works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do.”³ He posed the question, “What manner of men ought ye to be?” And then He answered, “Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”⁴ “He marked the path and led the way.”⁵

As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father to live with Him forever.

Said the prophet Nephi, “Unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.”⁶

As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that He died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can.

We really have two choices during our time here on earth.  One we can turn away from our Savior in fear and frustration, or we can turn to him with full trust as we pray diligently and study the words of the gospel, allowing him to strengthen us and guide us back to him. 

I bear witness that Jesus Christ loves us, and he lives, he was a born into this world to make the atoning sacrifice for us.   He did overcome death and he is the almighty Master Teacher and if we will go to him with anything he will bring us Peace and Happiness no matter what we are dealing with.

Do not Procrastinate your Day of Repentance and Service

For those of you that do not know me I am Jessie Packer and my husband is Brenton Packer.  We have three little kids Olivia 13, Johnny 10, and Mitchell 9.

The talk I have been asked to focus on is a General Conference talk by President Eying named THIS DAY!

The message is on Procrastination better yet “Not Procrastinating Service and Repentance”. I feel very inadequate to be speaking about this topic.  I hope the spirit will be here and you will be able to feel our Saviors love.  Keep in mind that as a Ward Family we are all in this together including myself and that we have the power to help one another.

This talk has so many facets and can apply to a broad range of ages from the most stalwart of saints to a young teenager learning the principles of the gospel, it just depends on our lives circumstances…..

As imperfect beings we tend to focus on things we do well and we put a lower priority on things we don’t do so well.

President Eyring explains that 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 thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity.

Amulek warns that procrastinating your repentance and service can cause the Spirit of the Lord to withdraw from you.

But with the warning he gives this hope: “And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.” Alma 34:36

When we hold on to sin we live each day in the darkness.  When we carry the burdens of sin with us we lose out on opportunities to bless ourselves our families and many others.

President Eyring shares that there is solemn warning and counsel in the words recorded in the Book of Mormon:

“And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

“Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.”

Brother’s and Sister’s today is that day “This Day” is the day to repent and make changes.  Trust that God will forgive us and as we seek him out he will be right there to embrace us and strengthen us.  We owe it to ourselves and our beautiful Families.

Just imagine who we could become if we could leave those burdens behind.

Many of us feel that admitting our sins is a weakness.  I promise you it is not a weakness.  I am learning that those of us that struggle with alcohol, drug, porn, even eating disorder addiction is not so much about an evil heart. These things are more about escape, escape from struggles that we cannot bear.  We will never overcome these addictions in isolation.  We need…our Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.

Once again it is not a weakness to admit our sins!!

Weakness is the condition of being mortal and lacking ability, strength, or skill. Weakness is a state of being. All people are weak, and it is only by God’s grace that they receive power to do righteous acts (Jacob 4:6–7)

Always remember that:
God gives us weakness so we will be humble. If we humble ourselves, our weakness can be made strong through Jesus Christ. Ether 12:27

If our sins are in different categories then those I have mentioned….still do not delay.  It can be as simple as committing to prepare to take the sacrament weekly, keeping the Sabbath day holy, stop gossiping or envying, forgiving someone, paying a full tithing, or making a small change so that we can feel the light in our lives.

"Each of us has the power to change!!!  We must Bridal our passions and live within the laws that God has set.  We can do anything with God.  He loves us and will always answer our prayers."

I am a witness of the truth of the Scripture in Matthew 11: 28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30).

“This Day!! is a great day to lighten our burdens and allow our hearts to be at rest as we take his yoke upon us.

President Eyring shared that the scriptures are filled with examples of wise servants of God who treasured the day they were in, and chose to do what they could to bring cleansing. Joshua was one: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … ,” he said, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ³

Serving Him invites the Holy Ghost to be with us. And the Holy Ghost is a cleanser of sin.

Even the Savior, who was without sin, set an example of the need not to procrastinate. He said:

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁴

As the risen Savior, He is this day and forever the Light of the World. It is He who invites us to come unto Him and serve Him, without delay. His encouragement to you and to me is this: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”

We should treasure the day we are in!!  Don’t lose another moment….Spend your time doing what matters most.  Search your scriptures, pray and ponder, magnify your callings, show love to your neighbors.  Give your family the best you, you can become.

I am learning that early morning scripture study and a humble prayer can lead me and my family to what God would have us do.  Over the past few years I have seen many miracles happen within the walls of our home and I am excited about the things we have learned together as a family.

It is not always easy and my kids can be the most trying part of my mornings, however, President Eyring reminds us that it is not supposed to be easy.  God’s purpose in creation was to let us prove ourselves. 

As valiant Brother’s and Sister’s that plan was explained to us.  We rejoiced to know the test would be one of faithful obedience even when it would not be easy.  As hard as we knew the test would be, we felt joy because we had confidence that we could pass it.  Our confidence came from knowing that Jesus Christ would come into the world as our Savior.  He would overcome death.  He would make it possible for us to be cleansed of our sins by qualifying for the effects of His Atonement.

President Erying shares that We knew that to qualify we would need to be—baptized by authority, receive the Holy Ghost under the hands of authorized priesthood bearers, remember Him and therefore have His Spirit to be with us, and then keep His commandments—all would be possible for the humblest of us. It would not take superior intellect, nor would it take wealth, nor long life. And we knew that the Savior would draw us to Him and would have the power to help us when the test would be hard and the temptation to procrastinate great. Alma, the great prophet, described how Christ gained that ability:

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

“And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.” ⁷

After sharing all that President Eyring has spoken of.  Why would we choose to procrastinate even one more day?

Maybe, complacency or discouragement. President Eyring shares that Complacency can affect even the seasoned adult. The better and the longer you serve, the more likely that the tempter can place this lie in your mind: “You have earned a rest.

This last weekend Olivia and I flew to DFW Texas.  One of my Sister’s oldest girls was getting married and my Sister had mentioned the term Bridezilla a few times.  I have 7 brothers and sisters and we all planned to fly out and meet and help my Sister put together a wedding that would impress any Bride.  She rented a huge piece of property that had a two-story barn and a small cottage with a kitchen.  The entire location needed to be decorated to the Brides satisfaction and the food needed to be prepared and hauled to the top level of the barn.  All this needed to be done in a severely humid climate.  We worked so hard and followed the directions of a young bridezilla, in hopes to make her happy.  By the night of the wedding we were all exhausted and I couldn’t wait for my head to hit the pillow.  Our flight left early that morning and we needed to get up at 4:30 a.m.

As I returned home to my regular routine still in place I went forward doing all that is required of a mother during the Month of May.  Tuesday morning I felt discouraged I dropped my kids off at school and put in a quick run.   As I was running my mind was clear and I thought “I really need a rest”.  I imagined myself crashing on the couch and taking a long nap before they all started knocking again.  I dismissed that thought knowing that once I checked my phone my day would begin.  More than likely there would be several messages and I would need to keep going.

I wasn’t surprised when I returned home to find two messages on the phone.  One from my 13 year old daughter requiring I pick up things for her and drop them at Clarke N Johnson Jr High and the other was Brother Dowdle requesting that I speak this Sunday.

Instead of taking what I thought I needed which was a long nap.  I began reading this talk and studying the scriptures.  It renewed my spirit and gave me drive that I didn’t think I had.

President Eyring gives this advice.   In the hardest trials, as long as you have the power to pray, you can ask a loving God: “Please let me serve, this day. It doesn’t matter to me how few things I may be able to do. Just let me know what I can do. I will obey this day. I know that I can, with Thy help.”

The Lord will help us day to day “This Day” if we ask for his help.

He also can help us see the danger in taking a rest because we feel we have done enough. 

I know that many of you have served diligently in all sorts of capacities, and some days it seems so difficult.  I know that without a shadow of a doubt that God has a plan for us…..He knows each one of us and he knows how we can uplift and help each other.  We have been placed near the individuals in our life to strengthen and support them.  If we pray for opportunities they will come and many great things will come because of our obedience.

In my life God has blessed me to come in contact with many wise spirits.  I know that God placed me here so I could be uplifted by my incredible neighbor who humbly reaches out and takes me to the Temple so that my spirit can be renewed.  She serves quietly and humbly and her testimony has strengthened mine.  She has followed Jesus Christ’s command “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32.)

I am grateful for my neighbors example in keeping the greatest of all the commandments.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matt. 22: 37-40

President Eyring reminds us…..By serving Him this day, you will come to know Him better. You will feel His love and appreciation. You would not want to delay receiving that blessing. And feeling His love will draw you back to His service, wiping away both complacency and discouragement.

I personally am so grateful for the Atonement and it’s healing power. I have been blessed to see the effects of true repentance and the blessing that comes because of Change.  I am thankful for the opportunity we all have to change.  I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and that they love us and want us to drawn near to them.  I say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.