Small and Simple Things

In Alma 37 6-7 we read

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass”

Last conference L. Whitney Clayton spoke about The Savior when he performed His first recorded miracle at a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, His mother, and His disciples were there as well. Mary apparently felt some responsibility for the success of the feast. During the celebration, a problem arose—the wedding hosts ran out of wine. Mary was concerned and went to Jesus. They spoke briefly; then Mary turned to the servants and said:

“Whatsoever He Saith, Do It”

“And there were set there six waterpots of stone. … [These waterpots weren’t used to store drinking water but were used for ceremonial washings under the law of Moses.]

“Jesus saith unto [the servants], Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
“And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
“[Then] the ruler of the feast … tasted the water that was made wine” and expressed surprise that the best wine was served so late in the feast.¹

Mary had unshakable confidence in Him and in His divine power. Her simple, straightforward instruction to the servants had no caveats, no qualifications, no limitations: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

When we decide to do “whatsoever [God] saith unto” us, we earnestly commit to align our everyday behavior with God’s will. Such simple acts of faith as studying the scriptures daily, fasting regularly, and praying with real intent deepen our well of spiritual capacity to meet the demands of mortality. Over time, simple habits of belief lead to miraculous results. They transform our faith from a seedling into a dynamic power for good in our lives. Then, when challenges come our way, our rootedness in Christ provides steadfastness for our souls. God shores up our weaknesses, increases our joys, and causes “all things [to] work together for [our] good.”⁶

The trials we are facing may be beyond anything we think others can comprehend. Especially, when we decide to ask for help from our Bishops, Stake Presidents or other leaders.

When I was a teenager my Mother went to our Bishop with concerns about my younger brother.  The Bishop asked my mother whether we were having Family Home Evening and if she was reading her scriptures and praying.  She left the meeting felling like the answer didn’t address her deep concern about my brother.  The answer he gave seemed too simple.

Who knows if that Bishop really understood the dire situation my mother was facing, however, that is what he was prompted to tell her.  The Lord knows what is best for us.

I am much older now and I have a family of my own and because of my own experiences I know exactly what that bishop was trying to teach her.

He wanted her to find every way possible to bring the spirit into our home.  In hopes that it would touch my brother in some way that he might be brought to a remembrance of his love for our Savior.  He knew that if the spirit was found in our home it would guide our family through this trail.

The fruit of the spirit is worth more than any worldly endeavor.  In Galations 5: we read:

22. That the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness and temperance:

And we should do all in our power to receive the spirit in our homes.

Whether we struggle with a wayward child or how to establish a happy marriage; balancing work, family, and Church duties; challenges with the Word of Wisdom, with employment and finances, or with pornography and other addications; or trouble gaining peace about a Church policy or historical question we don’t understand.

We must humble ourselves and do the small and simple things we have been asked to do. 

L. Whitney Clayton told of the story of Naaman:

Consider Naaman, a “captain of the host of … Syria, … a mighty man in valour,” and a leper. A servant girl told of a prophet in Israel who could heal Naaman, and so he traveled with an escort of servants, soldiers, and gifts to Israel, eventually arriving at Elisha’s house. Elisha’s servant, not Elisha himself, informed Naaman that the Lord’s command was to “go and wash in [the river] Jordan seven times.” A simple thing. Perhaps this simple prescription struck the mighty warrior as so illogical, simplistic, or beneath his dignity that he found the mere suggestion offensive. At the very least, Elisha’s instruction didn’t make sense to Naaman, “so he turned and went away in a rage.”
But Naaman’s servants gently approached him and observed that he would have done “some great thing” if Elisha had asked it of him. They noted that since he was asked to do only a small task, shouldn’t he do it, even if he didn’t understand why? Naaman reconsidered his reaction and perhaps skeptically, but obediently, “went … down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan” and was miraculously healed.⁸

Often times we underestimate the power of small and simple acts of faith.
Those who are deliberate about doing the “small and simple things”⁷—obeying in seemingly little ways—are blessed with faith and strength that go far beyond the actual acts of obedience themselves and, in fact, may seem totally unrelated to them. It may seem hard to draw a connection between the basic daily acts of obedience and solutions to the big, complicated problems we face. But they are related.
In my experience, getting the little daily habits of faith right is the single best way to fortify ourselves against the troubles of life, whatever they may be. Small acts of faith, even when they seem insignificant or entirely disconnected from the specific problems that vex us, bless us in all we do.

If you haven’t been reading your scriptures, praying and having FHE with your family.  It is never too late to change.

One of my favorite scripture stories about change 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 (The Scriptures)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.

"We have 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 you and will always answer your prayers."

I am so grateful for Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for me and the plan of salvation.  I know that as we practice small and simple acts of faith daily miracles will happen in our lives. 

 

Prophets

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be with you today and feel of your loving spirits.  I would like to invite the Holy Ghost to be with us.

This month I have thought a lot about what the prophets mean to me.  I’ve reminisced about the different counsel and guidance that has touched my heart and changed my life.

We have lost several of my favorite Apostles in the last few years.  I am so grateful for them and their words of encouragement and care for us.

I deeply love and admire our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson.  He has brought light, truth and joy into our lives.  He has taught us to love our families and to study our scriptures.  He has shown us the way to live our lives so that we can draw closer to God.  He has taught us the importance of being kind to one another and in keeping the commandments.  He has pleaded with us to emulate the savior in all that we do, to qualify ourselves to be worthy of the saving and exalting blessings we can only find in the Temple.  I love him for his obedience and for his concern for us.

In D&C 1:38 we learn:

38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Our loving Heavenly Father has brought forth prophets from the time of Adam.  These prophets have been foreordained before the foundation of the world.

In 2 Chronicles 20 we read a story about King Jehosaphate and his desire to obey the Prophet Jahazriel’s words.

King Jehoshaphat had several great armies coming to battle against him in an attempt to possess his land. Understandably, he was seized with dreadful fear, so he proclaimed a fast throughout all his kingdom and gathered the people of Judah together to plead for guidance from the Lord. Jehoshaphat humbly and earnestly prayed: “O our God, … we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2 Chr. 20:12).

Then came the answer of the Lord through the prophet Jahaziel : “Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. …

“Fear not, nor be dismayed; … for the Lord will be with you” (2 Chr. 20:15, 17; emphasis added).

Jehoshaphat and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell in thankful prayer before the Lord.

Jehoshaphat then gave very important counsel that we today would do well to obey. “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2 Chr. 20:20; emphasis added).

As promised, the Lord protected the good people of Judah. As Jehoshaphat’s forces looked on, those armies which came to battle against them, they fought so fiercely among themselves that they completely destroyed one another before they ever reached the people of Judah. Listen to a prophet’s voice and obey. There is safety in following the living prophet.

King Jehosaphate had to exercise Faith and Trust in the lord and in His chosen Prophet.

Another account of Jehoshaphat illustrates how prophets speak directly and plainly the word of God and let the consequence follow. Ahab, the king of Israel, invited Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, to join with him in battle against Syria. Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to inquire of the Lord to see if it would be wise to go against the Syrians.

After four hundred of Ahab’s so-called prophets told Ahab only what he wanted to hear—that he would be victorious over Syria—Jehoshaphat asked if he didn’t have any other prophets. Ahab replied, “There is yet one man, Micaiah … : but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil” (1 Kgs. 22:8; emphasis added).

Jehoshaphat convinced Ahab to seek the word of the prophet Micaiah. The messenger who was sent to bring Micaiah before the kings cautioned Micaiah to tell Ahab only what he wanted to hear. “And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak” (1 Kgs. 22:14; emphasis added). Micaiah told Ahab that Israel would not return victorious and that Ahab would be killed.

Against the counsel of the prophet, Ahab went to battle, and lost his life, and Israel was defeated.

Micaiah, as all prophets before him and all who have followed, spoke the word of God with plainness and truth and let the consequence follow.

The desire of the prophets is to assist our Father in Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ in bringing about the great objectives of the plan of salvation, or, as one ancient prophet called it, “the great plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8).

Each of these prophets has humbly and prayerfully sought to know and follow God’s will in his personal ministry. Each has been determined to declare to Heavenly Father, as did an obedient Jesus Christ before him, “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).

Because of the nature of this life, challenges will arise in each of our homes.  We may be filled with sorrow and grieve and will undoubtedly have questions.  As we try to find our way through the pit falls of mortality we will need our Living Prophet’s counsel.

Many years ago I had to make some tough decisions and I felt fear and confusion.  Like Jehoshaphat I was compelled to fast and pray for guidance.  I woke one evening in the middle of the night with a prompting in my mind.  The spirit encouraged me to write it down.  I wasn’t sure what it meant but I wrote it down. 

The following week was General Conference and President Monson gave a talk called “The Race of Life”.  He shared many eternal truths with us.  He spoke of the everyday decisions we make and how we often rush from thing to thing.

He spoke of death and times of crises and how these times can make us think more clearly and more deeply.

Our Prophet explained:

Such moments of clarity come to all of us at one time or another although not always through so dramatic a circumstance as death or sickness.  We see clearly what it is that really matters in our lives and how we should be living.

In our times of deepest reflection or greatest need, the soul of man reaches heavenward, seeking a divine response to life’s greatest questions:  Where did we come from?  Why are we here? Where do we go after we leave this life?

Answers to these questions are not discovered within the covers of academia’s textbooks or by checking the internet.  These questions transcend mortality.  They embrace eternity.

Where did we come from? This query is inevitably thought, if not spoken, by every human being.

The Apostle Paul told the Athenians on Mars’ Hill that “we are the offspring of God.”² Since we know that our physical bodies are the offspring of our mortal parents, we must probe for the meaning of Paul’s statement. The Lord has declared that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man.”³ Thus it is the spirit which is the offspring of God. The writer of Hebrews refers to Him as “the Father of spirits.”⁴ The spirits of all men are literally His “begotten sons and daughters.”⁵

How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.

Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones. We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand 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 discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.

By obedience to God’s commandments, we can qualify for that “house” spoken of by Jesus when He declared: “In my Father’s house are many mansions. … I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am, there ye may be also.”⁷

His counsel touched the deepest part of my soul and I wanted to repent and change.

I began to take inventory of my life and the things I felt were truly important, and the heavens poor out blessings on my family and me.  One of the greatest gifts I received was the gift of “Time”.

Time to meditate, time to study, time for the temple, time for my family, time for my friends, and I have felt an abundance of the Saviors love in my home.

As I have strived to make time for these things many other blessings have followed and some of which I am unaware of and they present themselves as the years pass.

Had I not followed the Prophets counsel who knows how many special memories and blessings I would have missed out on.

One of the blessings that has enriched my life greatly is the Quality of Time I have been able to spend with my family.  My husband is very quiet and I on the other hand love to talk….Over the years we have gone on several long walks together.  When we first started our walks we were studying the Old Testament, and I found it hard to understand many of the things being taught. I noticed that if I stopped talking and just listened, he would bear his testimony of what he learned. He would tell the stories of the scriptures in such a way that he likened them to our lives.  This has become something that I look forward to with great anticipation….Oh how I have cherished those times we have spent together.  He has been an incredible Companion to me.

President Monson said:

It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and finally succeeding.

It has been several years since that General Conference and I wouldn’t ever take back the choice I made to follow the prophet’s counsel no matter the sacrifice.

I am so grateful to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all that they have done for me.  I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he loves us.  He truly wants us to be happy.  I am grateful for a living prophet that leads and guides us to safety.