Thoughts on Covenants

I have thought a lot about the temple, covenants, and gaining spiritual power and strength over the course of this year. The most recent Relief Society broadcast and general conference reiterated some of the thoughts I've had about it and I hope I can study more and actually go to the temple more to continue learning.  The endowment ordinance we receive at the temple is important to our spiritual growth and ability to access the power of God in our lives.

Today during my study, I read this quote:

"An endowment is a gift or a bequest. In the Church it usually refers to a temple ordinance in which members make certain promises and receive a gift of knowledge and spiritual power in return. The endowment spoken of here, however, is not the same as the ceremony administered in later temples. Priesthood members in Kirtland did participate in a “partial endowment, the full ordinance being reserved for a future performance when a temple designed for ordinance work itself should be built” (Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred!” Ensign, Aug. 1976, p. 10). The first complete endowment in this dispensation was given by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo on 4 May 1842.

The endowment received in Kirtland included washings and anointings, as well as the washing of feet for official priesthood brethren. The Lord also poured out His Spirit, or in other words endowed them with spiritual power, and many received revelations or other gifts (see History of the Church, 2:308–10)."

The themes I'm seeing:
1. Covenants are a tool to keep us on the path of becoming like Christ. They give us accountability and a sense of responsibility; and thus influence our behavior.
2. We can claim a greater measure of the Spirit as we keep them (aka living the gospel); this enhances our ability to be more obedient and allow the Lord to transform our hearts
3. The Lord wants to bless us through the covenant relationship. The endowment and other ordinances/covenants are an opportunity for Him to give us a boost and propel us forward on our journey. They allow us to progress further and more quickly.

Conference SPOTLIGHT - Discipleship

 The conference spotlights is a series of talks from the LDS General Conference.  I picked one each week to study and record my thoughts about it. 5/27/12

What thinks Christ of Me? by Elder Neil L. Andersen

(there are links to watch, listen, and download, on the right hand side, as well as the text)  

"Jesus asked the Pharisees, "What think ye of Christ?" In the final assessment, our personal discipleship will not be judged by friends or foes. Rather, as Paul said, "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." At that day the important question for each of us will be, "What thinks Christ of me?"

"In this turbulent environment, we rejoice in being disciples ofJesus Christ. We see the Lord’s hand all around us. Our destination is beautifully set before us. "This is life eternal," Jesus prayed, "that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."¹⁹ Being a disciple in these days of destiny will be a badge of honor throughout the eternities."

"Jesus's call "Come, follow me"²¹ is not only for those prepared to compete in a spiritual Olympics. In fact, discipleship is not a competition at all but an invitation to all. Our journey of discipleship is not a dash around the track, nor is it fully comparable to a lengthy marathon. In truth, it is a lifelong migration toward a more celestial world."

"Wherever you now find yourself on the road of discipleship, you are on the right road, the road toward eternal life. Together we can lift and strengthen one another in the great and important days ahead. Whatever the difficulties confronting us, the weaknesses confining us, or the impossibilities surrounding us, let us have faith in the Son of God, who declared, "All things are possible to him that believeth."^25"

 ^{I really, really love the visual of a "spiritual migration," and how life isn't really comparable to a race or competition. We are striving for a major relocation and preparing to get there...it's not about doing or completing, it's about transforming.}

Conference SPOTLIGHT - Priesthood

 The conference spotlights is a series of talks from the LDS General Conference.  I picked one each week to study and record my thoughts about it. 5/20/12

Willing and Worthy to Serve, by President Thomas S. Monson 

(there are links to watch, listen, and download, on the right hand side, as well as the text)    

"From the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years.‹ 

From the words of President Wilford Woodruff, we learn: “The Holy Priesthood is the channel through which God communicates and deals with man upon the earth; and the heavenly messengers that have visited the earth to communicate with man are men who held and honored the priesthood while in the flesh; and everything that God has caused to be done for the salvation of man, from the coming of man upon the earth to the redemption of the world, has been and will be by virtue of the everlasting priesthood.â€^2"

^"Miracles are everywhere to be found when the priesthood is understood, its power is honored and used properly, and faith is exerted. When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes."

"Brethren, the world is in need of our help. Are we doing all we should? Do we remember the words of President John Taylor: “If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your dutyâ€?¹⁴ There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save. The blessings of eternity await you. Yours is the privilege to be not spectators but participants on the stage of priesthood service. Let us hearken to the stirring reminder found in the Epistle of James: “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.â€^15"

 I loved how the talk was all about service and duty...that quote about being held responsible for your duties really made it clear that the Lord really is relying on all of us to accomplish his work.  It's not about us...it's about serving our fellow brothers and sisters. 

Conference SPOTLIGHT - Single Mothers

 The conference spotlights is a series of talks from the LDS General Conference.  I picked one each week to study and record my thoughts about it. 5/13/012

Faith, Fortitude, Fulfillment: A Message to Single Parents,by David S. Baxter (there are links to watch, listen, and download, on the right hand side, as well as the text)    

"My message is for the single parents in the Church, the majority of whom are single mothers--you valiant women who, through the varying circumstances of life, find yourselves raising children and running a home on your own.

Whatever your circumstances or the reasons for them, how wonderful you are. Day to day you face the struggles of life, doing the work that was always meant for two but doing it largely alone. You have to be father as well as mother. You run your household, watch over your family, sometimes struggle to make ends meet, and miraculously you even find the wherewithal to serve in the Church in significant ways. You nurture your children. You cry and pray with them and for them. You want the very best for them but fret every night that your best may never be good enough.

This is not exactly what you hoped or planned, prayed for or expected, when you started out years ago. Your journey through life has had bumps, detours, twists, and turns, mostly as the result of life in a fallen world that is meant to be a place of proving and testing.

Meanwhile, you are striving to raise your children in righteousness and truth, knowing that while you cannot change the past, you can shape the future. Along the way you will obtain compensatory blessings, even if they are not immediately apparent.

With God's help, you need not fear for the future. Your children will grow up and call you blessed, and every single one of their many achievements will stand as a tribute to you."

One thing I've noticed is that people who have been raised by single parents (like the guy who actually gave this talk) have SUCH reverence for the parent who raised them.  They truly do "call them blessed" as they become adults and realize how difficult a job it is.

 I like the part of the talk too that says none of us are ever truly alone--we always have the Savior. I think that's a comforting reminder for everyone.

Conference SPOTLIGHT - He Truly Loves Us

 The conference spotlights is a series of talks from the LDS General Conference.  I picked one each week to study and record my thoughts about it. 5/6/12

He Truly Loves Us  (there are links to watch, listen, and download, on the right hand side, as well as the text)       

"What is the ultimate means by which we can enjoy the gift and power of the Holy Ghost? It is the power that comes by being faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. It is our love for Him and our fellowman. It is the Savior who defined the pattern of love when He taught us, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another†(John 13:34)."

"The Father's plan designated the pattern of the family to help us learn, apply, and understand the power of love."

"The feeling of love from our Heavenly Father is like a gravitational pull from heaven. As we remove the distractions that pull us toward the world and exercise our agency to seek Him, we open our hearts to a celestial force which draws us toward Him. Nephi described its impact as 'even unto the consuming of [his] flesh' (2 Nephi 4:21). This same power of love caused Alma to sing a 'song of redeeming love' (Alma 5:26; see also verse 9). It touched Mormon in such a way that he counseled us to pray 'with all the energy of [our] heart' that we might be filled with His love (Moroni 7:48).

Both modern and ancient scripture are full of reminders of Heavenly Father's eternal love for His children. I am confident that our Heavenly Father's arms are constantly extended, ever ready to embrace each one of us and say to each one with that quiet, piercing voice, "I love you."

Because of the heaven-designed pattern of the family, we more fully understand how our Heavenly Father truly loves each of us equally and fully. I testify that it is true. God does know and love us. He has given us a vision of His holy place and called prophets and apostles to teach the principles and the patterns that will bring us back to Him. As we strive to awaken the desire to know in ourselves and in others and as we live the patterns we discover, we will be drawn toward Him."

One of the beautiful themes in this talk is how our earthy families are a pattern of heavenly attributes.  When we have more than one child, we can start to understand the endless bounds of pure love, and that it is possible for Heavenly Father to love ALL OF US even though we are so different, because we have seen and experienced it in our lives with our own children.  An abstract concept can become real to us by gaining earthly experience. 

Although I have a testimony of this, I am interested to see it play out in my life since we are expecting #2.  I have recently thought, 'how can I love the second as much as my first?' It's hard to imagine and comprehend, even though logically I know it must be possible because that's what everyone says.  But like many other things in life, some things can ONLY be truly understood by experience, and I am really looking forward to that.  I love how families truly can bring us closer to Heavenly Father and help us understand Him more.

Conference SPOTLIGHT- Mercy

The conference spotlights is a series of talks from the LDS General Conference.  I picked one each week to study and record my thoughts about it.
 4/29/12

The Merciful Obtain Mercy, by Dieter F. Uchtdorf (there are links to watch, listen, and download, on the right hand side, as well as the text)                        

"The doctrine is clear. We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others. Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin″ and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.â€⁴

Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us.

But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt."

--------------------------------------

"We must recognize that we are all imperfect—that we are beggars before God. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, meekly approached the mercy seat and pleaded for grace? Haven’t we wished with all the energy of our souls for mercy—to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed?

Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? My beloved brothers and sisters, should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?"

---------------------------------------

"Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive.

Lay your burden at the Savior’s feet. Let go of judgment. Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another.

The merciful will obtain mercy."

I think the first quote stuck out to me the most when I first heard it. It's so true. It so easy for us to identify when OTHERS are being judgmental, but not ourselves. Or find a reason why our judgement is warranted. Later he asks questions to consider...it's worth going through them to see what we can focus on improving.

I saw this theme demonstrated in the scriptures as I was reading this morning before Church.  I'm at the end of Alma and Moroni and the armies are struggling from lack of reinforcements and lack of supplies, and Moroni writes the head of the government, Pahoran, and REALLY chastizes him.  I mean, now that I really read it, he jumps to a lot of assumptions and really rips into him.  Here's a few examples:

*Calls him neglectful 5 times

*Calls him thoughtless, wicked, and a traitor to his country

*Says several times that he's going to be destroyed, specifically, "the ^asword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction."

So...pretty bold!  If anyone had "justification" to get mad at someone or feel like not forgiving him, I'd say he had some pretty solid reasons!  Pahoran replies back and explains that it's not his fault, and follows with:

"And now, in your epistle you have ^acensured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart."

He chose to see the good in Moroni.  He chose not to make assumptions.  And he chose to forgive an offense where most would feel justified in holding a grudge.  He realied that it just didn't matter.  Instead, he focused on making a plan with Moroni to preserve their people.  And in the end, isn't THAT what matters?  Getting through life?  Making it home to Heavenly Father?  Witholding forgiveness only keeps us from that end goal. 

I love how the gospel principles are so harmonious between all of our leader's talks and the standard works as well.