Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Sabbath Snippets from the Talks Given

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;  For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High.  Doctrine and Covenants 59:9-10

In church today, one of the speakers said we should not come to church to fulfill and obligation or just to tick off that we did it or we will experience no spiritual or personal growth.
He mentioned that members in large wards, particularly in places like Utah, can easily become a "Sunday Mormon" by never having a calling and just attending church on Sundays.  People like this are not developing inside, since having something that forces us to study and prepare helps us grow by doing.  It is a matter of us being what we need to be.  We cannot just do the outward stuff as it doesn't help us develop on the inside.
The speaker suggested we cultivate an obedient heart and discontinue doing things out of obligation, so we do not fall into the trap of doing things just to do them.  He used fasting as an example, suggesting we have a purpose for our fast and understand it better so we don't look at it as just a thing to do with no other thought or prayer put into it.
The bishop talk about the blessings of the temple and said that anyone not going to the temple is throwing away "crowing blessings" (as President Monson mentioned in a talk).  When we go to the temple, we receive these wonderful blessing when we go because we desire to bless the lives of others.  We may begin attending out of an obligation to fulfill what we feel we have to do and eventually end up realizing the spiritual growth and closer relationship we cultivate with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Temple attendance, along with other ordinances such as baptism, brings to us a mighty change of heart as we grow more righteous through keeping the commandments.
I shall continue to work on being motivated to do things not because of "the letter of the law," but in the spirit of it--purely out of love.
There is beauty all around in England!

I looked out the window and noticed they are getting the hay in off of the moors before the rain comes down!

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