The Blessings NOW of Being Temple Worthy

What exactly are we striving for in this life? Do you want your family to be "united in love, harmony and peace" right now and not just in the next life? The Lord gives us a promise that we can have that right now and in the next life as we keep ourselves temple-worthy no matter if we having ups or downs. Elder Quentin L. Cook gives great advice on how to remain temple worthy in order to receive these blessings.

If we have the knowledge of the plan of happiness, then we should be preparing to receive it. He says that "the rewards of righteousness are available right now." I love how he states that some of us may feel that reaching the ultimate goal of being worthy enough my seem too distant for us but that it is attainable and here's how by giving a list. Here is that list from my notes of his talk:

Principles That Lead to Righteousness

1. Righteous Self-Control and Conduct
• Self-control is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future. 
• Exercising self-control and living righteously strengthen our ability to resist temptation
• If we don't continually exercise spiritual strength and self-discipline these qualities will atrophy like a muscle that is not used
• We need to develop and demonstrate conduct and appearance that declare we are true followers of Christ
2. Honoring the Sabbath Will Increase Righteousness and Be a Protection for the Family
• Sabbath symbolizes the mighty works of God
• Observing the Sabbath is sign between God and me that I know He is the Lord my God
• Honoring the Sabbath is a form of righteousness that will bless and strengthen families, connect us with our Creator, and increase happiness
• Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is a refuge from the storms of life
• Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is a sign of devotion to our Father in Heaven and helps us understand better the sacredness of sacrament meeting
3. Divine Protections Are Provided When We Are Righteous
• When we are worthy, we can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost as a gift
• Holy Ghost serves as a cleansing agent if the gospel is first in our priorities
• Holy Ghost is a voice of warning against evil
• Holy Ghost is a voice of protection against danger
• Holy Ghost will help us avoid temptations and dangers
• Holy Ghost will comfort and lead us through challenges
• Adherence to sacred gospel principles will allow us to be temple worthy, enable us to find happiness in this life, and lead us back to our heavenly home

Apostolic Promise

Living and maintaining temple-worthy lives will hold together all that really matters. 

Blessings that come from this promise:

• Peace
• Happiness
• Joy
• Eternal life
• Celestial glory with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

What Is the Pleasing Word of God and What Can It Do For Me?

Pleasing Word of God: found in the scriptures and in the messages from our [church] leaders.

What It Does:

• Heals the wounded soul
• Brings us hope and comfort in the darkness of affliction
• Bring a message of comfort to our heart and mind
• Fills us with hope
• Gives us the security that our eternal sealing will bless us and our posterity
• Gives us the security that if we live a faithful life, we will not lose any blessing for not having done certain things if we were never given the opportunity to do them
• Tells us that there is relief from the pain caused by the effects of sin
• Warns us that when we are trying to repent, that the process of remission of our sins can be interrupted when we become entangled in the vanities of the world and it can be resumed through faith if we sincerely repent and humble ourselves
• Invites us to use the power of the Atonement of Christ to apply it to ourselves and become reconciled with His will
• Shows us the need for continuous repentance in our lives so we can keep the influence of the Holy Ghost for as long as possible. 

We've been counseled in the last October 2015 General Conference to keep the Sabbath Day more holy. It was mentioned in several talks. The pleasing word of God says sometimes we can be distracted from doing this by the "vanities of the world". Here is a list of things we may need to work on:

Vanities That Can Interfere with Repentance Associated with Keeping The Sabbath Day Holy:

• Arriving late for sacrament meeting without a valid reason
• Arriving, without previously having examined ourselves, to eat the bread and drink from the cup unworthily
• Arriving without first having confessed our sins and having asked God for forgiveness for them
• Irreverent by exchanging messages on electronic devices
• Leaving the meeting after partaking of the sacrament
• Engaging in activities in our homes that are inappropriate for that sacred day

How the Companionship of the Holy Ghost Makes Us Better People:

• Won't be offended nor will we offend others
• Will feel happier
• Our minds will be cleaner
• Love for others will increase
• Be more willing to forgive and spread happiness
• Feel grateful to see others progress
• Will seek the good in others

Another theme I see is the need for continual repentance. We can't have the Holy Ghost as a companion if we don't repent of our sins. And it seems perhaps that one sin that us as Latter-Day Saints need repenting of is not keeping the Sabbath Day holy. 

[to read more in depth, see The Pleasing Word of God by Elder Francisco J. Vinas Of the Seventy)

FHE: Holy Ghost Present When Speaking Truth

Last night we had an Family Home Evening lesson on the Holy Ghost. When my oldest daughter and I went on our last temple trip, we visited the Independence MO Visitor's Center before we went. The Sister missionaries bore their testimony at the end of their presentation by saying they knew the Holy Ghost was there that day as we learned of the plan of salvation and as we discussed faith of the Saints to press forward despite the persecution of the mobs that plagued them.

That thought really struck me. That whenever we speak of truth, read truth or ponder truth, the Spirit is there with us because the Holy Ghost is one that testifies of truth. That reminded me of something I learned in Seminary way back when. My seminary teacher taught us that whenever we open up our scriptures, that act alone invites the Spirit into our lives. 

My family then discussed around the table of times when opening up our scriptures brought the Spirit. My mom (Lola to my kids) told about a time when one of my brothers had a serious question on how to treat a boy that had some disabilities. She didn't know the answer but when she went to open her scriptures, it opened right up to the one that says loving one another as He has loved you. And it applied well to answer his question. The answer didn't come from Lola, it came from the Spirit teaching her and my brother truth as the scripture answered their question.  Mema also talked about a time when she was at a work party and found out that one of her close friends died in a car accident that night. She was heartbroken. She went into a room to process the information and grieve in private. She opened up her scriptures. She didn't read anything but when she did open them, a feeling of peace, comfort and love came to her. These calming feelings helped her know that everything would be ok and that the plan of salvation is there so she could see her friend again. Her act of opening her scriptures helped bring that peace. 

I love how all the talks and lessons we have from General Conference, Sacrament, primary and sharing time all flow together. Like line upon line, precept upon precept. We learned in primary that as we feast upon the words of Christ (the scriptures), we can learn more of Christ, draw closer to Him, find scripture power to overcome temptations and gain a greater desire to do what is right. In my primary lesson, we asked how to gain a testimony of Christ. Well, exactly as said in Primary, we feast upon the words of Christ so we may learn about Him and as we learn more about Him, we can gain a testimony of the Him. We listen to His Prophets so we can better know how to obey the commandments and better ourselves so that we may know how to choose the better choices. We learn how to better keep the Sabbath Day holy because that is what the Prophet and Apostles have been speaking about lately. We ask questions on how we can do that when they're just kids and not the adults making the decisions. We ask questions on how to better strengthen our family on the Sabbath. We ask questions on how to help our family members want to strengthen their family relationships when it seems they don't want to. 

Do you see the spiral of learning just one piece of truth can bring? Do you see where one piece of truth can lead us down many aspects of learning? Do you see how it is possible to always have room for improvement? Do you see that we can learn how to make the be BEST choices when we can choose between good, better and best?

I love that as a follower of Christ, I have the ability to invite a member of the Godhead into my life for guidance or comfort. I know that when I pray for guidance with my kids, the Spirit will whisper to me better choices to make when I feel like what I'm doing isn't working. I love that as I pray to reach my primary kids during my lesson, that I am able to do so and help them to open up to me so that THEY can receive guidance and comfort in their situations. I love that when I open up my scriptures, that I can have the Spirit come to me as I ponder the teachings of Christ. 

Sometimes it is hard to feel like we live our lives in a such a way that we have the Spirit be with us at all times. Or being righteous 100% of the time is attainable. We don't always, because we are not perfect. Although it is possible to try our best at it. Our daily actions either invite the Spirit or our actions push it away. What are you doing today to invite the Spirit into your life?

Feeling the Love of the Lord

This morning as I prayed over my breakfast, I prayed for some specific things in mind. As I logged in my email to check it over eating breakfast I found that my MIL had just sent this to me not even a minute ago. Reading these words was like listening to a response to my prayer. So...thanks McMom for sending this to me. :-)
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Daily Gems: Ability to Feel the Lord's Love Depends on our Actions
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"As faithful [members] of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, we have been blessed with the Holy Ghost. As weinvite the Savior into our lives, the Holy Ghost will bear witness to usofthe love which the Father and His Son, our Savior, have for each of us.Butfeeling Their love is dependent not only on our desire but upon ouractions as well. And the actions we need to take are known to us: genuine prayerthat is specific and humble, followed by quiet listening for the Lord'sanswers; regular scripture study and time to ponder what we read; and,finally, a willingness to be introspective about ourselves and to trustinthe Lord's promise that He will 'make weak things become strongunto [us]' (Ether 12:27)."Topics: Holy Ghost, love,worthiness, prayer
(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006,112)