Lesson Recap: September 17, 2017

Virtue- A Cornerstone on Which to Build our Lives.

Chapter 19 in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church; Gordon B. Hinckley

"You are, each one of you, children of a divine Father in Heaven. 

You were created after His design in the image of your Creator. Your body is sacred. 

It is the temple of your spirit. Do not defile it with sin."

Virtuos living brings marvelous and wonderful blessings.

There is nothing in all this world as magnificent as virtue. It glows without tarnish. It is precious and beautiful. It is above price. It cannot be bought or sold. It is the fruit of self-mastery. The Lord has given a wonderful mandate, he has said, "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." (D&C 121:45). This becomes a commandment to be observed with diligence and discipline. And there is attached to it the promise of marvelous and wonderful blessings. The Lord has said to those who live with virtue: "Then shall they confidence wax strong in the presence of God...," "The Holy Ghost shall be they constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means, it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." (D&C 121:45-46).

When we rise above the filth and immorality of the world, we enjoy greater happiness, security and peace of mind. 

As we look out over the world, it seems that morality has been cast aside. The violation of old standards has become common. We cannot accept that which has become common in the world. We as members of the Church, are held to a higher standard. Paul's counsel to Timothy was, "Keep thyself pure." (1 Tim. 5:22). These are simple words but are ever so important. Paul is saying in effect, stay away from those things which will tear you down and destroy you spiritually. Stay away from anything that would lead to unclean thought and unclean language. 

Lesson Recap: September 10, 2017

Continue in the Process of Learning

Chapter 17 in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church; Gordon B. Hinckley

"We must go on growing. We must continually learn. It is a divinely 

given mandate that we go on adding to our knowledge."

The Lord wants us to educate ourselves so we can progress individually and contribute to society:

We belong to a church that emphasizes the importance of education. We have a mandate from the Lord to educate our minds and our hearts and hands. The Lord said, "Teach ye diligently...of things both in heaven and on the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms that ye may be prepared in all things." (D&C 88:78-80).

We of this Church have been given a marvelous promise by the Lord. He said: "That which is of God is light, and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receieveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24). These scriptures speak of growth and development, on the march that leads toward godhood. It goes hand in hand with these great declarations; "The glory of God is intelligence..." (D&C 93:36). "If a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (D&C 130:19).

With planning and self-discipline, parents can create an atmosphere of learning in their homes.

Emphasizing the importance of reading and providing books and a quiet place to read can encourage our children to engage in love of learning. The prophet has counseled us mothers to expose our children to books early, and to read to them daily. He has promised that, "Good reading can become a love affair, far more fruitful in long term effect than many other activities in which children use their time." He counseled parents to let our children be exposed to great minds, great ideas, everlasting truths, and those things which will building and motivate for good. He has told, "try to create within our homes an atmosphere of learning and the growth that will come of it."

The schooling of the spirit is as important, if not more so, than the schooling of the mind.

The glory of God is intelligence, but we should never let our secular education become more important than our spiritual education. Understanding of ourselves, of the purpose of life, of our relationship with God, who is our Father, of the great divinely given principles that for centuries have provided the sinew of man's real progress. As we pursue our secular studies, let us also add to our lives the cultivation of the Spirit. If we do so, God will bless us with that peace and those blessings which come from Him alone. Jesus said, "Learn of me. . . For my Yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:29-30). 

September 3, 2017: Lesson Recap

The Savior

By Britton Gordon