The Sunday lesson for this month is Ordinances & Covenants. I combined the lesson into what, how & why:
What?
An ordinance is a sacred, formal act that has spiritual meaning. Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation, called saving ordinances, which are baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood, temple endowment & temple sealing.
As part of each saving ordinance, the recipient makes covenants with God. A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and His children.
"Throughout our lives, whether in times of darkness, challenge, sorrow, or sin, we may feel the Holy Ghost reminding us that we are truly sons and daughters of a caring Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we may hunger for the sacred blessings that only He can provide. At these times we should strive to come to ourselves and come back into the light of our Savior’s love." (Hales)
How?
We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants—through (1) worthily partaking of the sacrament, (2) being worthy of a temple recommend, and (3) sacrificing to serve others.
"As our desires to learn and live the gospel increase, we naturally seek to serve one another. The Savior said to Peter, 'When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.'" (Hales)
"In addition to the spiritual self-reliance we have been discussing, there is temporal self-reliance, which includes getting a postsecondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means. By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come. The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need." (Hales)
Let’s have a talk with ourselves in the mirror and ask, “Where do I stand on living my covenants?” We are on the right path when we can say, “I worthily partake of the sacrament each week, I am worthy to hold a temple recommend and go to the temple, and I sacrifice to serve and bless others.” (Hales)
Why?
Power from on high. We need it.
True happiness & everlasting joy: My renewed inspiration on that was this: People assume this life on earth is our chance to live in glory and receive wealth and experience joy, but it is only a taste. The purpose of this life is to challenge and prepare us for an everlasting joy we can barely comprehend. We go about our days with an attitude that my life is perfect only when I remove the inconveniences that come my way. We're so set on our dream of a beautiful home on earth, that we forget the one that awaits - one that is so beautiful we cannot comprehend it. Our joy here is truly temporary if not founded within the covenants that connect joy to the future. So what if you don't build your dream home on earth, every man-made dwelling will be for not when we comprehendeth all that the Father has to offer.
Respect and love for our Savior and Father in Heaven: Who of us is not moved by Jacob and Rachel’s biblical love story as we read, “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her”? Sisters, do we keep our covenants with that kind of deep and devoted love?
Elder Holland movingly suggested, “I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: ‘Did you love me?’” Tonight I invite each of us to evaluate how much we love the Savior, using as a measure how joyfully we keep our covenants. The Savior said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
What?
An ordinance is a sacred, formal act that has spiritual meaning. Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation, called saving ordinances, which are baptism, confirmation, Melchizedek Priesthood, temple endowment & temple sealing.
As part of each saving ordinance, the recipient makes covenants with God. A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and His children.
"Throughout our lives, whether in times of darkness, challenge, sorrow, or sin, we may feel the Holy Ghost reminding us that we are truly sons and daughters of a caring Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we may hunger for the sacred blessings that only He can provide. At these times we should strive to come to ourselves and come back into the light of our Savior’s love." (Hales)
How?
We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants—through (1) worthily partaking of the sacrament, (2) being worthy of a temple recommend, and (3) sacrificing to serve others.
"As our desires to learn and live the gospel increase, we naturally seek to serve one another. The Savior said to Peter, 'When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.'" (Hales)
"In addition to the spiritual self-reliance we have been discussing, there is temporal self-reliance, which includes getting a postsecondary education or vocational training, learning to work, and living within our means. By avoiding debt and saving money now, we are prepared for full-time Church service in the years to come. The purpose of both temporal and spiritual self-reliance is to get ourselves on higher ground so that we can lift others in need." (Hales)
Let’s have a talk with ourselves in the mirror and ask, “Where do I stand on living my covenants?” We are on the right path when we can say, “I worthily partake of the sacrament each week, I am worthy to hold a temple recommend and go to the temple, and I sacrifice to serve and bless others.” (Hales)
Why?
Power from on high. We need it.
True happiness & everlasting joy: My renewed inspiration on that was this: People assume this life on earth is our chance to live in glory and receive wealth and experience joy, but it is only a taste. The purpose of this life is to challenge and prepare us for an everlasting joy we can barely comprehend. We go about our days with an attitude that my life is perfect only when I remove the inconveniences that come my way. We're so set on our dream of a beautiful home on earth, that we forget the one that awaits - one that is so beautiful we cannot comprehend it. Our joy here is truly temporary if not founded within the covenants that connect joy to the future. So what if you don't build your dream home on earth, every man-made dwelling will be for not when we comprehendeth all that the Father has to offer.
Respect and love for our Savior and Father in Heaven: Who of us is not moved by Jacob and Rachel’s biblical love story as we read, “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her”? Sisters, do we keep our covenants with that kind of deep and devoted love?
Elder Holland movingly suggested, “I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: ‘Did you love me?’” Tonight I invite each of us to evaluate how much we love the Savior, using as a measure how joyfully we keep our covenants. The Savior said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”
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