Friday, September 30, 2016

How to Remember- 1 Nephi 19:18

1 Nephi 19:18

How to Remember


What
18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

Why
Nephi wanted his people to remember the Lord so they could know the plan of salvation and understand it so they could follow his teaching and live worthy lives to return to Him again. They were slow to do this.

Reading the scriptures and pondering them is how we can remember Him. We must first learn of Him and feel the spirit so we can remember Him.

Pattern
Mosiah 13:29
18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

Ether 10:2

2 And it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters.

Helaman 5:9

9 O rememberremember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

Doctrine and Covenants 10:70

70 And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen.

Ether 7:27

    27 And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days.
    3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
  • 15 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to their fathers.

Moroni 4:3

3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which hehath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

2 Nephi 9:41

41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One.Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

Christ
Remember The Lord Their Redeemer”. This verse is all about remembering Him.



Conference
10/07 Pres. Henry B. Eyring
O Remember, Remember
It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world.
That is why forgetting God has been such a persistent problem among His children since the world began. Think of the times of Moses, when God provided manna and in miraculous and visible ways led and protected His children. Still, the prophet warned the people who had been so blessed, as prophets always have warned and always will: “Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.”3
And the challenge to remember has always been the hardest for those who are blessed abundantly. Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers. The prophets have repeated this lament over and over:
And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
...
Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.”
And the prophet goes on to say: “Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!”4
Sadly, prosperity is not the only reason people forget God. It can also be hard to remember Him when our lives go badly. When we struggle, as so many do, in grinding poverty or when our enemies prevail against us or when sickness is not healed, the enemy of our souls can send his evil message that there is no God or that if He exists He does not care about us. Then it can be hard for the Holy Ghost to bring to our remembrance the lifetime of blessings the Lord has given us from our infancy and in the midst of our distress.
There is a simple cure for the terrible malady of forgetting God, His blessings, and His messages to us. Jesus Christ promised it to His disciples when He was about to be crucified, resurrected, and then taken away from them to ascend in glory to His Father. They were concerned to know how they would be able to endure when He was no longer with them.
Here is the promise. It was fulfilled for them then. It can be fulfilled for all of us now:
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”5
The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them.
Heavenly Father has given a simple pattern for us to receive the Holy Ghost not once but continually in the tumult of our daily lives. The pattern is repeated in the sacramental prayer: We promise that we will always remember the Savior. We promise to take His name upon us. We promise to keep His commandments. And we are promised that if we do that, we will have His Spirit to be with us.6 Those promises work together in a wonderful way to strengthen our testimonies and in time, through the Atonement, to change our natures as we keep our part of the promise.
...Tonight, and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions: Did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see His hand in my life or the lives of my children? I will do that. And then I will find a way to preserve that memory for the day that I, and those that I love, will need to remember how much God loves us and how much we need Him. I testify that He loves us and blesses us, more than most of us have yet recognized. I know that is true, and it brings me joy to remember Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Apply
If we really remember Him we will show it in our actions as we follow His teachings.
I like the statement by President Eyring that tells us that receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion is the key to remembering Him. As we take the sacrament and promise to always remember Him then He promises to remember us so we can always have his spirit to be with us.

There is no greater blessing than that.

Hymn
183- In Remembrance of They Suffering
190- In Memory of The Crucified

children
71-to think About Jesus




Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Second coming- 1 Nephi 19:17

1 Nephi 19:17
The Second Coming
What
 17 Yea, and all the earth shall a see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.

Nephi is speaking of the latter days and the second coming of the Lord.

Why
prophecies were made to be fulfilled. We will see the purpose of the Lord come to pass that all people will hear the gospel, Christ will come again and reign on the earth and the plan of salvation will be a blessing to all men.

Pattern

Isa. 40:5 (4–5)
4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5  And the 
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

10th Article of Faith

 10 We believe in the literal agathering of Israel and in the restoration of the bTen Tribes; that cZion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ willdreign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will beerenewed and receive its fparadisiacal gglory.

Christ
This verse is about His second coming.

Conference
10/15 Neil L. Andersen
Thy Kingdom Come
We live, brothers and sisters, in the days preceding the Lord’s Second Coming, a time long anticipated by believers through the ages. We live in days of wars and rumors of wars, days of natural disasters, days when the world is pulled by confusion and commotion.
But we also live in the glorious time of the Restoration, when the gospel is being taken to all the world—a time when the Lord has promised that He “will raise up … a pure people”4 and arm them “with righteousness and with the power of God.”5
We rejoice in these days and pray that we will be able to courageously face our struggles and uncertainties. The difficulties of some are more severe than those of others, but no one is immune. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said to me, “If everything is going perfectly for you right now, just wait.”
Although the Lord reassures us again and again that we “need not fear,”6 keeping a clear perspective and seeing beyond this world is not always easy when we are in the midst of trials.

In 1831, with only 600 members of the Church, the Lord declared, “The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.”10
The prophet Nephi foresaw that in our day there would be “few” members of the Church when compared to the population of the earth but that they would be “upon all the face of the earth.”11
Three beautiful examples of the Lord’s hand in establishing His kingdom are the temples announced today by President Monson. Only a few decades ago, who could have imagined temples in Haiti, Thailand, and the Ivory Coast?
The location of a temple is not a convenient geographical decision. It comes by revelation from the Lord to His prophet, signifying a great work to be done and acknowledging the righteousness of the Saints who will treasure and care for His house through generations.12
...God’s miracles are not happening just in Haiti, Thailand, or the Ivory Coast. Look around you.14 “God is mindful of every people … ; yea, he numbereth his people, and his … mercy [is] over all the earth.”15
Sometimes we can see the hand of the Lord in the lives of others but wonder, “How can I more clearly see His hand in my own life?”
...Then, a seemingly impossible experience: “All flesh,” the Lord says, “shall see me together.”30 How will it happen? We do not know. But I testify it will happen—exactly as prophesied. We will kneel in reverence, “and the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it.”31 “It shall be … as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder.”32 “[Then] the Lord, … the Savior, shall stand in the midst of his people.”33
There will be unforgettable reunions with the angels of heaven and the Saints upon the earth.34 But most important, as Isaiah declares, “All the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God,”35 and He “shall reign over all flesh.”36
In that day the skeptics will be silent, “for every ear shall hear … , and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess”37 that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
Today is Easter. We rejoice with Christians all over the world in His glorious Resurrection and in our own promised resurrection. May we prepare for His coming by rehearsing these glorious events over and over in our own minds and with those we love, and may His prayer be our prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”38 I testify that He lives. “Come, O thou King of Kings.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Apply
Prepare for the second coming by reviewing the prophecies over and over. Live righteously and keep the commandments. Attend the temple as often as possible. Serve the Lord with all our hearts helping others to also to prepare for His coming.

Hymns
59-Come O, thou King of Kings

Primary

82-I wonder When He Comes Again 

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Gathering Israel -1 Nephi 19:16

1 Nephi 19:16
Gathering Israel
What
 16 Yea, then will he remember the aisles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I bgather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

Why
they will not turn their hearts away any more so they will receive the blessings of the gospel. They will be gathered from all over the earth wherever they may be.

Pattern
1 Ne. 22:4
4  And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away.

2 Ne. 10:21
21  But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.


Isa. 49:22 (20–22)
20  The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21  Then shalt 
thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22  Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will 
lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
Isa60:4
Isa. 60:4
4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

Ezek. 36:24
24  For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Ps. 107:3
Ps. 107:3
3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.

Jer. 3:17
17  At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

D&C 45:9
9  And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messengerbefore my face to prepare the way before me.

D&C 77:14
D&C 77:14
14  Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation?A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him togather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restoreall things.

Article of Faith 10
10  We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reignpersonally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewedand receive its paradisiacalglory.

Christ
I will gather in, saith the Lord” He will be the head of the gathering. He is the moving power that is gathering Israel right now. Then He will reign personally upon the earth.

Conference
10/06 Russell M. Nelson
The Gathering of Scattered Israel
We help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil.
My beloved brothers and sisters, thank you for your faith, your devotion, and your love. We share an enormous responsibility to be who the Lord wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. We are part of a great movement—the gathering of scattered Israel. I speak of this doctrine today because of its unique importance in God’s eternal plan.

Abrahamic Covenant

Anciently, the Lord blessed Father Abraham with a promise to make his posterity a chosen people.1 References to this covenant occur throughout the scriptures. Included were promises that the Son of God would come through Abraham’s lineage, that certain lands would be inherited, that nations and kindreds of the earth would be blessed through his seed, and more.2 While some aspects of that covenant have already been fulfilled, the Book of Mormon teaches that this Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled only in these latter days!3 It also emphasizes that we are among the covenant people of the Lord.4 Ours is the privilege to participate personally in the fulfillment of these promises. What an exciting time to live!
This doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord has declared: “I give unto you a sign … that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.”17 The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.18 We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil.
The Book of Mormon is central to this work. It declares the doctrine of the gathering.19 It causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur.20
To us the honored name of Abraham is important. It is mentioned in more verses of scriptures of the Restoration than in all verses of the Bible.21 Abraham is linked to all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.22 The Lord reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.23 In the temple we receive our ultimate blessings, as the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.24

Gathering of Souls on the Other Side of the Veil

Mercifully, the invitation to “come unto Christ”34 can also be extended to those who died without a knowledge of the gospel.35 Part of their preparation requires earthly efforts of others. We gather pedigree charts, create family group sheets, and do temple work vicariously to gather individuals unto the Lord and into their families.36To Participate in the Gathering: A Commitment by Covenant
Here on earth, missionary work is crucial to the gathering of Israel. The gospel was to be taken first to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.”37 Consequently, servants of the Lord have gone forth proclaiming the Restoration. In many nations our missionaries have searched for those of scattered Israel; they have hunted for them “out of the holes of the rocks”; and they have fished for them as in ancient days.38
The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord”39 without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. The Lord has decreed the establishment of Zion40 in each realm .
Apply
We can help with the gathering of Israel through missionary work and through family history and temple work. It is important that we do this for the sakes of all those who are lost and for our own souls for in saving others, we are saved.
What a blessing this is to be involved in this great work. On this very day that I write we just hung up the phone from talking to our grandson who is traveling to the MTC this very minute. He will gather Israel here on earth while we are working mostly on gathering it on the other side of the veil through searching out our ancestors and in two days will be holding a special family baptismal session in the temple for about 50 of our ancestors.
Jesus is the Christ, The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is True and we find great joy in serving Him and our families and others.
Hymns
7-Israel, Israel God Is Calling
327-Go Ye Messengers of Heaven
Children
169-I hope They Call Me On A Mission



Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Recognize, Remember and Give Thanks 1 Nephi 19:15

1 Nephi 19:15
Recognize and Remember and Give Thanks

What
 15 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they ano more bturn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the ccovenants which he made to their fathers.

Why
When people repent they will be forgiven and can then have their covenants renewed.

Pattern
1 Ne. 15:19
19  And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.
22:12 (11–12)
11  Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel.
12  Wherefore, he will 
bringthem again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that theLord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.

Deut. 30:2
2  And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul;
D&C 101:14
14  And all they who have mourned shall be comforted.
T Covenant
Abrahamic Covenant

Gen. 12:3
in thee shall all families … be blessed.







Christ
He is the Holy One of Israel spoken of in verse 15.

Conference
10/13 Linda S. Reeves (2nd Couns.. in RS)
Claim the Blessings of Your Covenants
My dear sisters, the Lord allows us to be tried and tested, sometimes to our maximum capacity. We have seen the lives of loved ones—and maybe our own—figuratively burned to the ground and have wondered why a loving and caring Heavenly Father would allow such things to happen. But He does not leave us in the ashes; He stands with open arms, eagerly inviting us to come to Him. He is building our lives into magnificent temples where His Spirit can dwell eternally.
In Doctrine and Covenants 58:3–4, the Lord tells us:
Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory.”
Sisters, I testify that the Lord has a plan for each of our lives. Nothing that happens is a shock or a surprise to Him. He is all-knowing and all-loving. He is eager to help us, to comfort us, and to ease our pain as we rely on the power of the Atonement and honor our covenants. The trials and tribulation that we experience may be the very things that guide us to come unto Him and cling to our covenants so that we might return to His presence and receive all that the Father hath.
4/15 -President Thomas S. Monson
Choices

May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals.
Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.
May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.
As we contemplate the decisions we make in our lives each day—whether to make this choice or that choice—if we choose Christ, we will have made the correct choice.
That this may ever be so is my heartfelt and humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.
August 13 Ensign President Eyring

Recognize, Remember, and Give Thanks

God asks that we give thanks to Him for whatever blessings we receive from Him. It is easy for us to become mechanical in our prayers of gratitude, often repeating the same words but without the intent to give our thanks as a gift of the heart to God. We are to “give thanks … in the Spirit” (D&C 46:32) so we can feel real gratitude for what God has given us.
How can we remember even a part of all God has done for us? The Apostle John recorded what the Savior taught us about a gift of remembrance that comes through the gift of the Holy Ghost: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26).
The Holy Ghost brings back memories of what God has taught us. And one of the ways God teaches us is with His blessings; and so, if we choose to exercise faith, the Holy Ghost will bring God’s kindnesses to our remembrance.




Apply
When we remember our covenants, then He will remember His. When we remember our blessings and thank Him, we receive healing, strength and power.
When we or our loved ones struggle and stray, we can be comforted by knowing that if we change and “no more turn aside our hearts” that all our covenants and promises will be restored. Jesus Christ has atoned for our sins. We can be forgiven of them whether they be big or small. We all need to turn our hearts to Him, focus on Him and when we do so, we will receive the beautiful blessings of our covenants.
We are children of a loving Heavenly Father and He has provided for us, a way back to Him. Act in faith, forgive yourself and forgive others. He will bless you. Be patient with yourself and others. He is there and so anxious to shower us with blessings. Open your eyes and recognize the blessings that you have already received.


Hymns
97- Lead Kindly light
171 With Humble Heart


Children
98- Repentance
99- Help Me, Dear Father