D Todd christofferson - Jan 2012 Ensign, “Recognizing God’s Hand in Our Daily Blessings”
“As you retire to bed, think about the successes and failures of the day and what will make the next day a little better. And thank your Heavenly Father for the manna He has placed along your path that sustained you through the day.”
Training
Purposes of Sunday School
Church Handbook 2
Section 12.1
- Strengthen individuals’ and families’ faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through teaching, learning, and fellowshipping.
- Help Church members “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom” (D&C 88:77) at church and at home.
Elders Quorum
Certainly the Lord can do everything himself, but he respects the agency of man, so if we do not follow the promptings of the lord there are things that need doing that will not get done.
“How grateful we ought to be to know that this work is not the work of man, but it is the work of the Lord; that this Church, that bears the name of Jesus Christ, is directed by him, and he will permit no man or group of men to destroy it. He will not permit the men who preside over his Church to lead the people into error, but he will sustain them with his almighty power. He will magnify them in the eyes of good and great men and women. He will bless their ministry and it will be fraught with success. Those who oppose and find fault will not find joy in their opposition.” (George Albert Smith, In Conference Report, Apr. 1934, 29)
We here the same messages over and over. If we were getting the point then it wouldn't be repeated so much. If it wasn't important then it wouldn't be repeated so much.
Just because counsel from the prophet is not wrapped in a thou shalt or that counsel isn't specifically asked about in the temple recommend interview, does not mean we don't need to repent if we disregard that counsel. Before we get a recommend we are asked if there is anything in our conduct that would keep us from going to the temple. We are also asked if we sustain our leaders. One must personally decide if that is true counsel that needs to be a part of our life. It could then be argued that not implementing that counsel in our life is sin and not following our leaders. We must then decide for ourselves if that particular sin makes us unworthy to go to the temple. There is some accountability for us to ask ourselves our own internal questions. This doesn’t mean nitpick, but it also doesn’t mean gloss over serious problems in our lives because we can weasel out of the wording of the temple recommend questions.
Sunday School
Jacob 1
Jacob 1 - History
Jacob 2-3 - Sermon at the temple
Jacob 4 - The atonement
Jacob 5 - The allegory of the olive tree
Jacob 6 - Explanation of chapter 5
Jacob 7 - Shereem
We only have two sermons of Jacob out of the entire time her was prophet. Imagine if future generations only had two of president
Monson's talks and which two would they be?
The words of Jacob that were included were probably those that would be most useful for people in our day.
Jacob 1:19
19 And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.
This is equivalent to when we say magnify our calling. This could mean to learn about our calling. It could also mean to focus or bring into focus.
Doctrine and Covenants 68:25
25 And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.
If we don't teach our children how to live, someone else will.
If we don't teach our children what things are wrong then we may be inadvertently teaching them that those things are not wrong.
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