15 But asanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give ban answer to every man that asketh you a reason of thechope that is in you with dmeekness and efear:
“Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal [physical] body” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 335).
Some people believe that the earth was created by chance and that mankind came about by the accidental combining of the right elements over millions of years. In response, one writer said:
“When you can dump a load of bricks on a corner lot, and let me watch them arrange themselves into a house—when you can empty a handful of springs and wheels and screws on my desk, and let me see them gather themselves into a watch—it will [then] be easier for me to believe that all these thousands of worlds could have been created, balanced, and set in motion in their several orbits, all without any designing intelligence at all.
“Moreover, if there is no intelligence in the universe, then the universe created something greater than itself—for it created you and me” (Bruce Barton in E. Ernest Bramwell, comp. Old Testament Lessons [1934 seminary course], 4).
Earthly parents spend their time trying to raise their kids to get them out of the house. Heavenly Father spends his time trying to bring us back.
Heavenly Father may be specific in telling us that He created the earth through his son to make it clear they are two different individuals.
“The word create came from the [Hebrew] word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 350–51).
From the Bulletin Cover
Elder L. Tom Perry, of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles shared this with us, The law of the fast has three great purposes. First, it provides assistance to the needy through the contribution of fast offerings, consisting of the (minimum] value of meals from which we abstain. Second, a fast is beneficial to us physically. Third, it is to increase humility and spirituality on the part of each individual. An important reason for fasting is to contribute the amount saved from the meals not eaten to care for the poor and the needy.
One of the strongest admonitions the Lord has given to His children on earth is that we have the responsibility and obligation of caring for those in need. It was King Benjamin who said in his great address, "And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants." (Mosiah 4:26.)
From the Bulletin Insert
"Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it [in this lifetime];; but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself." (18th Century clergyman, Joel Hawes).
Matthew 6:33 states, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you." Please not the order.
Have you ever wondered how super keenly interested Heavenly Father is in developing our character to become as He is? He is so incredibly dedicated to that goal that He sent another God, His Son, Jesus Christ to do for us something that NO ONE ELSE COULD DO – to atone for and suffer for you and me - to suffer for every pain, affliction, illness, and consequence of our repentant sins. (Alma 7:11,12) As we truly turn to Him humbly and obediently, He is able to do for us what no one else can.
With that infinite and intimate empathy, we have someone "in our corner" who completely "gets it" and is there to succor and aid us. No matter how hard I work to show my love and appreciation, I remain forever in awe, gratitude and in their debt for such gifts. Wow.!
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