Elders Quorum
The lesson was based on Elder Holland’s conference talk, The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship, April 2014 General Conference
"if you haven’t already, you will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part."
We should not be rude as we disagree. We also should not persecute non members or inactive members when we are in the majority in our workplace or community.
"Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them."
Sunday School
Old testament lesson 31
Words in Proverbs that might confuse :
-forward - contrary
-she /her - often refers to wisdom
-simple - weak in intellect or wisdom
-vanity - falsehood or deceit; empty
-scorn - contempt or disdain
-me/my - wisdom
Proverbs 23:7
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
This speaks to that our thinking and such happens in our spirit or our heart. Heart in the sense of core.
Proverbs 13:24
24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
Proverbs 14:3
3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
"rod" in the context of "thy rod and thy staff comforts me”. A rod is used to guide sheep, not to beat them.
Isaiah 11:4
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:43
43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;
Proverbs 24:13-14
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Here he talks about the rod of his mouth smiting the earth. That sounds like smiting the earth with words. Compare that to chastising a child.
Psalms 2:9
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
1 Nephi 8 also talks about a rod of iron that is the word of God. That is further evidence that rod in the scriptures means the word of God. Likely prophets in Old Testament times were taught of the tree of life and the rod of iron that guides people to it.
Deriving Meaning
We can derive meaning in Proverbs from comparison. When the comparison shows difference then there is meaning. When the comparison shows similarity there is a different meaning.
Wisdom
Wisdom was before the world the world was created and while the world was being created.
We often do not seek after wisdom with enough zeal. It often comes through listening more about Heavenly Father and Jesus.
Pride/Enmity
“The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.’ It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
“Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of ‘my will and not thine be done.’ As Paul said, they ‘seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s’ (Philippians 2:21).
“Our will in competition to God’s will allows desires, appetites, and passions to go unbridled (see Alma 38:12; 3 Nephi 12:30).
“The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives (see Helaman 12:6). They pit their perceptions of truth against God’s great knowledge, their abilities versus God’s priesthood power, their accomplishments against His mighty works.
“Our enmity toward God takes on many labels, such as rebellion, hard-heartedness, stiff-neckedness, unrepentant, puffed up, easily offended, and sign seekers. The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s. …
“Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression (see Alma 12:10–11). The proud are not easily taught (see 1 Nephi 15:3, 7–11). They won’t change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong” (President Ezra Taft Benson, in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 3–5; or Ensign, May 1989, 4, 6).
Fear God
Fear of God could mean fear of doing anything that would separate us from God.
Sacrament Service
One of the youth speakers said that we don't have time to just sit around and do what we want.
Always Remember
Alma 5:6
6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?
Hope
Proximate hope means hope in things that change. Ultimate hope means how in things that don't change.
Man’s Wisdom
“Indeed, when we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it—we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars.” (Neal A Maxwell, Hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, General Conference October 1998)
The War In Heaven
The war in heaven was over whether men should have agency. Today the battle continues on as Satan tries to get us to make decisions that limit or agency.
He wants us to develop addictions that bind us and limit our agency. He wants us to get into debt that we may be bound and have our agency limited as our resources are bound toward posing of our debts and our time is taken as we have to work more to pay them.
He wants us to make choices so that we are impacted and acted upon by others rather acting of our own free will. Things like peer pressure that makes us want to let others make our choices. Things like making bad choices that result in loss of spouse and/or family. Our initial choices then take away or ability to choose certain things later.
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