I have always thought that Samuel was a great guy, but this lecture really convinced me that he is someone that I need to try to be like. He is an amazing disciple of Christ that I want to try to pattern my life after. Brother Griffin showed so much respect for Samuel, and I am starting to develop the same sort of awe.
We discussed characteristics that make Samuel unique. Things that stood out to me were that he is a nobody by the world's standards, that he preaches about deep doctrine and Christ, and that he never gave up. I am leaving on a mission in April and Samuel taught me lessons about the type of missionary I should be.
I guess growing up I had always heard him called Samuel THE Lamanite. I realized in this lecture he was Samuel, A Lamanite. He didn't hold any important or noteworthy titles. No one really knew who he was until he started preaching of Christ. This is such a comfort to me. I think that when I enter the mission field there will be so many times when I will feel inadequate to do this work. I am sure there will be times when I will feel frustrated with the language or annoyed with my human tendencies that disrupt the Lord's work moving forth. However, it is so nice to know that even nobody's can preach and carry out the Lord's will. As long as I am willing to fully submit myself to what God would have me do, I will be blessed with the knowledge and power to know what to say. I do not have to worry about my own self getting in the way of the Lord's work moving forth.
Samuel preaches about deep doctrines like repentance and he talks of Christ. I like that he focuses his message on what truly matters. I hope that when I am a missionary I can teach in a way that people will know that the gospel is centered on Christ. If I preach like Samuel did, I will be able to wear my name tag and know that I am correctly representing Christ. Also, it says in Helaman 13: 3 that Samuel preached whatsoever things should come into his heart. He was the ultimate example of teaching by the Spirit. I love that he did not come with a set plan, but he let God direct him with what he should say.
Last, Samuel taught me that I should never give up. Helaman 13: 2 says "And it came to pass that he did preach, many days repentance unto the people" and then they cast him out. He is about to return home but then the Lord tells him to go back and keep working. That is another great example of what kind of a missionary I should be. I need to be the type of missionary that stops when the Lord tells me to. I want to be unwearying. I am so glad that Brother Griffin showed us what an amazing example Samuel was. I aspire to be like him as I prepare and go on my mission!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Week 5
The topic that hit me hardest this week was about prayer. I have grown up always saying family and individual prayers diligently, but I am too guilty of praying with habits and vain repetitions. I used to have doubts concerning what the purpose of praying really is. I have always heard that Heavenly Father knows the desires of our heart, so sometimes I question why I have still have to tell Him. If He is all-knowing, why should I have to ask him for things? However, I learned so much about prayer this week that helped me gain a testimony about why we pray and the power that prayer can have in our lives. This week, we read the entry for "Prayer" in the Bible Dictionary. So many of the lines hit me hard and really spoke to me.
It reads, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God, then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."
I love this so much! When we realize that God is our literal Father, we want to tell Him everything. By praying, we change ourselves into the people He wants us to become. We learn more about His will, and a desire to follow that grows naturally inside of us. Some blessings are conditional upon us asking for them, so it is important to gain the humility that allows us to pour our hearts out to God. Since I have been in college, though, I have realized that prayer can become so much more personalized. I can ask Heavenly Father for help with anything. I can really tell Him my heart's desires, and I can express to Him guilt and sorrow that no one else would ever be able to understand. Brother Griffin recommended that we pray to remember what we promised to be in the pre-mortal existence. I have been trying to do that lately and it has hugely impacted my life. I learned that once I pray for things, Heavenly Father will grant me with the knowledge and comfort that will help me keep enduring.
Another thing that I learned about praying is that it can help us make decisions. We can learn from the story of Nephi and Lehi that when you make decisions, it is so important to put the Lord first. They chose to put the Lord first in all of their choices and they were blessed with safety and deliverance from the prison. Whenever I have a difficulty with school, relationships, or life in general, I so often turn to my friends and family for advice right off the bat. They often have good opinions, but I am going to try to go to my knees initially and show the Lord that I will do whatever He desires. Brother Griffin said that instead of turning horizontal when we have questions and asking those around us, we need to look vertical. Only one opinion truly matters.
I have a testimony of the power of prayer in our lives, and I now have a new resolve to make it more personalized in meaningful for me.
It reads, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God, then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them."
I love this so much! When we realize that God is our literal Father, we want to tell Him everything. By praying, we change ourselves into the people He wants us to become. We learn more about His will, and a desire to follow that grows naturally inside of us. Some blessings are conditional upon us asking for them, so it is important to gain the humility that allows us to pour our hearts out to God. Since I have been in college, though, I have realized that prayer can become so much more personalized. I can ask Heavenly Father for help with anything. I can really tell Him my heart's desires, and I can express to Him guilt and sorrow that no one else would ever be able to understand. Brother Griffin recommended that we pray to remember what we promised to be in the pre-mortal existence. I have been trying to do that lately and it has hugely impacted my life. I learned that once I pray for things, Heavenly Father will grant me with the knowledge and comfort that will help me keep enduring.
Another thing that I learned about praying is that it can help us make decisions. We can learn from the story of Nephi and Lehi that when you make decisions, it is so important to put the Lord first. They chose to put the Lord first in all of their choices and they were blessed with safety and deliverance from the prison. Whenever I have a difficulty with school, relationships, or life in general, I so often turn to my friends and family for advice right off the bat. They often have good opinions, but I am going to try to go to my knees initially and show the Lord that I will do whatever He desires. Brother Griffin said that instead of turning horizontal when we have questions and asking those around us, we need to look vertical. Only one opinion truly matters.
I have a testimony of the power of prayer in our lives, and I now have a new resolve to make it more personalized in meaningful for me.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Week 4
I loved how parts of the reading this week had to do with trials. I don't know why, but I have been thinking so much about trials lately and how they shape us into better people. We learned this week that trials can either make you better or bitter. Trials will make you bitter if you put too much focus on yourself, but they make you better when you focus on your relationship with God and helping others.
Alma 58 had some tips with how to overcome trials and become stronger from them. The Nephites are struggling against the Lamanites in this chapter, and it is becoming a huge trial. In verse 10, they start praying for help. It reads, "Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people." It is cool to see in this verse what the people prayed for. Some people would pray for God to take away the trial; however, these people prayed for strength to endure this trial. They prayed that they would be shaped into the people that God would want them to become. In verse 11, we see that the burden of the trial becomes lessened. Interestingly enough, though, nothing about the trial changed. The trial seems lighter because the people became stronger and their wills aligned with God's. Verse 11 says, "Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him."
When we pray for the strength to endure trials, Heavenly Father will bless us with the peace, comfort, strength, and faith that we need to overcome. I like to compare this to Elder Christofferson's story about trimming the currant bush. When Heavenly Father cuts us down, we can either say "How could you do this to me?" or "Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down. Thank you for loving me enough to hurt me." We may think that we are making progress in life, but Heavenly Father knows what He wants us to be. He gives us trials to shape us into the people that will align with His will. I know that the trials in life will sometimes seem more than we can bear. However, I also know that Heavenly Father is there to help us overcome and He will help us on our journey to become more like Him.
Alma 58 had some tips with how to overcome trials and become stronger from them. The Nephites are struggling against the Lamanites in this chapter, and it is becoming a huge trial. In verse 10, they start praying for help. It reads, "Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people." It is cool to see in this verse what the people prayed for. Some people would pray for God to take away the trial; however, these people prayed for strength to endure this trial. They prayed that they would be shaped into the people that God would want them to become. In verse 11, we see that the burden of the trial becomes lessened. Interestingly enough, though, nothing about the trial changed. The trial seems lighter because the people became stronger and their wills aligned with God's. Verse 11 says, "Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him."
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