Christmas - Closer to Christ Divided 3

8/7/2019 Christmas - Closer to Christ Divided 3

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Help Thou Mine Unbelief

Read the account of the pleading father in Mark 9:17-27.

Take time to identify and write down an area in which you feel youare not enough. This could include challenges that are physical,temporal, spiritual, or emotional.

Take it to the Lord. Plead your case in prayer. Dont be afraid toacknowledge your weakness and ask for greater faith. Then bestill and listen to the promptings that will come.

Sacred and Divine

Joseph Smiths Perseverance

There has come to you as your birthright something beautiful and sacred anddivine. Never forget that. Your Eternal Father is the great Master of theuniverse. He rules over all, but He also will listen to your prayers as Hisdaughter and hear you as you speak with Him. He will answer your prayers.He will not leave you alone.

What course will we set in the future? What will be our compass in the midstof the storms of life? What will be our anchor to keep us from drifting off thecourse that will lead us to eternal life?

I turn for answers to these questions to the lives of the Prophet Joseph Smith;his mother, Lucy Mack Smith; and other valiant men and women who laid thefoundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Joseph Smiths name is very dear to all faithful Latter-day Saints. His nameis especially dear to me and my family because we are blessed to claim hisolder brother Hyrum as our forefather.

As we face our own trials in future years, we must always rememberJoseph Smiths perseverance in the face of incredible hardships andopposition to bring forth the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

M. Russell Ballard, Anchored by Faith and Commitment, Ensign, July 1995,


2/14

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3/14

What Lack I Yet?

Read the account of the rich young man in Mark 10:17-22 and thewidows mite in Mark 12:41-44.

Think of someone you know who has given all in service to theLord. What lesson can be learned from that person? How canyou be more like him or her?

Commit today to give all you have in your service to the Lord.Choose one area where you feel you could give more. Whatchanges will this require in your daily routines?

Each Motherhood Situation Unique

Go Forward in Faith

There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique.Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainlydifferent children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and eachfamily. Many are able to be full-time moms, at least during the most formativeyears of their childrens lives, and many others would like to be. Some may

have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide theirlives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a motherloves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God andher husband, prioritizes them above all else.

M. Russell Ballard, Daughters of God, Ensign, May 2008, 108

As you walk your various paths, walk with faith. Speak affirmatively and cultivate anattitude of confidence. You have the capacity to do so. Your strength will givestrength to others. Do not partake of the spirit so rife in our times. Rather, look forgood and build upon it. There is so much of the strong and decent and the beautifulto build upon. You are partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel meansgood news. The message of the Lord is one of hope and salvation. The voice of theLord is a voice of glad tidings. The work of the Lord is a work of gloriousaccomplishment.

Gordon B. Hinckley, Be Not Afraid, Only Believe CES Fireside for Young Adults


4/14

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5/14

After All

Read Ether 12 and look for the blessings.

Remember, grace comes after all you can do. Take time today toanalyze a trying situation in your life. After you have done all thatyou can do, place it at the feet of the Lord. Keep a written recordof the greater things and the unspeakable gifts that will come ashe leads you to the promise.

The Courage to Ask Forgiveness

I remember a time when, without any intent to do so, I offended a sister in my ward.I needed to reconcile this issue, but I must admit that my pride kept me from goingto her and asking for her forgiveness. Family, other commitments, on and onIfound ways to postpone my repentance. I was sure things would work out on theirown. But they didnt.

In the stillness of not one night but several, I awoke with a clear realization that Iwas not taking the course the Lord would want me to take. I was not acting on myfaith that His arm of mercy was truly extended towards meif I would act aright. Iprayed for strength and courage, humbled myself, and went to the sisters home

and asked for her forgiveness. For us both, it proved to be a sweet, healingexperience.

Anne C. Pingree, To Look, Reach, and Come Unto Christ, Ensign, Nov. 2006,114-15

There is a glorious miracle awaiting every soul who is prepared to change.Repentance and forgiveness make a brilliant day of the darkest night. When soulsare reborn, when lives are changedthen comes the great miracle to beautify andwarm and life. When spiritual death has threatened and now instead there isresuscitation, when life pushes out deathwhen this happens it is the miracle ofmiracles. And such great miracles will never cease so long as there is one personwho applies the redeeming power of the Savior and his own good works to bringabout his rebirthThe essence of the miracle of forgiveness is that it brings peace tothe previously anxious, restless, frustrated, perhaps tormented soul. In a world ofturmoil and contention this is indeed a priceless gift.

Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball(2006), 35


6/14

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A trying situation in my life is:

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Unspeakable gifts that will come:

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7/14

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Art Thou Only a Stranger?

Read the account of the disciples walking on the road toEmmaus, found in Luke 24:13-32.

Learn to use the scriptures to receive personal revelation from theLord. Take some time to find a scripture that speaks to you. LetHis Spirit abide in your heart by reflecting on that scripturethroughout the day.

Benefit and Blessing of Scripture

Promise of the Book of Mormon

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have thebenefit and blessing of living scripture as declared by those sustained asprophets, as well as canonized scripture found in the Bible, the Book of Mormon,the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great PriceWritten scripture,

especially the Book of Mormon, brings us to believe in God and be reconciledunto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son (Jacob 4:11).

Craig C. Christensen, A Book with a Promise, Ensign, May 2008, 105


8/14

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The Book of Mormon is a book with a promiseAll who study and ponder itsteachings are given a promise found in the last chapter of Moroni (see Moroni10:3-4) as well as in the introduction to the Book of Mormon, where we read: Weinvite all men [and women] everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder intheir hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, inthe name of Christ if the book is true. Those who purse this course and ask in

faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Craig C. Christensen, A Book with a Promise, Ensign, May 2008, 106


9/14

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Seek for More

Read the account of Mary Magdalene in John 20:1-18.

Examine your life. What is your greatest need?

Sometime today find a way to seek the Lord. Find in Christ theanswer you long for. Dare to reach a new level of understanding.

Knowledge Comes through Faith

Many years ago two General Authorities called a very young man to be a newstake president. In his response, the new stake president said he would give totaldevotion to his calling and would not ask any of the members of his stake to bemore devoted than he. Then he bore his testimony that he believed the gospelwith all his heart and proposed to live it.

Later at lunch one of the General Authorities asked this new stake presidentwhether he knew absolutely tat this gospel is true. He answered that he did not.The senior Apostle said to his fellow Apostle, He knows it just as well as you do.

The only thing that he does not know is that he does know it. It will be but a shorttime until he does know itYou do not need to worry.

A short time later, the new stake president testified that following a spiritualexperience, I shed tears of gratitude to the Lord for the abiding, perfect, andabsolute testimony that came into my life of the divinity of this work (Heber J.Grant, Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 192-93).

Many of us do not have a full awareness of what we really know. Even though wehave been taught the gospel, we may not be fully aware of what the Lord has putin our inward parts and written in our hearts.You are heirs to great promises.You have the opportunity to become more than hewers of wood and drawers ofwater (Joshua 9:21).

I do not claim to have an absolute understanding of all of the principles of thegospel, but I have come to know with certainty the divinity and authority of thisChurch. This came to me gradually, line upon line and precept upon precept. Inow know that I know, just as you can come to know that you know. It canhappen to you.

Knowledge comes through faith. In our day and time we must come to know thetruthfulness of what was on the golden plates without seeing them. They are notavailable for us to see and handles as they were for the Three Witnesses and forthe Eight Witnesses. Some of those who actually saw and handled the goldenplates did not remain faithful to the Church. Seeing an angel would be a greatexperience, but it is far greater to come to a knowledge of the divinity of theSavior through faith and the witness of the Spirit.

James E. Faust, It Cant Happen to Me, Ensign, May 2002, 48


10/14

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11/14

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What Mean These Stones?

Read the story of Joshua and the crossing of the river Jordan in

Joshua 3 and 4.

Either figuratively or literally, gather twelve stones. Assign eachstone to represent a blessing that you have recognized in yourjourney toward Christ.

Share these blessings with your family. Testify how you arecoming to know the Healer, the Master, the Son of God, evenJesus Christ. What are the stories you can tell about how He has

strengthened, enlightened, comforted, or otherwise blessed you?

Wear This


12/14

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The Prophet Joseph was truly blessed with the ability to inspire faith.One bright morning Joseph walked up to Jon E. Page and said,Brother John, the Lord is calling you on a mission to Canada.

John E. Page was rather astonished and said, Why, Brother Joseph, I

cant go on a mission to Canada. I dont even have a coat to wear.

The Prophet Joseph took his own coat from his back, handed it to JohnPage, and said, Here, John, wear this, and the Lord will bless you.Brother Page took the coat, went to Canada, and in two years walked5,000 miles and baptized 600 souls, because he trusted in the words ofa prophet of God.

Thomas S. Monson, By example, New Era, Dec. 2005, 7


13/14

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Heaven's Giftby Sandra A. Popp

Heaven's gift has come to man.

Mortal fate restsWithin tiny hallowed hands.

Shepherds singing, a shining star,Angels proclaiming,

Kings bearing gifts from afar.A scene of serene glory,

The weight of a holy hush,The meaning of heaven's story,

'Twas God's first CHRISTmas gift to us.

Who would recall the power of that day,At the time when He was led away,

Bearing a crown, a robe, and fateful wounds?Was He not the gift from heaven's womb?

Shall we turn from that holy dayAnd walk away unchanged?

Will we allow it to envelope our soulsOnly to let it slowly slip away?

Through plastic, tinsel, parties and gifts,Shopping, planning, and Christmas lights lit,

Can the simple gift be heard or seen,Or does it quietly fade behind holiday sheen?

Let us not forget that He loves us so.


14/14

He loves us too much to let us go.He sent a plan with His sacrifice

To forgive and cleanse and give us life.

Embrace the greatest gift of all;Don't let your sense of the manger wane.

The gift of heaven is yours to receive.It was the true reason He came.

Christmas - Closer to Christ Divided 3

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