Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Relief Society Lesson -- Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?

Juliet taught Relief Society for the first time a couple of weeks ago and she asked me to help her.  I actually taught that same day.  And wasn't really planning on preparing two lessons :-).  But being the good sister that I am :-), I prepared her lesson for her :-).  I was hoping to be able to use it as one of my future lessons but unfortunately, it's not on my list of general conference talks to choose from.  :-(

So I decided to just post it here on my blog anyway for any of you who might be able to use it for your lessons.  Enjoy!  :-)


Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
April 2014 General Conference

Sometimes we think of the Restoration of the gospel as something that is complete, already behind us—Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he received priesthood keys, the Church was organized.

In reality, the Restoration is an ongoing process; we are living in it right now.

Three major reasons why it is easy to become sleepy with regard to building the kingdom of God.
1.      Selfishness
2.      Addictions
3.      Competing Priorities

Those who are selfish seek their own interests and pleasure above all else. The central question for the selfish person is “What’s in it for me?”

What is the remedy?

The answer, as always, lies in the words of Christ:
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.”  - Mark 8:34–35

Those who wholeheartedly turn their lives over to our Savior and serve God and fellowman discover a richness and fulness to life that the selfish or egotistic will never experience.

When we take advantage of the unlimited opportunities to love and serve our fellowmen, including our spouse and family, our capacity to love God and to serve others will greatly increase.

Addictions often begin subtly. Addictions are thin threads of repeated action that weave themselves into thick bonds of habit. Negative habits have the potential to become consuming addictions.

We are truly sons [and daughters] of the Most High and are endowed with unspeakable potential. We are designed to soar freely through the heavens. We are not meant to be shackled to the earth, imprisoned in straitjackets of our own making.

What is the remedy?

The first thing we must understand is that addictions are so much easier to prevent than to cure.

When we are tempted to do things we should not do, let us listen to the loving warning of trusted family and friends, our beloved prophet, and always the Savior.

Always remember, with the Savior’s help, you can break free from addiction. It may be a long, difficult path, but the Lord will not give up on you. He loves you. Jesus Christ suffered the Atonement to help you change, to free you from the captivity of sin.

Often we devote our best efforts in pursuit of a hobby, a sport, vocational interests, and community or political issues. All these things may be good and honorable, but are they leaving us time and energy for what should be our highest priorities?

What is the remedy?

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
“This is the first and great commandment.
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matthew 22:37–39

Everything else in life should be secondary to these two great priorities.

There is too much at stake for us as individuals, as families, and as Christ’s Church to give only a halfhearted effort to this sacred work.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an effort of once a week or once a day. It is an effort of once and for all.

I testify that the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the transformative power of the Holy Ghost can heal and rescue mankind. It is our privilege, our sacred duty, and our joy to heed the Savior’s call to follow Him with a willing mind and full purpose of heart.

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