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
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.
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.
Ahh yeah !! Thanks again!!
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