The Fruits of the Spirit

One of my favorite passages of scriptures is Galatians 5:22-24. In these verses, Paul teaches that when we feel love and joy, and are longsuffering, gentle, good, faithful, meek, and temperate we are open to the promptings of the Spirit. When we have the opposite feelings—anger, hate, frustration, meanness, envy, and vanity—we aren’t feeling the Spirit and the Spirit can’t guide us.

King Benjamin taught that “The natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). 

Enticing means making ourselves open to the influence of the Spirit.  By following the enticings of the Spirit we leave behind and overcome the behaviors, feelings, and emotions of the natural or fallen human and develop the Christ-like characteristics required of discipleship. 

The Spirit will always lead us to do good. He will never lead us to do evil or bad things. The Lord said, 

“And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; and then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive” (Doctrine and Covenants 11:12-14).

Notice that the Spirit will lead us to be humble and just, he will lead us to do good, and he will fill our lives with light.

In 1982, Elder John H. Groberg gave a talk at Brigham Young University entitled “Investing for Eternity” ( http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6828 ). In this talk, Elder Groberg listed the following characteristics that help us to discern when we have the Spirit with us:

We feel happy and calm.

We feel full of light.

Our mind is clear.

We love the Lord and others.

We feel generous.

Nobody offends us.

We are forgiving and kind.

We feel confident.

We are glad to see others succeed.

We want to make others happy.

We bring out the best and say the best about others.

We serve gladly.

We feel like praying and reading the scriptures.

We have a disposition to keep the Lord's commandments.

We have control of our appetites and emotions.

We feel a deep desire to help others.

We speak and think only good about others.

We feel sorrow when others have problems. 

This list helps me more clearly understand when I'm feeling the presence of the Spirit in my life.  When I don't feel this way I know that I have to change something.

Moments That Matter Most

Service

“Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus," Ensign, May 2011)

"Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship"

On May 6, 2011 I published a piece on the blog entitled “Meekness—An Ornament of Great Price.” In the piece I quoted from a remarkable address by Neal A. Maxwell titled “Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship.” Here is a lengthier quote from this classic talk on the Christ like attribute of meekness:

“The meek are filled with awe and wonder with regard to God and His purposes in the universe. At the same time, the meek are not awestruck by the many frustrations of life; they are more easily mobilized for eternal causes and less easily immobilized by the disappointments of the day.

“Because they make fewer demands of life, the meek are less easily disappointed. They are less concerned with their entitlements....

“When we are truly meek, we are not concerned with being pushed around, but are grateful to be pushed along. When we are truly meek, we do not engage in shoulder-shrugging acceptance but in shoulder-squaring, in order that we might better bear the burdens of life and of our fellow beings.

“Meekness can also help us in coping with the injustices of life—of which there are quite a few....

“Besides, there can be dignity even in silence, as was the case when Jesus meekly stood, unjustly accused, before Pilate. Silence can be an expression of strength. Holding back can be the sign of great personal discipline, especially when everyone else is letting go.

“Furthermore, not only are the meek less easily offended, but they are less likely to give offense to others. In contrast, there are some in life who seem, perpetually, to be waiting to be offended. Their pride covers them like boils which will inevitably be bumped.

“Meekness also cultivates in us a generosity in viewing the mistakes and imperfections of others: ‘Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, … but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.’ (Morm. 9:31.)

“And for those of us who are too concerned about status or being last in line or losing our place, we need to reread those words about how the ‘last shall be first’ and the ‘first shall be last.;’ (Matt. 19:30.) Assertiveness is not automatically bad, of course, but if we fully understand the motives which underlie some of our acts of assertion, we would be embarrassed. Frankly, when others perceive such motivations, they are sometimes embarrassed for us.

“Granted, the meek go on fewer ego trips, but they have far greater adventures. Ego trips, those ‘travel now and pay later’ indulgences, are always detours. The straight and narrow path is, after all, the only path which takes us to new and breathtaking places.

“Meekness means less concern over being taken for granted, and more concern over being taken by the hand. Less concern over revising our own plans for us and more concern about adopting His plans for us is another sure sign of meekness.

“...Meekness does not mean tentativeness. But thoughtfulness. Meekness makes room for others: ‘Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.’ (Philip. 2:3.)

“...Meekness is not display humility; it is the real thing. True meekness is never proud of itself, never conscious of itself.

“Among the meek there is usually more listening and less talking....

“The meek think of more clever things to say than are said. And it’s just as well, for there is so much more cleverness in the world than wisdom, so much more sarcasm than idealism.

“The meek are thus able to avoid the abuse of authority and power—a tendency to which, the Lord declared, ‘almost all’ succumb. Except the meek.

“...Meekness rests on trust and courage....

“Meekness permits us to be confident....

“Meekness will permit us to endure more graciously the cruel caricaturing and misrepresentation that accompanies discipleship....

“Meekness permits us to be prompted as to whether to speak out or, as Jesus once did, be silent. But even when the meek speak up, they do so without speaking down.” (Neal A. Maxwell, “Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship,” Ensign, March 1983)

Be Generous

“I have found that to be true in my life. When I am generous to Heavenly Father’s children in need, He is generous to me” (Henry B. Eyring, “Opportunities to Do Good,” Ensign, May 2011, 25).

The Missing Piece

Discipleship

“Let us courageously move forward in faith, hope, and charity, and we will be blessed with the light we are all seeking upon the path of true discipleship. “ (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus,” Ensign, May 2011)

Faith

In 2006, David A. Bednar gave a talk titled “Seek Learning By Faith.” It is a masterpiece on faith. The following is an excerpt from this classic talk:

“…[The] teachings of Paul and of Alma and from the Lectures on Faith highlight three basic elements of faith: (1) faith as the assurance of things hoped for which are true, (2) faith as the evidence of things not seen, and (3) faith as the principle of action in all intelligent beings. I describe these three components of faith in the Savior as simultaneously facing the future, looking to the past, and initiating action in the present. Faith as the assurance of things hoped for looks to the future. This assurance is founded upon a correct understanding about and trust in God and enables us to ‘press forward’ (2 Nephi 31:20) into uncertain and often challenging situations in the service of the Savior.

“For example, Nephi relied upon precisely this type of future-facing spiritual assurance as he returned to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass—‘not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do. Nevertheless [he] went forth’ (1 Nephi 4:6–7). Faith in Christ is inextricably tied to and results in hope in Christ for our redemption and exaltation. And assurance and hope make it possible for us to walk to the edge of the light and take a few steps into the darkness—expecting and trusting the light to move and illuminate the way….The combination of assurance and hope initiates action in the present.

“Faith as the evidence of things not seen looks to the past and confirms our trust in God and our confidence in the truthfulness of things not seen. We stepped into the darkness with assurance and hope, and we received evidence and confirmation as the light in fact moved and provided the illumination we needed. The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith… is evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance.

“Assurance, action, and evidence influence each other in an ongoing process. This helix is like a coil, and as it spirals upward it expands and grows wider. These three elements of faith—assurance, action, and evidence—are not separate and discrete; rather, they are interrelated and continuous and cycle upward. And the faith that fuels this ongoing process develops and evolves and changes. As we again turn and face forward toward an uncertain future, assurance leads to action and produces evidence, which further increases assurance. Our confidence waxes stronger, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. We find a powerful example of the interaction among assurance, action, and evidence as the children of Israel transported the ark of the covenant under the leadership of Joshua….Recall how the Israelites came to the river Jordan and were promised the waters would part, or ‘stand upon an heap’ (Joshua 3:13), and they would be able to cross over on dry ground. Interestingly, the waters did not part as the children of Israel stood on the banks of the river waiting for something to happen; rather, the soles of their feet were wet before the water parted. The faith of the Israelites was manifested in the fact that they walked into the water before it parted. They walked into the river Jordan with a future-facing assurance of things hoped for. As the Israelites moved forward, the water parted, and as they crossed over on dry land, they looked back and beheld the evidence of things not seen. In this episode, faith as assurance led to action and produced the evidence of things not seen which were true.

“True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action. Faith as the principle of action is highlighted in many scriptures with which we are all familiar: ‘For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also’ (James 2:26; italics added). ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only’ (James 1:22; italics added).  ‘But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith’ (Alma 32:27; italics added).”  (David A. Bednar, “Seek Learning By Faith,” Address to CES Religious Educators, February 3, 2006)

“The Lord is my shepherd'

 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

" Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” (Psalm 23)

Come, Ye Disconsolate

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish.
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, Light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

 (Thomas Moore, “Come Ye Disconsolate,” Hymns, 115)

Thanksgiving Daily

Called To Serve

My life took an interesting twist on June 8. On that day, I received a call from Elder Steven Snow of the Presidency of the Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to serve as the second counselor in the Draper Utah Temple presidency. Three men are asked to lead each temple and their wives serve with them. Elder Snow also called Kathy to serve as an assistant to the matron of the temple. These full-time assignments require complete devotion.
 
It's interesting how in the course of a 15 minute conversation one's life can change. Time commitments become rearranged, perspectives change, and service replaces leisurely activities. Since our mission, life has been pretty simple--retired life can be that way.  Although we have served in the Draper Temple one to two days a week for the last 13 months, we have had very few ongoing commitments.  Now we will be quite busy again, but that is our commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ.  At times like this we try to follow the example of Samuel who was called to be a prophet.  When Samuel heard the Lord calling he said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:10).
 
For those readers who may be unfamiliar with temples in our Church a little background may be of interest to you. The following two videos explain why our Church builds temples throughout the world and why members of the Church go to these temples to serve and worship.
 

 
 

 
 
The Church has 134 temples around the world.  Perhaps the most readily recognizable temple is the one in downtown Salt Lake City. As explained in the videos, these sacred edifices are different from our chapels where we hold Sunday worship services.  Members of the Church go to the temples to worship and commune with the Lord, serve, and participate in sacred ordinances. President Gordon B. Hinckley said of these temples:
 
"These unique and wonderful buildings, and the ordinances performed therein, represent the ultimate in our worship.  These ordinances become the most profound expressions of our theology." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Of Missions, Temples, and Stewardship," Ensign, November 1995)
 
This is a humbling and a very special opportunity for Kathy and me.  We will be very busy but full of joy in being called to serve. Blog posts may become less frequent as we serve but you will know it's because we will be busy.  
 
We are grateful to serve wherever the Lord needs us.
 

A Thought for the Day

"He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less." — C.S. Lewis

Scripture for the Day

 “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” (2 Nephi 25:23)