Talk #1 - Elder Bednar Sunday afternoon Receive the Holy Ghost
Above is the link to watch the talk ... or of course going to ..
http://new.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2010/10?lang=eng
will get you all the talks to watch, listen, or read.
Listen and share and enjoy!
I chose this talk because this past week +, I have been noticing the Gift of the Holy Ghost is really important! OK so you may be thinking - wow, Cecia that is really really neat - kind of like snow is important if you are going skiing - like duh! But seriously - it has really hit me this past week that the Gift of the Holy Ghost is something super special. More than I definitely had given credit to. I mean I have always loved the Holy Ghost and the amazing power that it is - but I definitely think I hadn't explored it as the 'GIFT' that it is until this week. Yep, that is a true summation of my feelings - I had always known it was amazing - but I hadn't always basked in the 'gift' of it!
ReplyDeleteThis talk for me definitely centers on that the Holy Ghost is a gift - and we can choose to accept and really use this gift or we can set it aside.
This week what led up to my thinking about this was in Doctrine & Covenants Sec 35 - the Lord tells Sidney Rigdon (a former pastor) that ...
5 Thou didst baptize by water unto repentance, but they received not the Holy Ghost;
6 But now I give unto thee a commandment, that thou shalt baptize by water, and they shall receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, even as the apostles of old.
So they had missed out on the real gift - and NOW they were going to get it! Then in the Book of Mormon when the Savior is speaking with his disciples in 3Nephi 27 & 28 - he says ...
27:20 Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.
28:9-11 .. for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand.
10 And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;
11And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me.
It just really hit me - THIS IS A GIFT! A real gift from Heavenly Father to me to each of us. & That it really is important - not to be taken lightly or definitely not for granted ... and I just have been so grateful for it!
... Then to have this talk from an Apostle of the Lord - Elder Bednar - expounding on the Gift and how it is that we can all be worthy of inviting Him to be within us - well it is just cool!
I'm so glad that you chose this talk. Usually, I love Elder Bednar's talks...but for some reason this one didn't stick out to me. I decided to go back and read it (instead of listening to it) and I got so much out of it.
ReplyDeleteA few months ago I was thinking about the Holy Ghost and how it differed in my life than just "having the Spirit"...so I went through and read all of the scriptures in the BofM about the Holy Ghost and realized that I wasn't taking advantage of the power and gift that it could be in my life. During that time I made a big effort to be more aware of it, but with the stress of moving and starting over I kind of forgot...(thank you Elder Bednar for the nudge)
I love that he reminds us to invite the Holy Ghost into our lives in our personal prayers. I think that I do that when I am having a hard time, but I like the idea of making it a regular practice. I think the Lord is waiting for us to ask for simple blessings like that, and just the act of faith it takes to ask...qualifies us for that blessing. So...that will now be included in my daily prayers. :)
I also love this quote from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young (which I had never heard...where have I been?) It reminds me that whatever my mood is throughout the day will dictate the influence that the Holy Ghost can have on me and my family.
"It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God."
We are so lucky to have this gift to help us everyday as we are trying to teach our children. I also love to see the change in my boys once they have received the Holy Ghost and I can see it working in their lives.
I love it. Thanks for the inspiration. The perfect way to end the Sabbath. Love you.
Kenon :)
I sure love you Kenon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your example and I love the reminder to have our daily prayers full of the desire to invite the Holy Ghost.
So I have done an impromptu experiment .. if I keep my covenants - every last one down to the ittys to the big kahunas - the Holy Ghost does really stay with me and I am full of a joy and peace from within ... and when I stray for just a bit - my eye gets negative or gets distracted and I give into temptation ...
unfortunately I then spend the next hour plus in misery, torture, and darkness.
I marvel at how simple it really can be to invite the Holy Ghost to be with us - to truly make it a comfortable environment for Him by keeping our Covenants and Commandments - and OH THE JOY! that is my reward!
So my plan today is a)pray again for the desire b) live a Covenant keeping life today c) re-read the talk d) have an attitude of gratitude and joy and peace within my heart no matter what happens!
Have a great day ladies!
-Cecia
So I didn't read either of your comments until I had listened to the talk again. I didn't want what you were touched by to influence what I needed to hear. Strangely many of the same thoughts came to me... I was also very touched by Joseph Smith's words, “Tell the people to be humble and faithful and [be] sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach [you what] to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right”
ReplyDeleteThere are so many promises and blessings in that passage just from accepting,desiring and listening to the Holy Ghost.
the One part that had an impact on me that has not been mentioned yet was the part on the Stripling warriors,-
"You and I should strive to become like the stripling warriors described in the Book of Mormon, who did “perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them. …
“… And they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 57:21; 58:40).
The Stripling Warriors did follow every command with exactness and then were blessed because of their faith. I began thinking of commands that I need to follow more exactly. what blessings am I missing out on because I am not obeying the Lord with exactness. Am I finding excuses or exceptions in my life for not following my Savior with exactness? And then if I were following with exactness of course that would allow the Spirit to be with me always.
Truly a great talk and a re-centering on what is truly required for us to be a disciple of Christ and have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion and then the ability to hear the promptings and act on them. Great way to start the week! thank you both for your comments.-lots to think about. I love you both, and Kennon I miss you tons and tons. Also congrats on Roxy she is adorable!!!! :)