Good afternoon sisters. What a
beautiful day it has been.
THOUGHT: “We
should bring our wills into subjection to the will of the Father; and
feel to say, what is the will of our Father, whom we are here in the
world to serve? Then every act that we perform will be a success.”
Lorenzo
Snow
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Moms of girls going to Camp. Please make sure that your girls' camp gear is at Laurie Anderson's home tomorrow between noon and 7 pm.
- Note: Amy Waldron is still our Compassionate Service Leader.
Wish
to express our appreciation for the outgoing Relief Society
presidency. And want to welcome the new Presidency, Amy S,
President, Bobbi T, 1st counselor, Jennifer R., 2nd Counselor and
Melissa S, secretary. Know that we sustain you.
BIRTHDAYS:
June
4th
– Gloria L.; 8th
– Sarah H.; 9th
– Sally S.; 9th
Chao S.; 12th
Sharon J.; 15th
Sharon H. Happy birthday sisters.
Our
lesson today was given by Tiffany W., from the Lorenzo Snow Manual.
Lesson #11 “ I Seek Not Mine Own Will, but the Will of the Father”
I
am so happy to be here, I have missed you and feel grateful. I have
felt your love and testimony. I testify that this lesson has the
potential to inspire our potential as disciples. To align our will
to Heaven's.
I
appreciated President's Livingston's remarks at last week's Stake
Conference about his comments and testimony about submitting our will
to the Father.
“On
March 31, 1899, President Lorenzo Snow trave3led to Brigham Young
Academy (now Brigham Young University), where a large group of
Latter-day Saints had gathered to commemorate his 85th
birthday. In the morning, he delivered a devotional address to the
men in the congregation. At the same time, the women had a similar
meeting, conducted by wives of members of the First Presidency and
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In the afternoon, all met together.
As
part of the afternoon meeting, 23 children “marched upon the
rostrum, and facing President Snow, sang two songs..., after which
each child presented the President with a bouquet of flowers.”
President Snow expressed his gratitude to the children and pronounced
a blessing upon them. Then eight Brigham Young Academy students came
to the stand, one at a time. Each one, representing an organization
in the school, presented a carefully prepared tribute to their
prophet. In response to these words of affection and admiration,
President Snow said:
“Now
brethren and sisters, I do not know what to say about all this. I
should like to go home and think about it, but I suppose a few
remarks are expected, and I suppose that I should say something, but
I really don't know what to say. There is this, however. I
understand very distinctly that you are not paying this honor to me
as Lorenzo Snow, but because of the cause I represent in connection
with my brethren, my counselors and the members of the Quorum of the
Twelve....I feel that whatever I have accomplished that it is not
Lorenzo Snow, and the scenes that have brought me to this position as
President of the Church—it is not Lorenzo Snow, but this remarkable
expression; I have thought of it and it is before me constantly I
all of my labors: 'I can of myself do nothing; as I hear I judge,
and my judgments is just.' Now, why did He say that His judgment was
just? He says, because 'I seek not my own will but the will of my
Father who sent me.' That is the principle, my brethren and sisters,
that I have endeavored to act upon ever since it was revealed to me
that my Father in heaven, and your Father in heaven, exists. I have
endeavored to do His will...
How
does this apply to ourselves today?
Martha:
Having faith in God is having faith in his timetable. To make our
will to His – thy will be done regardless if it a sad or happy
time. I think of Nephi in 2 Nephi 4:34 “O
Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever....”
Totally submissive to
His will. If we do that, it turns out better because He knows us.
Thank
you. I was thinking about that. We look at the broad view of our
lives. If I align my will to His. Are my actions consistent with His
will? It is a way to deepen our relationship with Him.
When we seek
God's will, we follow a course in which there will be no failure.
As I read that I looked at our lives as a whole. Maybe we have not
gone to the Lord to express our will. However, our lives will be
more successful when we do His will.
President Snow says: There is a course that men and women may
pursue wherein there will be no failure. Whatever disappointments
may arise or seeming failures may result, there will be in reality no
failure, as a general thing....There have been times when it seemed
as though we were moving backward; at least, it has to those who were
not fully enlightened in regard to the mind and will of God. The
Church has passed through very strange experiences, and the people
have made great sacrifices....But we have come along through these
sacrifices, and as a people there has been no failure.
President Snow went through a lot; Winter Quarters, mobs murder,
poverty, sickness.
Why has there
been no failure? Because the people, as a whole, have had their
minds fixed upon the true principles of life, and they have conformed
to their duty....The people generally have had the Spirit of the
Lord, and have followed it. Hence there has been no failure. So it
may be with individuals. There is a course for every person to
pursue in which there will be no failure. It will apply to temporal
as well as spiritual matters.
Any thoughts?
Visitor: It regards to temporal matters; there are much
decisions to make. We sometimes need to weight the temporal with the
spiritual. Sometimes answers come in time, in searching. There's a
waiting time. A timing as to when we want an answer right away. It
can be difficult.
It can be difficult when we don't know His will.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said:
“The
submissions of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing
we have to place on God's altar. The many other things we 'give' are
actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”
“Disciples,
like diamonds, are developed in a process of time and heavy pressures
and both the disciple and the diamond reflect and magnify the light
that comes through them.”
Lorenzo Snow: “If your eye be single to my glory, your whole
bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in
you, and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all
things. Therefore sanctify yourselves that your minds become single
to God.”
Through the process of heavy pressures, when we try to align our will
with God's then we will have comfort or blessings.
Pat H: One of the most difficult principle of the gospel is
when they put 'not failing' and you know individuals, friends who
have been excommunicated. I finally understand. Failure is
associated with giving up, not trying. As long as you pick yourself
up, sin and repent, move forward, that is not failing. It's ultimate
success. Success is on a continuum. Never a failure doesn't set
well with me.
I too, can think of failures. The Church has moved from place to
place along the way but kept on in faith, trying.
Amy S: There will be a grand scope of things. No failure
because the Lord has already triumph for all of us. Here's our part,
we can choose to follow Him. Even the telestial is marvelous, it is
prepare by Heavenly Father.
Visitor: When one door closes, another opens.
Ramona: We are subject to the law of justice and mercy. When
I die, I want mercy.
Visitor: The Lord's will is for us to be happy, to have the
spirit, no matter what happens it's for our best. We don't know
better than God.
I have felt the love from Heavenly Father. There has been times in my
life when I felt I was doing what I should, but learned that He is
our Father, who loves us, and is in the details of our life.
Staci C: President Monson was in the Navy, I think, and then
he went back into the reserves during the Korean War, he wanted to be
a commission officer. 3 days after he received his commission, he
was called to be a Bishop. He talked to his stake President who was
Harold B. Lee. President Lee told him to go talk to the military and
tell them that he wants to withdraw from the military. President
Monson told him that you can't just go and withdraw from the
military. He did talk to them and they let him out. He stayed to be
the Bishop. He said that he really felt this was what he should do.
He followed the will of the Lord. Seek the Lord's will.
Be sure and read the section As we obey God's will, He gives us
power to succeed in His work. “We cannot always do what
we would like to do, but we shall have the power to do that which we
should do. The Lord will give us the power to do this.”
I want to end with President Snow's words: “We came into the
world for a great purpose, the same as Jesus, our elder brother, to
do the will and works of our Father; in this there is peace, joy and
happiness, an increase of wisdom, knowledge and the power of God;
outside of this are no promised blessings. Thus let us devote
ourselves to righteousness, help each and all to be better and
happier; do good to all and evil to none; honor God and obey His
Priesthood; cultivate and preserve an enlightened conscience and
follow the Holy Spirit; faint not, hold fast to what is good, endure
to the end, and your cup of joy shall be full even to overflowing,
for great shall be your reward for your trials and your sufferings
under temptations, your fiery ordeals, your heart yearnings and
tears; yea, our God will give you a crown of unfading glory.”
I want to echo that. I am grateful to a Father who knows me.
Next week's lesson is #12 “Tithing, a Law for our Protection and
Advancement. It is also Father's Day. Have a great week.
Sisters, I have enjoyed keeping you informed of what is going on in
Relief Society and serving you. You are a wonderful group of
sisters. Adieu
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