Reverently Quietly: Ponder Pages

Our Heartfelt All Dieter F. Uchtdorf read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: The sacrifices and offerings we make are measured not by the effect they have on the Church or others, but by the effect they have on our own hearts. “Jesus taught that our offering may be large or it may be small, but either way, it must be our heartfelt all.” This may feel overwhelming when we are already stretched so thin. “How can we balance the many demands of life with our desires to offer our whole souls to the Lord?” Balance : instead of viewing balance as dividing time evenly among competing interests, which would result in viewing our commitment to Christ as one of many things to fit into a busy schedule, view it like riding a bike. Focus on your destination, not your feet. “Staying balanced is all about moving forward.” Our common, overall objective is to follow Christ. “This objective must remain constant and consistent, whoever we are and whatever else is happening in our lives.”  Lift : ai...

Come into the Fold of God Randy D. Funk read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: The blessings that come from following the example and teachings of Christ are “numerous, joyful, and eternal.” Entering into the “fold of God” allows us to experience the “Good Shepherd’s” “watchful, nurturing care” and redeeming love.  All who choose so can be part of the fold. “The gift of agency is not simply the right to choose; it is the opportunity to choose the right. And the walls of the fold are not a constraint but a source of spiritual safety.” “When we follow the doctrine of Christ and come into the fold through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism and confirmation, and continuing faithfulness, Alma promised four specific, personal blessings. You may  (1) ‘be redeemed of God,’  (2) ‘be numbered with those of the first resurrection,’  (3) ‘have eternal life,’ and  (4) the Lord will ‘pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you.’”  Questions to Ponder: Do you...

In Awe of Christ and His Gospel Ulisses Soares read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: We should feel “spiritual wonder” about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can bless us. “[W]hen we truly are in awe of Jesus Christ and His gospel, we are happier, we have more enthusiasm for God’s work, and we recognize the Lord’s hand in all things. Additionally, our study of God’s words is more meaningful; our prayers, more intentional; our worship, more reverent; our service in God’s kingdom, more diligent. All these actions contribute to the Holy Spirit’s influence being more frequent in our lives.” Additionally, our testimony is strengthened and we become more spiritually resilient. The opposite of spiritual wonder is spiritual apathy, which is the “gradual loss of our excitement to engage fully in the Lord’s gospel.” It begins when we feel complacent and causes us to take the gospel for granted. This distances us from the Lord and makes us vulnerable to temptations and doubts. We can av...

Conversion is our Goal Mark L. Pace read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: We have been using the Come, Follow Me curriculum for three years now. We should assess our progress and make sure we are still moving toward our goal. The goal of Come, Follow Me is conversion, which requires “consistent, daily efforts to understand and live the gospel.” The Holy Ghost is fundamental in the process. “To be most effective, your experiences with the scriptures must be your own. . . . There is no substitute for the time you spend in the scriptures, hearing the Holy Ghost speak directly to you.”    You can increase your attention to the Holy Ghost by pondering, over and over again, as you read the scriptures “what is the Holy Ghost teaching me in these chapters?” President Nelson promised four specific blessings that would come if we “transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith and centers of gospel learning;”  “1) your Sabbath days will be a delight,  2) your children will...

Valiant Discipleship in the Latter Days Jörg Klebingat read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: God gave us all agency. “God won’t force us to do good, and the devil can’t force us to do evil.” We all reap what our choices have sown. “Today it is almost impossible to courageously live our faith without occasionally attracting a few actual and virtual fingers of scorn from the worldly.” But we should not be afraid because Christ is at the helm and has given us prophets to guide us. We should live by every word that God has spoken, not pick and choose which words to listen to. Although following or teaching the commandments may at times be viewed as an act of intolerance in the world’s eyes, we should demonstrate that we can love all those who belief differently from us. “We can accept and respect others without endorsing their beliefs or actions that do not align with the Lord’s will. There is no need to sacrifice truth on the altar of agreeableness and social desirability.” “While so...

The Covenant Path: The Way to Eternal Life Adeyinka A. Ojediran read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: We are all princes and princesses sent to earth to prove that we will do all that God commands us to do. The Savior was sent to redeem us and to show us the path to return to God. “The path to perfection is the covenant path, and Jesus Christ is the center of all ordinances and covenants.” Christ invites all to come unto Him. Coming unto Christ is done by exercising faith in Him, repenting daily, making covenants, and enduring to the end by keeping our covenants. The Savior emphasized two things to help us keep covenants:  1) “The Holy Ghost can teach us, remind us of the Savior’s teachings, and abide with us forever.” 2) “The Savior instituted the ordinance of the sacrament that we may always remember Him and have His Spirit to be with us.” The sacrament helps us to remember Him and allows us to receive forgiveness when we repent. Questions to Ponder: Evaluate your progress...

Divine Love in the Father’s Plan Dallin H. Oaks read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: We have a unique understanding of Heavenly Father’s plan, and we should seek to understand it and to understand how God’s love explains the Church’s doctrine and inspired policies.  All God’s children (with very few exceptions) will end up in a kingdom of glory—the teaching that after death you end up in either heaven or hell is not correct. There are different kingdoms of glory. Where we end up will depend on “our deeds and the desires of our hearts,” or more specifically, “the laws we choose to abide by in our Heavenly Father’s loving plan” while we are on the earth. “Under that plan there are multiple kingdoms so that all of His children can be assigned to a kingdom where they can ‘abide.’” The Lord’s plan is for all of His children, which is why agency and religious freedom are so important. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emphasizes missionary work and humanitarian aid be...

The Power of Spiritual Momentum Russell M. Nelson read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: If we want peace to exist in the world, we need to individually seek peace and harmony by ending all conflicts in our hearts, homes, and lives. We need positive spiritual momentum to keep us moving forward despite the uncertainty around us. President Nelson suggests “five specific actions we can take to help us maintain positive spiritual momentum.”  1) “ Get on the covenant path and stay there .” Enter the path through baptism, regularly take the sacrament, then make temple covenants, and continue to participate in sacred ordinances. “Ordinances and covenants give us access to godly power.” 2) “ Discover the joy of daily repentance .” Repentance is vital to anyone who desires eternal glory. It is the key to progress. “Please do not fear or delay repenting. Satan delights in your misery. Cut it short. Cast his influence out of your life!”  3) “ Learn about God and how He works .” It is...

Teaching Self-Reliance to Children and Youth Hugo E. Martinez read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: “Self-reliance is defined as ‘the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the spiritual and temporal necessities of life for self and family.’” It comes through “growing in spiritual strength, improving our physical and emotional health, pursuing our education and employment, and being temporally prepared.” “Striving to be self-reliant is part of our work along the covenant path that leads us back to Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. It will strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and joyfully bind us to Him through the covenants and ordinances of salvation and exaltation. Self-reliance is a doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ, not a program. It is a process that lasts a lifetime, not an event.” Youth and children learn self-reliance by learning the gospel, participating in service and church activities, and setting and achieving goals “in four areas of personal devel...

To Heal the World Ronald A. Rasband read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: Religious freedom is under attack. “Religious freedom allows each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe, how we live and act according to our faith, and what God expects of us.” It is “inclusive, liberating, and respectful.” Societies and individuals benefit from religious freedom in four ways: 1) Religious freedom places God at the center of our lives. 2) “Religious freedom fosters expressions of belief, hope, and peace.” 3) “Religion inspires people to help others.” “No question, people of faith, working together, can make significant interventions. At the same time, one-on-one service is often unheralded but quietly changes lives.” 4) “Freedom of religion acts as a unifying and rallying force for shaping values and morality.” During Jesus’ ministry, many people refused to hear him because the concepts he preached were too difficult. But “[i]f religion is not there to help with shaping character an...

For God So Loved Us Michael T. Ringwood read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: “God so loved us that He sent His Only Begotten Son—not to condemn us, but to save us.” This plan is personal to each of us. Heavenly Father “knows our hearts, our names, and what He needs us to do.” In the Bible story of Joseph being sold into Egypt, Joseph’s brother, Judah, promises Jacob that he would bring Benjamin home when the brothers go to Egypt to find food. When Joseph tests his brothers and accuses Benjamin of a crime, Judah offers to be jailed in Benjamin’s place and says, “For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?” Part of the plan includes us helping others to return to him because doing so helps us become like Jesus Christ. We can learn a lot from the Old Testament, which “teaches the role of prophets in uncertain times and of God’s hand in a world that was confused and often contentious. It is also about humble believers who faithfully looked forward to the coming of...

Love, Share, Invite Gary E. Stevenson read, listen, or watch the talk Takeaways: We don’t need a formal call to share the gospel. All we need to do is love, share, and invite. First, love as Christ loved . “Whenever we show Christlike love toward our neighbor, we preach the gospel—even if we do not voice a single word.” We love and serve others without expecting anything in return, although the hope is that they will accept our love and our message. How they react is out of our control, but we control “what we do and who we are.” Second, share . We share lots of things, often, with lots of people. Why not share what we love about the gospel? You don’t have to “sell” the gospel or write a sermon or correct others. Just share positive experiences you have. Third, invite others to a sacrament service, a ward activity, an online video, a temple open house, etc.  Questions to Ponder: "How might we simply add to the list of things we already share what we love about the gospel of Jesus...