Worship...my responsibility

This week as I have been reading in the beginning of Mosiah a particular theme caught my attention and that was WORSHIP. As I read about King Benjamin and how he called the people to him and what he taught them I was very interested in that theme of coming to meetings and learning and worshiping

The first verse that impressed me was Mosiah 2:5, “And it camp to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest, every family being separate from each other.” As I read this verse I was so thankful that we worship as families. That we as a family have always sat together at church, not with friends or apart but as a family and “every family separate from each other”. In an article by E. Jeffrey Hill a contributor for the Church News gave several ideas about ways that we could worship as a family on the Sabbath. They are as follows:

1. Get to bed early on Saturday Night- family members can better worship together if they are rested.
2. Pray and read together- “just because Sunday is different, do not get out of the weekday routine of family prayer and scripture reading”
3. Give Priesthood Blessings- this is a day to turn our hearts to each other, also share patriarchal blessings with each other.
4. Fast as a Family- There is strength and learning that happens as we fast and pray together
5. Proclaim the Gospel
6. Redeem the Dead- Sunday is a great day to do family history work as a family

The next verse about worship that I as drawn to was that of Mosiah 2:9, “…for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you would harken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.” As I read this verse I thought about my own personal worship and how do I come to hear those things being taught in my meetings? Have I prepared myself to hear, understand and have the mysteries unfolded to me? A quote from President Kimball explains that our personal worship is our responsibility. “We do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility, and regardless of what is said from the pulpit, if one wishes to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, he may do so by attending his meetings, partaking of the sacrament, and contemplating the beauties of the gospel. If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord”

My worship is my responsibility. I must come to church each week prepared to be taught by the spirit and to have His mysteries unfolded to me.

Strategies of the Devil

This week has been a week with lots of new information and understanding about how the Lord would have his church run and how He would ask us to live and obey him. With so many weighing in on social media, I found that I was torn back and forth on what was truth and what Heavenly Father would want me to do and understand. I was thankful for my study in the scriptures this week as I concentrated on the strategies of the devil in these the latter days. I desire to understand how the devil works and recognize in my life when he is putting things in my path that are there to cause me to stumble. It takes work and diligence to stay steady and when we begin to stumble to increase our hold on the rod of iron, or the word of God, and steady ourselves against the false doctrine and strategies that promote “the kingdom of the devil” (2 Nephi 28:19)
 I found in my study this week the words of Bishop Richard C Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric to bring great comfort and warning. He warned about the reality and attacks of the advisory:
“We have … had very specific warnings regarding Satan’s power, influence, and determination. Nephi prophesied more than twenty-five hundred years ago of the trials and turbulence that you would face. You all know the scripture. It is found in the 28th chapter of 2 Nephi: “For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all s well- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” [2 Nephi 28:20–21] “I believe this scripture is true. I believe the time is now. And I believe the target is you. For the most part, Satan has made great strides in establishing and selling his value system, which is based upon the son of man, not the Son of God: ‘Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die’ (2 Nephi 28:7) and ‘There is no hell’ (2 Nephi 28:22). His is a value system based upon selfishness, self-indulgence, and immediate gratification. Thus we see devastating decisions constantly being made by those of your age. We see cultures infested with drugs, sex, alcohol, pornography, laziness, and many other spiritually devastating practices. But that does not have to be you. “President Gordon B. Hinckley has warned us and pleaded with us: ‘I wish to say in the strongest language of which I am capable, stay away from moral iniquity. You know what is right and wrong. You cannot use ignorance as an excuse for unacceptable behavior. … “‘I beg of you, my dear young friends, to avoid such behavior. It will not be easy. It will require self-discipline. … You need the strength that comes of prayer’ (“To Men of the Priesthood,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 58–59)”
 President Hinckley asks that we stay away from that which Satan would make look appealing. We must head the warning issued by Isaiah “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” ((Isaiah 5:20) We must stand for what is right and we need to be strong and call upon the Lord in prayer to help us to withstand the evil that is so prevalent in our communities.