PROBLEM:
People sometimes argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week (see Philippians 2:1–8, 14–15)
ANSWER:
Church should feel like a safe place where you can escape from the petty conflicts of the world. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Sometimes members will argue and complain over petty matters in church meetings or throughout the week. Gossip, judging, and offensive things can be said that can do untold damage to the feelings of others. As members of Christ’s church shouldn’t we be above the pettiness of the world? We should, of course, but sometimes we slip.
While Paul was imprisoned in Rome he heard of the petty conflicts happening among members and wrote a letter to the Philippians to help resolve the issue and guide the saints. Some of the counsel Paul gave included instruction to seek to be like-minded, to have love for each other, to be of one accord and mind. He cautioned them to let nothing be done out of strife or vainglory.
He taught that it was important to try to put yourself in the shoes of the other person and to try to understand why they did what they did or said what they said. He wanted the saints to give each other the benefit of the doubt, to not murmur against each other, and to stop fighting. But mostly he wanted them to feel love for each other in the same way that Jesus Christ loves each one of us. This love comes from being humble and obedient to the commandments.
He promised that if they would do these things they would be blameless before God. He said as they separated themselves from the worldly bickering they would be a light in the world.
PROBLEM:
Many youth feel that their parents’ testimony is sufficient for them. Since they have good parents, they rely on them for all their spiritual strength (see Philippians 2:12–15 and institute student manual commentary for Philippians 2:12, “Work out Your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling” [pp. 361–62]).
ANSWER:
First, I think it's important to clarify what "fear and trembling" mean. This does not mean that the Lord expects us to be afraid or worried. Instead, he meant that we should serve the Lord with awe and reverence. There is a big difference here! So what does this have to do with leaning on the testimony or spiritual strength of others? Let's look at what Paul had to say: "work out your own salvation".
So does that mean we are on our own? Of course not! If so then we would not have any reason to lean upon the atonement for our salvation. However, the Lord does expect us to do the very best that we can so that our acts will allow the Lord to work within us and help build and strengthen us. He cannot do this if we are not learning, growing, and allowing our own testimonies and spiritual strength to be growing within ourselves as well.
PROBLEM:
An investigator is considering joining the Church, but his family will no longer associate with him if he does (see Philippians 3:7–16; 4:13).
ANSWER:
The Lord loves us and he knows that we love our families and friends. Sometimes new converts risk losing those relationships if they join the church. That is so very unfortunate! My heart aches for those who have been in this situation and I know that the Lord feels much pain over it as well. However, we are counseled by Paul to forget "those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before" (vs13). Sometimes our conversion creates a fork in the road and we have to choose to leave behind some things that were once precious to us - even loved ones. Nevertheless, choosing the Lord is always the right thing to do and we will be blessed for it. We can continue to pray for those we have left behind and hope that someday their hearts will be softened. This may seem like a difficult, almost impossible thing to do, however if we choose the Lord first He will bless us and strengthen us. With Christ we can do all things just as Paul declared.
PROBLEM:
How is this writing assignment an example of the principle taught in 2 Nephi 32:3?
ANSWER:
In 2 Nephi 32:3 we read "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." The principle found in this verse is simply that if we ready the scriptures and truly study them and learn them then they will tell us what we should do in all situations.
In this blog post I have given you just a sampling of how you can find the answers to life's questions from the scriptures. However, if you're not studying them and constantly learning from them then it might be difficult for you to know where to turn. A lot of the challenges we face today have been experienced by others and recorded in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Bible. I know that as we study and become more familiar with the scriptures we will find the answers to all of the problems we are faced with in this life.
How did you and what did you do to complete the assignment?
I prayerfully read the scripture blocks and assigned reading in the manual then wrote this blog post.
Why did you decide to do the assignment you did?
I didn't give it much thought. There were two assignments to choose from so I just picked the first one.
What do you think is the best thing about your assignment, and how do you think it could it be improved?
I really like how I was able to answer the questions directly from the scriptures and manual. They are not my opinion. It could possibly be improved by sharing some examples.
No comments:
Post a Comment