Commit to the Lord and you will be happy!
Brothers and Sisters, we have a great ward. I continue to be impressed by the love and kindness shown one to another by the members of our ward. I do feel however that we all have an obligation to work at being better individuals and better children of our Heavenly Father. Since I was called as Bishop I have felt impressed that I needed to talk about the topics I will discuss today.
I do want each of you to know that I love you. We as a Bishopric pray that each one of you will feel the love and experience the blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us. However, I know that one of the important aspects of this life is that we prove our dedication and love for our Heavenly Father. Many of us will be given trials. Some of us may wonder why. I promise you that if you will endure in faith you can overcome your trials.
The Lord has blessings in store for each of us. We can realize these blessing and we will be happy. I have put together three categories towards happiness: first the basics, second the intermediary and third the advanced steps to realizing the blessings that await us.
- The Basics will make you happy
- Personal Prayer
- Using the proper language of prayer shows respect and love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
- Story of Enos
- Don't pray just in the morning and evening but when you need to
- Pray for your enemies as well as well as your friends and family
- Ways to receive an answer
- Praying and receiving an answer is personal revelation
- The most important time to pray is when you feel least like praying
- Using the proper language of prayer shows respect and love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
- Personal Scripture Study
- Memorize the scripture master scriptures
- Great start to your day
- Great end to your day
- Pres Eyring was asked "How has scripture study benefited you personally?" He responded, "
The scriptures were one of the ways God spoke to me—even when I was a child—about my needs, my situation, and my life. They still are. Since our needs change over a lifetime, God has different things to tell us at different times."
- How do you make time for scripture study in these times when we are over-programmed? You have to plan and set aside a time that is for scripture study. That may be first thing in the morning before everything else gets in the way or the last thing before you go to bed or it may be another time that works into your schedule. The point is that you MUST set a time and make it a priority.
- Memorize the scripture master scriptures
- Appropriately taking of the Sacrament
- Why do we attend sacrament meeting? To partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants with the Lord.
- On the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ met with His Apostles and instituted the sacrament (see Luke 22:19–20). After His Resurrection, He instituted the sacrament among the Nephites (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11). Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice. This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. Through this ordinance, Church members renew the covenants they made with God when they were baptized.
- How important is the sacrament if we are commanded to partake of it every week?
- Why do we attend sacrament meeting? To partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants with the Lord.
- The Intermediates will make you happier
- Family Prayer
- Family Prayer is an essential component of strong families. As parents have to ever wanted to maximize the likelihood that your children will choose to follow the Lord? We have been given family prayer to help us have Christ-centered homes.
- 3 Nephi 18:21 - Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.
- D&C 88:119 - Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.
- Family Prayer is the opportunity to teach our children how to pray and that we think pray is important.
- Parents can also teach their children faith, humility and love.
- Family prayer unites family members, strengthens faith, and helps families gain answers to their prayers.
- Family Prayer is an essential component of strong families. As parents have to ever wanted to maximize the likelihood that your children will choose to follow the Lord? We have been given family prayer to help us have Christ-centered homes.
- Family Scripture Study
- I knew latter-day prophets had promised blessings from family scripture study, but could something so simple really bring peace to our home?
- I have to give a lot of credit to my wife for getting us to do family scripture study. Were we consistent throughout the years? No. However, as inconsistent as we were we did make an effort when we fell out of the habit to get back into the routine. I encourage you to make family scripture study a part of your lives.
- I knew latter-day prophets had promised blessings from family scripture study, but could something so simple really bring peace to our home?
- L. Tom Perry said about family prayer and family scripture study, "Never let a day go by without holding family prayer and family scripture study. Put this, the Lord's program, to the test; and see if it does not bless your home with greater peace, hope, love, and faith. I promise you that daily family prayer and scripture study will build within the walls of your home a security and bonding that will enrich your lives and prepare your families to meet the challenges of today and the eternities to come." That is a pretty significant promise.
- Family Home Evening
- We have been told for years. How many times have we heard the quote from David O. McKay, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."? We all can prevent that will regular Family Home Evenings. Parents, this is your opportunity to teach your children about the Gospel and let them understand that you believe it is important.
- Don't forgo the opportunity to bear your testimony in your home to your children.
- Once again, we weren't perfect with FHE. It was harder when our children were young. At times we failed to plan. Other times we failed to prioritize. However, over the years we continued to work at it and get better.
- It doesn't matter where you are today with FHE. Just decide now to do better.
- We have been told for years. How many times have we heard the quote from David O. McKay, "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."? We all can prevent that will regular Family Home Evenings. Parents, this is your opportunity to teach your children about the Gospel and let them understand that you believe it is important.
- The Advanced will make you happiest
- Family History/Genealogy
- I see an amazing thing happening.
- The New Family Search website is going to change the way we search for our ancestors.
- Technology continues to enhance our capability.
- We now have the ability to prepare names to take to the temple in our homes.
- Sis Klarise Richmond has been called as our Ward Family History Consultant. If you have questions about how to proceed with your family history research please contact Sis Richmond.
- I believe we are going to see an increase in the preparation of names.
- I see an amazing thing happening.
- Temple Work
- As more names are prepared we will need to do more temple work. I believe that as the last days draw to an end we will need to do more temple work as a people.
- Brothers and Sisters, please keep your temple recommends current.
- Attend the temple as often as you can. This can be hard when we are raising our families.
- Take your spouse on a date to the temple instead of going to a movie or other entertainment. I promise you that it will help you with your relationship.
- Single members of our ward can find the comfort of our Heavenly Father with regular temple attendance. I know this can be a sacrifice but you will be blessed.
- As more names are prepared we will need to do more temple work. I believe that as the last days draw to an end we will need to do more temple work as a people.
- Personal Missionary Work
- We have been told by church leadership that the missionaries are here to teach.
- We are to find people for the missionaries to teach. We are hundreds strong and we share a set of missionaries with the 6th Ward.
- We have great young men serving here in our ward.
- Ask your friends. Be bold.
- Use the pass along cards.
- Brother Glen Earl is our ward mission leader. Please contact him if you have questions or want to go on splits with the missionaries. Again, you will be blessed.
- We have been told by church leadership that the missionaries are here to teach.
After all is said and done it is up to each one of us. It is up to us to choose the right and make good choices. However, as we do the things that I have talked about today I know that we will be blessed and we will be happy. The opposite is true as we make wrong choices.
Bishop Richmond gave a talk for Ward Conference a couple of years ago. Something he said has stuck with Robynn and I and had an impact for good in our lives. He told us to start each day with the phrase "Just one thing. What is it?".
Please don't feel that there is some much expected of us that you can't possibly do it. Discouragement is one of Satan's tools to get us to fall away from our Heavenly Father's plan. I know that we can make good choices and do the things that will make us happy and experience the joy spoken of in the scriptures. If you feel overwhelmed, start with prayer and choose to do something good every day.
I close with my testimony...
