This last Sunday, I substituted for a friend of mine who was sick, and taught the Teaching for Our Times lesson in Relief Society. I taught from the General Conference talks: Free Forever, to Act for Themselves, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Yes, Lord, I Will Follow Thee, by Elder Eduardo Gavarret.
I taught mainly from Elder Christofferson's talk (which is on agency), but I touched on a few points from Elder Gavarret's talk (which is on choosing to follow Christ), and those are the points I want to focus on for this post.
"The invitation to “follow Him” is the most simple, direct, and powerful invitation we can receive. It comes from a clear voice that cannot be confused.
". . . it is an invitation to act.
"As you strive to come to Him, you will gain the power to relieve life’s burdens, whether physical or spiritual, and experience a positive inner change that will help you be happier.
"The decision to “come unto me” and “follow me” is personal.
"Reach out your hand, touch His garment, accept His invitation, say, “Yes, Lord, I will follow Thee!”—and walk with Him.
"What steps can we take today to “walk with Him”?
1. Feed the desire to be a better follower of Christ.
2. Pray for this desire that your faith in Him may grow.
3. Obtain knowledge from the scriptures, lighting the way and strengthening your desire to change. (emphasis added because it is talking about scripture study!)
4. Make the decision today to act and say, “Yes, Lord, I will follow Thee!” Simply knowing the truth will not change your world unless you turn knowledge into action.
5. Persevere in the decision you have made by exercising these principles daily."
As I am forming my goals for the coming year, I was grateful for the reminder to choose goals that reflect using my agency to wisely follow my Savior, Jesus Christ.
From Elder Christofferson's talk, "we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives consistent with justice and moral agency. My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with."
1. Exert ourselves, make an effort, we have to do more than want it, we have to ACT!
2. Repent, get rid of the baggage that is weighing us down!
3. Choose to follow God, to come unto Him, walk with Him. Make the conscious effort to act in a way that is pleasing to Him. Blessings upon blessings will follow as we make that choice! We will be happier!
I am all for a happier 2015!
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