Upon My Holy Day – Rest and Renewal

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland discuses keeping the Sabbath day holy.

RS Mini Lesson for March 25, 2018

RS Mini Lesson—March 25, 2018

“The Sabbath is a day to worship.   

The Sabbath is a day to serve others. ”

Teacher:  Cathy Pratt   

Elder David A. Bednar said: “After God created all things, He rested on the seventh day and commanded that one day each week be a time of rest to help people remember Him. The Sabbath is God’s time, a sacred time specifically set apart for worshipping Him and for receiving and remembering His great and precious promises.

“On the Sabbath we worship the Father in the name of the Son by participating in ordinances and learning about, receiving, remembering, and renewing covenants. On His holy day, our thoughts, actions, and demeanor are signs we give to God and an indicator of our love for Him. “

“Please note that the Sabbath day and the temple, respectively, are a sacred time and a sacred space specifically set apart for worshipping God and for receiving and remembering His exceeding great and precious promises to His children. As instituted by God, the principal purposes of these two divine sources of help are exactly the same: to powerfully and repeatedly focus our attention upon our Heavenly Father, His Only Begotten Son, the Holy Ghost, and the promises associated with the ordinances and covenants of the Savior’s restored gospel. “

Weekly Challenge:  Plan and do an act of service for someone each Sunday until we meet again.

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

The Old Shoemaker

In this classic story by Leo Tolstoy, an honest old shoemaker discovers that by helping those around him, he was really serving the Savior.

RS Mini Lesson for March 18, 2018

RS Mini Lesson—-March 18, 2018

"Three Sisters" 

by Elder Dieter F. Uchdorf

Discussion Leader:  Barbara Janke

“We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has little—if anything—to do with the way others treat us. ”

A long time ago in a distant land lived a family of three sisters:

The first sister was sad. The first sister saw herself as a victim—as someone who was acted upon. Remember who you are. You have the spiritual DNA of God.

The second sister was mad. The second sister was angry at the world. She felt that the problems in her life were all caused by someone else. “Yes,” you might say, “I would be willing to love my enemies—if only they were willing to do the same... but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us. ” 

The third sister was glad. She represents the authentic disciple of Jesus Christ. She trusted God even in the face of ridicule and hardship. Choosing this path of discipleship will lead to untold happiness and fulfillment of your divine nature.

You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad.

You cannot allow them to make you mad.

You can rejoice that you are a daughter of God. You can find joy and happiness in the grace of God and in the love of Jesus Christ. You can be glad.

Weekly Challenge:  Find a way each day to practice being GLAD.

Serve Your Neighbor

This Is Visiting Teaching

Visiting teaching is more than just a calling.

The Errand of Angels

Am I Good Enough?

If you will really try and will not rationalize or rebel—repenting often and pleading for grace—you positively are going to be “good enough.”

RS Mini Lesson for March 4, 2018

RS Mini Lesson—March 4, 2018

"Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually"

by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Discussion Leader: Careen Walker

“If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete.” 

· “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father … in heaven is perfect.” With that concluding imperative, we want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our head. Such celestial goals seem beyond our reach. Yet surely the Lord would never give us a commandment He knew we could not keep.

· As children of God, we should not demean or vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become.

· May I remind all of us that we live in a fallen world and for now we are a fallen people. We are in the telestial kingdom; that is spelled with a t, not a c. As President Russell M. Nelson has taught, here in mortality perfection is still “pending.”

· Except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call “toxic perfectionism.”

· If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection.

Weekly Challenge:  Re-read the talk by Jeffrey R. Holland.  Find something in the message that inspires you to feel greater love and admiration for Christ and a greater desire to be like Him.

Perfection is Still Pending

Child of God

Remember—through a beloved children's song—who you really are.