Choose Eternal Life | RANDALL K. BENNETT

After listening to this talk three times in a row to prepare for this morning's visiting teaching appointment, I've had this stuck in my head.  It's great!  Every time I feel like wasting time (or am wasting time), this question pops into my head:

Are you choosing eternal life?

When I am mad or annoyed at someone, am I choosing eternal life by staying mad?  When I'm on Facebook or Pinterest, am I choosing eternal life?  Choosing eternal life is not just a one-time deal--it's a choice we make every day many times a day.  It's a good question to ask.

Preparation & Diligence

We are being prepared for priesthood service that will become more challenging with time. For instance, our muscles and our brains age as we do. Our capacity to learn and remember what we have read will diminish. To give the priesthood service the Lord expects of us will take more and more self-discipline every day of our lives. We can be prepared for that test by building faith through service as we go.
The Lord has given us the opportunity to prepare by something He has called “the oath and covenant [of] the priesthood.”3
It is a covenant we make with God to keep all His commandments and give service as He would give it if He were personally present. Living up to that standard as best we can builds the strength we will need to endure to the end.
Great priesthood trainers have shown me how to build that strength: it is to form a habit of pushing on through the fatigue and fear that might make you think of quitting. The Lord’s great mentors have shown me that spiritual staying power comes from working past the point when others would have taken a rest.

Preparation in the Priesthood: “I Need Your Help” | HENRY B. EYRING

Getting Acquainted

Here's a great quote I found today in the YWs manual from Elder M. Russell Ballard:

“How do the names of bishops and stake presidents and General Authorities surface in the minds of those who have the responsibility of extending the call? … I shall tell you how I think it is. I believe in revelation—and so do you—and I believe that the Lord is getting acquainted with you right now. You missionaries that are preparing to go on your mission, do not let one day go by on your mission when you do not demonstrate to the Lord that you are reliable, that you are trustworthy, that you are dedicated, that you are committed, that you are on his side, for he is getting acquainted with the young men and the young women of this Church today. … Every day of your life he gets acquainted. Then, after he has watched you and after you have demonstrated your faithfulness by your service and by your ability to keep your priorities straight in your life, along comes a need for a high councilor, a Primary president, a Relief Society president, a bishop, or a stake president; and the Lord makes it known to the responsible priesthood leader that you are ready because you have lived up to the commitments and promises that you made before you were ever born” (“Speaking Today,” Ensign, Mar. 1979, p. 71).

I think of the time Peter and I were talking to the Seawright's about someday serving in China a couple of Sundays ago.  Somehow, the conversation turned to the topic of them serving as mission presidents over in China someday.  Brother Seawright was like no . . . we have no connections up high (referring to how Peter does).  After reading this quote, I think oh yes you do!  Who can be higher than our Heavenly Father?  I want to share this quote with the missionaries sometime as I'm teaching one of the fundamentals.

Grace

I was preparing for my first Canto subbing outside in the MTC when I heard this amazingly upbeat fervently share his testimony and experience of being at the MTC learning Spanish.  He said that a teacher once told him to read about the word grace in the Bible Dictionary whenever he felt tired.  

Grace. A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
     It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.
     Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25:23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches (John 15:1–11).

After reading this scripture, this young elder decided to put it to the test.  As he was about to drift off to sleep while studying his many vocabulary words in TALL, he decided to expend all the energy he had left in effort to keep going and not fall asleep.  Suddenly, he received a boost of energy and was able to memorize many words in Spanish!


I shared this scripture with my Honey last night when he was so discouraged with his hospital bills.  There are times when all of us feel sorrow and forget why we have so many troubles.  I prayed that he would feel peace and the love of Heavenly Father as he read and he did.  :)

Back to the Basics

So I've finally come to the conclusion that I really need to keep a study journal again for my personal study!  I just started teaching at the MTC last week so I figure it's the best time.  :)  Yesterday, I taught a lesson on scripture study in YW.  I felt the Spirit strongly as I testified and invited the girls to follow through with their commitment to do personal study each day for the amount of time they set.

Here are some things I want to do in this journal:

• I want to study Preach My Gospel again as there is still much to learn and it's been a while since the mission days!  It says, "The purpose of personal study is to strengthen your knowledge and testimony of the restored gospel and help you prepare to meet the needs of those you teach. . . . use a study journal to help you undersatnd, clarify, and remember what you are learning." (viii-x) 
• I also want to go through the YW Personal Progress program again.  It's changed so much since I was in YWs!  Besides, there are some cute ribbons and stickers I want to earn.  :)
• I want to learn more about Christ through the Topical Guide.
• I want to learn more about my patriarchal blessing by looking up key terms and related scriptures.

So far, so good!