Obedience Please!
Obedience Please!
Soooo I'm giving a lesson this Sunday on Obedience, and I'm trying to find good, solid, profound, majestic quotes/scriptures/Ideas. Please share your favorite quotes (or anything) on the matter!! This is my first relief society lesson...so your help would be much appreciated. Thank you's!
The pants say: Just say no!
Re: Obedience Please!
o.k here are some good ones.
The whole story of the Book of Mormon is a story that speaks of the people who, when they were righteous, when they worshipped Jesus Christ, prospered in the land and were richly and abundantly blessed of the Lord; and when they sinned and went astray and forgot their God, they fell into misery and war and trouble. Your safety, your peace, your prosperity lie in obedience to the commandments of the Almighty. . . .
We are all part of a great conflict that is going on. This conflict has been going on since the war in heaven. It is the conflict between good and evil. It is endless. We shall never know the end of it in our lifetime. We must be strong. We must be faithful. We must be true. We must stand up for that which is right as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. God help us to do what is right. (Guatemala City Guatemala North and South Regional Conference, January 26, 1997.) - President Gordon B. Hinckley
I often think of that which is really a summation:
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
I have heard many discourses upon that, with which I could not agree, not fully, because I believe the Lord meant just what he said, that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave, before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.
But here we lay the foundation. Here is where we are taught these simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this probationary state, to prepare us for that perfection. It is my duty, it is yours, to be better today than I was yesterday, and for you to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you were today. Why? Because we are on that road, if we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on that road to perfection, and that can only come through obedience and the desire in our hearts to overcome the world. That is all. - President Joseph Fielding Smith
It is important to understand that obedience is not simply a requirement of a capricious God who wants us to jump hurdles for the entertainment of a royal court. It is really the pleading of a loving Father for you and me to discover, as quickly as we can, that there are key concepts and principles that will bring happiness in a planned but otherwise cold universe. (A Time to Choose, pp. 13-14.) - Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Those who talk of blind obedience may appear to know many things, but they do not understand the doctrines of the gospel. There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind; we are obedient because we can see. The best control, I repeat, is self-control. (83–01, p. 66)
We are free to be obedient. Some people are always suspicious that one is obedient only because he is compelled to be. They indict themselves with the very thought that one is obedient only because he is compelled to be. They feel that one would obey only through compulsion. They speak for themselves. I am free to be obedient, and I decided that—all by myself. I pondered on it; I reasoned it; I even experimented a little. I learned some sad lessons from disobedience. Then I tested it in the great laboratory of spiritual inquiry—the most sophisticated, accurate, and refined test that we can make of any principle. So I am not hesitant to say that I want to be obedient to the principles of the gospel. I want to. I have decided that. My volition, my agency, has been turned in that direction. The Lord knows that. (71–11, p. 255) -President Boyd K. Packer
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection,... but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
Re: Obedience Please!
Well, well, well...today is your lucky day! I gave a lesson on obedience in 2008 when we were in the Joseph Smith manual. The part about teaching children about obedience may not really apply, but there are some other things in here that might be helpful. Good luck, Emma!:
OBEDIENCE (J. Smith Ch. 13; p. 159) 7/20/08
This month’s First Presidency message from Pres. Uchtdorf. He asks, “Are we diligent in living the commandments of God, without running beyond our strength? Or are we just leisurely strolling along? Are we using our time, talents, and means wisely? Are we focused on the things which matter most? Are we following the inspired counsel of the prophets?” Mentions FHE. “Let us in humility and faith refresh our dedication and our commitment to follow the prophets, seers, and revelators in all diligence. Let us listen and be instructed and edified by those who hold all the keys of the kingdom. And as we listen and follow them, may our hearts be changed that there will be a great desire to do good. Thus we will be pioneers in building a spiritual foundation that will establish the Church in every part of the world, that the gospel of Jesus Christ may become a blessing for each child of God and unite and strengthen our families.”
What does it mean to be obedient? We are constantly being counseled to be obedient, but what does that entail? Some examples that have been helpful to me...
• President Joseph Smith: DON’T HESITATE p.160 “No month ever found me more busily engaged than November; but as my life consisted of activity and unyielding exertions, I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.” I flatter myself by thinking I can relate to this. But it’s true!
• President Monson: DON’T GIVE UP from his address in last April’s General Priesthood Session. Phone call from a woman who’s father was dying of liver cancer, asked President Monson to visit: “Because of meetings and obligations, it was rather late when I left my office. Instead of going straight home, however, I felt impressed that I should drive further south and visit Brother Salas that very evening. With the address in hand, I attempted to locate the residence. In rather heavy traffic and with dimming light, I drove past the location where the road to the house should have been. I could see nothing. However, I don't give up easily. I drove around the block and came back. Still nothing. One more time I tried and still no sign of the road. I began to feel that I would be justified in turning toward home. I had made a gallant effort but had been unsuccessful in finding the address. Instead, I offered a silent prayer for help. The inspiration came that I should approach the area from the opposite direction. I drove a distance and turned the car around so that I was now on the other side of the road. Going in this direction, the traffic was much lighter. As I neared the location once again, I could see, through the faint light, a street sign that had been knocked down—it was lying on its side at the edge of the road—and a nearly invisible, weed-covered track leading to a small apartment building and a single, tiny residence some distance from the main road. As I drove toward the buildings, a small girl in a white dress waved to me, and I knew that I had found the family.”
• Saul: EXACTNESS/DON’T SECOND GUESS. This is an example of what not to do. 1 Samuel 15.
• The Pioneers: BE FAITHFUL. Taking that step into the unknown is often a part of obedience. D&C Section 136. Revelation about how to gather was given to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters. So many of them were already well on their way. Verses 4 and 11. I’m so grateful for their legacy of faith and obedience that we still look to for strength today.
What blessings do we receive when we are obedient? Why to we strive to be obedient?
• HAPPINESS: Joseph Smith said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
• KNOWLEDGE (among others): D&C 130:18-21 (in verse 19, knowledge and intelligence is obtained through diligence and obedience).
• IMPROVED CIRCUMSTANCES (neat, huh?): I love this promise from Joseph Smith (p.163), “God will not command any thing, but what is peculiarly adapted in itself, to ameliorate [improve] the condition of every man under whatever circumstances it may find him, it matters not what kingdom or country he may be in.”
• FREEDOM: Boyd K. Packer, Doctrines of the Gospel, p.47: “Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to him the one thing, the one gift that he would never take. Think of giving him that one thing that he would never wrest from you. Obedience—that which God will never take by force—he will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of—the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousandfold more than we offer him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience.”
• ETERNAL LIFE: J. Smith bottom of p.163: “God has in reserve a time, or period appointed in His own bosom, when He will bring all His subjects, who have obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, into His celestial rest. This rest is of such perfection and glory, that man has need of a preparation before he can, according to the laws of that kingdom, enter it and enjoy its blessings. This being the fact, God has given certain laws to the human family, which, if observed, are sufficient to prepare them to inherit this rest.”
How do we teach children and youth to be obedient? (This one has been weighing heavily on my mind, and I am anxious to hear your responses). What has been effective for you that you learned for yourself or from a parent or mentor, etc?
BREAKOUT SESSION: I Want to Live the Gospel playing in background. When the music stops, so do you.
LYRICS: “I want to live the gospel, to know that its teachings are true, to follow the plan of my Savior and live as he wants me to do. I want to live the gospel, to know I am heard when I pray, to know that I will be happy because I have learned to obey. I will try in all I do and say to live the gospel more each day [repeat].”
Example: We have the important responsibility to live the gospel, as Elder Holland said, “as conspicuously as you can.” He counsels us to “Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.”
Standing alone: J. Smith (p.161), “The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what He tells us to do. It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular, I will always maintain a true principle, even if I stand alone in it.”
Obedience is an eternal principle, the same principle by which Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith, the pioneers are saved, is a part of our own personal salvation.
God has given us laws and direction because He loves us and wants us to be happy in this life, and wants to prepare us to be with him forever. We can be, as Elder Packer said, at least a thousandfold more than we offer him. He will magnify our efforts. He will magnify US.
Sisters, I promise you that you will be more happy and your life will feel more meaningful as you work to be more obedient to the commandments the Lord has blessed us with.
Dearest Children, verse 3. For our children and for ourselves: “Children, God delights to teach you By his Holy Spirit’s voice. Quickly heed its holy promptings. Day by day you’ll then rejoice. Oh prove faithful, Oh, prove faithful To your God and Zion’s cause.”
OBEDIENCE (J. Smith Ch. 13; p. 159) 7/20/08
This month’s First Presidency message from Pres. Uchtdorf. He asks, “Are we diligent in living the commandments of God, without running beyond our strength? Or are we just leisurely strolling along? Are we using our time, talents, and means wisely? Are we focused on the things which matter most? Are we following the inspired counsel of the prophets?” Mentions FHE. “Let us in humility and faith refresh our dedication and our commitment to follow the prophets, seers, and revelators in all diligence. Let us listen and be instructed and edified by those who hold all the keys of the kingdom. And as we listen and follow them, may our hearts be changed that there will be a great desire to do good. Thus we will be pioneers in building a spiritual foundation that will establish the Church in every part of the world, that the gospel of Jesus Christ may become a blessing for each child of God and unite and strengthen our families.”
What does it mean to be obedient? We are constantly being counseled to be obedient, but what does that entail? Some examples that have been helpful to me...
• President Joseph Smith: DON’T HESITATE p.160 “No month ever found me more busily engaged than November; but as my life consisted of activity and unyielding exertions, I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it.” I flatter myself by thinking I can relate to this. But it’s true!
• President Monson: DON’T GIVE UP from his address in last April’s General Priesthood Session. Phone call from a woman who’s father was dying of liver cancer, asked President Monson to visit: “Because of meetings and obligations, it was rather late when I left my office. Instead of going straight home, however, I felt impressed that I should drive further south and visit Brother Salas that very evening. With the address in hand, I attempted to locate the residence. In rather heavy traffic and with dimming light, I drove past the location where the road to the house should have been. I could see nothing. However, I don't give up easily. I drove around the block and came back. Still nothing. One more time I tried and still no sign of the road. I began to feel that I would be justified in turning toward home. I had made a gallant effort but had been unsuccessful in finding the address. Instead, I offered a silent prayer for help. The inspiration came that I should approach the area from the opposite direction. I drove a distance and turned the car around so that I was now on the other side of the road. Going in this direction, the traffic was much lighter. As I neared the location once again, I could see, through the faint light, a street sign that had been knocked down—it was lying on its side at the edge of the road—and a nearly invisible, weed-covered track leading to a small apartment building and a single, tiny residence some distance from the main road. As I drove toward the buildings, a small girl in a white dress waved to me, and I knew that I had found the family.”
• Saul: EXACTNESS/DON’T SECOND GUESS. This is an example of what not to do. 1 Samuel 15.
• The Pioneers: BE FAITHFUL. Taking that step into the unknown is often a part of obedience. D&C Section 136. Revelation about how to gather was given to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters. So many of them were already well on their way. Verses 4 and 11. I’m so grateful for their legacy of faith and obedience that we still look to for strength today.
What blessings do we receive when we are obedient? Why to we strive to be obedient?
• HAPPINESS: Joseph Smith said, “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.”
• KNOWLEDGE (among others): D&C 130:18-21 (in verse 19, knowledge and intelligence is obtained through diligence and obedience).
• IMPROVED CIRCUMSTANCES (neat, huh?): I love this promise from Joseph Smith (p.163), “God will not command any thing, but what is peculiarly adapted in itself, to ameliorate [improve] the condition of every man under whatever circumstances it may find him, it matters not what kingdom or country he may be in.”
• FREEDOM: Boyd K. Packer, Doctrines of the Gospel, p.47: “Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to him the one thing, the one gift that he would never take. Think of giving him that one thing that he would never wrest from you. Obedience—that which God will never take by force—he will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of—the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousandfold more than we offer him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience.”
• ETERNAL LIFE: J. Smith bottom of p.163: “God has in reserve a time, or period appointed in His own bosom, when He will bring all His subjects, who have obeyed His voice and kept His commandments, into His celestial rest. This rest is of such perfection and glory, that man has need of a preparation before he can, according to the laws of that kingdom, enter it and enjoy its blessings. This being the fact, God has given certain laws to the human family, which, if observed, are sufficient to prepare them to inherit this rest.”
How do we teach children and youth to be obedient? (This one has been weighing heavily on my mind, and I am anxious to hear your responses). What has been effective for you that you learned for yourself or from a parent or mentor, etc?
BREAKOUT SESSION: I Want to Live the Gospel playing in background. When the music stops, so do you.
LYRICS: “I want to live the gospel, to know that its teachings are true, to follow the plan of my Savior and live as he wants me to do. I want to live the gospel, to know I am heard when I pray, to know that I will be happy because I have learned to obey. I will try in all I do and say to live the gospel more each day [repeat].”
Example: We have the important responsibility to live the gospel, as Elder Holland said, “as conspicuously as you can.” He counsels us to “Keep the covenants your children know you have made. Give priesthood blessings. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.”
Standing alone: J. Smith (p.161), “The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what He tells us to do. It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular, I will always maintain a true principle, even if I stand alone in it.”
Obedience is an eternal principle, the same principle by which Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith, the pioneers are saved, is a part of our own personal salvation.
God has given us laws and direction because He loves us and wants us to be happy in this life, and wants to prepare us to be with him forever. We can be, as Elder Packer said, at least a thousandfold more than we offer him. He will magnify our efforts. He will magnify US.
Sisters, I promise you that you will be more happy and your life will feel more meaningful as you work to be more obedient to the commandments the Lord has blessed us with.
Dearest Children, verse 3. For our children and for ourselves: “Children, God delights to teach you By his Holy Spirit’s voice. Quickly heed its holy promptings. Day by day you’ll then rejoice. Oh prove faithful, Oh, prove faithful To your God and Zion’s cause.”
Re: Obedience Please!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Lily: You're a life saver!!! I loved the steps you had in the lesson, Thank You!
Mommy: I appreciated the quotes, Thank You!
Lily: You're a life saver!!! I loved the steps you had in the lesson, Thank You!
Mommy: I appreciated the quotes, Thank You!
The pants say: Just say no!
Re: Obedience Please!
When thinking about obedience, I'm always reminded of President Monson's talk May You Have Courage from the April 2009 conference where he quotes Ted Koppel:
And President Hinckley's wonderful promise:The commandments of our Heavenly Father are not negotiable! Powerful is this quote from news commentator Ted Koppel, host of ABC’s Nightline program for many years. Said he:
“We have actually convinced ourselves that slogans will save us. ‘Shoot up if you must; but use a clean needle.’ ‘Enjoy sex whenever with whomever you wish; but [protect yourself].’ No. The answer is no. Not no because it isn’t cool or smart or because you might end up in jail or dying in an AIDS ward—but no, because it’s wrong. . . .
“What Moses brought down from Mt. Sinai were not the Ten Suggestions, they are Commandments. Are, not were.” (Duke University commencement address, 1987).
I believe that if we will walk in obedience to the commandments of God, if we will follow the counsel of the priesthood, he will open a way even where there appears to be no way.
When God can do what he will with a man, the man may do what he will with the world. ~George MacDonald
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests