Living as Zion's people

I have seen many times how far we are from those characteristics of people in the Zion.

I loved how Neal A. Maxwell put this as "When people govern themselves, there's no law necessary to govern them." *(Not exactly put as this but conceptually same).

When we choose to work toward the same goal . . . We understand that we must ignore our frailities or others' frailities . . . Picking up after each other ungrudgingly.

One sightful lesson Clint and I learned from our children was last Friday.

Clint instructed children to clean their rooms then as soon as when everyone got their rooms clean, we all can go swimming. Well, girls cleaned their room without any frictions. However, it is different for boys. Ian and Timmy bickered over whose doing what, what belongs to whoever, or whatsoever . . . Clint told Ian, "What is wrong with doing extra work just that we all can go swimming?" Ian was stubbornly resolute . . . Timmy HAS to clean his stuff up! In the end, nobody went swimming. Suzy was so sad! Girls both achieved the end but boys didn't. But all paid the price just because few won't do their part.

That is pretty sightful for Clint and me! We came to an understanding that to become truly Zion's people, we need to be unitified in all things. We must accept that we may come short because of few.

That message reasonated with Clinton's mother and she also added how we are put into family unit for that purpose. We need to learn how to work together. Through our families are we able to become Zion's people.

Two weeks, no post

What is three weeks compared to the recent thing I did- 1 1/2 years ago? Ha.

Actually, I was out to South Dakota for a week to help dad with some of mom's and his personal stuff. We have had nice five days with him. We had the opportunity of cooking him meals, cleaning some parts of his house, and all. We just wanted to do that because we love him as our dad and remembering our promise to mother that we will take care of dad when mom passes away.

Today, I want to concentrate on a topic . . . Celebrating the meaning of change.

I truly believe that "change" is a word that only exists in this mortal life. In this existence, we witness change in action daily. Seasons, earth shifting into different landscape, cycle of caterpillar into moth, things in entropy state, growing old. We instinctively are fascinated. Why? The state we came from is very much unfamiliar with this concept, "change".

We knew forgiveness exists because things always change . . . Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow . . . Things always are different. With that entropy state we are in, we also forget things constantly.

Also, there's a miracle of repentance that only exists in this life. As Alma has mentioned,, "And thus we see, that there was a ^atime granted unto man to repent, yea, a ^bprobationary time, a time to repent and serve God." Alma 42:4

This probationary time as was mentioned earlier is only made possible because of this state we are living in. We are capable of repentance. Alma has warned that "And if their works are evil they shall be ^arestored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be ^brestored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—^cmortality raised to^dimmortality, ^ecorruption to incorruption—raised to ^fendlesshappiness to ^ginherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—" Alma 41:4

If we choose to continue what we want to do . . . We hardly will change in the day of resurrection. However, if we decide to improve ourselves, change the way we think, and have desire to do right thing . . . That's the state we will be resurrecting into. We don't change when we become resurrected. As Alma said, we are just "restored" to our former state. Alma also taught that once when we become resurrected, we won't be able to change ourselves because we are moving back into a state that we once were in premortal state.

When we are in "perfect" state, we become incapable of change.

As we consider the steps of repentance, we usually read those steps as:

1. faith in God

2. confess

3. feel sorrow

4. abandonment of sin

5. restitute

6. righteous living

I didn't realize until recently that we also need to recognize the most important step (like 12 steps) . . . We need to understand that we have to admit/accept that we have the problem the foremost. We need to recognize that prior behavior/habit we have been having is destructive to ourselves and the others.

We all must come to that realization that we are human and we need to change . . INEVITABLY. Changes as many have said are always very good. Change motivates us to be better.

How much often do people rejoice with changes? VERY often! They are happy when leaves fall, they are happy when snowflakes come out, and they are happy when snow is melting and flowers are peeking out.

We must concentrate on rejoicing how we are capable of changing. Instead of letting go of our bad habits and thinking of how people criticizing us because we did something wrong . . . We must concentrate on the opportunity of changing ourselves. We must let go of worrying so much about others hurting us and celebrate for the opportunity of trusting in the Lord and letting Him to teach us.

I was asked to speak last Sunday and here is the copy

Bearing Testimony

What an interesting topic! How often do you hear that sort of topic being shared. It led me to wonder why this topic was chosen. What is needed to be said about it . . .

Our Stake President always is inspired. There's a good cause in why this topic was chosen. In Zion, we know how dangerous it is to declare that all is well.

2 Nephi 28:21

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

The reason we are discussing this topic is because we MUST always be on constant watch on the subject of self-improvement.

Testimonies we hear are done once a month and bore so frequently that they are staples of being member of Jesus Christ's Church. We are beginning to take it for granted. It shouldn't be! Testimonies are part of miracles we have the privilege of witnessing.

The miracle of bearing testimony is not well-understood of many. Many don't know how it blesses other's lives. To fully understand why it is miracle we witness daily while we hear the others bearing the testimony.

Gifts of the Spirit . . .

13To some it is given by the ^aHoly Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

14To others it is given to ^abelieve on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.

Doctrine and Covenants 46:13-14

As those scriptures, we are taught that there are two gifts involved- To know by the Holy Ghost and to believe on their words. Those are two gifts among many and those are gifts especially related to bearing the testimony.

We are given the gifts as soon as we become members of His Church for one major reason:

21Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the ^aSpirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?

22Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are ^aedified and ^brejoice together.

Doctrine and Covenants 50:21-22

Those gifts are designed to help us to grow in this great endeavor of God's work. We need those miracles to know that Heavenly Father has His Hand in our lives.

To show our true appreciation for those gifts, we need to strive for better ways to bear our testimonies. We need to always remember that they are miracles given to us by Heavenly Father who loves us very much.

Elder Packer have stated one way to improve ourselves as this:

Elder Packer shared a story of his experience with the missionaries . . .

“After hearing 206 missionaries stand up and make an expression, I finally came to the realization that we had heard 205 talks and only one testimony. The responses went something like this: 'I'm grateful to be a missionary. I'm glad to be on a mission. I have a great companion. I love my companion. I've had good companions all the time. We had a great experience last week. We were tracting (and so on), . . . and so you see how grateful I am to be on a mission. I have a testimony of this gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”

“These missionaries had talked about testimony, but they had talked around and through it, underneath it and over it, but never to it. It was marvelous what happened when we were able to show them how one bears testimony.

There are two ways to spell bear. Bear means to carry . . . Bare means to expose or reveal or make known.”

1. We carry testimony everywhere with us.

2. We need to bear direct witness.

3. Bearing the testimony is something of an experiment: It is an act of faith.

4. A testimony is found in the bearing of it.

As parents, we know how important it is to be a good example. As we bear our testimonies to our children, our children will learn how to bear their testimonies. As they grow into adults, they will know how to bear their testimonies.

I remember when I was growing up, I never felt certain about how I should bear my testimony. I often have asked myself . . . “How do I know it is true?” I was not certain about those experiences I have had that truly are my testimony. How can I know for sure?

Elder Packer addressed that as “Young people, do not apologize or be ashamed because you cannot frame into words that you know in your heart to be true. Do not repudiate your testimony merely because you have no marvelous manifestations to discuss . . . We sympathize with you and know how difficult it is to hold to the truth, particularly when professors of worldly knowledge-some of them counterfeit Christians-debunk and scoff. We know from personal experience that you may have some doubts. You may wonder at times, 'Can I ever really know for sure?' You may even wonder, 'Does anyone really know for sure?' . . . In answer to your question, 'Can I ever really know for sure?' we answer, 'Just as certainly as you fill the requirements, that testimony will come.' The Lord never said, nor was it ever pretended, that this testimony yields itself to scientific investigation, to mere curiosity, or to academic inquiry.” (Bear the testimony)

-How I “KNEW”

-All I have come into contact with God . . . All always have been deeply printed on my soul

-There are some I am willing to share and there's some that are too sacred to share.

-When I stand up in the testimony, I strive as much as I can in sharing how I learn from the gospel through life issues I am working on. As I am honest with myself, I am not afraid of sharing the truth with the others.