Lesson Two: Finding Principles

Finding Principles

"We are instructed to 'come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness' (Moroni 10:32), to become 'new creature[s]' in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off 'the natural man' (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience 'a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon 'the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah' (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn." —Elder David A. Bednar "Ye Must Be Born Again," Ensign, May 2007, 19‑20 Acts 16-20. 1Cor 1-3. 1Thes. 2Thes. Acts 16:14 Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit each day. Acts 16:25-35 Be a missionary even, and especially, when all seems lost. Acts 17: 11 Prepare your mind to receive the gospel each day. Acts 17:28 It is through Him and because of Him we live, breathe and move—Christ is our everything. Acts 18:5-6 You can share and share the gospel day in and day out, but you can’t force it on anyone. A testimony has to be gained individually through the Holy Spirit of Christ. Acts 18:9-11 Fear not, for the Lord is always with me. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit each day.   Acts 16:14 I love this scripture because of the faithful example Paul and Lydia portray. It teaches me that I always need to be prepared each day to not only teach the gospel, but to receive it as well. Just as it says in Acts 17:11 "...received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily...." After reading this short, yet powerful story of Lydia's conversion, it caused me to question how sensitive I am to the Holy Spirit each day. It is not enough to simply say I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unless I live and act accordingly. As I was reading in Acts 16, it really struck me how intune with the spirit Paul was and how swiftly he was to obey the Lord. It says in verse 10 that he "immediately" left to go to Mecedonia. He did not question. He saw the vision given him and right away obeyed. (Acts 16:9-10) I sometimes wonder if I would have enough faith to act like Paul did here. If I was asked, would I be willing to go without hesitation? After seeing in the vision that a man in Macedonia needed help, he began to make the journey. As soon as he got there, he prayed. Yet another fine example of how we should strive to pattern our lives--praying always. It was then that Lydia, who even though was not a member of the church, allowed the Lord to soften her heart. She then was baptized. This is just another testimony that when we promptly obey the whisperings of the Spirit, lives will be blessed. Because Paul obeyed, and because Lydia was sensitive to the Holy Ghost, the Lord was able to bless them both. There are many that are ready to come unto God...we need to pray that they may be found so that the eternal goodness of the gospel and tender mercies of the Lord may ever be with them. Fear not, for the Lord is always with me.  Acts 18:9-11 This scripture gives me great comfort; especially when it comes to missionary work. I love how the Lord tells Paul to, "Be not afraid...for I am with thee...." I inserted my name for Paul's in this verse and it makes it so much more personable, as if the Lord is speaking to me and telling me to fear not and share the gospel. Looking further at the context of this scripture, Paul had just left the Jews because they were rejecting his message about Jesus Christ.  No wonder he may have been a little hesitent to now preach to the Gentiles. But the Lord comes to him in a vision and tells him to speak, and to fear not because he is not alone, the Lord is with him. All to often I pass up opportunities to share the gospel because I am too afraid of rejection, or whatever the reason may be. But, as this scripture outlines, if I would but faithfully turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer, He would then fill me with the words to say. There is no need to fear; especially since if we let fear enter our hearts, it pushes out the room for faith. We cannot share the gospel without faith in our own hearts first. This scripture then goes on to say that Paul was able to "teach the word of God" for another year and a half to these people! That is remarkable to me. It just goes to show that the Lord's will will be done and that we are never alone. A classmates principle:  "We have been sent to Earth in a very specific time.  Acts 17:26 There have been times where I wished I would have been born in a more peaceful, less-troubled era. We know that in the years to come there will be wars and rumors of war (not that we already don’t have them) and that the opposition will intensify. We have a quote displayed in our apartment, it says, "We no longer have the luxury of spending our energy on anything that does not lead us and our families to Christ...'In the days ahead, a casual commitment to Christ will not carry us through." (Sister Sheri L. Dew). Having said that this scripture brings me comfort because in my mind Heavenly Father sent me here at this time, than I must be capable of dealing with all the opposition (1 Nephi 3:7). Be self-reliant and give to the poor. Acts 20:34-35 I like that Paul takes the time to tell us he didn't get paid for his service and that he had to work  to put food on the table. Not only did he provide for himself, but he also helped the needy wherever he went. I would think that he was too busy preaching and traveling to work, to not only takes care of his necessities, but that of others as well. What do we learn? That we must be self-reliant and be willing to give to those that need. This makes me think of food storage and being debt free. Today, we are told to be prepared very much like in the old days. If we are not ready, then how can we help others that need assistance?" My response: I love both your principles. But the second one really hit me because it reminds me alot of what my husband says. Sometimes (okay a lot of the times) I want to travel and go places and do things that cost money. But my husband has to remind me that some time in life (when he has a stable job) we can do those kinds of fun things, but right now when we are in school we have to live more within our means. It has been our goal to graduate debt free. We both graduate next moth. But then it's on to grad school. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that maybe a little too often I get irratated with it and just want to say, "Oh well, let's just splurge and go to Hawaii." But really I am thankful for how wise my husband is being. Not only is he looking out for our family financially, but he is obeying what our Prophet has commanded us to do--to stay out of debt. I like the point you made above too, how when we are prepared and ready, then we can help others, too.  When we are debt free, it is then that we can give to others that are in need; especially family members. I know that in order to lift another person up...you yourself have to be on higher ground. My husband is always looking to help/give to others. He would not be able to do that as efficiantly if our family wasn't taken care of first. I am so thankful for how strong he is in this area, it has helped me become more generous and willing to give/share with others. Thank you for bringing this principle to my attention...even though I read this chapter...my mind must have been else where. This principle has helped me to refocus my thoughts on what I know is right. It has also helped to realign my priorities in life. More importantly, it has made me realize how truly grateful I am for all that my husband does for me and our baby boy. I know there is great blessings that come when we learn to be self-reliant. And it doesn't just stop there. Because it is one thing to become self-reliant. But it is another to learn to then give to the poor/needy.  Thus, we must learn to become self-reliant and give to the poor as Paul exemplified in Acts.