Cease To Contend

"Cease to contend one with another; cease to speak evil one of another." (verse 23)

1. Why do you think this counsel could be helpful?

It would help us to realize that we should not be concerned with the affairs of others. It would help us to become more unified and less contentious, for it would help us to realize that we need to be peacemakers.

2. How can you apply this counsel as you interact and work with other people?
This scripture has taken an important place in my heart. I learned it a while ago, and have been working on applying it to my life for over a year now. It has been a challenge to work on, but I have been able to learn to hold my tongue and be the peacemaker instead. I've been able to learn to love those I serve, and the more positive I am, the more positive others are. :)

Keep smiling!

JS :)

You Are Never Alone

“‘Do not fear, for I the Lord am with you’ [D&C 68:6].

“You are not alone on this journey. Your Heavenly Father knows you. Even when no one else hears you, He hears you. When you rejoice in righteousness, He rejoices with you. When you are beset with trial, He grieves with you.

“Heavenly Father’s interest in you does not depend on how rich or beautiful or healthy or smart you are. He sees you not as the world sees you; He sees who you really are. He looks on your heart. And He loves you because you are His child.

“… Seek Him earnestly, and you will find Him.

“I promise you, you are not alone.” ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Your Wonderful Journey Home

You are never alone! 

So keep a smile on your face. :)

~JS

The Worth of Souls

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

"Remember the worth of souls is GREAT is the sight of God."

This scripture has really stood out to me lately. We are all beloved children of God--His love for us is eternal. No matter how many mistakes we make, He will help us out of them and reach out to touch our lives. His love for me has inspired me to look for the good in others and see that they are absolutely amazing individuals! The worth of souls in great--so great that we are blessed daily with God's love. Because of this scripture, I have been blessed with the love for others that I didn't have before. I have been given the gift to reach out and shine my light to others so that they can, in turn, shine themselves. You are amazing!

Keep smiling,

~JS

I Choose To Love!

This week, I have been thinking about love, and its great effect on us. As I read scriptures for Seminary today, I came across many that involved love.

First, Doctrine and Covenants 6:19, 30.

"Be patient; be sober; be temperate; have patience, faith, hope and charity.

...Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward."

These things listed all involve love. Doing good is an act of love towards others, and towards our Heavenly Father, who loves us. Serving others = Serving God (see Mosiah 2:17).

Next, the Beattitudes, found in 3 Nephi 12:3-12.

"...blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

To be poor in spirit is to be humble. Humbling ourselves and coming unto Christ are acts of our love for our Father in Heaven and Christ.

 "...blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."

When we mourn, we are often showing that we care for others. Especially when we "mourn with those that mourn" (see Mosiah 18:9). Caring for others is loving others.

"...blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

 To be meek is to be patient and calm. Choosing to act with patience is choosing to act with love.

"...blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost."

By hungering and thirsting after righteousness, we are gaining a sincere desire to live righteously. By sincerely trying to live righteously, we are showing love for our Heavenly Father.

"...blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Showing mercy to others is showing love. When we are merciful, we are acting in love.

"...blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

When we are pure in heart, our desires, intents and actions are pure. By being pure in heart, we acting in love.

"...blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Choosing to be a peacemaker is a hard decision. But when we do, we are choosing to love others through our decision, no matter what the consequences are.

"...blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven."

As Latter-Day Saints, we are God's chosen people. When we choose to follow God's commandments, even in persecution, we are showing our love and devotion to God.

And finally, 3 Nephi 12:22-25, 27-30, 43-45.

Verses 22-25 talk about loving others, despite their actions. We need to love others as ourselves.

Verses 27-30 talk about controlling our thoughts and desires. As we control our thoughts and passions, we will be filled with love.

Verses 43-45 talk about loving our enemies, and doing good to others, despite their actions. Again, love others, and sincerely try to be loving.

As we choose to love, we choose to fill our lives with the light of Christ, for the light of Christ is centered on love. Each Christlike attribute has something to do with love. Love is a powerful thing. Love can change the world. Today, I choose to LOVE!

-JS

Love From, Love For, Love Like

My Seminary lesson this morning was about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love. President Uchtdorf had many great things to say about Their love.

"Since 'God is love,' the closer we approach Him, the more profoundly we experience love. But because a veil separates this mortality from our heavenly home, we must seek in the Spirit that which is imperceptible to mortal eyes. Heaven may seem distant at times, but the scriptures offer hope: 'Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.'" (Ensign, Nov. 2009)

"Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple's path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning and wonder. Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship. Love is the way of the disciple." (Ensign, Nov. 2009)

So, how can we feel love FROM Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

"Hereby perceive we the love of [Christ], because he laid down his life for us..." 1 John 3:16
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10

This is evidence enough that They love us. God sent His greatly loved Son to suffer and die for us, and take upon Him the burdens of the world, so that we could have the chance to repent and be resurrected into our true form, and return to live with Him again.
I also think that the Spirit has an important part in this. If we are constantly in tune with the Spirit, then we can more easily feel the the love from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Spirit will bring Their love into our homes, and into our hearts.

How can we feel love FOR Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." 1 John 5:3

If we love Them, we need to keep Their commandments. It's a simple as that. We need to have Their commandments written on our hearts, and keep them as constant reminders. The greatest commandments are about love. 

"...The first of all the commandment is, ...thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31

This leads into my final subject--
How can we feel love LIKE Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
"For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." 1 John 3:11
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ...Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. ...If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:7, 11-13

If we desire to love like Them, we need to first love others, and work on finding the good in everyone. Love your neighbor as yourself. Everyone is different. God made it that way. He made it so that we all have weaknesses, but so that we can turn the weaknesses into strengths. Part of that is learning to love one another. When we learn to love one another, we learn to love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

To conclude, here are some questions to ponder and answer.
~Are you doing your part to receive and recognize love from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
~How are you demonstrating your love for Them and where would you like to improve?
~Are you learning and practicing love like Them?
~What does Their love mean to you?

Always remember that you are loved--so greatly that it is hard to imagine. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always watching over you and filling you with Their love!
-JS