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Nephi,
who lived in the days of Christ’s personal ministry to America, was
commended for his “unwearyingness” in declaring the word that
he had been given to teach the people.
“…Blessed are
thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld
how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word which I have
given unto thee, unto this people.
And thou has not
feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but have sought my
will, and to keep my commandments.
And now because thou
hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless
thee for ever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith
and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee
according to thy word…”
Helaman 3: 115-117
When we stand before
our heavenly Father someday,
will he have the same commendation for us?
·
Resolve
in you mind that personal sacrifice is necessary and expected by the
Lord in carrying out his work.
(Notice that Nephi was also commended because he had not
“sought his own life”).
If you are feeling a “strain” or challenge to see the
families you have charge over, this probably means you are on the right
track.
·
Make
the conscious choice to make a difference in the lives of a few families. Do not be lulled into believing
that there is “nothing to do” until the Lord sets all things in
order. Consider that
effective ministering in the homes may perhaps be one of the essential
means that the Lord can use to do just that: set all things in order.
·
Remember
that there is not a single man called to the Lord’s work who does not
have competing challenges for his time (i.e. job, family, bills to
pay, personal interests). We
who endeavor to take this responsibility all making this commitment
together, not only to the families being visited, but also to each of us
providing home ministry. This
adds strength. At the same
time, we must trust that each other is endeavoring to carry out his
responsibilities with all diligence, or the morale of the group
may falter.
·
Make each visit
with a specific message and purpose. When going into a home, if the
family asked, would you be able to state in a single sentence your
purpose in coming to that home ?
As ministers for
God, we can't be afraid to teach.
Alma commanded nothing taught varying from
the words which he spoke.
Mosiah
9:51 And it came to pass that Alma, having authority from
God, ordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number
did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them concerning the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
52
And he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the
things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of
the holy prophets.
Home teaching is
what Mormons (i.e. Utah Based LDS Church) attribute their #1 reason for
success. |
