Scripture Stories as Patterns for Our Lives

Elder Jay E. Jensen Of the Presidency of the Seventy in a recent Ensign article talks about a scripture study pattern that can help us better understand the scriptures.

When I read this article a few weeks ago I felt strongly that we should use this pattern while studying the Book of Mormon in seminary this upcoming school year. It's a great way to benefit and learn from the scriptures.

Scripture Stories as Patterns for Our Lives (PDF)

Join the Conversation

My seminary class this upcoming school year will be sharing and teaching what they are learning by joining the conversation on the new media. These links below are reference material I'll be using to help my students understand what we can do.

Elder Ballard encourages us to join the conversation in the new media, share the gospel in simple and clear terms including the message of the restoration (Dec 2007):


Click here for the text of his talk

News article of what members are doing to join the discussion:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/mormons-make-their-voices-heard-digitally

Elder Ballard in October 2007 shared the need for clear, simple statements about our faith. Suggests creating a list of simple statements or points:
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-775-9,00.html

Bad Economy is Good

A faltering economy means real suffering for many people.

In some ways having a faltering economy is good. It helps us remember our dependence on our Creator. In remembering this dependence we are humbled, live better lives, and repent. Which is good.

Prophets of old have actually asked for conditions that resulted in a faltering economy. Their purpose specifically was to encourage people to repent and remember who they really are.

Nephi requested "let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee."

Keep our current economic situation in perspective. It is temporary and if it stirs us to a remembrance of our Lord then there is good in it.

- Heleman 11:4-7

The Price of Pleasure

Tiffany and I ate dinner last night at a Cajun restaurant. Yum.

I noticed a middle-aged couple near our table completely enjoying their meal. Heaping plates with blackened shrimp and fish, okra, and peppered french fries. All things Cajun. Bite after blissful bite, no time for talk, just eat and enjoy. Hors d'oeuvres, main course, desert, the works.

After they finished they sat in quiet reverie for a few minutes contemplating the enjoyment they just had, expressions of satisfaction on their faces.

As they got up to leave their expressions changed to discomfort and pain. They both slowly hauled themselves up out of their chairs, one with a cane, the other using the table and chair for support. They were both about 100 pounds overweight.

Then it struck me that for the 15 minutes of enjoyment just concluded they would now suffer the effects of that pleasure 24x7, around the clock, in everything they did. Even sleeping would not give repreive since their sleep would be inhibited. Even while eating they still had to deal with feeling terrible physically.

Imagine if they swapped the amount of time feeling good and feeling bad -- they would spend 15 minutes of pain for feeling good at all times. Wouldn't it be worth it? Ironically when we eat in moderation and eat healthy food a natural pleasure is felt so there wouldn't even be the 15 minutes of pain.

As Alma says, "see that ye bridle all your passions." Following that advice will go a long way to living a truly pleasurable life, one where we can feel good all the time rather than just for a few moments here and there.

- Alma 38:12

Pleasure Has Limits

You might believe that super rich people have much more pleasure in life than you do. This is why many of us envy the rich, picturing a life with no constraints on the fun and pleasure we can have.

The truth is that even super rich people have constraints on the amount of pleasure in their life. Consider this: are their bodies special in some way that they can eat large amounts food and not get fat?

All people, regardless of how much money they have, need to love and be loved, need a purpose in life, need physical exercise, and need mental development. No amount of money can change this.

Regardless of how much wealth you have, you still have to take care of your body, your mind, and your spirit. If you don't you will suffer. So rich people who neglect these things suffer just as much as poor people do.

Instead of envying rich people and thinking that somehow they have much better lives, we should focus on gratitude for the blessings we already have in our lives. Everyone, regardless of challenges or economic position, has blessings to be grateful for.

"Humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."

- Alma 34:38

Know Your Opponent

Two football teams are battling it out. Team A vs. Team B. Each team has their playbooks that define their strategies and plans. Prior to the game, Team A secured Team B's playbook. They also know what Team B's hand signals are. And furthermore, they figured out how to tap into Team B's intercom system and hear the coaches make decisions while the game is being played.

Has the likelihood that Team A will win the game increased? Absolutely.

Knowing your opponents strategies and plans gives the upper hand. It eliminates surprise and you can effectively plan to defend against their attacks and you can launch an effective offense.

Surprise is the #1 factor in winning a battle. When Santa Ana and his troops from Mexico were fighting the Texans in the 1800's, Sam Houston waited patiently until the time was right, mounted a surprise attack, and very quickly and with very little loss completely conquered the invading army, won the battle, and concluded the war. And this was just shortly after the Mexicans had completely whipped the Texans at the Alamo.

There is a spiritual battle going on each day, and each one of us is a participant. The adversary Satan and his minions are constantly trying to deceive us with the intent to overthrow us.

"There are many spirits which are false spirits, which have gone forth in the earth, deceiving the world. And also Satan hath sought to deceive you, that he might overthrow you."

Can we be more effective in this battle by understanding our adversary? Yes! The same principle applies. By understanding that he wants to deceive us with the intent to overthrow us we can focus preventing ourselves from being deceived.

And how do we keep ourselves from being deceived?

"And again, I will give unto you a pattern in all things, that ye may not be deceived; for Satan is abroad in the land, and he goeth forth deceiving the nations—

"Wherefore he that prayeth, whose spirit is contrite, the same is accepted of me if he obey mine ordinances. He that speaketh, whose spirit is contrite, whose language is meek and edifieth, the same is of God if he obey mine ordinances. And again, he that trembleth under my power shall be made strong, and shall bring forth fruits of praise and wisdom, according to the revelations and truths which I have given you."

- D&C 50:2-3, 52:14-17

To Have and to Hold

To own something means it's yours. But is it really?

Some people buy sailboats and some join sailing clubs and use the clubs boats.

Sure there are some distinctions. The owner can use the boat whenever they want. The club member has to schedule. The owner pays insurance and maintenance while the club member does neither.

Picture a club member relaxing in his borrowed boat looking at nice wood paneling in the state room and enjoying the deep tones of the grains and polished surface.

Now picture a boat owner in their state room enjoying the wood paneling in the same way.

The similarities are interesting. Both enjoy it the same and neither one can take it with them.

When we die we take none of our possessions. Anything we 'own' is just a temporary stewardship. Maybe it's a few hours at a time while we sail a club boat or a few years if we buy a boat. But either way it's not truly ours because we will not possess it forever.

Our intelligence we possess forever. Our sealed relationships we keep forever. But nothing physical on this earth is ours and we are deceiving ourselves if we believe otherwise. We are but stewards of things for a brief time while we are here.

"And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you."

It's silly to be proud of our possessions because they aren't even ours which makes the pride so vain it exposes our self deception for others to see.

Everything we 'have' actually belongs to the person who created us.

- Mosiah 2:25

Proud Parents or Blessed Children

Parents spend so much time and energy raising children. If a grown child compliments their parents for being just (guided by truth, fairness, reason, and justice), what did the parents do to deserve it?

Teaching our children about physical and spiritual things will deserve that compliment. By taking the primary responsibility to teach our children we will deserve the same praise that Enos had for his father.

"I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—"

What greater compliment could a child give a parent than this gratitude?

- Enos 1:1

Perserverance and the Reward

Have you ever reverse-engineered a web site to programmatically extract data? Most people probably never have and never will do this.

There are thousands of hurdles that have to be overcome. Tiny details that will prevent the objective from being met. If one little semi-colon shows up in an unexpected place either the extraction will completely fail or the data will be invalid.

The only way to successfully automate data extraction from a web site is to keep at it. When a problem comes up it must be solved. This could take hours and sometimes days but forward progress is stopped until it's resolved.

Giving up anytime before the job is complete is the same as not starting at all. There is no partial completion and partial reward. It's either accomplished or it isn't.

"And let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts."

Building the Nauvoo temple was the object of the perseverance mentioned in this scripture. Nothing great is accomplished without diligence, perseverance, and patience. Redouble the effort, push harder, and the reward will be received.

- D&C 124:4

Shortest Verse in the New Testament

"Jesus wept." It may be the shortest verse in the New Testament but it's profound in what it teaches.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

"And I lay down my life for the sheep."

When "Jesus wept" he outwardly expressed the deep love he felt inside. When he atoned for us and lay down his life, he outwardly expressed the deep love he felt inside.

And for whom did he feel that love, for whom does he feel it now? You. Personally and individually.

- John 11:35, 15:13, 10:15