Sacrament Meeting Talk–February 28. 2016

Adam and I have been asked to talk about the scriptures, that's it, no other direction. As I thought about what I might say that hasn't been said a million times or that would help us to understand the scriptures better, my thoughts turned to my grand daughter Natalie. Natalie loves music, she sings all the time. She learns music easily and if there is anything you want her to learn, teach it to her through music!

I asked Natalie what her favorite primary song was and she said I like to look for rainbows. Now Natalie is barely 4 years old and she is obsessed with My little Pony. Her most favorite character is Rainbow Dash. So I teased her and asked if that song was about Rainbow Dash and that is why she loved it. She looked me right in the eye and said no Nana, it's a church song about when I get baptized! Ponies don't get baptized!

I have often said that the scriptures are our school books, our workbooks to help educate us during this life. So we should use them, we should mark them, we should gain an understanding of them. But sometimes they are difficult to understand, so why not use other inspired words to help us and our little ones to come to know the scriptures and to love them.

For instance:

Matthew 7:24-27

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these saying of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

So we can remember this scripture by singing

the wise man built his house upon the rock

and the rains came tumbling down

the rains came down and the floods came up

and the house on the rock stood still

the foolish man built his house upon the sand

and the rains came tumbling down

the rains came down and the floods came up

and the house on the sand washed away

How many of you had a hard time not singing that?

Something interesting about that song, and I have no idea whether it was intentional or not, but if something is repeated 3 times it makes a memory that is easier to recall.

I asked Natalies' sister Brooke, totally out of the blue one day, what does a wise man do? She said, he builds his house on a rock so it won't wash away!

But to take it just a lesson further, what is the rock upon which we build our house?

Helaman 5:12

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Psalm 62:1-2

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

We build our house upon our Redeemer, our rock, and then what? What do we do next?

Mosiah 2:22

And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you

D&C 59:23

But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

How can we remember this? What should run through our minds when we wonder if it's worth making a right choice?

How about:

Keep the commandments, keep the commandments

In this there is safety; in this there is peace

He will send blessings, he will send blessings

Words of a prophet, keep the commandments

In this there is safety and peace

We have been taught all our lives to keep the commandments, we know we should, but we are free to choose, and choices can make our lives a little rough. And how do we know what makes a good choice or a bad choice?

Moroni 7:16-17

For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God

but whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil' for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him

2Nephi 2:27-28

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great mediator, and hearken unto his great commandment: and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit

And so we teach our children and ourselves to hum our favorite hymn when we have a choice or an unwelcome thought, so how about we teach choice like this:

Choose the right when a choice is placed before you

in the right the holy spirit guides

and its light is forever shining o'er you

when in the right your heart confides

choose the right let no spirit of digression

overcome you in the evil hour

there's the right and the wrong to every question

be safe thru inspirations power

choose the right there is peace in righteous doing

choose the right, there's safety for the soul

choose the right in all labors you're pursuing

let God and heaven be your goal

I left the chorus off and some of you feel very unfulfilled right now! Think of the numerous lessons in those lines!

How about we round it off with

Mosiah 2:41

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual, and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true: for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Blessed and happy state if we keep the commandments, never ending happiness, how fantastic is that? We all know that doesn't mean we won't have trials or that our lives will be perfect, but most of us have learned that the peace we can feel through trials, the feelings of being carried through our trials are most precious and help us to feel blessed and happy even when things are tough.

What can make our choices easier? What can make our trials more bearable?

Knowing who we are and where we came from.

D&C 138:56

Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men

Teach it like this

I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true

Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you

Then Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,

All about earth and eternal salvation for man

Psalm 82:6

I have said, Ye are Gods; and all of you are children of the most High

Think of it, Ye are Gods and children of the most High. Look at your little ones, they are Gods and children of the most high, what is your responsibility to them?

Mosiah 4:15

But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; yes will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another

From the very youngest to the oldest, we know this lesson in song

I am a child of God

and he has sent me here

has given me an earthly home

with parents kind and dear

lead me, guide me, walk beside me

help me find the way

teach me all that I must do

to live with him someday

If we would learn the simple lessons of that one song it would change how we treat each other, how we treat and teach our children. It would change our lives.

Lets learn more about where we came from

Abraham 3:22-26

Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligence's that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones

and God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good: and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born

And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them

and they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate: and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever

When the world teaches your children about evolution and big bang theories and being descended from monkeys, you can teach them about Abrahams vision. He saw our premortal life, he saw Jesus Christ and heard the plan for the formation of the earth.

You can help them remember by singing these songs

I know my Father lives and loves me too

The spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true

he sent me here to earth by faith to live his plan

the spirit whispers this to me and tells me that I can

my life is a gift; my life has a plan

my life has a purpose; in heaven it began

my choice was to come to this lovely home on earth

and seek for God's light to direct me from birth

I will follow God's plan for me

holding fast to his word and his love

I will work and I will pray

I will always walk in his way

then I will be happy on earth

and in my home above

While we are here on earth to learn, we are not left alone. Father wants us to call home often, as often as we need to and maybe more than that.

How do we call home?

Psalm 55:17

Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice

Matthew 6:9-13

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly

but when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking

Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him

After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which are in heaven, hallowed be thy name

thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.

Amen

So that is our pattern for prayer, but day after day and all through the day we are to offer prayer, what should we pray about?

Alma 34:18-27

yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him

Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks

Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid day and evening

Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies

yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness

Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.

Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase

but this is not all, ye must pour out your souls in your closets and your secret places and in your wilderness

Yea and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

We teach the children

I kneel to pray evr'y day

I speak to Heavenly Father

he hears and answers me

when I pray in faith

I begin by saying, Dear Heavenly Father

I thank him for blessings he sends

then humbly I ask him for things that I need

in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

we bow our heads and close our eyes

and say a little prayer

we thank our Father graciously

for blessings we all share

we bow our heads and close our eyes

and ask that thru the day

the Lord will keep us safe from harm

at home, at school or play

let us gather in a circle

and kneel in family prayer

to thank our Heavenly Father

for the blessings we all share

let us thank him for our mealtime

for clothes we daily wear

for parents, home and family

for his kind and loving care

Lets broaden the minds of our children and teach them about their family members who have come before, teach them to serve them through family history and temple work

D&C 138:47-48

The prophet Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers

Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the dispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming

We start simply by singing

Families can be together forever

through Heavenly Fathers plan

I always want to be with my own family

and the Lord has shown me how I can

Fam'ly history, I am doing it

my family history

and the love I feel when i'm doing it

is very sweet to me

I learn stories of my progenitors

I write their history

I keep records of my loved ones

on my own family tree

family living now and the ones who've died

can all be sealed to me

and someday I'll meet every one of them

I'm sure as I can be

oh what joy we'll have when they say to me

we're all a family

I am yours and your are mine now

through all eternity

Abraham 1:31

But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me

I have a family tree

with branches by the dozens

I have grandpas, I have grandmas

I have uncles, aunts and cousins

When it's reunion time

no matter what the weather

it is such a happy day

when the family gets together

There are scriptures and songs to teach of the birth of Christ, the example he set of baptism, his death and resurrection. We can teach of keeping the sabbath day holy, the golden rule, not having contention in the home. We learn to be kind, to be a missionary and of our heritage as members of the church. We learn of service, sacrifice, humility and pride. We learn of prepardness, enduring to the end, obedience, reverence, there are never ending lessons in our scriptures and dozens of beautiful songs written with inspiration to help us learn and remember them.

I admit that I didn't find a scripture reference for Once there was a snowman, or head shoulders knees and toes, the birthday song, the hinges song or do as I'm doing. But I'm going to give them one

2Nephi 2:25

Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy

And truly, if we know who we are and what we have the potential to become, how can we not have joy? But isn't it wonderful to have proof in the scriptures that our Father wants us to have joy?

Father in heaven put us here in families. We started as a family in our pre mortal life and I'm sure we were taught in family units. There is no better way to teach our children than in a family unit.

Our little 4 year old Aleena was caught on video in her parents room using the bedpost as a microphone while she bore her testimony about heavenly father and thanked him for princess Ariel.

Our 15 month old Ella folds her arms and mutters what we assume is a prayer over her food after everyone else's has been blessed, just in case we missed something!

Example is so important, but remember that teaching our children the ways of the Lord is a commandment!

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

And thou shalt love the Lord the God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Isaiah 54:13

And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children

How will they know, the ones for whom we care,

that God is love and with us everywhere

that life is good, with blessings all can share

how will they know unless we teach them so?

How will they learn that, though they go astray

God will forgive and help them find the way

how will they feel the spirit day by day

how will they know unless we teach them so

how will they grow in wisdom and delight

how will they choose to follow what is right

how can they trust the future will be bright

how will they know unless we show them

how will they live when they at last are grown

what will they give to children of their own

will they reflect the values we have shown

how will they know, as on through life they go

how will they know unless we strive to teach them so?

I say these things in the name of...................