A bishopric message published in the November 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
In a few weeks we will celebrate another Thanksgiving. As we think about the Lord’s goodness to us, as we contemplate the abundance He has bestowed upon us, as we marvel at the blessings and opportunities that are ours, we have every reason, as the Psalmist has written, to “enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).
With this poetic invitation before us, we are reminded of the everlasting goodness of our God: “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:5).
Few things, however, bother Him more than the ingratitude of His children: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21).
Rather, we are to do all “things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances” (D&C 59:15). And if we “do this, the fulness of the earth is [ours], . . . for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; . . . to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul” (D&C 104:16, 18, 19).
“For the earth is full,” the Lord reminds us, “and there is enough and to spare; . . . therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment” (D&C 104:17–18).
The Lord is really quite serious about this matter of our sharing with others. Indeed, if we hope to retain a remission of our sins, we are required to “impart of [our] substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally” (Mosiah 4:26), as many among us do so very well.
At this season of the year, we thank you for the goodness of your lives. We thank you for being the kind of decent, Christian neighbors you are supposed to be. We thank you for all that you do to enrich and bless and lift those about you. May God grant you the joy and peace that come from having grateful hearts, from confessing His hand in all things, from sharing your substance with those less fortunate, and from keeping His commandments.
Showing posts with label 1998. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1998. Show all posts
Friday, April 18, 2008
22. Bishopric Changes
A bishopric message in the September 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette, which was also published as “A Final Word” in the August 31, 1998, issue of the Family Journal. Larry Young had been released as my first counselor in the bishopric to be sustained as ward mission leader. Kevin Thueson was moved from second to first counselor, and Hyde Frederickson was called as the new second counselor.
Words do not begin to express the love and appreciation I feel for Larry Young, who two weeks ago was released as first counselor in the bishopric to serve as our new ward mission leader. He has been a capable and faithful servant of God. He has ably served the Lord and each of you. I am confident that he and Iris will do well as stake missionaries.
The inspiration behind Larry’s new call came clearly, obviously by surprise, and in a manner reminiscent of the calls to Barnabas and Saul described in the second verse of the 13th chapter of Acts. I relied heavily on Larry in my administration of the ward, and I suspect the Lord had to intervene so directly to overcome my natural reluctance to give up my right arm, as it were.
I am grateful for Kevin Thueson’s willingness to continue his service in the bishopric, serving now as the new first counselor. Kevin is an uncommonly sensible person, sound in his counsel and judgment, devoted to your welfare. He is a faithful warrior, something like a Captain Moroni, who “was a strong and mighty man; . . . a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and freedom of his country; . . . a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people; . . . a man who was firm in the faith of Christ” (Alma 48:11–13).
And I am thankful that the Lord has called Hyde Frederickson to serve as the new second counselor in the bishopric. I look forward to working with him.
Larry and Iris replace Clyde and Carol StClair, who for the past three years have served with distinction as stake missionaries. The StClairs have patiently, quietly, and effectively gone about proclaiming the gospel and in marvelous ways have touched hearts, blessed lives, and brought souls unto Christ. They are rightly regarded by some as though they were “like unto angels of God” (D&C 42:6).
The gratitude and affection I have expressed concerning these few people is the same I feel for all of you who seek in your respective assignments to magnify your callings and bless the lives of those about you.
My earnest prayer is that each of us may live to merit the Divine approbation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Words do not begin to express the love and appreciation I feel for Larry Young, who two weeks ago was released as first counselor in the bishopric to serve as our new ward mission leader. He has been a capable and faithful servant of God. He has ably served the Lord and each of you. I am confident that he and Iris will do well as stake missionaries.
The inspiration behind Larry’s new call came clearly, obviously by surprise, and in a manner reminiscent of the calls to Barnabas and Saul described in the second verse of the 13th chapter of Acts. I relied heavily on Larry in my administration of the ward, and I suspect the Lord had to intervene so directly to overcome my natural reluctance to give up my right arm, as it were.
I am grateful for Kevin Thueson’s willingness to continue his service in the bishopric, serving now as the new first counselor. Kevin is an uncommonly sensible person, sound in his counsel and judgment, devoted to your welfare. He is a faithful warrior, something like a Captain Moroni, who “was a strong and mighty man; . . . a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and freedom of his country; . . . a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people; . . . a man who was firm in the faith of Christ” (Alma 48:11–13).
And I am thankful that the Lord has called Hyde Frederickson to serve as the new second counselor in the bishopric. I look forward to working with him.
Larry and Iris replace Clyde and Carol StClair, who for the past three years have served with distinction as stake missionaries. The StClairs have patiently, quietly, and effectively gone about proclaiming the gospel and in marvelous ways have touched hearts, blessed lives, and brought souls unto Christ. They are rightly regarded by some as though they were “like unto angels of God” (D&C 42:6).
The gratitude and affection I have expressed concerning these few people is the same I feel for all of you who seek in your respective assignments to magnify your callings and bless the lives of those about you.
My earnest prayer is that each of us may live to merit the Divine approbation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
21. All Things Bear Record
A bishopric message written on Monday and Tuesday, July 27–28, 1998, and published in the August 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
Summer is passing quickly—a little too quickly for those who enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures. And yet the passing of the seasons, as the earth makes its annual orbit about the sun, reminds us that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
The Savior, in His premortal role as the Lord Jehovah, declared that “all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). That doesn’t leave much out.
“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ,” wrote the prophet Nephi, “and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Nephi 11:4).
A later Nephi testified concurrently, “Ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true” (Helaman 8:24).
Recently we celebrated Pioneer Day. Those of us who have traveled to other parts of this great country or even to distant parts of the earth know that there is much of beauty and goodness and opportunity across the face of the earth. Yet, we are privileged to live in a peaceful, blessed area that was preserved by the hand of God for His peculiar purposes.
This desert area, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy, has blossomed as a rose. Among other things, that should remind us ever and always that we are the Lord’s covenant people, the sheep of His pasture. It should remind us that the Lord God Almighty has set His hand again to gather scattered Israel and bring them home. It should remind us that He keeps His promises, all of them, and that nothing will ever fail of all His goodness toward us if we keep the covenants we have made with Him.
May we “with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances” (D&C 59:15), always be found among “those who confess . . . his hand in all things, and obey . . . his commandments” (D&C 59:21).
Summer is passing quickly—a little too quickly for those who enjoy the longer days and warmer temperatures. And yet the passing of the seasons, as the earth makes its annual orbit about the sun, reminds us that “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).
The Savior, in His premortal role as the Lord Jehovah, declared that “all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). That doesn’t leave much out.
“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ,” wrote the prophet Nephi, “and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Nephi 11:4).
A later Nephi testified concurrently, “Ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true” (Helaman 8:24).
Recently we celebrated Pioneer Day. Those of us who have traveled to other parts of this great country or even to distant parts of the earth know that there is much of beauty and goodness and opportunity across the face of the earth. Yet, we are privileged to live in a peaceful, blessed area that was preserved by the hand of God for His peculiar purposes.
This desert area, in fulfillment of ancient prophecy, has blossomed as a rose. Among other things, that should remind us ever and always that we are the Lord’s covenant people, the sheep of His pasture. It should remind us that the Lord God Almighty has set His hand again to gather scattered Israel and bring them home. It should remind us that He keeps His promises, all of them, and that nothing will ever fail of all His goodness toward us if we keep the covenants we have made with Him.
May we “with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances” (D&C 59:15), always be found among “those who confess . . . his hand in all things, and obey . . . his commandments” (D&C 59:21).
20. Springtime
A bishopric message written on Monday, April 27, 1998, and published in the May 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
Springtime. What a glorious time of year. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time of hope and promise. A time when the very earth bears record of Him who made it (see Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4 Alma 30:44; and Helaman 8:24).
Although in concert with the rest of the Christian world we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at Christmas time, we believe from latter-day revelation that it really happened in the spring of the year, during that season when shepherds would be “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
It was also in the spring of the year, at the season of Passover, when the Lamb of God worked out what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has called “the awful arithmetic of the atonement,” causing the Savior “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18) that He might take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses and the infirmities and the sins of His people (see Alma 7:11–13).
It was also on an early spring morning, the first day of the week, when faithful women arrived at an empty tomb to become the first witnesses of His glorious resurrection.
And it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820 that the boy Joseph walked into a grove of trees near his New York farmhouse and, in answer to his humble prayer, saw the Father and the Son in that glorious vision that opened the dispensation of the fulness of times.
These and a score of other springtime events associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ—such as the restoration of the priesthood in May 1829 and the organization of the Church in April 1830—all remind us of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, [we] might be saved” (D&C 138:3–4).
May God bless us, as we enjoy this season called spring, to remember always these evidences of His love.
Springtime. What a glorious time of year. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time of hope and promise. A time when the very earth bears record of Him who made it (see Moses 6:63; 2 Nephi 11:4 Alma 30:44; and Helaman 8:24).
Although in concert with the rest of the Christian world we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus at Christmas time, we believe from latter-day revelation that it really happened in the spring of the year, during that season when shepherds would be “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8).
It was also in the spring of the year, at the season of Passover, when the Lamb of God worked out what Elder Neal A. Maxwell has called “the awful arithmetic of the atonement,” causing the Savior “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit” (D&C 19:18) that He might take upon Him the pains and the sicknesses and the infirmities and the sins of His people (see Alma 7:11–13).
It was also on an early spring morning, the first day of the week, when faithful women arrived at an empty tomb to become the first witnesses of His glorious resurrection.
And it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820 that the boy Joseph walked into a grove of trees near his New York farmhouse and, in answer to his humble prayer, saw the Father and the Son in that glorious vision that opened the dispensation of the fulness of times.
These and a score of other springtime events associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ—such as the restoration of the priesthood in May 1829 and the organization of the Church in April 1830—all remind us of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world; that through his atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, [we] might be saved” (D&C 138:3–4).
May God bless us, as we enjoy this season called spring, to remember always these evidences of His love.
19. The Only Day We Have Is Today
A bishopric message written on Wednesday, January 28, 1998, and published the following Sunday in the February 1998 issue of the Bountiful Twentieth Ward Newsette.
The passing of loved ones—as has happened in recent weeks to a couple of people in our neighborhood—is a fresh reminder to each of us of the transitory nature of this mortal life. We are here for such a brief moment.
A loving Heavenly Father has sent us here to this earthly boarding school to obtain our physical bodies, to gain experience, to learn to use our agency to see if we will “choose . . . this day, to serve the Lord God who made you” (Moses 6:33). As the Book of Mormon reminds us, “this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24).
Our Father designed an excellent test for us here in this mortal curriculum. The nature of that test is to see how we will use our agency to make it through life. Every day we are confronted with choices. We make decisions. We determine how we will use our time, our talents, our opportunities. Since there is never quite enough time to do or have or be everything we want, the nature of our choices reflects what we really desire out of life. Day by day we are selecting what we really deep down inside want to become.
“There is only one day that you and I have to live for,” said Harold B. Lee, “and that’s today. There is nothing we can do about yesterday except repent, and there may be no tomorrow. The thing for us to do when we arise from our beds, as God gives us a new day, is to take whatever comes to our hands and do it to the best of our ability.”
That sounds like good advice to me, as does this bit of counsel from the Old Testament: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).
The passing of loved ones—as has happened in recent weeks to a couple of people in our neighborhood—is a fresh reminder to each of us of the transitory nature of this mortal life. We are here for such a brief moment.
A loving Heavenly Father has sent us here to this earthly boarding school to obtain our physical bodies, to gain experience, to learn to use our agency to see if we will “choose . . . this day, to serve the Lord God who made you” (Moses 6:33). As the Book of Mormon reminds us, “this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24).
Our Father designed an excellent test for us here in this mortal curriculum. The nature of that test is to see how we will use our agency to make it through life. Every day we are confronted with choices. We make decisions. We determine how we will use our time, our talents, our opportunities. Since there is never quite enough time to do or have or be everything we want, the nature of our choices reflects what we really desire out of life. Day by day we are selecting what we really deep down inside want to become.
“There is only one day that you and I have to live for,” said Harold B. Lee, “and that’s today. There is nothing we can do about yesterday except repent, and there may be no tomorrow. The thing for us to do when we arise from our beds, as God gives us a new day, is to take whatever comes to our hands and do it to the best of our ability.”
That sounds like good advice to me, as does this bit of counsel from the Old Testament: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).
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