Sunday, September 21, 2008

Today's RS lesson taught by Kristin Ellis from Joseph Smith Manual Chapter #17: "The Great Plan of Salvation."

We started with this statement by Joseph Smith on page 210 of the manual:

“I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end. There never was a time when there were not spirits. …"

We need to remember when we are teaching the plan of salvation to others that although it is helpful to talk about pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal periods in our existence, there is no beginning or end to our spirits.

Why are we here on earth? To receive a body. To have mortal experiences which allow us to learn and become more like god.

The one quote that stood out to Kristin more than any other as she prepared the lesson is this from page 210:

"We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker, and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment.”

We discussed this quote in parts. The discussion topic for the first part: How does acting on the revelation we receive help us to receive more? Some answers:
-Keeping a scripture journal of impressions that come while reading helps me to notice or remember the revelation I receive. -Following President Eyring's counsel to keep a journal of god's hand in my life helps me in a similar way.
-My capacity to recognize revelation increases as I exercise it.

To better discuss the second part of the quote, Kristin asked: How do we live the gospel as Joseph Smith describes without becoming overwhelmed? Some answers:
-Day by day.
-Be realistic and don't beat yourself up.
-Remember that our life happens in stages, and we can't do everything at once.
-Set short-term goals to help you reach long-term goals. I like to mark off goals on charts and give myself rewards.
-When I start the day with a prayer and then report back to god in prayer at the end of the day, I feel a sense of accomplishment, and that god is guiding my day.
-I try to remember that Satan wants us to feel overwhelmed and give up. Christ, on the other hand, wants us to have hope.
-Making Christ an active part of my life makes it all possible.
-Sister Hinckley shared an experience in her book Small & Simple Things about setting a goal to read each of the 4 standard works for 15 minutes each day. After a week or so with very little progress, she realized that she had aimed too high with this goal and modified it.
-I tell people what I'm going to do so that I'll feel accountable.

For the last few minutes of the lesson we talked about the section that starts on page 211 "We came to earth to obtain a body." Kristin asked: How have you gained a testimony of the sacredness of your body? Some answers:
-Seeing someone sick or with a body that doesn't function properly has helped me appreciate how miraculous it is to have a body that works properly. It helps me to respect the gift I've been given, to be able to move freely, to leave a room and go somewhere if I choose.
-I have prayed for help in seeing modest fashions as beautiful.
-I met a man on a plane once who told me how impressed he was by the mormon women at the gym who always dressed differently than the other women.

We ran out of time. Kristin closed by bearing her testimony of the Savior and his central role in our salvation.