Gospel Doctrine OT c37: Isaiah 22-30

Gospel Doctrine OT c37 Isaiah 22-30

Maybe invite class members to answer the question:  Has anyone done anything really wonderful for you? Have you thought, “Wow, that’s Wonderful!”

READ Isaiah 25:1 “O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”

Today we are studying Isaiah (somewhere between 22-30). Isaiah and other prophets like him used a lot of imagery and symbolism. One of the reasons they used these things to teach is because it allowed them to reveal and to conceal the truth about the Lord and His gospel. 

Gerald N. Lund offers some ideas to help understand the symbolism.

1. Look beyond the symbol for its intended meaning.

2. Look for the interpretation of the symbol in the scriptures themselves.

3. Look for Christ in the symbols and imagery of the scriptures.

4. Let the nature of the object used (its characteristics) contribute to understanding its spiritual meaning.

5. Seek the reality behind the symbol.

With those ideas in mind, let’s READ Isaiah 25:4 “For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.”

Also READ Isaiah 32:1-2 “Behold a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

??What images did you find in those verses?

            Strength to poor and needy                   Refuge from the storm

            Shadow from the heat                             River in a dry place

            Shadow of rock in a weary land

??What do those images teach about how the Savior helps us when we face such challenges?

These images teach us that the Lord will never leave us. He will always be there to help us. We need to never leave Him. ??How do we not leave Him?? We build on His foundation.

Let’s talk about foundations.

READ Isaiah 24:17-20  That is the state of the world. ??Any observations you’d like to share about these verses and the world we live in? So we can build on the world’s foundation, which a lot of people do OR…

READ Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a stried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation.”

??How is Jesus Christ our ‘sure foundation’? READ 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.”

This brings to mind the primary song and parable from Matthew 7:24-27 - The wise man and the foolish man. I had an experience that changed the way I feel about this parable. I used to think it meant strong people build on rocks and foolish people build on the sand. End of story. I was talking with a friend whose son had died at a young age. It was a hard time for the whole family and their testimonies were definitely tried beyond their breaking point. The rains and floods came and beat upon their house. She admitted that some of her testimony washed away. She wasn’t foolish, she was strong. She told me her testimony was smaller now but what she had was strong and deep.

This changed my perception of the parable of the wise and foolish man. The tricky thing is that we are, at the same time, often wise and foolish. Not wise all the time, not foolish all the time. We are somewhere in the middle. We are learning and growing. We have to start building our testimonies somewhere, somehow. Sometimes we build with sand and soil and that’s enough to stand on for a while. Then trials and adversity come and our foundation gets shaken up and the sand washes away, revealing what is left of our sure foundation. Then we continue to build on that until the next trial comes, to show us where we are weak and where the sand has washed away. It’s a process. A beautiful, strengthening process

??What can we do to build on a strong foundation? What does the Lord promise if we build on this foundation? READ D&C 50:44 “Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall.”

READ Isaiah 30:19-21  “For the people shall swell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.  And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see they teachers:  And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

??What stands out to you in those verses?

*He will answer thee

*Why do we need bread and water? What do they do for us? Give us life, help us grow, fulfillment, enjoyment. Can adversity and affliction do the same thing?

*Thine eyes shall see, thine ears shall hear THE WORD. We need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open. How do we do that? We hear “the word.” Read the scriptures.

*This is the way, WALK ye in it. No matter how hard the Lord’s road is, it is the Lord’s way. We have to “walk.” Not be wheeled along or stall out.

READ Alma 37:37 “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”

This is the best testimony I can think of to close with:

“I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me

Enough to die for me!

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!”

Book Review: The Secret Keeper

I just finished reading Kate Morton’s “the Secret Keeper.” It’s long and fat and I read it in 3 days so I could go to bookclub and not have the ending spoiled.

This is the second Kate Morton book I’ve read (the Forgotten Garden was the first) and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was fantastic. One of the things I love about Morton’s writing is that she places you so firmly in the setting, which is important because the two books I’ve read jump around quite a bit both in time and place.

“The Secret Keeper,” set in England, is about a daughter, her mother, a shared traumatic experience and the search for a long held secret. Laurel returns home in 2011 to Greenacre, together with her siblings, to be with her mother in her final days. Being home brings back all sorts of memories for Laurel and soon she has more questions than answers. That starts her on a massive search for answers that takes us back in time to 1941 and 1961 (or thereabouts).

The trip through time is historically interesting and Morton does a wonderful job of staying true to history and making it come alive so much that you feel you are there. When she whisks you off to another time and place, you are loath to leave where you came from until she wraps you up in the new setting. But it’s not abrupt. It’s skillfully and gently done. The skill of writing it takes to do that is beyond me. It’s amazing.

The characters are well drawn, the setting is tangible, the prose is inspiring. My only problem was that I wanted the answers as much as Laurel and a few times I just wanted less fluff and more answers. But that’s her style and it sure is beautiful writing. One of my favorite parts of this novel is that the characters, the main protagonists, the hero/heroines have faults. So though you love them, you also want to shake them by the shoulder and beg them to be stronger or more patient or more kind.

My favorite character was Jimmy, the love interest in 1941. So loyal and principled. He was a photographer and took photos of the fall-out from the London Blitz. About one of the pictures of a newly orphaned, young girl, the book reads: “Small individual tragedies like this little girl’s were nothing to the larger scale of the war; she and her tap shoes could be swept as easily as dust beneath history’s carpet. That photograph was real, though; it captured its moment and preserved it for the future like an insect in amber. It reminded Jimmy why what he did, recording the truth of the war, was important.”

One of the themes of the novel is that we often don’t know the story, the history, of the people we love, our families and in particular to this book, our mothers. Laurel didn’t know her mother’s past. Dolly didn’t know the past of the woman who employed her. The book gives us insight into the past of all the main characters and guess what? The past becomes super important and fascinating.

So it got me thinking about my mom and sure, I know a few stories here and there but what about the meat? Do I know enough? Do my kids know enough? After reading this book, I am so motivated to know my own mother’s past and learn from her personal history, because it’s important.

I must confess, my admiration for this book was greatly increased when Morton referenced the Tardis from Doctor Who. How can you go wrong with a book that sweeps generations and mentions the Tardis? So read “The Secret Keeper”! Then go read “The Forgotten Garden.” You will be transported to amazing times and places and you won’t regret it.

Book Review: Wonder

The last book was Wonder. Late again to the party. This book has been around for a while. So I have a 6^th grade son and, boy, does this author get the 5^th/6^th grade social scene. I loved how the story was told. With each new point of view going back in time just a little and then propelling the story further on. Genius. Each voice was clear and dead on as far as I’m concerned, for the age group.

As a parent, I appreciated the role and characterization of the parents. They were supportive and real. They struggled just as much as any other character in the story and parents reading the book could relate. Humor was a great part of the story as well, especially from Auggie (who probably got it from his Dad). My son liked it a lot and quoted it around the house for a few days.

I am glad Auggie had friends. Sometimes in real life, that doesn’t happen, so I felt like the story was a little sugar coated but I’m glad it was, especially for this age group. I think they need an example of the correct way to deal with difficult situations, which is one of the purposes of literature. I hope there are kids like that in my son’s school, who will stand up for the underdog. I would like to hope my son would stand up, or sit down at lunch, with the “Auggies” in his school.

Like “Fault in Our Stars” I felt like this book did a great job of voicing and describing the pre-adolescent and adolescent life. I really think everyone should read this book. If I had to pick one of the three in this post to recommend, it would be an easy choice. Wonder, for sure.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Ok, the next book I read was Fault In Our Stars. I know, I’m a little late to the party on this one. I wanted to see it with my teenage daughter and I just have a hard time seeing a movie based on a book without reading it first. And then, while I was reading it, she went and saw it anyway without me. Wahwah. Let me preface this by saying I’m not a romance reader (or writer, I’m a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad romance writer). So why am I rewriting Cinderella? I don’t know. Let’s just say it may not be that romantic.

I thought Fault In Our Stars was a good book but I’m not in love with it like others are. I felt like some language and some of the sexual content was more than I would have liked for my slightly sheltered, Mormon daughter (jr. high age). But she read it and watched it and we talked about it and all is well in Zion.

I really enjoyed the friendship between the main characters and others. Gus and Hazel were quite mature. Maybe that comes with dealing with life and death situations as part of your normal routine. I wonder if teens got that depth. As an adult I really enjoyed it. It made me think more deeply about life, death, relationships and where I place my priorities.

I really appreciate when things don’t play out perfectly. Life isn’t perfect and often disappoints. So I liked how the highly esteemed author turns out to be a jerk, even to the end. And Gus’s other girlfriend had a downer attitude. That’s real life. So I enjoyed the book but I didn’t love it like so many others did. Maybe because of life experiences.

So this got me thinking. I didn’t absolutely love it but I’m quite sure that if I were to get together with others and discuss it, I would find more to like about the book. SO, is part of my love of some books related to the discussion and sharing of feelings I have with others? Books are powerful alone, but they are also powerful when shared through thought and discussion.

Anyway, I do have to say though, I don’t recommend reading this book if you are in the middle of being called back for further diagnosis of an abnormal mammogram and contemplating your own diagnosis. That was a little unsettling but everything turned out fine and I’m ok and the book was great. I really liked it and felt philosophical and hip while reading it.

Book Review: Cinder

I just finished a reading splurge. I read three great books, all very different in my opinion. Well, two of them are a little similar and the third is very different from the others but not better, so we’ll start with that one.

Cinder, as you might guess from the title, is a retelling of Cinderella. This caught my eye because, hello, I’m in the middle of writing a retelling of Cinderella. This story is fun because it is set in the future in a very techno-savy, robotic society. It even involves a race of beings from the moon. The main character is a strong and intelligent woman but still the oppressed underdog, at the mercy of her stepmother. The prince is endearing and sympathetic. A very likable character. And the peripheral characters are mostly well done. There was heartache and humor. The romance was sweet.

The problem is the whole time I’m reading, I’m thinking, if you break this down to a rough outline, it’s very similar to my story. I know, I know, they’re both Cinderella, so of course they are going to be similar. But even still, some of the things I changed, she changed too. Not to give too much away, but the family situation is similar. The way Cinder, (my character, Dru) is looked down upon and why, is similar. Their insecurity stems from the same place. But the thing is, this other author’s setting is so unique, set in the future with all the techno stuff. Mine is set in same old, same old fairytale land. And I’m struggling right now with how to make my story unique and stronger. How can I make Dru stand out? How can I make the juxtaposition more dangerous or weighty (what’s the word?) between good and evil, natural impulse and expectation, dark magic and good intentions. And if I’m not seeing similarities with Cinder, I’m seeing them with the movie Ever After. They were the furthest thing from my mind when I wrote my version. I didn’t even know about Cinder, but now I just feel like mine is a cheap imitation. I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it out.

Anyway, Cinder was a great read. It really ends on the edge of a cliff. Not really an ending at all, just a beginning for more to come. So I read the preview chapter of the next book, Scarlet, which I assume is Red Riding Hood, which coincidentally, I also have a rough draft of. But it didn’t really hook me from the get go. Maybe I’ll get to it eventually but I’m in no rush.

Gospel Doctrine OT c34: Hosea

Gospel Doctrine OT c34 – Hosea

What are the following an example of?

It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog (Beattles)

And I’m hungry like a wolf (Duran Duran)

Ogres are like onions. (Shrek)

Life is like a box of chocolates. (Forrest Gump)

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (Shakespeare)

O, my luve’s like a red, red rose. (Robert Burns)

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)

How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. (3 Nephi 10:4)

What is a similie? A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. (OxfordDictionary)

??Why does the Lord use similes and metaphors? The manual says comparing a complicated or unfamiliar idea with one that is simpler or more familiar makes it (1.) more understandable to the people who are being taught. Comparisons also help (2.) provide a lot of detail in just a few words.

Hosea used similitudes in his record in the bible.

History: “Hosea lived during one of the most prosperous eras of ancient Israel’s history and was a contemporary of the prophet Amos. But as his book reveals, his society was deeply marred by depravity and evil. His written record exhibits an extraordinary measure of tenderness and compassion which is combined with a stern resolve against wickedness and, particularly corruption in high places.”  (S. Kent Brown)

Hosea uses a similitude we see frequently in the scriptures, which is marriage; the Lord as the bridegroom or husband and his covenant people as the bride or wife.

From the manual: “Using the similitude of a faithful husband and an adulterous wife, Hosea describes the relationship between the Lord and Israel.”

Read Hosea 1:2-3 

FIRST: What does comparing our relationship with the Lord- to marriage, teach us about the level of commitment and devotion the Lord expects from us?

If we are instructed to liken the scriptures to ourselves, the Lord is the husband which makes us a wife of whoredoms. It feels uncomfortable to place us there but we must continue with the similitude or comparison. To get rid of the “w” word, we need to know what it is.

?? Reading v.2 again, what is a great whoredom committed? “departing from the Lord.”

?? What things may divert us from our dedication to following the Savior?

?? What else did the ‘wife’ do in chapter 2?

Read Hosea 2:5.

?? How do we give credit to false gods for the blessings we receive?

Hosea 2: 8,13  “For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.” “And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.”

What is the Lord’s response to the behavior of the ‘wife’?

Read Hosea 2:6-7

“After later abandoning Hosea, Gomer recognized her mistakes and wanted to return; but by then – one must infer – she had become a slave. The Lord directed Hosea to buy her back, a course which he pursued willingly, for he still loved her despite all. The prophet next disciplined Gomer by severely restricting her movements and associations with others before restoring her fully to her former status.” (S. Kent Brown)

Read Hosea 2:14-16

Bring her to the wilderness

Speak comfortably with her

Valley of Achor (Trouble) for a door of hope

As in the days of her youth

Though shalt call me Ishi (husband)

And shalt call me no more Baali (master)

??What does it mean to you that you as the ‘wife’ will call the Lord no more ‘master’ but will call him ‘husband’?

VIDEO

“Genuine repentance changes entirely our relationship with the Savior. We are no longer slaves to the merciless mastery of Justice; we are married to the mercies of God.” (Breck England, Meridian Magazine)

“Just as the landfill requires dedicated work and attention, laboriously applying layer after layer of fill to reclaim the low-lying ground, our lives also require the same vigilance, continually applying layer after layer of the healing gift of repentance.” (Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Gen. Conf. Oct 2006)

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies toe veryone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means—total, complete, all, forever. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: ‘There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ’ (‘The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,’ Ensign, Nov. 1995)” (Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Gen. Conf. Oct 2006)

Hosea 13:910; Hosea 14:4 Ultimately God loves us!

Just like the harlot wife thinks all her blessings come from her lovers. Hosea 2:8-13

Another similitude – Hosea 11:1, 3-4  As a father to a child. But they knew not that I healed them.

Hosea 13:5-6  According to their pasture, so were they filled. They have forgotten me.

“On such a view, this sorrowful episode deepened Hosea’s appreciation for the Lord’s frustration at Israel’s infidelity and apostasy, thus fashioning the prophet into an apt spokesman for the messages of divine disappointment and stern warning. In addition, this representation of Hosea’s marital troubles fits a wider pattern perceptible in the Lord’s dealings with his agents: he leads them through experiences that make them effective messengers for their time and place.” (S. Kent Brown)

“The Hebrew text of Hosea’s book unfortunately, is very corrupted, making some passages difficult to grasp. Even so, it is certain that the key for comprehending all of Hosea’s words lies in chapters 1 through 3, the report of his marriage to a harlot.” (S, Kent Brown)

** S. Kent Brown, “Studies in Scripture – vol. 4 1Kings to Malachi,” edited by Kent P. Jackson

EXTRA QUOTES:

“The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”

(Elder Richard G. Scott, Gen. Conf. Oct 2013)

“Throughout your life there may be times when you have gone places you never should have gone and done things you never should have don.e If you will turn away from sin, you will be able one day to know the peace that comes from following the pathway of complete repentance.

“No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ (D&C 58:42).

“That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ (see Revelation 1:5).”

(Pres. Boyd K. Packer, Gen Conf. Oct 2012)

Gospel Doctrine OT c32: Job

Gospel Doctrine OT c32 – Job

“Seeds of Renewal” Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (Gen Conf April 1989)

“Mountains to Climb” Pres. Henry B. Eyring (Gen Conf April 2012)

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Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin once told of farmers in the hot desert of northwest Mexico who ‘grow varieties of corn and beans that are unusually hardy and drought resistant. These varieties survive and flourish in a harsh climate where other plants would wither and die. One of these plants is the white tepary bean. Its seed will sprout and the plant will grow even when very little rain falls. It sends its roots as deep as six feet into the rocky, sandy earth to find the moisture it needs. It can flower and fruit in the 115-degree (Fahrenheit) desert temperatures with only one yearly rainfall. Its foliage remains remarkably green, with little irrigation, even in the heat of mid-July.”

“Perhaps members of the Church could emulate the example of these hardy, sturdy plants. We should send our roots deep into the soil of the gospel. We should grow, flourish, flower, and bear good fruit in abundance despite the evil, temptation, or criticism we might encounter. WE should earn to thrive in the heat of adversity.” (“Seeds of Renewal”, Conf Report, Apr 1989)

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Our lesson is about Job. Who was Job? C1:1-3. Chapter 1 heading says: “Job, a just and perfect man, is blessed with great riches. Satan obtains permission from the Lord to tempt and try Job. Job’s property and children are destroyed, and yet he praises and blesses the Lord.” In the same chapter Job loses all his servants, fire burned his sheep and servants, robbers took his camels and slew those servants, sons and daughters were killed by a storm that crushed their house.

But his troubles are just beginning. He has physical illnesses, boils and pain. His restless sleep is filled with nightmares. His friends and family accuse him of sinning. He is confused about why he is asked to go through these trials. He feels like the heavens are shut and God has forgotten him.

Read these scriptures:

Abr 3:24-25 – “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.” (PROVE THEM HEREWITH)

D&C 130:20-21 – “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (BLESSINGS PREDICATED BY OBEDIENCE)

Mosiah 2:41 - “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.” (CONSIDER THE BLESSED AND HAPPY STATE)

And then this:

D&C 121: 1, 7-8, 10 - “O God, where are thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?”  “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;” “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” Thou are not yet as Job;…” (NOT YET AS JOB) (BUT A SMALL MOMENT)

??How do you reconcile the seemingly conflicting messages of these scriptures? How do these scriptures make sense when we contemplate the plight of Job? What happened to the blessings and the happy state of those who are obedient for Joseph Smith or Job?

??Why do we have trials? The bible dictionary tells us the book of Job suggests ‘that affliction, if not for punishment, may be for experience, discipline, and instruction.’

Consider these questions at home:

How do trials give us experience?

How do trials give us discipline?

How do trials give us instruction?

Show video!

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How did we survive trials?

Job’s response: 1:20-21 “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

1. TRUST – 13:13-15 – “hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”

??How do you develop that kind of trust that will sustain you through trials?

Understand the plan of salvation and the law of opposition.

2 Nephi 2:11-12, 24 – “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness not misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, not corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. “Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.

“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.”

v.2 “Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.”

2. TESTIMONY – 19:23-27 – “Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.”

Pres. Eyring said: “If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble.” (Conf Rep Apr 2012)

??What are you doing with your testimony right now to make sure it is ready for adversity in your life? What must we be doing to make our testimonies strong?

3. INTEGRITY – 27:2-6 – “As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment: and the Almight, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, not my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.”

I can understand more easily how Trust and Testimony help me through trials.

??How does integrity help with trials?

Manual answer: As we maintain our integrity, we can strength from knowing that the course of our lives is pleasing to the Lord.

What does that mean?

Conclusion:

First Pres. Message given at the beginning of WW1: “…Therefore he has permitted the evils which have been brought about by the acts of His creatures, but will control their ultimate results for His own glory and the progress and exaltation of His sons and daughters, when they have learned obedience by the things they suffer.”

Joseph Smith said: “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, … knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 304).

Pres. Eyring: “We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word.” (“Mountains to Climb”, conf rep Apr 2014).

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Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin defined integrity as “always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more important, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenants.” (Conf Rep. Apr 1990).

ASKING WHY ME?

Richard G. Scott: “When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do. Yet, when you pray with real conviction, “Please let me know Thy will” and “May Thy will be done,” you are in the strongest position to receive the maximum help from your loving Father.” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov 995)

STILL ASKING WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Elder Eldred G. Smith taught: “Going back to the story [of Job] now to get the principle I was looking for, we note that Satan had power to do only what God had permitted him to do. Satan did not win that war in heaven. He was cast out of heaven to do what the Lord wanted him to do, to test and try and torment man. Satan, then, has power on this earth only as the Lord permits and as we yield to his temptations. Do you think a just God would permit Satan to try us beyond our power to resist? Then the Lord will always give us power to resist if we will remain true and faithful to the end and seek the Lord and his guidance in all the trials and difficulties, even though we may think they are unjust. Nearly all of us go through some experience in this life of sickness, disease, trouble, financial difficulties, many even born with difficulties and handicaps – not because of any cause on their part as we see it, but because that is the part that the Lord wants us to go through as a trial and temptation to see if we will prove faithful to the end in spite of these conditions, which are as far as we are concerned without cause.” (conf rep. Oct. 1962).

The Lord answered the question about why bad things happen to good people in his response to Joseph Smith:

“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up they way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.” (D&C 122:7-9)

Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” (quoted in Spencer W. Kimball, Fatih Precedes the Miracle, 98)