I came across this ensign article:
Feasting at the Lord’s Table
M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Brothers
and sisters, this has been another glorious conference. I pray for the
Spirit of the Lord to be with me as I now have the privilege to speak to
you.
In
February Sister Ballard and I attended a multistake conference in
Johannesburg, South Africa. We were impressed with the faith and the
special spirit of the members.
Visiting
the African continent brought back memories of my earlier assignments
to East and West Africa. I thought once again of the special fast by
Church members worldwide in 1985. It provided approximately six million
dollars to relieve suffering and hunger primarily in drought-stricken
Ethiopia. Brother Glenn L. Pace and I witnessed firsthand the fruits of
generous contributions by Church members when the First Presidency
assigned us to go to Africa, assess the needs of the people, and
recommend how to make the best use of these special funds.
We
visited refugee camps in that arid country. The land was as barren as
any I had ever seen. We visited Red Cross centers and field hospitals
where the desperately ill were being cared for. Such dreadful, pitiful
suffering broke our hearts. We saw sick mothers lying on cots trying to
feed and comfort their children, many of whom had the sunken eyes and
pencil-thin arms and legs of those in the advanced stages of starvation.
This was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences of my life. I had
never seen anything that touched my heart so deeply as the anxious
yearning for food and nourishment that I saw there.
Brothers
and sisters, even as people in Ethiopia were starving physically
because of the lack of food, far too many people in the world are
starving spiritually. Sadly, most of them have no idea where to find
real spiritual nourishment. They wander to and fro—another form of
pathetic refugees. Those who yearn for true spiritual light and
knowledge can only find it through the power of the Holy Ghost.
The Spirit enlightens and gives understanding of the eternal purposes
of life. By the Spirit, Church members know the restored gospel of Jesus Christ
is true. We should, therefore, feel compelled to share our spiritual
knowledge with all of our Father’s children by inviting them to pull a
chair up to the Lord’s table and feast on the words of Christ.
“Come unto the Holy One of Israel,” wrote the great Book of Mormon prophet Jacob, “and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.”
1
Later Nephi urged his followers to “feast upon the words of
Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye
should do.”
2
God’s chosen prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, recently said:
“Every
member of this church is an individual man or woman, boy or girl. Our
great responsibility is to see that each is ‘remembered and nourished by
the good word of God’ (Moro. 6:4), that each has opportunity for growth and expression and training in the work and ways of the Lord. …
“This
work is concerned with people, each a son or daughter of God. In
describing its achievements we speak in terms of numbers, but all of our
efforts must be dedicated to the development of the individual.”
3
For The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to fulfill its divine mission to assist in bringing “to pass the immortality and eternal life of man,”
4
all members need to generate an appetite for gospel sustenance. We must “hunger and thirst after righteousness”
5
before we can be filled. We need to cultivate spiritual strength
within ourselves before we can ever hope to engender it in others.
Individual, personal testimony of gospel truth, particularly the divine
life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, is essential to our eternal
life.
“And this is life eternal,” said the Savior, “that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.”
6
In other words, life eternal is predicated upon our own
individual, personal knowledge of our Father in Heaven and His Holy Son.
Simply knowing about them is not enough. We must have personal,
spiritual experiences to anchor us. These come through seeking them in
the same intense, single-minded way that a hungry person seeks food.
Once again quoting President Hinckley:
“The
gaining of a strong and secure testimony is the privilege and
opportunity of every individual member of the Church. The Master said,
‘If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it
be of God, or whether I speak of myself’ (John 7:17).
“Service
in behalf of others, study, and prayer lead to faith in this work and
then to knowledge of its truth.
This has always been a personal pursuit,
as it must always be in the future.”
7
We
must fortify ourselves before we can ever hope to offer spiritual
nourishment to others. Once we have nourished ourselves with the good
word of Christ and feasted personally at His table so that our testimony
is strong and vibrant, we are obligated to join with the missionaries
in a balanced effort to invite others—beginning with our families—to the
spiritual banquet. As the Lord said to His beloved Apostle Peter, “When
thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
8
And again speaking to Peter, the Savior asked: “Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the
third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my
sheep.”
9
If
we are obedient to the Savior’s command given to Peter, we will focus
our attention on the spiritual growth and development of those for whom
we are responsible. Feeding the Lord’s sheep requires each of us to
awaken our interest in others. The duty to invite others to partake of
the gospel feast does not rest only on the shoulders of the
missionaries. That sober and significant duty belongs to each member of
the Church, for “it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his
neighbor.”
10
Today
our prophet is calling for enthusiastic and dynamic love for our
Heavenly Father’s children. He asks us to see the spiritual hunger
around us and to respond by willingly sharing our abundance. No power on
earth can accomplish as much as one righteous man or woman or boy or
girl.
The home and family
have vital roles in cultivating and developing personal faith and
testimony. The family is the basic unit of society; the best place for
individuals to build faith and strong testimonies is in righteous homes
filled with love. Love for our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ
is greatly enhanced when the gospel is taught and lived in the home.
True principles of eternal life are embedded in the hearts and souls of
young and old alike when scriptures are read and discussed, when prayers
are offered morning and night, and where reverence for God and
obedience to Him are modeled in everyday conduct. Just as the best meals
are home cooked, the most nourishing gospel instruction takes place at
home. Strong, faithful families have the best opportunity to produce
strong, faithful members of the Church. The recent proclamation to the
world on the family issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles makes very clear that the family is ordained of God.
The proclamation warns that the disintegration of the family will bring
upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by
ancient and modern prophets.
The
family is where the foundation of personal, spiritual growth is built
and nurtured; the Church, then, is the scaffolding that helps support
and strengthen the family. While the Church is secondary to the family
in teaching gospel principles, much spiritual learning and growth come
through the Church. For example, carefully planned sacrament
meetings should be a spiritual feast in which we worship and learn of
our
Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Bishops, if your sacrament meetings are less than a banquet of
spiritual nourishment, I urge you to invite suggestions from your ward
council, especially the sisters, on ways to make every sacrament meeting
a more reverent, spiritual experience. Let the council also help teach
our members that the chapel is a special place in our buildings where we
come in a spirit of respect for God and reverence for His holy Son. Let
the quiet, peaceful promptings of the Holy Spirit abide in our worship
services, causing spiritual enlightenment and nourishment to flow into
our lives.
Whether
we are teaching in the home or in the Church, we must keep a clear
vision of the gospel’s eternal purpose. Not long ago I experienced the
kind of faith and spiritual strength the gospel provides when an
18-year-old sister, who was fighting for her life in a battle with
cancer, asked me for a blessing. She said: “Brother Ballard, I am not
afraid to die. I would like to live. There are things I would still like
to accomplish in this life, but I know that Jesus is my Savior and my
Redeemer. During these past few years He has become my best friend. I
trust Him, and I trust you as His representative. Whatever He wants for
me, I am prepared.”
We
pled for a miracle but at her request left the matter with Heavenly
Father. She died shortly thereafter with the peace of the Lord attending
her and her faithful family.
Brothers
and sisters, we should teach revealed principles and inspired doctrine
in our homes and in our Church meetings. Every parent and class
instructor should be well prepared to teach the gospel by the power of
the Spirit to ensure that testimonies are renewed and understanding of
life and life eternal is fortified.
The
First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ask leaders to
emphasize constantly, in priesthood quorums, auxiliaries, and stake and
ward councils, the preeminence of the home and family. That is where
scriptures are studied and prayers are offered regularly so all family
members will strive to follow the Savior in all things.
Leaders
also need to emphasize that all adult members of the Church should
strive to become worthy to receive the ordinances of the temple. They
should identify their ancestors and perform the sacred temple ordinances
for them.
Parents
and leaders need to do everything possible to prepare each young man to
receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and the ordinances of the temple and
to serve a full-time mission. Likewise, young women need to prepare to
make and keep sacred covenants and receive temple ordinances. Making and
keeping sacred covenants in the house of the Lord is the most delicious
course at the Lord’s table. It is the ultimate, satisfying spiritual
feast of the gospel of Jesus Christ in mortality; it has eternal
consequences. Our living prophet has expressed his great vision of those
who qualify for temple ordinances, keep temple covenants, and serve
regularly in the house of the Lord:
“We
would be a better people,” President Hinckley said. “There would be
little or no infidelity among us. Divorce would almost entirely
disappear. So much of heartache and heartbreak would be avoided. There
would be a greater measure of peace and love and happiness in our homes.
There would be fewer weeping wives and weeping children. There would be
a greater measure of appreciation and of mutual respect among us. And I
am confident the Lord would smile with greater favor upon us.”
11
Through
His prophet, God has promised to replace the spiritual hunger that
plagues mankind with untold bounty from His own table. All He asks is
that we come unto Christ and then do all we can through our families and
with the support of the Church to help all of our Father’s children
succeed spiritually in this critical journey of mortality.
“
Behold,”
said the Lord, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me.”
12
I testify to you that Jesus is the Christ. He lives and invites everyone to partake of the joyful feast of the gospel. Joseph Smith
is the prophet of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in
these latter days. May we all be blessed, my beloved brothers and
sisters, with an increased desire to seek after and feast on the things
of the Spirit I pray humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
My Thoughts: No, I did not think, "Oh! Time to convert my family." No, I realized that my family are the sheep Jesus Christ has asked me to feed. I must be as kind, as loving, as patient, and as forgiving as I can possibly be. This I can do through the example of Jesus Christ, and by praying to the Lord, "I can't feed your sheep on my own. I need you. I will do what you ask me to do, but I need your help."
Don't wait to be served and taken care of, but rather look for those who need you. I believe there Christ directs us individually to those that need to be feed, whether it be with food, kindness, love, or the words of Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment