Listening to the Spirit

 D&c 84:46 listening to the spirit

We had a lesson in Sunday school this week. During the discussion a number of the participants shared incidents in their lives. That got me to thinking about times in my life when I had promptings from the Holy Ghost. There have been a number which I feel are not to be shared publicly. Today I would like to share one. It illustrates a two way interaction of the spiritual prompting.

My wife and I were just home from our mission to the Europe East area in Frankfurt in 2000. We were staying in an apartment in Canyon Road Towers just up the street from the conference center. We had people living in our home in Lander while we were on our mission and they had not yet moved so we could not go home.

That July there had been a change in the area presidency and Elder Ronald Rasband was assigned to the Europe Central area presidency. We had come home before we had met him.

We were still living in the apartment at the time of October general conference. We did not have tickets to attend, but wanted to go. We were standing in the line to gain entrance to the meeting for those who didn’t have tickets. As we were standing on the sidewalk across the street from the conference center Elder Rasband came along shaking the people’s hands. As he approached I had the impression as if a voice. “He has tickets,ask him.” I thought, I think that would be presumptuous. I am not going to ask him. He went down the line and then when he came back, he stopped in front of us and asked us if we would like tickets. I do not think he knew who we were, but he listened to the spirit and gave us the tickets. This was the Sunday morning session when President Hinckley dedicated the conference center.

I didn’t act on the prompting of the spirit, but Elder Rasband did.

Some times we may realize that we are getting messages from a loving Father, but we fail to act as in my case. Not often will things turn out as they did in this case.

The best advice that grandpa can offer is to learn to listen and when the impression comes act without hesitation.

Love,
Grandpa

The path is not a destination

 

The path is not a destination

Recently the church has talked about the covenant path. I did not remember this phrase when I was growing up. Although the gospel has not changed, the emphasis on certain aspects has changed. For instance they do not speak about having a year’s supply of food or money like they used to. That is important as well.

What is the covenant path and how do we get onto it? This is the path that will eventually lead us back to our Father in Heaven. It is described as a narrow way.

We must start on the path to make covenants with our Father in Heaven. Usually this starts when we are given a name and a blessing in the Church. For those who did not have parents who were members we start on the path when we were introduced to the restored gospel. For those who had parents who were sealed in the temple they were sealed into the new and everlasting covenant and were heirs to receive the blessings of Abraham. This is referred to as being born in the covenant. This now is our start on the path.

Once on the path, we make our first covenant when we are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This covenant is, that we will mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that are in need of comforting and stand as a witness of God at all times and in all places even until death. We take upon us the name of Christ and become His disciples.

The ordinance of the sacrament is to remind us of those covenants that we made when we were baptized. When we partake of the sacrament unworthily we are stopped in our progression along the covenant path. The scriptures give this condition as damnation. Just as a river has its flow interrupted, our progress along the covenant path is impeded or damned until we remove the obstacles by repentance.

For the men, the next covenant is the oath and covenant of the priesthood as described in the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

We next go to the temple where we make more covenants and get a symbolic representation of our destination, which is being admitted into the presence of God.

The temple is not the end. We have to keep those covenants that we make in the temple for the rest of our lives walking along holding onto the rod of iron. 

 

My dear grandchildren, please stay on the path. If you need help, I will hold your hand. 

 

Love,

Grandpa